LabVIEW Instrument Driver Import Wizard Readme

Version 2.0

August 2011

This file contains important information about the LabVIEW Instrument Driver Import Wizard 2.0. The LabVIEW Instrument Driver Import Wizard converts VXIplug&play and IVI-C instrument drivers to LabVIEW VIs that work on all platforms for which the instrument driver is compiled.

Version History

System and Tool Requirements

Creating VIs with the Basic Configuration

Creating VIs with the Advanced Configuration

LabVIEW Instrument Driver Import Wizard Dialog Box

Known Issues

Version History

New features in version 2.0

Supports LabVIEW 2010 and LabVIEW 2011
Supports IviACPwr class specification

New features in version 1.3

Supports LabVIEW 8.6 and LabVIEW 2009
Supports 64-bit IVI-C instrument drivers
Supports 64-bit VXIplug&play drivers
Supports function panel (.fp) file format version 9.0
Supports handling waveform size for driver specific functions

New features in version 1.2

Supports LabVIEW 8.2 and LabVIEW 8.5
Supports Int32[] and uInt32[]
Supports .sub files of up to eight levels

New features in version 1.1

Supports LabVIEW 8.0

System and Tool Requirements

You can run the LabVIEW Instrument Driver Import Wizard installer on the following operating systems:

Windows 7 (32-bit or 64-bit)
Windows Vista (32-bit or 64-bit)
Windows XP (32-bit)
Windows Server 2008 R2 (64-bit)
Windows Server 2003 R2 (32-bit)

You must have at least one of the following software installed before you can install and use the LabVIEW Instrument Driver Import Wizard.

LabVIEW 2011 (32-bit or 64-bit)
LabVIEW 2010 (32-bit or 64-bit)
LabVIEW 2009 (32-bit or 64-bit)
LabVIEW 8.6

Note National Instruments is committed to maintaining compatibility with Microsoft Windows technology changes. However, NI has become aware of a number of issues of potential significance regarding Microsoft Windows 7. To learn how Windows 7 affects your use of NI products, visit ni.com/info and enter the Info Code windows7.

The LabVIEW Instrument Driver Import Wizard creates LabVIEW VIs from instrument drivers that meet the following requirements.

The instrument driver complies with the VXIplug&play or IVI-C specific instrument driver requirements, as defined by the VXIplug&play Systems Alliance or the IVI Foundation.
The component files are installed according to the VXIplug&play Systems Alliance specifications or IVI Foundation specifications.
All DLL dependencies for the instrument driver, such as VISA and other support DLLs, are installed.

Note To run the VIs LabVIEW creates for VXIplug&play drivers, you must have NI-VISA installed. To run the VIs LabVIEW creates for IVI drivers, you must have the IVI Compliance Package installed. Both NI-VISA and the IVI Compliance Package are available on the National Instruments Device Driver DVD that is included with your LabVIEW Platform DVDs. If the instrument driver from which LabVIEW created VIs requires other support files, those support files must be installed on the computer on which you run the VIs.

Creating VIs with the Basic Configuration

If you are not familiar with LabVIEW instrument drivers, use the basic configuration in the LabVIEW Instrument Driver Import Wizard. Complete the following steps to create VIs for a VXIplug&play or IVI-C instrument driver by specifying only the .fp file.

Select Tools»Instrumentation»Create VI Interface to LabWindows/CVI Instrument Driver to display the LabVIEW Instrument Driver Import Wizard dialog box.
Select the Basic option and click the Next button.
Click the Browse button, navigate to the .fp file of the instrument driver you want to convert, and click the OK button.

Note
- If the instrument driver is an IVI driver or a VXIplug&play driver, the .h file must be in the same directory as the .fp file or in the IVI or VXIplug&play include directory.
- If the DLL or shared library file is in the IVI or VXIplug&play bin directory, its name for the instrument driver must end with _32, such as driver_32.dll, in 32-bit target applications or with _64, such as driver_64.dll, in 64-bit target applications.
- If the DLL or shared library file is not in the IVI or VXIplug&play bin directory, LabVIEW uses the absolute path of the DLL or shared library file in the generated VIs. In addition, the DLL or shared library file must be compatible with current LabVIEW platform. For example, you must use a 64-bit targeted DLL on a 64-bit LabVIEW. If you plan to copy the generated VIs to another computer, ensure the DLL or shared library file is located in a directory that reflects the path you specified in the Shared Library or DLL field.
- If the instrument driver is an IVI driver, the .sub file must be in the same directory as the .fp file.
Click the Next button.
Review the summary of conversion tasks and click the Next button to convert the instrument driver to VIs.
(Optional) Place a checkmark in the View the Report checkbox. The conversion report then appears in the default Web browser when you click the Done button.
(Optional) Place a checkmark in the View VI Tree checkbox. The VI Tree VI that illustrates the functional structure of the instrument driver then opens when you click the Done button.
Click the Done button to close the dialog box.

Creating VIs with the Advanced Configuration

If you want to specify advanced settings for the generated VIs, such as selecting the files and VIs to generate during the conversion process and editing documentation conversion tasks, use the advanced configuration in the LabVIEW Instrument Driver Import Wizard. Complete the following steps to create VIs for a VXIplug&play or IVI-C instrument driver by specifying advanced options.

Select Tools»Instrumentation»Create VI Interface to LabWindows/CVI Instrument Driver to display the LabVIEW Instrument Driver Import Wizard dialog box.
Select the Advanced option and click the Next button.
Click the Browse button next to the Function Panel (.fp) File option, navigate to the .fp file of the instrument driver you want to convert, and click the OK button. You also can select the .h or .sub files.
(Optional) Under Destination Directory, select the button next to the text box and click the Browse button to specify the directory where you want LabVIEW to save the generated VIs or LLB. By default, LabVIEW saves the generated VIs in the LabVIEW\instr.lib directory of the currently running version of LabVIEW.
Click the Next button.
Select which files you want the conversion process to generate for the instrument driver VIs and click the Next button.
Verify the Driver Group, Driver Prefix, and Shared Library or DLL and edit if necessary.
(Optional) Click the Edit Icon button to change the appearance of the icon for the generated VIs.
Click the Next button.
Select which VIs to generate and rename VIs and palettes. The number in the upper-right corner of the listbox indicates the number of VIs selected.
1. Place or remove checkmarks in the checkboxes next to each VI name to specify whether to generate that VI.
2. (Optional) Select a VI or folder and click the Edit Name button to edit the name of the VI or folder. The folder names represent names of palettes.
Click the Next button.
(Optional) If you selected a non-class-defined VI that contains an output control with the array data type, complete the following steps to adjust the size of the output control.
1. Select the output control from the tree at the left.
2. In the Size Parameter pull-down menu, select the parameter name whose value you want to use as the size of the output control. You also can select Use constant to specify a constant value for the size of the output control.
3. If you selected Use constant, specify a constant integer for Constant Value.
4. Repeat the steps above to adjust the size for more output controls.
Click the Next button.
If you placed a checkmark in the Generate Property Node help (.rc file) or Convert help text for VIs and controls checkbox when selecting which files to generate, review the help text conversion tasks.
1. Click in a table cell to edit a conversion task.
2. Click in a blank table cell to add a new conversion task.
3. Click in the Change column and select Always, Never, or Prompt to always make the change in the help text, never make the change in the help text, or be prompted to accept or skip the change, respectively.
4. The Show prompts checkbox contains a checkmark by default. Remove the checkmark if you do not want to be prompted to accept or skip each change to the help text that has a value of Prompt in the Change column.
Click the Next button.
If the Show prompts checkbox on the previous page of the dialog box contains a checkmark, click the Accept or Skip button to accept or skip each proposed change. Click the Accept All or Skip All button to accept or skip all remaining instances of the proposed change. You can edit the help text directly by clicking inside either text box.
Review the summary of conversion tasks and click the Next button to convert the instrument driver to VIs.
(Optional) Place a checkmark in the View the Report checkbox. The conversion report then appears in the default Web browser when you click the Done button.
(Optional) Place a checkmark in the View VI Tree checkbox. The VI Tree VI that illustrates the functional structure of the instrument driver then opens when you click the Done button.
Click the Done button to close the dialog box.

LabVIEW Instrument Driver Import Wizard Dialog Box

Select Tools»Instrumentation»Create VI Interface to LabWindows/CVI Instrument Driver to display this dialog box.

Use this dialog box to convert instrument drivers to LabVIEW VIs.

Note

National Instruments created and optimized this dialog box primarily for use with IVI drivers developed using the Create IVI Instrument Driver wizard in LabWindows/CVI. Conversion might not occur as expected for VXIplug&play instrument drivers that do not meet VXIplug&play standards.
All LabWindows/CVI .dll files require run-time support. You must install the LabWindows/CVI Run-Time Engine to use VIs that LabVIEW creates. The standard LabVIEW installation includes the LabWindows/CVI Run-Time Engine.

This dialog box includes the following components:

Basic—Uses the basic configuration of the LabVIEW Instrument Driver Import Wizard, in which you specify only the .fp file.
- Function Panel (.fp) File—Specifies the .fp file of the instrument driver you want to convert.
  
  Note If any of the function windows in the .fp file has more than one panel, the LabVIEW Instrument Driver Import Wizard converts only the first panel.
- Browse—Displays a dialog box in which you can navigate to and select a .fp file.
Advanced—Uses the advanced configuration of the LabVIEW Instrument Driver Import Wizard, in which you specify advanced settings such as selecting the files and VIs to generate during the conversion process and editing documentation conversion tasks.
- Function Panel (.fp) File—Specifies the .fp file of the instrument driver you want to convert.
  
  Note If any of the function windows in the .fp file has more than one panel, the LabVIEW Instrument Driver Import Wizard converts only the first panel.
- Browse—Displays a dialog box in which you can navigate to and select a .fp file.
- Header (.h) File—Specifies the header (.h) file for the instrument driver.
- Browse—Displays a dialog box in which you can navigate to and select the .h file for the VXIplug&play or IVI driver.
- .sub File—Specifies the .sub file for the instrument driver.
- Browse—Displays a dialog box in which you can navigate to and select the .sub file for the VXIplug&play or IVI instrument driver.
- Destination Directory—Specifies the directory in which to save the generated instrument driver VIs. By default, LabVIEW saves the generated VIs in the LabVIEW\instr.lib directory of the currently running version of LabVIEW.
- Browse—Displays a dialog box in which you can navigate to and select a directory in which to save the generated instrument driver VIs.
- Generate palette (.mnu files)—Creates a subpalette on the Functions palette with the generated instrument driver VIs.
  - Palette format—Sets the appearance of the instrument driver VIs on the Functions palette. All Icons displays palette items as icons. All Text displays a text list of palette items. Select All Text if you have a large number of functions without icons and you do not intend to update the icons. If you close the All Text palette, you can right-click the front panel or block diagram to display a shortcut menu that contains all the palette items. Select Window»Show Controls Palette or Window»Show Functions Palette to display the palette again. Icons and Text displays all palette items as icons with text labels below each icon.
    
    Note The setting for Palette format takes effect only if you select Category(Standard) from the Palette pull-down menu in the Controls/Functions Palettes page. Display this page by selecting Tools»Options to display the Options dialog box and selecting Controls/Functions Palettes from the Category list.
- Generate Property Node help (.rc file)—Creates a .rc file that stores the help for generated Property Nodes. This option is available only when you convert IVI drivers.
  - Convert Property Node help text—Enables searching the Property Node help for terms that are specific to the C language to replace with LabVIEW terms.
- Generate LLB (.llb file)—Creates an LLB for the generated instrument driver VIs. You must place a checkmark in this checkbox if you want to generate VIs.
  - Convert help text for VIs and controls—Enables searching the converted help for terms that are specific to the C language to replace with LabVIEW terms.
  - Generate application examples—Creates example VIs. This option is available only when you convert class-compliant IVI drivers.
  - Generate VI tree—Creates a VI Tree VI that illustrates the functional structure of the instrument driver. The .fp file hierarchy affects the VI tree hierarchy, so the VI tree has a well-defined or a flat hierarchy depending on the .fp file hierarchy.
- Driver Group—Specifies the driver group of the instrument driver you want to convert.
- Icon Preview—Displays the VI icon for the generated instrument driver VIs.
  - Edit Icon—Displays the Edit Instrument Driver VI Icon dialog box so you can edit the instrument driver icon banner and change the background color of the VI icons. Include the instrument driver prefix in the icon banner. The Edit Instrument Driver VI Icon dialog box uses the same drawing tools as the Icon Editor dialog box in LabVIEW. Refer to the LabVIEW Help, available by selecting Help»Search the LabVIEW Help in LabVIEW, for information about using the drawing tools.
- Driver Prefix—Shows the instrument prefix that the .fp file applies. LabWindows/CVI adds this prefix to all C function names in the function panel tree. The converter also adds this prefix to the names of VIs it generates.
- Shared Library or DLL—Specifies the shared library or DLL of the instrument driver you want to convert.
- Browse—Displays a dialog box in which you can navigate to and select the shared library or DLL.
- Select All—Places a checkmark next to every VI in the list.
- Deselect All—Removes the checkmark from every VI in the list.
- Edit Name—Enables you to rename the selected VI or folder in the list. The folder names represent names of palettes.
- Size Parameter—Specifies the parameter name whose value you want to use as the size of an output control with the array data type. To use a constant value, select Use constant.
- Constant Value—Specifies the array size of the output control. This option is available only if you select Use constant from the Size Parameter pull-down menu.
- Change—Select Always, Never, or Prompt to always make the change in the help text, never make the change in the help text, or be prompted to accept or skip the change, respectively.
- Show prompts—Prompts you to accept or skip each change to the help text that has a value of Prompt in the Change column. If you remove the checkmark from the checkbox, LabVIEW does not prompt you to accept or skip any changes to the help text.
- Change to—Displays the word or string to replace the highlighted word or string.
- Accept—Replaces the highlighted word or string with the word or string in the Change to text box.
- Skip—Makes no changes to the highlighted word or string and continues to the next instance.
- Accept All—Replaces every instance of the word or string with the word or string in the Change to text box.
- Skip All—Makes no changes to the remaining instances of the word or string and continues to the next word or string.
Back—Displays the previous page of the dialog box.
Next—Displays the next page of the dialog box.
Cancel—Cancels the changes you made and closes the dialog box.
Help—Displays the LabVIEW Instrument Driver Import Wizard Readme, which includes step-by-step instructions, descriptions of dialog box components, and known issues.
View the Report—Specifies to display the conversion report in the default Web browser when you click the Done button.
View VI Tree—Specifies to open the VI Tree VI that illustrates the functional structure of the instrument driver when you click the Done button.

Known Issues

Refer to the Knowledge Base at ni.com for the latest information about the LabVIEW Instrument Driver Import Wizard.

The LabVIEW Instrument Driver Import Wizard does not work in multi-byte operating systems, such as the Chinese version of Windows.
If a function panel contains multiple controls with the same error, LabVIEW lists only the first control error encountered in the report. Examine function panels with a control error and verify that no other control errors exist in the function panel and the corresponding generated VI.
If a .sub file , generated by the third-party driver development tools, doesn't include the help descriptions for all classes and attributes, the LabVIEW Instrument Driver Import Wizard returns an error when converting such a file. Adding the appropriate help descriptions in the .sub file should solve the issue.

Important Information

Copyright

Under the copyright laws, this publication may not be reproduced or transmitted in any form, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, storing in an information retrieval system, or translating, in whole or in part, without the prior written consent of National Instruments Corporation.

National Instruments respects the intellectual property of others, and we ask our users to do the same. NI software is protected by copyright and other intellectual property laws. Where NI software may be used to reproduce software or other materials belonging to others, you may use NI software only to reproduce materials that you may reproduce in accordance with the terms of any applicable license or other legal restriction.

Trademarks

CVI, National Instruments, NI, ni.com, and LabVIEW are trademarks of National Instruments Corporation. Refer to the Terms of Use section on ni.com/legal for more information about National Instruments trademarks.

The mark LabWindows is used under a license from Microsoft Corporation. Windows is a registered trademark of Microsoft Corporation in the United States and other countries.

Other product and company names mentioned herein are trademarks or trade names of their respective companies.

Patents

For patents covering the National Instruments products/technology, refer to the appropriate location: Help»Patents in your software, the patents.txt file on your media, or the National Instruments Patent Notice at ni.com/patents.