Solution
There are several ways to automate moving files to a VeriStand target. This document mentions several ways to automatically include dependencies, but we will only focus on the simplest method. Depvs files can be used to keep track of dependencies that need to be deployed along with a model, such as initial parameters or log files.
.depvs file
A depvs file is a tab-delimited file that contains the names and paths of dependencies for a model you have added to VeriStand. You can create them in a text editor like Notepad or Notepad++. The depvs file must be stored next to the model that is added to your system definition file. Within the file, there are two entries for each dependency. The first describes the current location of the dependency on the development computer. The second entry begins after a tab on the same line as a first entry, and outlines the location of the dependency when it is deployed to the target. These dependency entries can either be relative or absolute.
Note that you will need to use the corresponding file check the table below for some examples. Take a look at the table below for a reference of the file directories to the VeriStand Models on the NI RT targets
File Directories for RT targets| Operating System | File Path |
|---|
| PharLap | C:\\ni-rt\\NI VeriStand\\Models\\yourfile.txt |
|---|
| NI Linux Real-Time | /c/ni-rt/NIVeriStand/Models/yourfile.txt |
|---|
| VxWorks | C:\\ni-rt\\NI VeriStand\\Models\\yourfile.txt |
|---|
For Linux, if you want to go back a level in the file hierarchy (for example to add your dependency to a different location) you can prefix the location with "
../".
For example,
../../../../usr/local/natinst/labview/example.txt places your file in
usr/local/natinst/labview folder rather than
c/ni-rt/NIVeriStand/Models/An example of a depvs file is attached to this KB.
Custom Devices
You can use a custom device to deploy dependencies to a RT target by calling
Action VIs where appropriate. Specifically you can use the onDownload or onCompile actions.
LabVIEW
You can use LabVIEW's ftp functions in conjuction with the workspace API (to control the deployment and start of the system) to automatically include dependencies.
TestStand
If you are automating your testing, you can write a custom VI step for TestStand to call to deploy all the necessary files. Using this method, you will have more control over the deployed files.