tips and tricks to speed labview development useful nuggets to save you time ni.com/labviewzone
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Tips and Tricks to Speed LabVIEW DevelopmentUseful Nuggets to Save You Time
ni.com/labviewzone
Background of Dan Shangraw, P.E.
• Graduated with a Bachelor of Science in Mechanical Engineering from Western Michigan University
• Licensed Professional Engineer State of Michigan
• Certified LabVIEW Developer
• 10 Years of Experience Developing Custom LabVIEW applications
• Owner of Automated Software Technology LLC.
Automated Software Technology
• Licensed Engineering Company that develops custom test, measurement, and control systems specializing in LabVIEW software design.
• Specialize in short term project from a few hours to 1 month.
• Part of the National Instruments Alliance Program
• Located in Lansing, MI
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Agenda
• 15 Tips and Tricks for NI LabVIEW Development
– Beginner: Simple tricks to save time – Intermediate: LabVIEW tips you probably didn’t know about– Advanced: Useful nuggets to put you ahead of the game
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Automatically Select the Right Tool
• Avoid manually switching among many tools
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Operate Value ToolPosition/Size/Select ToolEdit Text ToolConnect Wire Tool
Auto Tool
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Switch Terminal Wires Easily2/ 15
Hold Down Ctrl and Left-Click on Input Terminal
Note: This works only for functions with two inputs when bothinputs have already been wired.
Demo
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Easily Scroll Through Structures3/ 15
Ctrl + Mouse Scroll Wheel
• You can use Ctrl + Mouse Scroll to scroll through:– Case Structures– Event Structures– Stacked Sequence Structures– Diagram Disable Structures
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Quickly Find the Right Palette4/ 15
• Right-click on a block diagram object for a palette shortcut
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Easily Navigate Arrays5/ 15
• Right-click on an array and select Visible Items >> Horizontal Scrollbar• To view last element, select Advanced >> Show Last Element• Both horizontal and vertical scrollbars available (depending on view)
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Removing Many Breakpoints6/ 15
• Select Edit >> Remove Breakpoints from Hierarchy
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Easily Add Enumeration Items7/ 15
• Press Ctrl while over Enum to use the Edit Text Tool• Use Shift + Enter to repeatedly add items
Shift + Enter
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Quickly Open a VI Reference(next to current file on disk)
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• LabVIEW automatically searches in current directory• Right-click on VI and select Call Setup to call it dynamically
Good
Better
Best
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Automatically Create Control References9/ 15
• Simply drag a control into a Control Refnum• Automatically creates a class-specific, type-specific
reference
Demo
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Drag and Drop to Save Time10/ 15
• Drag an image into your Front Panel icon• Select a file and drag into a path constant• Take a URL from Internet Explorer and drag into a string constant• Drag items from disk or Project Explorer into a LabVIEW block diagram
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Quickly Browse Properties and Methods11/ 15
• View >> Class Browser• Drag a property or method
directly into your VI• Shortcut: Ctrl + Shift + B
Demo
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Perform Advanced File I/O Tasks12/ 15
• New File I/O VIs in LabVIEW 8.20
Check If File or Folder Exists
Recursive File List
Compare Two Paths
Get File Extension
MD5 Checksum File
Generate Temporary File Path
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Implement a For Loop Progress Bar13/ 15
• Place Progress Bar VI inside for loop• Opens automatically after a specified amount of time• Download sample code from: (http://forums.ni.com/ni/board/message?
board.id=170&message.id=192115)
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Automatically Analyze Your VIs14/ 15
• Tools >> VI Analyzer >> Analyze VIs– Check performance, style, UI, documentation, and more– Save VI Analyzer settings for later use
Demo
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Change the Windows File Dialog(to contain recently used folders in LabVIEW)
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• Add LabVIEW.ini token “MRUFolders = TRUE”
• Maintain easy access to the last 5 directories used in LabVIEW
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Other Resources
• ni.com/info - Use info code “nugget” to download presentation
• Weekly LabVIEW Nuggets (click here)
• LabVIEW Style Guide (click here)
• LAVA: Favorite Tips and Shortcuts
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Certified LabVIEW Architect Exam
Skills tested:• LabVIEW application development
mastery
Certified LabVIEW Developer Exam
Skills tested:• LabVIEW application development
expertise
Certifications
Certified LV Associate Developer Exam
Skills tested:• LabVIEW environment knowledge
Skills learned:• Modular application development• Structured design and
development practices• Interapplication communication
and connectivity techniques
New User
LabVIEW Basics I
LabVIEW Basics II
Experienced User
LabVIEW Intermediate I
LabVIEW Intermediate II
Advanced User
LabVIEW Advanced I
Skills learned:• LabVIEW environment navigation• Basics of application creation
using LabVIEW• Basics of data acquisition and
instrument control
Skills learned:• Large application design• Advanced development
techniques• Multideveloper project
implementation
Courses
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