Tips and Tricks for Highly Productive Programming in LabVIEW

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2 Tips and Tricks for Highly Productive Programming in LabVIEW Name, Title, National Instruments

3 Outline Motivations for programming faster Quick Drop Templates and Sample Projects Using existing starting points Creating new starting points Accelerating common editor tasks Avoiding right-click menus Diagram cleanup Icon Editor Using projects Connector pane tips Miscellany 3

4 What s my motivation? You can think faster than you can program. Image credit: fredberinger.com Brain Keyboard + Mouse Diagram If you think graphically, then anything that slows down the transfer of the mental image to the completed block diagram is a bottleneck. Let s remove those bottlenecks. 4

5 More motivation The less time we spend on the mechanics of programming is more time we can spend innovating with LabVIEW. Your clients like it when you finish stuff early. Your boss *really* likes it when you finish stuff early. 5

6 Use Quick Drop! Stop searching for familiar things! If you know you want a While Loop, or an Add function, then why are you searching for one? Navigating a geographical path to locate a familiar object is a bottleneck. Even with muscle memory. If you want to be a faster programmer, you have to stop using the palettes. 6

7 Quick Drop Dropping objects DEMO 1. Press Ctrl-Space. 2. Type object name. 3. Drop object: Press Enter to get object on cursor. Double-click item in list to get object on cursor. Click in VI to drop object where you click (Super Quick Drop ) 7

8 Quick Drop Object Shortcuts DEMO 1. Press Ctrl-Space. 2. Click Configure. 3. Add new shortcuts. or Google quick drop palette object shortcuts to download and use some common object shortcuts 8

9 Quick Drop Keyboard Shortcuts (QDKS) Accelerators for common editor tasks 1. Press Ctrl-Space. 2. [optional] Enter a string in the Quick Drop text box. 3. Press a Ctrl-Key combination to activate a QDKS. LabVIEW 2009 and later Ctrl-[shift]-D Create constants/controls/indicators Ctrl-R Remove and rewire Ctrl-T Move Labels LabVIEW 2010 and later Ctrl-P Replace object(s) Ctrl-[shift]-I Insert object(s) on wire(s) Ctrl-[shift]-B Change VI Server class/property/method DEMO 9

10 Custom QDKS Download custom shortcuts from the Quick Drop Enthusiasts community group on -- google quick drop community shortcuts Some of the more popular community shortcuts include: Create Object from Terminal Create Place VI Contents VI Wire Multiple Objects Together Write your own custom shortcuts -- google create custom qdks 10

11 Use Templates and Sample Projects Template Common architecture that you must modify to accomplish your goals. Example: Queued Message Handler DEMO Sample Project Functioning, template-based project that can be further modified to accomplish your custom goals. Example: Continuous Measurement and Logging 11

12 Templates and Sample Projects in NI Products Simple State Machine Queued Message Handler Actor Framework Finite Measurement (simulated or DAQmx) Continuous Measurement and Logging (simulated or DAQmx) Feedback Evaporative Cooler LabVIEW FPGA Control on CompactRIO LabVIEW Real-Time Control (RIO Scan Interface or DAQmx) LabVIEW Waveform Acquisition and Logging (CompactRIO or RT DAQmx) LabVIEW Real-Time Sequencer on CompactRIO Supervisory Control and Data Acquisition System Sound and Vibration sample projects (6) myrio sample projects (5) VST sample projects (2) LabVIEW FPGA Project Instrument Driver Project Robotics Project Touch Panel Project 12

13 Create your own Templates and Sample Projects Google labview using custom templates for instructions on how to add your own content to the Create project dialog Simple New XML File Source Project in specific location Advanced Custom UI in Create Project dialog Custom scripting of generated project Select from multiple source projects 13

14 Accelerating Common Editor Tasks There are faster ways to perform common tasks in LabVIEW. 14

15 Avoid right-click menus if possible Adding items to enums and rings 1. Hold the Ctrl key and click in the enum/ring to start editing text. 2. After typing the first enum/ring string, press Shift-Enter to create the second string. 3. Repeat until all items are added. 15

16 Avoid right-click menus if possible Adding cases to case structures 1. Click in the selector ring of the case structure. 2. Press Shift-Enter to add a new case. 3. Press Ctrl-Shift-Enter to duplicate the current case. 16

17 Diagram Cleanup Code as fast as possible, then clean it up! Use for: Small diagrams (less than 1024x768) Diagrams with minimal nesting Non-user-visible diagrams Most of your diagrams Do not use for: Top-level architecture diagrams Heavily-nested diagrams Diagrams users will see Diagrams where the arrangement is critical to understanding the operation of the VI 17

18 Icon Editor (LabVIEW 2009) Internal SubVIs (95%) User-facing VIs (5%) Quick text-based icon editing Automatic application of library banners Extensive glyph library Icon templates for consistency 18

19 Develop with LabVIEW Projects How does using the project make you faster? Quicker access to your VIs (less file browsing) Droppable project items in Quick Drop (LabVIEW 2009) 19

20 Connector Panes Fast Connector Pane Switching (LabVIEW 2010) Required terminals by default (LabVIEW 8.5) 20

21 Miscellany Miscellaneous small tips that can help you program faster. 21

22 Switcheroo Hold Down Ctrl and Left-Click on Input Terminal Switcheroo only works for nodes with two inputs when both inputs have already been wired with one exception. In LabVIEW 2013 and later, the switcheroo tool also works on the t and f inputs of the Select function. 22

23 Easily Assign Type to Control References Simply drag a control into a Control Refnum Automatically creates a class-specific, type-specific reference Note: To keep the original control, use Ctrl-Drag instead. 23

24 Matrix Size Matrix Size function replaces old method Assess size of 2D array regardless of data type Available in LabVIEW 2009 and later 24

25 LabVIEW 2013 Bonus Hidden Feature! QuickBold Add QuickBold=True to your LabVIEW INI file Whenever you re editing text, Ctrl-B will bold/unbold text If you want this unofficial feature to become an official feature, go to tinyurl.com/lvctrlbidea and kudo the idea! 25

26 Darren s Nuggets Darren s Nuggets Quick LabVIEW tips (google darren s nuggets ) Image credit: fauxfooddiner.com Over 160 nuggets available 26

27 Thanks for attending! 27

28 Already CLAD Certified? You re immediately eligible to take the Certified LabVIEW Developer exam. Start preparing now! Join a local user group Prepare using resources on Developer Zone /training/certification_prep Time yourself during practice exams Note: CLAD certification must be current to take the CLD exam certification@ to register for an exam near you. 28

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