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LabView coding standards


jcz

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hi all,

I have started to write a labview coding standards for our small software team. Have you got any pdf articles, templates, or any other documents, ideas and suggestions that might be usefull for writing such spec. ?

cheers,

jcz

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hi all,

I have started to write a labview coding standards for our small software team. Have you got any pdf articles, templates, or any other documents, ideas and suggestions that might be usefull for writing such spec. ?

cheers,

jcz

I am a bit suprised that a small software team has time to write coding standards. Usually the need to produce billable work trumps that. There are ni docs on coding style. You could refer to that instead of getting bureaucratic. Also, friendly interaction between team members can help develop a mutually acceptable style. Because LabVIEW is so visually different than text code, and because so much information is encapsulated in the elements of the code, there is more need for some agreement on style points and somewhat less need to document the bits of code that are prepared by ni as functions..

If you could get every one to use vi descriptions, tips and other built in documentation features you would go a long way. Dropping text notes in to describe what blocks of code do is nice.

Overall I think rather than a coding standard, a process standard is more useful. A pact among the group to do planning up front and adhere to it. No mad coding dashes of into the ether, without talking it over. If you all plan the software reasonably well and follow that, it will get you more than a standard the likes of which I think you are talking about.

Mike

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There are 2 items I don't agree with in this presentation.

1. Backround Color. I find it more readable to set the Block Diagram color to a light manila.

2. Error handling. I that LV does a terrible job of Error Handling. To often have I seen LV lock up code with a popup when it recieves an error. If you're not extremely careful you could loss data or worse destroy equipment.

Other then that I think thats a great guidline on how to code in LV.

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I am a bit suprised that a small software team has time to write coding standards. Usually the need to produce billable work trumps that. There are ni docs on coding style. You could refer to that instead of getting bureaucratic.

I totally agree, however some issues might occured when:

1. different "small details" that every software engineer use in his own way (like the way of passing data from subvi to main vi - one is using queues, one notifications and the other one somethin else) are in one big program.

2. when software eng. are in 3 different countries and in different time areas :)

3. when quite often students come from outside and they want to do some VI's

4. puttin 2 and 3 together --> when people have got different LV experience

5. it is always good to have templates - that is one part of what I am doing.

True - "coding" perhaps is not a proper word. Designing software is something different than writing it :)

In general You are right, and I am not getting bureaucratic (at least I hope so), and we always talk about our software :) It's just getting everyone experience on how to write good and fast programs and writing it down in one document - so that it will be easy for everyone to debug the software knowing standard solutions used by other person.

Thank you all for the references. I know most of them - it means that there are not many LabView coding standard books/ebooks, etc.

cheers,

jcz

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hi all,

I have started to write a labview coding standards for our small software team. Have you got any pdf articles, templates, or any other documents, ideas and suggestions that might be usefull for writing such spec. ?

cheers,

jcz

Also a good resouce are the two articles: Rules To Wire By - Part I and - Part II from the LTR publications Volume 7, Number 1 & 2. LabVIEW Technical Resource.

Didier

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Also a good resouce are the two articles: Rules To Wire By - Part I and - Part II from the LTR publications Volume 7, Number 1 & 2. LabVIEW Technical Resource.

Didier

"This site is no longer available." :(

I only found part II here :

http://zone.ni.com/devzone/conceptd.nsf/we...81?OpenDocument

part I seems to be not complete :

http://zone.ni.com/devzone/conceptd.nsf/we...625692F0062EADF

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  • 3 months later...

Well, there is now a new book just on LabVIEW style coming out. Peter Blume at Bloomy Controls wrote it. You can look at it at Amazon: The LabVIEW Style Book

It has not yet been released, but it is already up on amazon and should be out soon.

So will ... hmmm not sure what I can and cannot say about other books. Lets just say it's nice to be a technical reviewer sometimes ... :)

Hmmm, take 2: (or in this case, take 3)

I just checked at Amazon, and they have it posted, so let me also plug:

LabVIEW for Everyone : Graphical Programming Made Easy and Fun (3rd Edition) (Hardcover)

By Jeffrey Travis and Jim Kring

I have had the privilege to be a technical reviewer for this, and I think they have done a great job on the third edition, bringing it up to date for LabVIEW 8. Stay tuned ! :thumbup:

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I just checked at Amazon, and they have it posted, so let me also plug:

LabVIEW for Everyone : Graphical Programming Made Easy and Fun (3rd Edition) (Hardcover)

By Jeffrey Travis and Jim Kring

Looks exciting, and the addition of Jim certinaly lends some weight to it. Although amazon.com is still using an old editorial review: "Now, completely updated for LabVIEW 6i" :D

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It had weight before.

I, in no way, was suggesting that it didn't - I have ultimate respect for Jeffrey and his books (I understand the pain of authorship) - that's why I said the Jim's inclusion lends weight, not creates it. Personally, I like Jim's attitude to LabVIEW development, and I think that it will add even more credibility. Congratulations guys - I can't wait to get it for my library.

Is it just me, or has there been more and more LabVIEW books for sale on eBay recently?

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I just checked at Amazon, and they have it posted, so let me also plug:

LabVIEW for Everyone : Graphical Programming Made Easy and Fun (3rd Edition) (Hardcover)

By Jeffrey Travis and Jim Kring

The cat's out of the bag now, thank you! I hate keeping secrets (being a pretty "open" guy).

Let me just say that I am very excited about this book (please, pardon my intrinsic biases). Jeffrey and I started out on the very solid foundation provided by the 1st and 2nd editions, we had a truly amazing team of technical reviewers, and LabVIEW (especially 8.0) is a truly great product that's full of amazing features (and, most of us have not even scratched the surface).

Yes, Jeffrey is the fellow that planted the open source seed (for me at least) -- here is a link, were you can read up on the history of OpenG. I was very honored to be asked, by Jeffrey, to co-author the 3rd edition.

Lastly, some weight has definitely been added to this book, as it has gotten quite a bit thicker ;)

Cheers,

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I, in no way, was suggesting that it didn't - ...

I knew I should have put a smiley after weight comment. :P I didn't mean to imply... oh never mind.

The cat's out of the bag now, thank you! I hate keeping secrets (being a pretty "open" guy).

Lastly, some weight has definitely been added to this book, as it has gotten quite a bit thicker ;)

I wouldn't have spilled the beans, but since Amazon did so I thought I'd say something. Concerning the weight, funny, my hard drive is still the same, right down to the gram :laugh:

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I knew I should have put a smiley after weight comment. :P I didn't mean to imply... oh never mind.

I wouldn't have spilled the beans, but since Amazon did so I thought I'd say something. Concerning the weight, funny, my hard drive is still the same, right down to the gram :laugh:

Another one of my favorite Dilbert cartoons is the one where they convice the pointy haired boss that using a smaller font will help conserve disk space.

Bureacracy is OK when you know how to twist it to your whim. ;)

Ben

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  • 2 months later...
Any chance this will be out soon? Still not available (June 20, 06) according to Amazon.

I hope it's released before NIWeek, I'd like to have something to read on the flight :book:

The book is in the final stages of production, now, and should be hitting the press, shortly thereafter -- we have worked very hard to ensure that it would be out before NI Week. Also, it's going to be pretty thick (~1000 pages -- see, Mike, I did add weight to the book :P ), so you will have something to read on the flight home, too :)

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  • 1 month later...
It's August 4, and Amazon is indicating that the book has not shipped yet, but has an expected delivery date of August 3 :blink:

I'm wondering if I'm gonna get it before I fly out on Monday :( (I'd hate to have to read Alfa's book :book: , but it's downloadable... )

I, too, hope that the Amazon shipments will arrive before Monday. The first shipments (sent directly) from the publisher have arrived, but it is difficult to say when they will start shipping from Amazon. If you swing by the JKI booth on the NI Week expo floor (booth # 1106), you are welcome to thumb through one of our display copies. Also, if you come to the LAVA/OpenG BBQ, you might even win a signed (by Jeffrey Travis and me) copy.

Regards,

-Jim

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