The TestDrive Interface

The TestDrive Interface is access to all the tools needed to configure, customize, and use TestDrive. It allows you to perform a certain number of tasks depending on your operator level. When you log on to the computer, your preferences and rights are automatically considered by the TestDrive Interface. In other words, your customized environment, and the last files you used are loaded. First, let us look at this working environment. To open the TestDrive Interface, click the TestDrive Interface icon on your desktop or select Program > TestDrive > TestDrive Interface from your Windows start menu.

If it is the first time you open the TestDrive Interface, the New User dialog box, shown below, pops up. The choice you make there defines how you will start using the TestDrive Interface: with a default configuration including a set of ready to user sub-panels or with an empty profile. Choosing an empty profile means you will have to customize your environment from scratch. For more information on how to customize your environment, check the Customizing your Environment section of the User Guide.

The following image shows a screenshot of the TestDrive Interface.

TestDrive Interface Elements

Interface Areas

The TestDrive Interface is divided in five areas: 1 toolbox, 3 application panes and 1 customization pane. The application panes and the toolbox are located at the outside borders of the TestDrive Interface. Together, they create a frame around the customization pane. The toolbox, at the left of the interface, contains controls and toolbars that provide feedback from the system and one-click access to the commonly used functions. Some general toolbars are always available and others, that are more specific, are available when certain tasks are being performed. The Toolbox sub-section gives extra information on the content and use of the different toolbox controls and toolbars. The application panes contain indicators and controls that are related to the Tactile Interface Module's physical components and that you can assign to different simulator signals. The customization pane is the rectangular section in the middle of the interface. It displays different sub-panels depending on the current task being performed.

Menus

The menu bar contains standard and specific menus that allow you to perform all your tasks. The TestDrive menus are File, View, Mode, Scripts, Macro, Panels Tools, and Help.

To use any of the menu items:

• Click the menu item name; a drop-down menu will
• Click the desired function to select

Menu descriptions

File

The File menu contains the file management tools.

View

In the View menu, you will find tools to customize your working environment; the different views are better explained in the Views sub-section.

Mode

The Mode menu allows you to choose the operation mode; more details on the modes can be found in the Modes sub-section.

Script & Macro

The Script and Macro menus contain all the functions related, respectively, to script and macro management, running, and recording.

Panels

In the Panels menu, you will find all tools needed to use, configure, and customize your panels.

Tools

The Tools menu contains a variety of TestDrive tools including the system and module configuration tools, options, and preferences. The Help menu gives access to all documents created to help you use the TestDrive Interface.

Help

Toolbox

The TestDrive Interface toolbox provides five toolbars of which two are constantly available, the Mode and the Chassis toolbars, and three are available when the current task demands it, the Script, Customize, and Macro toolbars. Below the toolbars are the module and panel tools: The Config/Panels tab control and the Module LEDs. The next sub-sections explain each of the toolbox controls and toolbars.

Mode Toolbar

The Mode toolbar is at the top of the toolbox and contains three buttons that allow you to select the operation mode.

Chassis Toolbar

The Chassis toolbar is positioned in the middle of the toolbar, above the

Config/Panels tab control. It contains the Chassis radio buttons and Status LEDs.

The Chassis radio button allows you to choose which chassis' modules are to be displayed in the Config group of the Config/Panels tab control; the selected module also becomes available for configuration. Each of the Status LEDs displays the global module status of its chassis. The chassis' Status LED is, yellow if all its modules LEDs are yellow; the chassis' Status LED is red if one of its modules LED is red.

Script Toolbar

The Script toolbar is activated when the Control mode is selected. When it is visible, it is positioned under the Mode toolbar. It contains script functions and tools.

The Run button runs or resumes running of the currently loaded script. The Pause button is to be implemented; it will pause the running scrip. The Stop button stops the running script. The Step button executes a single step of the loaded script.

The Edit button opens the currently loaded script in the Python Editor. If no script is loaded, it opens the file browser that allows you to select a script file and edits it in the Python editor. The Load button opens the file browser that allows you to select a script and loads it. The Script Action window checkbox activates the Script Action window which displays the script lines.

Customize Toolbar

The Customize toolbar is activated when you select Customize mode. It appears right under the Mode toolbar. It contains the functions and tools of the Customize mode: The Save and Panel Components buttons. It also contains the Configure System button which is a configuration tool available for system administrators.

The Save button saves the changes you have made to the current sub-panel and application panes. The Panel Components button needs to be implemented, it will open the Panel Components dialog box which will allow you to add indicators and controls to the sub-panel. The Configure System button opens the System Configuration dialog box.

Module and Panel Tools

The module and panel tools include the Config/Panels tab control which is located at the bottom of the toolbox.

The Config/Panels tab control allows selecting models or panels for different tasks. Clicking the Config tab shows the Config group, clicking the Panels tab shows the Panels group.

The Module LEDs are positioned at the right of the Config/Panels tab control.

Each LED displays the status of the module associated with it, that is, the adjacent module of the Config/Panels tab control. Even when the Panel group is selected,

the LEDs still display the module's status. In the TestDrive Interface, the status indicators are yellow to indicate that the communication between the Real-Time Unit and the FPGA is established; red to indicate a fault concerning this module.

Status bar

The status bar is located at the bottom of the customization pane. It is divided in three sections: The Message area, the Status area, and the Observe Mode Status area.

The Message area displays messages concerning what action the simulator or the software is currently performing. The arrow button next to the message area is used to display or hide the Message history display field which displays the

message history.

The Status area displays, depending on the task being performed, the name of the loaded or running script, or the name of the macro being recorded.

Views

The TestDrive Interface views are ways to display or hide certain groups of controls depending on the users’ needs of the moment. All views can be activated from the Views menu, except the Output Window which is activated from the Scripts menu.

Show Module Config vs. Show Panels

At the bottom of the toolbox is a tab control that contains two groups: The Config group and the Panels group. These groups can be directly selected by clicking on the tabs, but they can also be activated by selecting respectively View > Show Module Config and View > Show Panels. The Config/Panels tab control is shown below.

Show Primary Chassis vs Show Secondary Chassis

These two View menu items determine which of the two chassis' modules will be displayed in the Config group of the Config/Panels tab control. At the same time, they also determine which chassis' module states, the Module LEDs reflect.

Output Window

The Output Window allows you to see the script outputs as it is being executed. It can be activated as soon as a script is loaded.

Modes

Control Mode

This mode allows you to select a panel, send commands to the simulator, and view data coming from it. You can run the simulator using the physical knobs, switches, and LEDs and/or using the panel components. To activate the Control mode, select Mode > Control or click the Control button of the Mode toolbar.

Scripts can also be run while in Control mode. The script toolbar is activated as soon as a script is loaded; this is done by selecting Script > Load… The name of the loaded script is displayed in the status bar.

When the loaded script contains the statement to allow manual override, you can override any input or output of the running script with manual commands through physical knobs and switches, and panel controls. Any of the physical controls or panel component that is clicked is immediately given control over the associated I/O, thus overriding the script. All remaining I/Os are kept being updated by the script.

When operating in Control mode, you can also record a macro of all your actions into a script. The script is editable so you can rearrange the sequence of actions.

Customize Mode

This mode allows you to customize your panels: assign signals to components (controls and indicators) and organize the components on the panels. To activate the Customize mode select Mode > Customize or click the Customize button of the Mode toolbar.