All the right scripts

Most engineers who use graphical test-and-measurement languages use them to develop instrument-control applications. But some, such as Jeff Davis at CDI Engineering (Phoenix, AZ), have found other uses for these languages.

CDI develops diagnostic software tools for aircraft engines. The company's engineers have written hundreds of scripts to test their software, and managing those scripts can get messy.

Davis, the lead software engineer, wrote an application that tracks each script and checks each test requirement for the correct script coverage. "With this automated tool, I can quickly check the status of a complex software project," reported Davis. He wrote the tool in Agilent Vee but says you can write a similar tool in any language.

The figure shows a partial hierarchy of an engine diagnostic program's menus, functions, and control bars. Each item requires scripts to verify its operation. "Root documents," written in Microsoft Word, specify the functions, menus, and toolbars in an engine's diagnostic program and reference the scripts that test it.

Each test script, written with Rational Visual Test (www.rational.com), contains an identifier called an "anchor" that the root documents use to reference a script. To verify that the scripts are complete and properly referenced, Davis's tool scans the root document, looking for one or more anchors. Then, it scans a local or network drive to find the scripts anchored to the root document. After completing a scan, the tool compiles the results into an Excel spreadsheet, from which Davis can tell if a root document has the scripts it needs. Because more than one test may use the same script, the tool can also tell him which root documents call a given script. If an engineer deletes a script, the tool will report it.

You can contact Martin Rowe at mrowe@tmworld.com.