ATE enhancement: new AG_HOLDKBD/AG_RELEASEKBD opcode 4 activates a timer in ATE that after 15 seconds of no activity from host (when not otherwise waiting on user actions, such as within INFLD, XTREE, XTEXT, EVENTWAIT, etc.), a message box is displayed warning the user that communication with host appears to be broken, and giving the option to continue waiting or send a cancel (^C).
This can help mitigate a situation where the host application has crashed, leaving ATE in a state which appears to the user to be hung but actually isn't. To activate/deactivate the feature:
? tab(-10,AG_HOLDKBD);"4";chr(127); ! activate
? tab(-10,AG_RELEASEKBD);"4";chr(127); ! deactivate
Notes:
| • | Timeout monitor is only active when the ATE workstation is in "hold-kbd mode"—i.e. when the AG_HOLDKBD "2" option has been activated or when currently processing an ATE command from the host. |
| • | There are situations where it may be normal for ATE to be left waiting for something from the host for longer than 15 seconds. For example, if the host uses XCALL HOSTEX to launch a child task, it could be left waiting indefinitely for a response, leaving ATE in a waiting state. It is the responsibility of the host application to identify such situations and disable the appropriate AG_HOLDKBD mode(s). |
