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Why Does the VariablesView Appear Blank in a TestStand User Interface but not in the TestStand Sequence Editor?

Primary Software:
Primary Software Version: 4.2.1
Primary Software Fixed Version: N/A
Secondary Software: N/A

Problem:
I recently installed the latest Windows Updates. After doing so, I installed TestStand on my machine and noticed that the VariablesView in my custom TestStand User Interface is blank. I also noticed that the VariablesView is blank for all of the default user interfaces that ship with TestStand, but that the Variables Pane in the TestStand Sequence Editor is working properly. If I switch to a different version of TestStand that was installed on my machine prior to installing the Windows Updates, I do not see this problem. What is causing this behavior and how do I resolve it?

Solution:
Microsoft released an update that installs the Microsoft .NET Framework 4 Client Profile which provides a subset of features from the .NET Framework 4. This update is recommended by Microsoft for Windows Vista and Windows 7 operating systems. To learn more about this update, visit Microsoft KnowledgeBase 982670: The .NET Framework 4 Client Profile is available on Windows Update.

You may be experiencing this behavior if TestStand is unable to register the type library for the TSDotNetUIControls.dll located in the <TestStand>\Bin directory. TestStand uses the latest version of RegAsm.exe to register assembly type libraries. The .NET Framework 4 Client Profile update installs a version of the .NET Framework 4 RegAsm.exe which lacks the specific functionality that TestStand requires to successfully register its assemblies’ type libraries. If you have the .NET Framework 4 Client Profile update installed prior to installing a version of TestStand, the TestStand installer will not successfully register TSDotNetUIControls.dll causing the VariablesView to appear blank in TestStand User Interfaces. This problem does not affect the TestStand Sequence Editor.

To resolve this behavior perform one of the below options:

• Install the full version of the .NET Framework 4 from the .NET Framework Developer Center: Download .NET Framework 4
  
1. After installing the full version of .NET Framework 4, launch the TestStand Version Selector and click Make Active for the version of TestStand you wish to use.
2. Once that TestStand version has been made active, you should no longer experience this behavior.

• Manually register the TSDotNetUIControls.dll type library using the .NET Framework 2 RegAsm.exe
  
  1. Open the command prompt (cmd.exe).
     Note: You must run the command prompt with Administrator privileges.
  2. In the command prompt, type:
     For TestStand 4.2.1 and previous versions
     C:\Windows\Microsoft.NET\Framework\v2.0.50727\RegAsm.exe /tlb "<TestStand>\Bin\TSDotNetUIControls.dll"
  3. Press Enter
  4. Once the type library has been registered, you should no longer experience this behavior.

Note: The type library only needs to be registered once per machine. After registering the type library for a particular version of TestStand, you will not have to repeat the above steps for that version of TestStand.

Please see the KnowledgeBase Articles linked in the Related Links section for information on related unexpected behavior caused by the .NET Framework 4 Client Profile update.


Related Links:
Microsoft Support: The .NET Framework 4 Client Profile is available on Windows Update
.NET Framework Development Center: .NET Framework 4 Download
KnowledgeBase 5DF0RJ2F: Why is the TestStand Version Selector Unable to Register the TSDotNetUIControls.dll?
KnowledgeBase 5DMFEE2F: Why do I receive a Microsoft Visual C++ Runtime Error when Interacting with a TestStand User Interface?

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Report Date: 09/12/2010
Last Updated: 09/24/2010
Document ID: 5DBB5Q2F

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