LabVIEW Introduction Course

Semester
National Instruments
11500 N. Mopac Expressway
Austin, Texas 78759
(512) 683-0100

1 National Instruments Confidential

Graphical Programming for
Test, Measurement, and Control
• Rapid application development with
Express VIs and easy-to-use
graphical environment
• Interactive measurement assistants
and powerful redesigned DAQ
interface for connecting to all types
of I/O
• Expanded targeting options from
Real-Time to FPGA to PDA
• Localized in French, German, and
Japanese (Korean documentation)
LabVIEW Awards

• Readers of Electronic Design name invention of LabVIEW as one

of the Top 50 Milestones for the Electronics Industry
• LabVIEW 6.1 receives IAN Automation Excellence Award of
2002
• Design News awards LabVIEW 6i Best Computer Productivity
Tool of 2000
• LabVIEW 6i chosen the “Best of the Best” in the software
category by readers of Evaluation Engineering
NI LabVIEW: A History of Innovation
May 2003 • LabVIEW 7 Express VIs, I/O Assistants, FPGA/PDA targets

January 2002 • LabVIEW 6.1 Enhanced networking capabilities, analysis

August 2000 • LabVIEW 6 i Internet-ready measurement intelligence

March 1998 • LabVIEW 5.0 ActiveX, Multithreading

February 1996 • LabVIEW 4.0 Added professional tools, improved debugging

August 1993 • LabVIEW 3.0 Multiplatform version of LabVIEW

September 1992 • LabVIEW for Windows

January 1990 • LabVIEW 2.0 for Macintosh

October 1986 • LabVIEW 1.0 for Macintosh
April 1983 • LabVIEW project begins
Leveraging Commercial Technologies
Third-Party Software Communication Protocols
• Wolfram Research Mathematica ® • Ethernet
• Microsoft Excel ® • CAN
• The MathWorks MATLAB® and Simulink® • DeviceNet
• MathSoft MathCAD ® • USB
• Electronic Workbench MultiSim ® • IEEE 1394
• Texas Instruments Code Composer Studio® • RS-232
• Ansoft RF circuit design software • GPIB
• Microsoft Access ® • RS-485
• Microsoft SQL Server ®
• Oracle ®
LabVIEW Everywhere
Sensor
Embedded
(FPGA)
Handheld
Wireless

Networked I/O

PC Boards

Industrial Computer (PXI)

Tektronix Open Windows

Oscilloscopes

PC, Mac, Linux, Sun

Workstation
The LabVIEW Family

NI LabVIEW
Graphical Programming Software for Measurement and Automation

LabVIEW Real-Time LabVIEW FPGA Module LabVIEW PDA Module LabVIEW Datalogging and
Module Supervisory Control Module
 Acquire, Analyze, and Present

Nearly all test, measurement, and control applications can be

divided into 3 main components: the ability to acquire , analyze ,
and present data. LabVIEW is the easiest, most powerful tool for
acquiring, analyzing, and presenting real-world data.
Acquire with LabVIEW
LabVIEW can acquire data using the
following devices and more:
• GPIB, Serial, Ethernet, VXI, PXI Instruments
• Data Acquisition (DAQ)
• PCI eXtensions for Instrumentation (PXI)
LabVIEW is tightly
integrated with all NI • Image Acquisition (IMAQ)
hardware, in addition to • Motion Control
connecting to thousands of • Real-Time (RT) PXI
I/O devices from hundreds
• PLC (through OPC Server)
of different vendors.
• PDA
• Modular Instruments
Analyze with LabVIEW
Powerful measurement
analysis is built in to the
LabVIEW development
environment.
LabVIEW includes the following tools to help
you analyze your data:
• More than 400 measurement analysis functions for
Differential Equations, Optimization, Curve Fitting,
Calculus, Linear Algebra, Statistics, etc.
• 12 new Express VIs specifically designed for
measurement analysis, including filtering and spectral
analysis
• Signal Processing VIs for Filtering, Windowing,
Transforms, Peak Detection, Harmonic Analysis,
Spectrum Analysis, etc.
Present with LabVIEW
LabVIEW includes the following tools
to help you present your data:
• On your machine — Graphs, Charts,
Tables, Gauges, Meters, Tanks, 3D
Controls, Picture Control, 3D Graphs
(Windows Only), Report Generation
Presentation with (Windows Only)
LabVIEW can be done on
• Over the Internet — Web Publishing Tools,
your PC or over a network,
Datasocket (Windows Only), TCP/IP, VI
or you can take advantage
Server, Remote Panels, Email
of additional applications
such as DIAdem. • Enterprise Connectivity Toolset — SQL
Tools (Databases), Internet Tools (FTP,
Telnet, HTML)
Course Map

Introduction to Clusters Data Acquisition

LabVIEW & Waveforms

Modular Plotting Data

Programming
Instrument
Control
Decision Making
Repetition & in a VI
Loops

Strings and VI
Arrays File I/O Customization
Course Goals
This course prepares you to:
• Understand front panels, block diagrams, and connectors/icons
• Use the programming structures and data types that exist in
LabVIEW
• Use various editing and debugging techniques
• Create and save your own VIs so you can use them as subVIs
• Display and log your data
• Create applications that use plug-in data acquisition (DAQ)
boards
• Create applications that use GPIB and serial port instruments
Course Non-Goals
It is not the purpose of this course to discuss the
following:
• Every built-in LabVIEW object, function, or library VI
• Analog-to-digital (A/D) theory
• The detailed operation of the serial port or GPIB bus
• How to develop an instrument driver
Lesson 1
Introduction to LabVIEW

TOPICS
LabVIEW Environment
Front Panel
Block Diagram
Dataflow Programming
LabVIEW Help and Manuals
Debugging a VI
Virtual Instruments (VIs)
Front Panel
• Controls = Inputs
• Indicators = Outputs

Block Diagram
• Accompanying “program”
for front panel
• Components wired
together
LabVIEW Dialog Box
Creating a new VI
•File»New VI to open a blank VI

• File»New… to open the New dialog box and configure a VI template,

global variable, control, etc…
Template Browser
Menu

File Edit Operate Tools Browse Window Help

Front Panel Window
Front Panel Icon
Toolbar

Boolean
Control Graph
Waveform Legend
Graph
Owned
Label

Waveform
Graph
Plot Scale
Legend Legend
Block Diagram Window
Block
Diagram
Toolbar Divide
Function

SubVI

Graph
Terminal

Wire
Data

While Loop Numeric Timing Boolean Control

Structure Constant Function Terminal
Front Panel and Block Diagram Toolbars

Run button Font ring

Continuous Run button Alignment ring
Abort button Distribution ring
Pause/Continue button Resize ring
Reorder ring
Additional Buttons on the
Block Diagram Toolbar Context Help Button
Warning indicator • Execution Highlighting button
Enter button • Step Into button
• Step Over button
Broken Run button
• Step Out button
Tools Palette
• LabVIEW automatically selects the tool needed
• Available on the front panel and the block diagram
• A tool is a special operating mode of the mouse cursor
• Use the tools to operate and modify front panel and
block diagram objects
• To show the tools palette, select
Window»Show Tools Palette
Front Panel − Controls Palette

Controls Palette
Contains the most commonly used controls

All Controls Palette

Shows all controls
Block Diagram − Functions Palette

Functions Palette
Contains the Express VIs (interactive VIs with
configurable dialog page) and the most commonly
used functions

All Functions Palette

Shows all functions
Palette Tools
Click pushpin to tack down palette

Up to Owning Search Palette Options

Palette

• Graphical, floating palettes

• Subpalettes can be converted to floating palettes
• Use Palette Options to change palette view from
Express to Advanced
Searching for Controls, VIs, and Functions
• Press the search button to
perform text searches of
the palettes
• Click and drag an item
from the search window to
the block diagram or
double-click an item to
open the owning palette
Customize Control & Function Palette
Programs» National Instruments»LabVIEW 7.0

• Keep vi.lib in the LabVIEW 7.0 directory

• Place items in user.lib or instr.lib to have them appear in
the Controls and Functions palettes
Creating a VI Front Panel
Build the front panel with controls (inputs)
and indicators (outputs)

Numeric
Owned Indicator
Labels

Increment
Buttons Numeric
Boolean Boolean Control
Control Indicator
Shortcut Menus for Front Panel Objects
Right-click the digital display
to access its shortcut menu

Right-click the label to

access its shortcut menu
Property Page
Right-click a control or
indicator on the front
panel and select
Properties from the
shortcut menu to access
the property dialog box
for that object
Creating a VI Block Diagram

Front Panel Block Diagram

Control Indicator
Terminals Terminals

Wires Nodes
Express VIs, VIs and Functions
• Express VIs: interactive VIs with configurable dialog page
• Standard VIs: modularized VIs customized by wiring
• Functions: fundamental operating elements of
LabVIEW; no front panel or block diagram
Block Diagram Nodes
Icon Expandable Node Expanded Node

• Function Generator VI
• Same VI, viewed three different ways
• Yellow field designates a standard VI
• Blue field designates an Express VI
Block Diagram Terminals
• Terminals are entry and exit ports
that exchange information between
the panel and diagram
• Terminals are analogous to
parameters and constants in text-
based programming languages
• Right-click and toggle View As Icon
to change the icon view
Wiring the Block Diagram

Scalar 1D 2D Array
Array
Numeric

Boolean

String

Dynamic
Wiring Techniques
Hot Spot
• Automatic Wiring
• Use Context Help Window when wiring
• Right-click wire and select Clean Up Wire
• Tip Strips
• Automatic wire routing
• Right-click terminals
and select Visible
Items»Terminals
View the terminal connections to a function
Dataflow Programming
• Block diagram executes
dependent on the flow of data;
block diagram does NOT
execute left to right

• Node executes when data is

available to ALL input terminals

• Nodes supply data to all output

terminals when done
Context Help
• To display the Context Help window, select
Help»Show Context Help, press the <Ctrl-H> keys, or
press the Show Context Help Window button in the toolbar
• Move cursor over object
to display help
• Connections:
Required – bold
Recommended – normal
Optional - dimmed

Simple/Detailed Context Help Lock Help More Help

LabVIEW Help
• Click the More Help button in the Context Help window
• Select Help»VI, Function, & How-To Help
• Click the sentence Click here for more help in the Context
Help window.

Contains detailed descriptions of most palettes, menus,

tools, VIs, and functions, step-by-step instructions for using
LabVIEW features, links to the LabVIEW Tutorial, PDF
versions of all the LabVIEW manuals and Application Notes,
and technical support resources.
NI Example Finder
• To find an example, select
Help»Find Examples
• Web-integrated
• Search by keyword,
example type, hardware
type, etc.
Debugging Techniques
Finding Errors
Click on broken Run button. A window showing the
error appears
Execution Highlighting
Click on Execution Highlighting button; data flow is
animated using bubbles. Values are displayed on
wires.
Debugging Techniques
Probe
Right-click on wire and select probe and it shows
data as it flows through the wire segment
Breakpoints
Right-click on wire and select Set Breakpoint; pause
execution at the breakpoint.
Conditional Probe
Combination of a breakpoint and a probe. Right-click on
wire and select custom probe.
Debugging Techniques
Step Into, Over, and Out buttons for Single Stepping

Click on Step Into button to enable single stepping

Once Single Stepping has begun, the button steps
into nodes

Click on Step Over button to enable single stepping

or to step over nodes

Click on Step Out button to step out of nodes

Summary
• Virtual instruments (VIs) have three main parts — the front panel, the block
diagram, and the icon and connector pane
• The front panel is the user interface of a LabVIEW program and the block
diagram is the executable code
• The block diagram contains the graphical source code composed of nodes,
terminals, and wires
• Use Express VIs, standard VIs and functions on the block diagram to create
your measurement code. For the most common requirements, use Express
VIs with interactive configuration dialogs to define your application.
• Floating Palettes: Tools Palette, Controls Palette (only when Front Panel
Window is active), and Functions Palette (only when Block Diagram Window is
active)
• There are help utilities including the Context Help Window and LabVIEW Help
Summary
• Place controls (inputs) and indicators (outputs) in the front panel window
• Use the Operating tool to manipulate panel objects. Use the Positioning tool to
select, move, and resize panel objects. Use the Wiring tool to connect diagram
objects
• Control terminals have thicker borders than indicator terminals
• All front panel objects have property pages and shortcut menus
• Wiring is the mechanism to control dataflow and produce LabVIEW programs
• Broken Run arrow means a nonexecutable VI
• Various debugging tools and options available such as setting probes and
breakpoints, execution highlighting, and single stepping
Tips
• Common keyboard shortcuts
Windows Sun Linux MacOS
<Ctrl-R> <-R> <M-R> <-R> Run a VI
<Ctrl-F> <-F> <M-F> <-F> Find object
<Ctrl-H> <-H> <M-H> <-H> Activate Context Help window
<Ctrl-B> <-B> <M-B> <-B> Remove all broken wires
<Ctrl-W> <-W> <M-W> <-W> Close the active window
<Ctrl-E> <-E> <M-E> <-E> Toggle btwn Diagram/Panel Window

• Access Tools Palette with <shift>-right-click

• Increment/Decrement faster using <shift> key
• Tools»Options selection — set preferences in LabVIEW
• VI Properties (File menu)
Lesson 2
Modular Programming

TOPICS
SubVIs
Icon and Connector Pane
Using SubVIs
Creating a SubVI from sections of a VI
LabVIEW Hierarchy

SubVI
SubVIs
Function Pseudo Code Calling Program Pseudo Code
function average (in1, main
in2, out) {
{ average (point1, point2,
out = (in1 + in2)/2.0; pointavg)
} }

SubVI Block Diagram Calling VI Block Diagram

Icon/Connector

terminals

Icon
An icon represents a VI in other block
diagrams

Connector
A connector passes data to and receives
data from a subVI through terminals
terminals
SubVI Example – Calculating
Slope
• A VI within another VI is called a subVI
• To use a VI as a subVI, create an icon and a connector pane after
building the front panel and block diagram
Creating the Icon
• Icon: graphical representation of a VI
• Right-click in the icon pane (Panel or Diagram)
• Always create a black and white icon

Default Icon Create a custom icon

Creating the Connector

Right-click the icon

(Front Panel only)
Creating the Connector - continued
Click with
wiring tool
The Connector Pane
Terminal colors match the data types to which they are connected
Click the terminal to see its associated front panel object
Using a VI as a SubVI

All Functions » Select a VI…

<OR>
Drag icon onto target diagram
Help and Classifying Terminals

Classify inputs and outputs:

• Required — Error if no connection
• Recommended — Warning if no connection
• Optional — No effect if no connection
Create SubVI Option
• Enclose area to be converted into a subVI
• Select Create SubVI from the Edit Menu
Summary
• VIs can be used as subVIs after you make the icon and connector
• Icon created using Icon Editor
• Connector defined by choosing number of terminals
• Load subVIs using the Select a VI option in the All Functions palette
or dragging the icon onto a new diagram
• Online help for subVIs using the Show Context Help option
• Descriptions document functionality
• Use Create SubVI feature to easily modularize the block diagram
Lesson 3
Repetition and Loops

TOPICS
While Loops
For Loops
Accessing Previous Loop Data
While Loops

Repeat (code);
Until Condition met;
End;

LabVIEW While Loop Flow Chart Pseudo Code

While Loops
1. Select While Loop 2. Enclose code to be repeated

3. Drop or drag additional nodes and then wire

Select the Loop Condition
Click the Conditional Terminal with the Operating tool to define
when the loop stops
Default: Stop if True

Iteration Terminal Conditional Terminal

Structure Tunnels
• Tunnels feed data into and out of structures.
• The tunnel is a block that appears on the border; the color of
the block is related to the data type wired to the tunnel.
• When a tunnel passes data into a loop, the loop executes
only after data arrive at the
tunnel.
• Data pass out of a loop after
the loop terminates.
For Loops

N=100;
i=0;
Until i=N:
Repeat (code; i=i+1);
End;

LabVIEW For Loop Flow Chart Pseudo Code

For Loops
• In Structures subpalette of Functions palette

• Enclose code to be repeated and/or resize and add nodes

inside boundary

• Executes diagram inside of loop a predetermined number of

times
Count terminal
(Numerical input)

Wait Until Next

ms Multiple
function
Wait Functions
Wait Until Next
ms Multiple

Functions»Time
& Dialog palette
Wait Functions
Wait (ms)

Functions»Time
& Dialog palette

Time Delay

Functions»Time
& Dialog palette
Numeric Conversion
• Numerics default to double-precision (8 bytes) or long integer
(4 bytes)
• LabVIEW automatically converts to different representations
• For Loop count terminal always converts to a long integer
• Gray coercion dot on terminal indicates conversion
Numeric Conversion
• LabVIEW chooses the representation that uses more bits.
• If the number of bits is the same,
LabVIEW chooses unsigned over signed.
• To choose the representation,
right-click on the terminal and
select Representation.

• When LabVIEW converts floating-point numerics to integers, it

rounds to the nearest integer. LabVIEW rounds x.5 to the
nearest even integer.
For example, LabVIEW rounds 2.5 to 2 and 3.5 to 4.
Accessing Previous Loop Data – Shift
Register
• Available at left or right border of loop structures
• Right-click the border and select Add Shift Register
• Right terminal stores data on completion of iteration
• Left terminal provides stored data at beginning of next iteration

Initial Value Value 1 Value 2

Initial
Value Value 3
Value 1 Value 2 Value 3

Before
Loop First Second Last
Begins Iteration Iteration Iteration
Additional Shift Register Elements

Right-click the Previous values are available at

left terminal to the left terminals
add new Right-click the
elements Latest value border for a
1 loop ago
is passed to new shift
2 loops ago right terminal register
3 loops ago
Feedback Nodes
• Appears automatically in a For Loop or While Loop if
you wire the output of a subVI, function, or group of
subVIs and functions to the input of that same VI,
function, or group.
• Stores data when the loop completes an iteration,
sends that value to the next iteration of the loop, and
transfers any data type
Feedback Node
• Wire from output to input to
automatically create a feedback
node
<OR>
• Place a feedback node from the
Functions»Structures palette
Initialized Shift Registers & Feedback Nodes

Output = 5 Output = 5

Run Once VI stops execution Run Again

Output = 5 Output = 5
Uninitialized Shift Registers & Feedback
Nodes

Output = 4 Output = 8

Run Once VI stops execution Run Again

Output = 4 Output = 8
Summary
• Two structures to repeat execution: While Loop and For Loop
• Loop timing controlled using Wait Until Next ms Multiple function,
the Wait (ms) function, or the Time Delay Express VI.
• Coercion dots appear where LabVIEW coerces a numeric
representation of one terminal to match the numeric representation
of another terminal
• Feedback nodes and shift registers transfer data values from one
iteration to the next
• Use shift registers only when more than one past iteration is
needed
Lesson 4
Arrays

TOPICS
Introduction to Arrays
Auto Indexing Arrays
Array Functions
Polymorphism
Arrays
• Collection of data elements that are of same type
31
• One or more dimensions, up to 2 elements per dimension
• Elements accessed by their index; first element is index 0

index 0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9
10-element array 1.2 3.2 8.2 8.0 4.8 5.1 6.0 1.0 2.5 1.7

0 1 2 3 4 5 6
2D array 0
1
2
3
4
Five row by seven column array of 35 elements
Array Controls and Indicators
1. Select the Array shell from the 2. Place data object inside
Controls palette shell

Add Dimension
for 2D arrays
Creating Array Constants
1. Select Array
Constant shell from
the Array subpalette

2. Place the data object in the array shell

Auto-Indexing Auto-Indexing Enabled
• Loops can Wire becomes thicker
accumulate arrays at
their boundaries with
auto-indexing 1D Array
• For Loops auto-index
by default 0 1 2 3 4 5

• While Loops output the Auto-Indexing Disabled

final value by default
Wire remains the same size
• Right-click on tunnel
and enable/disable
auto-indexing
Only one value (last iteration)
is passed out of the loop
Creating 2D Arrays

1D Array 2D Array

0 1 2 3 4 5

• Inner loop creates column elements

• Outer loop stacks them into rows
Auto-Index Input
• An array input can be
used to set the For
Loop count terminal
• Number of elements
in the array equals
the count terminal
input
• Run arrow not
broken
Common Array Functions

Array Size

Initialize Array
Common Array Functions

Array Subset
The Build Array Function

Appending an element

Concatenate Inputs

Building a higher dimension array default

The Index Array Function

Extracting an Element

Extracting a Row

Extracting an Element of a Row

Polymorphism
Function inputs can be of different types
All LabVIEW arithmetic functions are polymorphic
Combination Result

Scalar + Scalar Scalar

Array + Scalar Array

Array + Array Array

Array + Array Array

Summary
• Arrays group data elements of the same type. You can build arrays of
numeric, Boolean, path, string, waveform, and cluster data types.
• The array index is zero-based, which means it is in the range 0 to n – 1,
where n is the number of elements in the array.
• To create an array control or indicator, select an Array on the
Controls»Array & Cluster palette, place it on the front panel, and drag
a control or indicator into the array shell.
• If you wire an array to a For Loop or While Loop input tunnel, you can
read and process every element in that array by enabling auto-indexing.
• By default, LabVIEW enables auto-indexing in For Loops and disables
auto-indexing in While Loops.
• Polymorphism is the ability of a function to adjust to input data of
different data structures.