Forcing scanned I/O variables to run simulated input for embedded cRIO applications

[MarkCG]

I am really just writing this to put thoughts to paper so it is a meandering post with no real point. In past projects I used a layer of indirection between scan engine and fpga I/O by means of the current variable table, with all I/O scanned and written to the table in one place in the code. This made it easy to substitute value in the CVT with simulated values inputted from a test panel.

I abandoned that approach in subsequent projects because it seemed not quite right. You have shared variables, why was I bypassing that entire system, which has a lot of functionality and add ons, for some parallel system ?

For projects where I just use the cRIO scan engine, I want to cook up a system where my test panel programmatically takes control of all the cRIOs's I/O via this "force variable" functionality. I'd like to run my the real time program on an cRIO chassis devoid of modules so I can see how the program performs on the actual hardware while testing out logic and functionality thorough manual test panels as well as unit tests.

Anyone one else do it this way or try it before?