Standardization in ATML Pad

Automatic Test Markup Language (ATML)

ATML is a family of data exchange formats based on XML technology.

ATML is standardized by the IEEE as IEEE 1671. The "ATML Family of standards" also includes IEEE 1641 and IEEE 1636.

• The XML Schemas identify the allowed elements, attributes, and their relationships
• The Standards define the elements and attributes, and identify additional relationships

User applications exchange ATML documents (XML instance documents that conform to the ATML schemas).

ATML documents can be validated automatically for conformance with the ATML standards and their ATML schemas.

ATML Test Description (IEEE 1671.1)

ATML UUT Description (IEEE 1671.3)

The design of ATML Test Description is partially based on the following pre-existing standards:

• Mil-Std-1519: Military Standard for Preparation on Test Requirements Documents, US Air Force
• Mil-Std-1345B: Military Standard for Preparation on Test Requirements Documents, US Navy
• Test Procedure Language (TPL) component of IEEE 1641, which is in turn based on the syntax of signal statements in IEEE 716 C/ATLAS

ATML documents are typically text files that contain XML text. XML consists of elements organized hierarchically and attributes assigned to elements. The elements and attributes have values with diverse data types (string, integer, floating-point, …).

Software Tools for ATML Standards

ATML is an electronic data interchange format. ATML documents are not designed to be handled manually. They are produced and consumed by computer programs. IEEE 1671 defines an ATML software tool as "a program or application used to create, debug, or maintain ATML conformant XML instance documents".

With software tools, the end users of ATML-compliant systems (product engineers, test engineers) can focus on describing the UUT test requirements, without being concerned with XML concepts such as elements, attributes, type inheritance, or constraints