Test instrumentation I/O communication interface and method

A method for allowing communication with instrumentation over a plurality of different underlying I/O configurations, said method comprising the steps of:

• obtaining a device address of a selected device;
• accessing a system registry to select a component class that supports a component category associated with a universal I/O interface, said universal I/O interface comprising a plurality of methods and a plurality of I/O interfaces each of which specifies a set of said plurality of methods for supporting a particular one of said plurality of different underlying I/O configurations;
• determining whether said selected component class can handle connection to said device address;
• if said selected component class can handle said connection to said device address:
• instantiating an object of said component class;
• and
• returning said instantiated object;
• if said selected component class cannot handle said connection to said device address:
• accessing said system registry to determine whether another component class that supports said component category associated with said universal I/O interface exists;
• and
• repeating said determining step through said repeating step if said another component class exists.

A computer readable storage medium tangibly embodying program instructions for performing a method for communicating with instrumentation over a plurality of different underlying I/O configurations, said method comprising:

• obtaining a device address of a selected device;
• accessing a system registry 60 to select a component class that supports a component category associated with a universal I/O interface, said universal I/O interface comprising a plurality of methods and a plurality of I/O interfaces each of which specifies a set of said plurality of methods for supporting a particular one of said plurality of different underlying I/O configurations;
• determining whether said selected component class can handle connection to said device address;
• if said selected component class can handle said connection to said device address:
• instantiating an object of said component class;
• and
• returning said instantiated object;
• if said selected component class cannot handle said connection to said device address:
• accessing said system registry to determine whether another component class that supports said component category associated
• with said universal I/O interface exists;
• and repeating said determining step through said repeating step if said another component class exists.