Professional User Interfaces in LabVIEW March 23, 2009
Posted by ekerry in Software Engineering with LabVIEW, User Interfaces.Tags: custom controls, Design, LabVIEW, software engineering, ui, user interface
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The flexibility of front panel objects in LabVIEW is something many people, including myself, take for granted. We quickly drop down charts, knobs, and sliders, leaving them unchanged, and as a result, most LabVIEW programs have an unmistakably similar look and feel. Of course, this makes it much easier to spot in a lab or during cameo appearances on shows like MythBusters, but many people are looking for ways to make more impressive and even ’sexy’ user interfaces.
The success of commercial products like the iPhone are clear examples of the growing desire for intuitive user interfaces, but the world of engineers and scientists is not exempt. There are a lot of practical reasons why a clear and appealing UI is valuable for a large LabVIEW application, as it can reduce learning curves and improve the effeciency of the user.
What many LabVIEW developers don’t realize, is the level of customization and flexibility that LabVIEW controls and indicators provide. Realizing this, my friend and colleage, SimonH, set out to see just how easy it would be to make some impressive controls and indicators for LabVIEW that broke the mold. He’s posted his first few examples in his new UI Interest Group, but I happen to know he’s got a lot more up his sleeve. Join his group and look for more soon!
Here’s another particularly slick user interface that was made in LabVIEW for OptiMedica
Advanced Application Specific Architecture Resources March 12, 2009
Posted by ekerry in Software Engineering with LabVIEW.Tags: Architecture, Control Primer, Design, LabVIEW, Machine Control, open source, Reference architectures
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About a month ago I wrote a blog on LabVIEW application architectures, but I wanted to supplement that with links to more advanced resources that are specific to certain applications and offer a more holistic insight into the task of designing your LabVIEW applications.
- A Primer for Machine Control – If you’re building a large system for machine control using CompactRIO and aren’t sure where to start, this should help. It includes example applications and insights into networking and how to manage multiple tasks.
- 100+ Open-Source Reference Architectures- our systems engineering group is frequently exposed to common architectural challenges faced by LabVIEW programmers on large applications. To keep from re-inventing the wheel, they’ve been publishing elegant solutions to these recurring problems. Examples include Simple Messaging Reference Library, which offers an alternative to shared variables for network communication, 3D Obstacle detection for machine control applications, and a variety of example application architectures.
- TestStand Architecture Series – as automated test systems are becoming larger and more complex, it’s becoming increasingly important to architect your code to ensure scalability, quality and re-usability. This series of content was written largely by NI Alliance Partners who have extensive experience with applications of this nature. The architecture applications in any language is one of the biggest challenges any software programmer faces.
Compared to the task of designing code, the task of actually developing it is often the easiest par. Without careful consideration, many programmers get the ‘re-factor’ twinge about half-way into the development process. If any of this sounds familiar, spend some time looking through these resources to get some insight into paradigms that might help you and your application succeed.
