Test control
Test control
Preparing a test
Select the desired test using the test selector in the header.
Optionally, enter an SIE data file name in the Task pane. If no name is entered, the file name defaults to the setup file name. A unique file name is assigned based on the SIE file name pattern setting defined in the Test setup. The SIE filename cannot be changed after a test run is started; however, it can be changed after the test run is stopped.
Optionally, provide a test run description in the Task pane. This information is embedded in the SIE file as metadata and cannot be changed after the test run is started. Information entered here will show in a Run description column in the Test and data control SIE data page. If no information is entered, the column will show the text No Run Description. See SIE data for more information.
NOTE
Before starting a test, make sure there is adequate storage available on the CPU for the test, whether the CPU is used as a master or slave node. Less than 2 MB of available storage will not allow a test to start.
Live updates
In the header by the Test selector, click Start live updates or
Stop live updates as needed to control live updates. These controls in Test configuration and Test control both control live updates. See Test setup > Live updates for more information about options.

If the test run mode is either Normal or Cyclic, start the test run by clicking on the Start icon. A running test is indicated by the yellow LED flashing rapidly in the status bar and on the device. To stop the current test run, click Stop. If the test run mode is Cyclic, this ends the automatic cyclic starting and stopping of test runs.
If the test run mode is Remote Control, both the Start and Stop icons will be disabled when the SXR configuration file is selected. Click the Enable Remote Control button located above the Start and Stop icons.
To end the remote control mode, which will typically span multiple test run starts and stops, click Disable Remote Control. If a test run is in progress, the test run will be stopped after the user confirms this action is desired.
See Remote control run mode for more information.
Enter characters to name a file in the Save data file as window. The file name must be unique and contain valid characters (invalid characters are single and double quotes, '\', '@', '#', '&', '<' and '>' or the problematic character string ".sie" [case sensitive]). When ';' is in a test setup name, '_' replaces ';' in the SIE file name generated by a test run.
During the test run, the following run statistics are displayed in the Task pane:
- File name: SIE data file name. Click the file name to download the SIE file to the local machine.
- Modified: System date/time of the last update to the SIE file.
- Size: Current size of the SIE file. After the first 100 Kb, the units are displayed in kilobytes (Kb). Mouse over the field to see the exact file size in bytes.
- Elapsed: Total elapsed time in seconds for the current test run.
A file description may be entered in the Description window.

The Display Views panel is a workspace for creating charts to display live channel data and limited test statistics while the test is running.
To create the first chart, select the desired channels from the Channels list. To add a new chart, drag a channel into an empty area of the Display Views panel. Add channels to an existing chart by dragging a channel onto the chart window or by clicking the chart window to make it the active window and selecting channels from the Channels list. To add a digital meter containing all test channels (up to the current maximum of 100), click the Show All Channels in DVM button at the top of the Channels list.
TIP
Change chart options including the default size in User preferences. Change the default decimal places for each channel in the Input channels spreadsheet.
NOTE
Live display views can be configured before a test run is started and also while a test is running. When a test is running the user should pay attention to the CPU load indicator on the status bar to understand how much additional processing load is being consumed to drive the live displays. This can be significant and there is the possibility that the CPU will overload and the system will reset on error. The system is designed to preferentially disable the live displays when the CPU load is too high, but this functionality may not always work.
NOTE
The actual rendering of the live display charts is done on the client device (for example, on a PC or tablet). For most modern client devices with high processor or graphics accelerator speeds, the client device will usually not be a factor.
However, for reasons beyond the scope of this help topic, the web browser used can be a significant factor. As of the present software version, the user is strongly advised to use one of the recommended browsers. For more information, see Recommended browsers.
A related issue is anti virus software running on the client device. Using HTTPS will minimize the likelihood of anti virus software negatively impacting display capabilities. For users who are not connected to the Internet, disabling anti virus software should be considered.

The Display Views panel can contain many different display views, each with its own named tab. Left click, drag and drop a tab to move it. Tab positions are saved. Different views allow for a variety of chart types, sizes, locations and channels. Display views can be created or modified at any time.
To manage views, open the views menu by clicking the menu button () or right clicking in the Display Views panel.
- New View: Create a blank view tab. Alternatively, click the plus (+) tab to the right of the existing view tabs.
- Save View: Save the current display view. To save all views, click the save button (
).
- Save View As: Duplicate the current display view and save it under a new name.
- Rename View: Rename the current display view.
- Delete View: Remove the current display view. Alternatively, click the "x" on the view tab.
- Import...: Import charts from a selected Test Setup. All charts in all tabs are imported from the selected SXR file. Display views are saved immediately when charts are imported. If a tab is selected in the Display Views, charts are imported to a newly created tab. A tab without a chart on it will also be imported.
- Cascade Charts: Cascade all display views in layers from left to right, first to last manipulated display view.
- Tile Charts: Fit all display views as tiles in the Display Views panel.
- Delete Charts: Remove all display views. Alternatively, click the "x" on the view tabs.
- Revert Unsaved Changes: Undo dialog selections made since the last save.

To change the size of a chart, double left-click in the header bar of a chart.

- Freeze All Charts: Select the snowflake button to pause live data displays.
- Unfreeze All Charts: Select the defrost button to resume live data displays.

- Strip chart: Plot of one or more channels as a function of time.
- Single channel digital meter: Digital display of a single channel value.
- Multi-channel digital meter: Tabular digital display of multiple channels.
- Analog meter: Analog gauge display of a single channel.
- Spectrum chart: Frequency domain spectrum plot of a single channel.
- X-Y plot : Plot of one channel on the Y-axis vs. another channel on the X-axis.
- Min/Max tracking of multi-channel digital meter with alarms: A Min/Max chart is a digital display of minimum, current and maximum data values for each channel. Warning and alarm level exceedance indicators are provided on a per channel basis.
- Interactive trigger chart: Display an interactive trigger channel as an interactive chart.
- Video display: Display of current frame of a single video channel.

Shunt control allows installation and removal of shunt resistors during a test run. If the current test contains one or more applicable channels, click Shunt.... The Shunt Control dialog is presented.
To install the shunts on all applicable channels, which is every channel in the test defined using one of the Bridge sensor input modes, select one of the following shunt modes.
Normal: This mode is based on the System preferences Bridge shunt polarities parameter set unless the bridge channel is configured to use the internal shunt resistor scaling mode. In this case, the Normal mode is the polarity defined in the sensor scaling configuration.
Opposite: This mode will apply the opposite shunt polarity relative to the Normal shunt polarity for all channels where it is supported by the hardware.
Up scale: This mode will apply the Up scale (positive swing) shunt polarity for all channels where it is supported by the hardware.
Down scale: This mode will apply the Down scale (negative swing) shunt polarity for all channels where it is supported by the hardware.
NOTE
Shunt polarity is based on electrical units scaling (i.e., mV/V scaling). If the sensor scaling slope is negative, the shunt polarity in output units is in the opposite direction. For example, the Up Scale option would result in a negative swing in the output data.
To remove the shunts, select Remove shunt.
All shunt resistors are removed at the start of a new test.
NOTE
The Shunt Control dialog can remain open while navigating the web application and closes automatically at the end of the test run. (It is also closed if the web browser is reloaded or refreshed.)

Interactive triggers provide a means to manually trigger computed channels and Data Modes during a test run. Set up interactive triggers using one or more Interactive trigger computed channels.
If the current test contains an Interactive Trigger computed channel, click Trigger.... The Interactive triggers dialog is presented.
To change the state of a trigger, check or uncheck the box. The change is applied immediately when the box is checked or unchecked.
NOTE
The Trigger Control dialog can remain open while navigating the web application and closes automatically at the end of the test run. (It is also closed if the web browser is reloaded or refreshed.)
See Interactive trigger chart about creating an interactive chart for an interactive trigger channel.

To get the AOX file while the SIE test is in progress, click Get AOX file.
The file is downloaded with the suffix "aox" after the test name. See Analog output channels (EHLS and EBRG) and AOX files for more information.