Managing Multiple Versions of TestStand With TestStand Version Selector

Updated Oct 13, 2023

Reported In

Software

  • TestStand

Issue Details

  • I have one version of TestStand installed, and I would like to install another. I would like to know the following:
  1. Can I have more than one version of TestStand installed in parallel?
  2. How do I switch between different installed versions? 
  • I have multiple versions of TestStand installed. When I try to launch the TestStand Sequence Editor, either nothing happens, or I get the following error: The TestStand Engine cannot be initialized. You are trying to run the [x.y.z] sequence editor with the [x.y.z] engine. This is not supported. You can use the TestStand Version Selector to change the active TestStand engine version if you have more than one version of TestStand installed.
 
 

Solution

It is possible to have multiple versions of TestStand installed in parallel. However, only one version of TestStand can be active and running at any given time.

You can select the version you wish to run by making it active in the TestStand Version Selector tool:
 

Note: If you have TestStand 32-bit and 64-bit installed with the same year version, ensure they also are on the same minor version. For example, you can install TestStand 2017 32-bit and TestStand 2017 64-bit, or TestStand 2017 SP1 32-bit and TestStand 2017 SP1 64-bit, but not TestStand 2017 SP1 32-bit and TestStand 2017 64-bit or TestStand 2017 32-bit and TestStand 2017 SP1 64-bit.

You can launch TestStand Version Selector in the following ways:
  • Windows 10 and 7: Use the start menu: Start»All Programs»National Instruments»TestStand»TestStand Version Selector.
  • Windows 8 and 8.1: Click the NI Launcher tile on the Start screen and select TestStand»TestStand Version Selector.
  • Run C:\<Program Files x86>\National Instruments\Shared\TestStand Version Selector\TSVerSelect.exe.
The error message shown in the Issue Details section above can be fixed by opening TestStand Version Selector and making the desired version active. The error message results from attempting to open a version of TestStand that is not currently active. The error message shows which version is currently active and which version you are trying to open. In the case depicted above, we are trying to open TestStand 17.0.0 while Teststand 4.2.1 is marked as active.

Additional Information

  • If you would like more information about the actions executed when a TestStand version is made active and how to change the active version programmatically using the command line, please refer to the TestStand Version Selector section of the TestStand Help.

  • With the release of TestStand 3.1, the TestStand Version Selector was introduced to facilitate having multiple versions of TestStand installed on a computer. Review TestStand 3.1 Release Notes for more information.