Your Own Solution
With LabVIEW, you build VIs instead of writing programs. You quickly create front panel user interfaces, giving you the interactive control of your software system. To specify the functionality, you intuitively assemble block diagrams � a natural design notation for engineers and scientists.
Create the Front Panel
On the front panel of your VI, you place the controls and data displays for your system by choosing objects from the Controls palette, including numeric displays, meters, gauges, thermometers, tanks, LEDs, charts, graphs, and more. When your VI is complete, you can use the front panel to control your system � while the VI is running � by clicking a switch, moving a slide, zooming in on a graph, or entering a value from the keyboard.
Construct the Graphical Block Diagram
To program the VI, you construct the block diagram without worrying about the many syntactical details of conventional programming. You select objects (icons) from the Functions palette and connect them with wires to pass data from one block to the next. These blocks range from simple arithmetic functions, to advanced acquisition and analysis routines, to network and file I/O operations.
Dataflow Programming
LabVIEW uses a patented dataflow programming model, called G, that frees you from the linear architecture of text-based languages. Because the execution order in LabVIEW is determined by the flow of data between blocks, and not by sequential lines of text, you can create diagrams that have simultaneous operations. LabVIEW is a multitasking and multithreaded system, running multiple execution threads and multiple VIs.
Modularity and Hierarchy
LabVIEW VIs are modular in design, so any VI can run by itself or be used as part of another VI. You can create an icon for your own VIs, so you can design a hierarchy of VIs and subVIs that you can modify, interchange, and combine with other VIs to meet your changing application needs.
Graphical Compiler
In many applications, execution speed is critical. LabVIEW is the only graphical programming system with a compiler that generates optimized code with execution speeds comparable to compiled C programs. With the built-in Profiler, you can analyze and optimize time-critical sections of code. Consequently, you can increase your productivity with graphical programming without sacrificing execution speed.
Instrument Control
The LabVIEW VISA, GPIB, VXI, and Serial VI Libraries use National Instruments industry-standard device driver software for complete control of your instrumentation. You can control any GPIB instrument connected to a National Instruments IEEE 488.2 interface board. Your VXI instruments are easily programmed with VISA (Virtual Instrument Software Architecture), the interface-independent software interface endorsed by the VXIplug&play Systems Alliance. You can communicate to your instruments from embedded VXI controllers, PXI modular systems, or computers with an MXI or GPIB-VXI interface.