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Bean

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Posts posted by Bean

  1. Now that we're Genuen, here's a new link to TestScript.  The download has been updated to include a simplified example (Scripting Example.vi) and a PDF you can share with your colleagues who may be skeptical about using Python and LabVIEW together. 

    -------

    Notes:

    You can run multiple python scripts simultaneously.

    TestScript has two fundamental parts that can be run on separate PCs:

    1. LabVIEW server
    2. Python server

    You generally start the Python server from within your LabVIEW application (see aforementioned example), but you can also launch it via the command line on the target machine like this:

    • python TestScript_gui_and_exposed_functions.py [LabVIEW server IP address] [port 1] [port 2] [port 3]
    • python TestScript_gui_and_exposed_functions.py localhost 9007 9008 9009

    Python scripts must be instantiated from the LabVIEW server (vs. something like PyCharm or the command line) --> so, while it does not feature “launch script from somewhere else” functionality at this time, you can send back script updates to your UI so you can see status (see example).

  2. I agree:  WYSIWYG DevX and parallelized UI, control, DAQ, and logging meets a readable, exploding, scientific text-based sequencing environment!

    TestScript lets you expose any number of LabVIEW actions (flip relay, read DMM, turn on power supply, etc.) and call those directly in your Python script:  xFlipRelay(), xReadDMM(), xPowerSupplyOn().  We recommend having, for example, the front panel button that flips your relay call the same code as the corresponding Python function.  This way, the code behaves identically whether it's being called via manual control screen or Python script.

    Please check out the examples, and reach out with product ideas!  We're already folding TestScript into our own projects and loving it.

    Jason

  3. That's great insight.  At the end of the day, the Enthought toolkit and the LabVIEW 2018 Python Node are optimized for directly calling Python functions from LabVIEW.  Pretty cool.

    TestScript is optimized for running Python scripts from LabVIEW which can call Python functions or custom LabVIEW functions.  If you return values (scalars or arrays) back to LabVIEW at the end of a script, they are returned as a string.  Example script we include (where we pass an array of numbers as a script argument when launching it from LabVIEW):

    ---

    # Use list comprehension to create a list of floats to sum up.
    addends = [float(i) for i in locals()['arguments']]

    script_update(str(sum(addends)))

    ---

    Since you're familiar with the tools, I'm interested in your feedback if you get a chance to checkout TestScript.  Just email testscript@winemantech.com to connect!

    Jason

  4. For clarity:

    Currently:  The Enthought Python Integration Toolkit for LabVIEW lets you "Call Python functions directly from LabVIEW, and pass arrays and other numerical data natively" in both Python 2.7 and 3.6, is available for sale at ni.com, includes the Canopy development environment, and from what I understand helps solve some deployment headaches (e.g. Python packages).

    The Python node that got released with LabVIEW 2018 lets you call Python functions from LabVIEW in Python 2.7 and 3.6.

    TestScript is a free tool that lets you use LabVIEW to run Python 3.x scripts (that call Python functions) and retrieve the results back in LabVIEW ***and also*** lets you launch a Python script from your LabVIEW application that calls LabVIEW functions (that you expose from your application) from Python (e.g. to automate your LabVIEW manual control screen behavior on-the-fly:  flip relay, acquire data, log data, repeat overnight).  Examples included.

  5. TestScript is written in Python 3.  If you are looking at calling Python 2.7 modules from LabVIEW, this is what Enthought's tool does (at present, anyhow).  TestScript enables you to use simplified Python 3 scripts to control a LabVIEW application or use a LabVIEW application to run and get results from a Python 3 script.  Because we've defined the Python-to-LabVIEW interface internally, scripts can literally be one line:

    myVoltage = xDMMRead()

    We can do this since, with comments and whitespace, TesScript contains 3,000 lines of Python code under the hood.  Can you write in Python 3?

    And it's free.

  6. https://www.winemantech.com/blog/testscript-python-labview-connector

    From release blog...

    Summary: Test engineers typically add manual-control screens to LabVIEW applications. While it would be helpful to repetitively execute varying parts of those manual-control screens, LabVIEW is not optimal for dynamic scripting, or on-the-fly sequencing with flow control.  (Imagine editing the source code of Excel each time you wanted to create a macro.)  And while Python is built for scripting, it requires advanced custom coding to interface with LabVIEW. 

    Announcing TestScript: a free Python/LabVIEW connector from Wineman Technology that is simple to add to your existing LabVIEW application and abstracts complex Python coding,  allowing you to easily use Python to control LabVIEW or vice versa.

    • Like 2
  7. 7 hours ago, bbean said:

    Doing a google search resulted in this possible link to purchase:

    Microsoft MSDN Platforms License & Software Assurance 1

    Is that a similar license to what you are using?  

    Looking at another purchasing note, I see:

    "MICROSOFT MSDN OPERATING SYSTEM LIC AND SW ASSURANCE"

    So, it's at least similar.  Since SWI was listed on the Microsoft website and dealt specifically with Microsoft licensing, we leaned on their understanding about what was required for compliance for our specific circumstance.  If there is a more cost effective alternative, I'm interested in hearing the details.

  8. Bean,

    Yesterday when I checked the "Find a Reseller" list, SWI was listed but the link was dead.  Today, they're not in the list.  Maybe because SWI has been acquired by Crayon:

    http://www.crayon.com/en/news-and-resources/crayon-acquires-software-wholesale-international/

    According to an internal purchasing note, we bought the "MICROSOFT MSDN OPERATING SYSTEM LICENSE AND SOFTWARE" (not sure if that's what SWI called it) from SWI:

    https://www.software-intl.com

    Maybe give them or Crayon a call?  The unit price at the time was $450, which I'm thinking is per person per year.

    -----------

    Aside:  I'd like to know from others who advocate VMs for development whether they are paying the annual fees (ultimately to Microsoft) to be legally compliant, and if so, through what means (e.g. MSDN)?

    -Bean

  9. Hi bbean,

    The only cost effective and legitimate way we've found to run Windows on development VMs is through an MSDN account.  Purchasing info:

    https://www.visualstudio.com/products/msdn-platforms-vs

    That page also says:

    "Visual Studio and MSDN licensing
    For an overview of the Visual Studio 2013 product line, including MSDN subscriptions, and the licensing requirements for those products in common deployment scenarios, download the Visual Studio 2013 and MSDN Licensing white paper."

    And, according to that white paper (i.e. "Visual Studio 2013 and MSDN Licensing Whitepaper - January-2015", page 14):

    "User Licensing
    Licensed for Design, Development, Testing, and Demonstrating Your Programs
    All MSDN subscriptions and Visual Studio Professional are licensed on a per-user basis. Each licensed user may install and use the software on any number of devices to design, develop, test, and demonstrate their programs. MSDN subscriptions also allow the licensed user to evaluate the software and to simulate customer environments in order to diagnose issues related to your programs. Each additional person who uses the software in this way must also have a license.
    What Software is Included and Downgrade Rights
    For MSDN subscriptions, the software that is included is defined as any software that is available to the subscriber via MSDN Subscriber Downloads"

     

    • Like 1
  10.  

    ....If I want to rename a file that is in the repository then I would use the Mercurial Rename function so that all the history is kept....

     

    Martin

    LabVIEW 2013 | CLA

     

    Open the VI in the LabVIEW project.

    Rename through TortoiseHg.

    From the VI:  File » Save As » Rename » select the file on disk that you just renamed via TortoiseHg

    (Do not revert if prompted.)

    From TortoiseHg, commit changes with "Renamed VI" comment.

     

    Aside:  I've been having issues with renaming through Tortoise lately, so you may have to use the command line.

  11. Thanks for the heads up.

    "Searching for text in an enum that resides within a typedef will cause changes to the values within the enum" is particularily disturbing to me as almost all my enums are typedef-ed and I search some of them fairly often.

     

    Found this old thread as I was searching for any new patches for LV 2011 SP1.

     

    Before submitting the corresponding CAR, this one destroyed my code base.  Basically searching for your type-def'd enum value would either change or in case of arrays possibly empty the array each time you pressed Ctrl-G to go to the next instance.  What made this so insidious was when you arrived at the next search instance there was no way to tell that the array of values (imagine array of 5 states/commands) had been altered or emptied.  The bug was unpredictible, undetectable, and did *not* register in the undo stack.  So the next time you saved, the code was hosed.  Upon discovery, I had to check the logic of every state transition.

     

    For some reason it took months for NI to roll out the patch.  So, there could be sections of code written in LV 2011 SP1 out there that have been affected but not yet discovered because you have to know to even go looking for the changes.  By far the worst bug I've experienced.  Maybe like coding pre-undo only LabVIEW makes random changes?

     

    LV 2011 SP1 crashes regularly.  Is LV 2012 stable?  Conditional loop indexing looks great.

    • New - Flush Event Queue Function

     

    Did a project in 2007 where a slider was linked to the amplitude of an analog output.  Sliders generate thousands of events which overfed the consuming hardware actor.  Each time I got a slider-value-change event, I unregistered, updated the AO, and re-registered for value change.  There were other requirements with this method which were necessary to ensure that I got the latest value when the operator was finished dragging.  Maybe this challenge would be better handled today by flushing specific events instead of managing registration?

  12. Found LV 6.0 and 8.2 versions posted on the following page:
    http://zone.ni.com/devzone/cda/epd/p/id/4935

     

    LV 4.0.1 version located here:

    http://digital.ni.com/public.nsf/allkb/2986FC3AE5CC1E3C86256C3F006EE656

    See attached for each one.

    Because of the title of this thread, I had in my head that I was looking for some really old version called "lvwutil32.llb", which turns out not to exist.  Looks like the main difference between LV 6.0 and LV 8.2 versions is the replacement of "/" in filenames with "-".  As you know, LLBs supported "/" in names but Windows doesn't - and, as folks started moving away from LLBs for LVLIBs, the habit of using prohibited characters stopped making sense.

    Aside 1:  In this LV 5 code (by Aivaliotis, ironically) one of the LLB files I'm missing is "Extract Window Origin - Size.vi" (not "Extract Window Origin / Size.vi", as I'd expect).
    Aside 2:  Mike, if you're listening, would appreciate a version of "DIC Software Library" that includes "D Sort 2D(SGL) array by row or column.vi", ...

    lvwutil32_4.0.zip

    lvwutil32_6.0.zip

    lvwutil32_8.2.zip

  13. Has anyone used Mercurial for source code control in LabVIEW? It looks like it might be the next step in the evolution: CVS ==> SVN ==> something that can merge/branch worth a damn.

    A year has passed... Is Mercurial the next step in the progression: RCS » CVS » SVN » Hg ?

    Plus, we use FogBugz as our bug tracker at JKI and Mercurial is part of the Kiln product companion to FogBugz -- so, it probably wouldn't be a difficult jump.

    Did you make the jump?

    Should we be expecing a JKI TortoiseHg Tool for LabVIEW™? :D

    When I was reading some introductions, I found that they warn to use it for large sets of binary data. Anyone yet experienced to say how it will work on real LV projects?

    The other issue that still keeps me away from using it, is the merging process. As far as I understand Hq yet, merging is the very elemental interaction you would do. I'm stuck with a FDS, so no merging for me (except I write my own LV merge...). Will this be a show-stopper? Should I stay with SVN?

    Is "working with large sets of binary data" an issue for LabVIEW users?

    Do these tools address the Diff and Merge (et al) concerns?

    Mercurial LabVIEW Integration

    LVMergeHG

    Mercurial API

    Thanks!

    Jason

  14. Wow that sure does work...it actually works a little too good. I wrote a VI that just waits 10 seconds then calls your VI to bring it forward. In the first 10 seconds I took notepad and put it frontmost manually. Then the VI brought it self to the front.

    Problem is after the VI stopped executing it was still the front, meaning it was Always On Top, of all other windows...

    The hWndInsertAfter argument in SetWindowPos is what controls the window's Z order... you may not even need the original call at all... You'll note that my code did not have it, because I was only bringing the window to the top, not making it topmost. I don't remember if my code gives the window focus or not, but I believe it should.

    Yair is correct that you don't need the SetWindowPos call unless you want Topmost. Removing the SetWindowPos call does not affect focus in this use case. I've attached a VI that will cancel Topmost and another that will set Top instead of Topmost. hWndInsertAfter = -2 sets "NoTopmost" (above all non-topmost windows).

    Cancel Calling VI Wnd Topmost.vi

    Set Calling VI Wnd Top & Active.vi

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