Solution
The VeriStand Steps for TestStand was the initial, now deprecated way to automate VeriStand from a TestStand sequence. It was initially developed by NI Systems Engineering and is not supported by NI R&D. It is not recommended for new applications and is provided strictly as-is.
The new VeriStand Steps for TestStand addon is the recommended tool now. It offers better functionality and integration with the latest versions of VeriStand and TestStand (2023 Q3 and later). This version is more robust and supported by NI. The addon provides a set of custom steps for common VeriStand actions in TestStand. You can use these steps to automate VeriStand and to develop test sequences for HIL systems with TestStand.
The ASAM XIL Steps for TestStand was our previously recommended way to automate VeriStand from a TestStand sequence. It was not a drop-in replacement for the VeriStand Steps for TestStand, which meant that certain functionality originally available through the VeriStand Steps for TestStand did not necessarily exist, or was not accessed in the same way, within the ASAM XIL Steps for TestStand.
To facilitate identifying which addon has been installed in TestStand, the following figure shows and compares their appearances and available functions in the Insertion Palette:
| Original VeriStand Steps for TestStand | New VeriStand Steps for TestStand | ASAM XIL Steps for TestStand |
 |  |  |
If the installed VeriStand version doesn't support the new VeriStand Steps for TestStand, using the ASAML XIL steps or direct calls to the VeriStand .NET API directly for TestStand can be an alternative.