An Overview of LabVIEW

by: The Software User-Interface Group!

What is LabVIEW?• A graphical programing language from

National Instruments

• LabVIEW=Laboratory Virtual Instrumentation Engineering Workbench

• “Takes low level hardware commands and turns them into easy-to-understand, high-level functions”

• A leader in instrument control, hardware interfaces, data analysis, user-interface, measurement, and automation

Advantages• good for building piecewise: using small amounts

of code in a larger code

• visually programing is easier to learn

• better than MATLAB for controlling the interfaces between hardware

• NI has many pieces of hardware that are easily compatible with LabVIEW, but also can be connected to any hardware

• simpler system integration for all types of hardware and their corresponding software

• Easy to create the user-interface at the same time

What does it look like?

VI / Car Analogy•LabVIEW programs are called VIs -

Virutal Instruments

•They include the Front Panel and the Block Diagram

•Front Panel is like a driver’s cockpit: controls inputs, shows outputs, and connects to the engine - User Interface

•Block Diagram is like the engine of a car: allows it to function and connects everything together - Behind the Scenes

Front Panel and Block Diagram

Front PanelBlock

DiagramContains graphical source

codeBuilt with controls (inputs) and indicators (outputs)

Data Flow• LabVIEW uses a data flow method to

visualize programming in the block diagram

Includes:

Wires

Constants

Functions

Structures

Terminals

Approach With Hardware

Open the connection to the hardware

Configure hardware settings

Read and write measured data to and from hardware

Close connection to hardware

Resources

•Both software groups

•Carl Salvaggio

•Troy McKay

•Find -> Examples button

•Online tutorials at ni.com/labview , click on support, click on tutorials

How to Access LabVIEW

•LabVIEW is downloaded onto one computer in our lab

•Click on LabVIEW icon on desktop

Example!