National Instruments Home Theater System Measurement Studio User Manual

TM  
Measurement Studio  
User Manual  
Measurement Studio User Manual  
Measurement Studio User Manual  
July 2004 Edition  
Part Number 323392B-01  
Download from Www.Somanuals.com. All Manuals Search And Download.  
 
Important Information  
Warranty  
The media on which you receive National Instruments software are warranted not to fail to execute programming instructions, due to defects  
in materials and workmanship, for a period of 90 days from date of shipment, as evidenced by receipts or other documentation. National  
Instruments will, at its option, repair or replace software media that do not execute programming instructions if National Instruments receives  
notice of such defects during the warranty period. National Instruments does not warrant that the operation of the software shall be  
uninterrupted or error free.  
A Return Material Authorization (RMA) number must be obtained from the factory and clearly marked on the outside of the package before  
any equipment will be accepted for warranty work. National Instruments will pay the shipping costs of returning to the owner parts which are  
covered by warranty.  
National Instruments believes that the information in this document is accurate. The document has been carefully reviewed for technical  
accuracy. In the event that technical or typographical errors exist, National Instruments reserves the right to make changes to subsequent  
editions of this document without prior notice to holders of this edition. The reader should consult National Instruments if errors are suspected.  
In no event shall National Instruments be liable for any damages arising out of or related to this document or the information contained in it.  
EXCEPT AS SPECIFIED HEREIN, NATIONAL INSTRUMENTS MAKES NO WARRANTIES, EXPRESS OR IMPLIED, AND SPECIFICALLY DISCLAIMS ANY WARRANTY OF  
MERCHANTABILITY OR FITNESS FOR A PARTICULAR PURPOSE. CUSTOMERS RIGHT TO RECOVER DAMAGES CAUSED BY FAULT OR NEGLIGENCE ON THE PART OF  
NATIONAL INSTRUMENTS SHALL BE LIMITED TO THE AMOUNT THERETOFORE PAID BY THE CUSTOMER. NATIONAL INSTRUMENTS WILL NOT BE LIABLE FOR  
DAMAGES RESULTING FROM LOSS OF DATA, PROFITS, USE OF PRODUCTS, OR INCIDENTAL OR CONSEQUENTIAL DAMAGES, EVEN IF ADVISED OF THE POSSIBILITY  
THEREOF. This limitation of the liability of National Instruments will apply regardless of the form of action, whether in contract or tort, including  
negligence. Any action against National Instruments must be brought within one year after the cause of action accrues. National Instruments  
shall not be liable for any delay in performance due to causes beyond its reasonable control. The warranty provided herein does not cover  
damages, defects, malfunctions, or service failures caused by owner’s failure to follow the National Instruments installation, operation, or  
maintenance instructions; owner’s modification of the product; owner’s abuse, misuse, or negligent acts; and power failure or surges, fire,  
flood, accident, actions of third parties, or other events outside reasonable control.  
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.  
Trademarks  
CVI, DAQPad, DataSocket, IMAQ, IVI, LabVIEW, Lookout, Measurement Studio, National Instruments, National Instruments  
Alliance Program, NI, ni.com, NI Developer Zone, NI-488.2, NI-DAQ, NI-DMM, NI-IMAQ, NI-VISA, SCXI, and  
TestStandare trademarks of National Instruments Corporation.  
FireWire® is the registered trademark of Apple Computer, Inc. Other product and company names mentioned herein are trademarks or trade  
names of their respective companies.  
Patents  
For patents covering National Instruments products, refer to the appropriate location: Help»Patents in your software, the patents.txtfile  
on your CD, or ni.com/patents.  
WARNING REGARDING USE OF NATIONAL INSTRUMENTS PRODUCTS  
(1) NATIONAL INSTRUMENTS PRODUCTS ARE NOT DESIGNED WITH COMPONENTS AND TESTING FOR A LEVEL OF  
RELIABILITY SUITABLE FOR USE IN OR IN CONNECTION WITH SURGICAL IMPLANTS OR AS CRITICAL COMPONENTS IN  
ANY LIFE SUPPORT SYSTEMS WHOSE FAILURE TO PERFORM CAN REASONABLY BE EXPECTED TO CAUSE SIGNIFICANT  
INJURY TO A HUMAN.  
(2) IN ANY APPLICATION, INCLUDING THE ABOVE, RELIABILITY OF OPERATION OF THE SOFTWARE PRODUCTS CAN BE  
IMPAIRED BY ADVERSE FACTORS, INCLUDING BUT NOT LIMITED TO FLUCTUATIONS IN ELECTRICAL POWER SUPPLY,  
COMPUTER HARDWARE MALFUNCTIONS, COMPUTER OPERATING SYSTEM SOFTWARE FITNESS, FITNESS OF COMPILERS  
AND DEVELOPMENT SOFTWARE USED TO DEVELOP AN APPLICATION, INSTALLATION ERRORS, SOFTWARE AND  
HARDWARE COMPATIBILITY PROBLEMS, MALFUNCTIONS OR FAILURES OF ELECTRONIC MONITORING OR CONTROL  
DEVICES, TRANSIENT FAILURES OF ELECTRONIC SYSTEMS (HARDWARE AND/OR SOFTWARE), UNANTICIPATED USES OR  
MISUSES, OR ERRORS ON THE PART OF THE USER OR APPLICATIONS DESIGNER (ADVERSE FACTORS SUCH AS THESE ARE  
HEREAFTER COLLECTIVELY TERMED “SYSTEM FAILURES”). ANY APPLICATION WHERE A SYSTEM FAILURE WOULD  
CREATE A RISK OF HARM TO PROPERTY OR PERSONS (INCLUDING THE RISK OF BODILY INJURY AND DEATH) SHOULD  
NOT BE RELIANT SOLELY UPON ONE FORM OF ELECTRONIC SYSTEM DUE TO THE RISK OF SYSTEM FAILURE. TO AVOID  
DAMAGE, INJURY, OR DEATH, THE USER OR APPLICATION DESIGNER MUST TAKE REASONABLY PRUDENT STEPS TO  
PROTECT AGAINST SYSTEM FAILURES, INCLUDING BUT NOT LIMITED TO BACK-UP OR SHUT DOWN MECHANISMS.  
BECAUSE EACH END-USER SYSTEM IS CUSTOMIZED AND DIFFERS FROM NATIONAL INSTRUMENTS' TESTING  
PLATFORMS AND BECAUSE A USER OR APPLICATION DESIGNER MAY USE NATIONAL INSTRUMENTS PRODUCTS IN  
COMBINATION WITH OTHER PRODUCTS IN A MANNER NOT EVALUATED OR CONTEMPLATED BY NATIONAL  
INSTRUMENTS, THE USER OR APPLICATION DESIGNER IS ULTIMATELY RESPONSIBLE FOR VERIFYING AND VALIDATING  
THE SUITABILITY OF NATIONAL INSTRUMENTS PRODUCTS WHENEVER NATIONAL INSTRUMENTS PRODUCTS ARE  
INCORPORATED IN A SYSTEM OR APPLICATION, INCLUDING, WITHOUT LIMITATION, THE APPROPRIATE DESIGN,  
PROCESS AND SAFETY LEVEL OF SUCH SYSTEM OR APPLICATION.  
Download from Www.Somanuals.com. All Manuals Search And Download.  
About This Manual  
Chapter 1  
Installation Requirements ..............................................................................................1-1  
Installation Instructions..................................................................................................1-2  
Chapter 2  
User Interface.................................................................................................................2-5  
Waveform Graph and Scatter Graph Controls ................................................2-6  
Numeric Controls ............................................................................................2-9  
Chapter 3  
Measurement Studio Visual C++ Class Libraries  
Measurement Studio Visual C++ Class Libraries Overview.........................................3-1  
ActiveX Controls in Visual C++ ...................................................................................3-2  
3D Graph Control ..........................................................................................................3-2  
© National Instruments Corporation  
v
Measurement Studio User Manual  
Download from Www.Somanuals.com. All Manuals Search And Download.  
Contents  
Button Control................................................................................................. 3-10  
Graph Control ................................................................................................. 3-11  
Numeric Edit Control...................................................................................... 3-13  
Chapter 4  
Creating a Measurement Studio DAQ Application....................................................... 4-4  
Creating an NI-DAQmx User Control............................................................ 4-6  
Adding or Removing Measurement Studio Class Libraries.......................................... 4-8  
Selecting a Measurement Studio Parameter Value ....................................................... 4-9  
Technical Support and Professional Services  
Glossary  
Index  
Measurement Studio User Manual  
vi  
ni.com  
Download from Www.Somanuals.com. All Manuals Search And Download.  
About This Manual  
The Measurement Studio User Manual introduces the concepts associated  
with the Measurement Studio class libraries and development tools. This  
manual assumes that you have a general working knowledge of Microsoft  
Visual Studio .NET, including Microsoft Visual Basic .NET, Microsoft  
Visual C#, or Microsoft Visual C++.  
How to Use this Manual  
Measurement Studio 7.1 includes two CDs—one with support for Visual  
documents the Visual Studio .NET 2003 CD. For help with Visual  
Studio 6.0, refer to the Measurement Studio Support for Visual Studio 6.0  
The Measurement Studio User Manual is organized into four chapters.  
Chapter 1, Introduction to Measurement Studio, is an overview of  
Measurement Studio. This chapter includes installation and distribution  
requirements, installation instructions, and a list of Measurement Studio  
resources. Chapter 2, Measurement Studio .NET Class Libraries, and  
Chapter 3, Measurement Studio Visual C++ Class Libraries, include  
information about the .NET class libraries and the Visual C++ class  
libraries, respectively. Chapter 4, Developing with Measurement Studio,  
includes information on using Measurement Studio tools and features to  
develop applications.  
Use this manual as a starting point to learn about Measurement Studio.  
Refer to the NI Measurement Studio Help within the Visual Studio .NET  
environment for function reference and detailed information about the  
Measurement Studio class libraries, wizards, assistants, and other features.  
© National Instruments Corporation  
vii  
Measurement Studio User Manual  
Download from Www.Somanuals.com. All Manuals Search And Download.  
     
About This Manual  
Conventions  
The following conventions appear in this manual:  
»
The » symbol leads you through nested menu items and dialog box options  
to a final action. The sequence File»Page Setup»Options directs you to  
pull down the File menu, select the Page Setup item, and select Options  
from the last dialog box.  
This icon denotes a tip, which alerts you to advisory information.  
This icon denotes a note, which alerts you to important information.  
bold  
Bold text denotes items that you must select or click in the software, such  
as menu items and dialog box options.  
italic  
Italic text denotes variables, emphasis, a cross reference, or an introduction  
to a key concept. This font also denotes text that is a placeholder for a word  
or value that you must supply.  
monospace  
Text in this font denotes text or characters that you enter from the keyboard,  
sections of code, programming examples, and syntax examples. This font  
also is used for the proper names of disk drives, paths, directories,  
programs, device names, filenames, and extensions.  
Measurement Studio User Manual  
viii  
ni.com  
Download from Www.Somanuals.com. All Manuals Search And Download.  
   
1
Introduction to Measurement  
Studio  
Measurement Studio is an integrated suite of native tools and class libraries  
that are designed for developers using Visual Basic .NET, Visual C#, and  
Visual C++ .NET to develop measurement and automation applications.  
Measurement Studio dramatically reduces application development time  
through object-oriented measurement hardware interfaces, advanced  
analysis libraries, scientific user interface controls, measurement data  
networking, wizards, interactive code designers, and highly extensible  
.NET and Visual C++ classes. You can use Measurement Studio to develop  
a complete measurement and automation application that includes data  
acquisition, analysis, and presentation functionalities.  
Installation Requirements  
To install Measurement Studio, your computer must have the following:  
Microsoft Windows 2000/XP operating system  
Microsoft .NET Framework 1.1 (required only for the Measurement  
Studio .NET class libraries)  
Standard, Professional, Enterprise Developer, or Enterprise Architect  
edition of Microsoft Visual Studio .NET 2003 (required to use the  
Measurement Studio integrated tools)  
Intel Pentium class processor, 133 MHz or higher  
Video display—800 × 600, 256 colors (16-bit color recommended for  
user interface controls)  
Minimum of 128 MB of RAM (256 MB or higher recommended)  
Minimum of 200 MB of free hard disk space  
Microsoft-compatible mouse  
Microsoft Internet Explorer 6.0 or later  
Optional Installation—In order for links from Measurement Studio help  
topics to .NET Framework help topics to work, you must install the  
Microsoft .NET Framework SDK 1.1.  
© National Instruments Corporation  
1-1  
Measurement Studio User Manual  
Download from Www.Somanuals.com. All Manuals Search And Download.  
             
Chapter 1  
Introduction to Measurement Studio  
Distribution Requirements  
To distribute an application built with Measurement Studio .NET class  
libraries, the target computer must have a Windows 2000/XP operating  
system and the .NET Framework version 1.1.  
To distribute an application built with Measurement Studio Visual C++  
class libraries, the target computer must have a Windows 2000/XP  
operating system.  
Installation Instructions  
Complete the following steps to install Measurement Studio. These steps  
describe a typical installation. Please review carefully all additional  
licensing and warning dialog boxes. Measurement Studio 7.1 includes two  
CDs—one with support for Visual Studio .NET 2003 and one with support  
for Visual Studio 6.0. This manual documents the Visual Studio .NET 2003  
CD. For help with Visual Studio 6.0, refer to the Measurement Studio  
Support for Visual Studio 6.0 Readme located on the Measurement Studio  
for Visual Studio 6.0 CD.  
If you install Measurement Studio 7.1 on a machine that has Measurement  
Studio 7.0 installed, the installer will replace Measurement Studio 7.0  
functionality, including class libraries. The Measurement Studio 7.0  
assemblies will remain in the global assembly cache (GAC); therefore,  
applications that reference the Measurement Studio 7.0 version will  
continue to use Measurement Studio 7.0 .NET assemblies.  
If Measurement Studio 7.0 is on your machine, Measurement Studio 7.1  
will install to the Measurement Studio 7.0 directory. To install  
Measurement Studio 7.1 to the default directory (Program Files\  
NationalInstruments\MeasurementStudioVS2003), you must first  
uninstall all Measurement Studio class libraries, including class libraries  
installed with National Instruments driver software, such as NI-VISA,  
NI-488.2, and NI-DAQmx.  
Measurement Studio supports side-by-side installation of version 6.0 and  
7.1. You must install Measurement Studio 6.0 and 7.1 to different  
directories.  
1. Insert the Measurement Studio CD into the CD-ROM. autorun.exe  
automatically starts. If it does not automatically start, double-click the  
autorun.exeicon.  
2. Click Install NI Measurement Studio.  
Measurement Studio User Manual  
1-2  
ni.com  
Download from Www.Somanuals.com. All Manuals Search And Download.  
           
Chapter 1  
Introduction to Measurement Studio  
3. Enter the serial number. You can find your serial number on the  
Certificate of Ownership card that you received with Measurement  
Studio. Click Next.  
4. Click Next to install all NI software to the default installation  
directory, or click Browse to select a different installation directory.  
You must install Measurement Studio to a local drive. Click Next.  
Note The option to browse for an installation location is valid only if you have not already  
installed any Measurement Studio features of the same version you are installing. If you  
have any Measurement Studio features of the same version installed, the Measurement  
Studio installer installs to the same root directory to which you installed other  
Measurement Studio features.  
5. From the feature tree, select the features you want to install. To change  
the Measurement Studio installation directory, select the first feature in  
the list and click Browse. Click Next.  
6. In the Product Information dialog box, carefully review important  
information about the features you are installing. Click Next.  
7. Review the license agreement and select I accept the License  
Agreement(s). Click Next.  
8. In the Installation Summary dialog box, review the features you  
selected. Click Next.  
Note Step 8 starts the installation of Measurement Studio. Be aware that when the installer  
indicates that it is removing backup files, this is a normal operation. The installer might  
take several minutes to complete this step.  
9. If prompted, insert the Device Drivers CD and select Rescan Drive.  
If not prompted, go to step 14 on this list.  
10. From the feature tree, select the Device Drivers components you want  
to install. To change a driver installation directory, select the driver and  
click Browse. Click Next.  
11. In the Product Information dialog box, carefully review important  
information about the features you are installing. Click Next.  
12. Review the license agreement and select I accept the License  
Agreement(s). Click Next.  
13. In the Installation Summary dialog box, review the features you  
selected. Click Next.  
14. When prompted, click the appropriate registration options.  
15. Click Finish to complete the installation.  
16. Click the appropriate restart option.  
© National Instruments Corporation  
1-3  
Measurement Studio User Manual  
Download from Www.Somanuals.com. All Manuals Search And Download.  
Chapter 1  
Introduction to Measurement Studio  
Measurement Studio Package Comparison Chart  
Table 1-1 lists the features included in the Standard, Professional, and  
Enterprise Editions of Measurement Studio.  
Table 1-1. Measurement Studio Package Comparison Chart  
Standard Professional Enterprise  
Feature  
Edition  
Edition  
Edition  
Project Templates  
User Interface Controls  
GPIB Interfaces1  
VISA Interfaces1  
NI-DAQmx Interfaces1  
C++ LabVIEW Real-Time Connectivity  
Standard Analysis2  
UI DataSocket Binding  
DataSocket Server  
Parameter Assistant  
Instrument I/O Assistant Integration1  
Instrument I/O Assistant Code Generation1  
Data Acquisition Assistant Integration1  
Data Acquisition Assistant Code Generation1  
ActiveX Controls for Visual Basic 6.0  
Visual C++ 6.0 Classes  
Professional Analysis3  
NI-Reports  
C++ Microsoft Office Interface (Word and Excel)  
3D Graph for Visual C++  
NI TestStand Integration  
LabWindows/CVIFull Development System (FDS)  
Enterprise Analysis4  
1 Included with the Driver CD.  
2 Refer to the Standard Analysis section of Chapter 2, Measurement Studio .NET Class Libraries, for a list of the  
functionality included in the Standard Analysis class library.  
3 Refer to the Professional Analysis section of Chapter 2, Measurement Studio .NET Class Libraries, for a list of the  
functionality included in the Professional Analysis class library.  
4 Refer to the Enterprise Analysis section of Chapter 2, Measurement Studio .NET Class Libraries, for a list of the  
functionality included in the Enterprise Analysis class library.  
Measurement Studio User Manual  
1-4  
ni.com  
Download from Www.Somanuals.com. All Manuals Search And Download.  
     
Chapter 1  
Introduction to Measurement Studio  
Measurement Studio Resources  
As you work with Measurement Studio, you might need to consult other  
resources. For detailed Measurement Studio help, including function  
reference and in-depth documentation on developing with Measurement  
Studio, refer to the NI Measurement Studio Help within the Visual  
Studio .NET environment. The NI Measurement Studio Help is fully  
integrated with the Visual Studio .NET help. You must have Visual  
Studio .NET installed to view the online help, and you must have the  
Microsoft .NET Framework SDK 1.1 installed in order for links from  
Measurement Studio help topics to .NET Framework help topics to work.  
You can launch the NI Measurement Studio Help in the following ways:  
From the Windows Start menu, select Start»All Programs»National  
Instruments»Measurement Studio 7.1 for VS .NET 2003»  
Measurement Studio Documentation. The help launches in a  
stand-alone help viewer.  
From Visual Studio .NET, select Help»Contents to view the Visual  
Studio .NET table of contents. The NI Measurement Studio Help is  
listed in the table of contents.  
From Visual Studio .NET, select Measurement Studio»  
NI Measurement Studio Help. The help launches within the  
application.  
Tip As you work through this manual, you will see italicized references to relevant help  
topics. You can find these topics by using the table of contents in the NI Measurement  
Studio Help.  
The following resources also are available to provide you with information  
about Measurement Studio.  
Examples—Measurement Studio installs examples to the following  
paths, depending on whether you have previously installed  
Measurement Studio on your machine.  
If you have previously installed Measurement Studio for  
Windows 2000/XP, Version 7.0, the example programs are installed to  
the following directories:  
Visual Basic .NET or Visual C#—Program Files\National  
Instruments\MeasurementStudio70\DotNET\Examples  
Visual C++ .NET—Program Files\National  
Instruments\MeasurementStudio70\VCNET\Examples  
© National Instruments Corporation  
1-5  
Measurement Studio User Manual  
Download from Www.Somanuals.com. All Manuals Search And Download.  
     
Chapter 1  
Introduction to Measurement Studio  
If you have not previously installed Measurement Studio for  
Windows 2000/XP, Version 7.0, the example programs are installed  
to the following directory:  
Visual Basic .NET or Visual C#—Program Files\National  
Instruments\MeasurementStudioVS2003\DotNET\  
Examples  
Visual C++ .NET—Program Files\National  
Instruments\MeasurementStudioVS2003\VCNET\  
Examples  
NI Technical Support—Refer to Appendix A, Technical Support and  
Professional Services, for more information.  
Measurement Studio Web site, ni.com/mstudio—Contains  
Measurement Studio news, support, downloads, and evaluation  
software.  
NI Developer Zone, ni.com/devzone—Provides access to online  
example programs, tutorials, technical news, and a Developer  
Exchange where you can participate in discussion forums for Visual  
Basic, Visual C++, and Visual Studio .NET.  
Measurement Studio .NET Class Hierarchy Chart and Measurement  
Studio Visual C++ Class Hierarchy Chart—Provide overviews of  
class relationships within class libraries. Charts are included with all  
Measurement Studio packages and are posted online under the Product  
Manuals section of ni.com/mstudio.  
Measurement Studio User Manual  
1-6  
ni.com  
Download from Www.Somanuals.com. All Manuals Search And Download.  
2
Measurement Studio .NET Class  
Libraries  
This chapter provides overview information about the .NET class libraries  
included with Measurement Studio. Refer to the Using the Measurement  
Studio .NET Class Libraries section of the NI Measurement Studio Help for  
detailed information about these libraries.  
Measurement Studio .NET Class Libraries Overview  
Measurement Studio provides .NET class libraries that you can use to  
develop complete measurement and automation applications in Visual  
Basic .NET and Visual C#.  
Measurement Studio includes the following .NET class libraries:  
Analysis  
Common  
NI-488.2  
NI-DAQmx  
NI-VISA  
User Interface  
Refer to the following sections for information about each Measurement  
Studio .NET class library.  
© National Instruments Corporation  
2-1  
Measurement Studio User Manual  
Download from Www.Somanuals.com. All Manuals Search And Download.  
         
Chapter 2  
Measurement Studio .NET Class Libraries  
Analysis  
The Measurement Studio Analysis .NET class library is in the  
NationalInstruments.Analysisnamespace. The Analysis class  
library includes a set of classes that provides various digital signal  
processing, signal filtering, signal generation, peak detection, and other  
general mathematical functionality. Use this library to analyze acquired  
data or to generate data.  
The functionality included in the Analysis library varies based on the  
Measurement Studio package you purchased. Refer to the following  
sections for information about the Standard, Professional, and Enterprise  
Analysis class libraries.  
Standard Analysis  
The Standard Analysis class library, which ships with Measurement Studio  
Standard Edition, includes the sawtooth, sine, square, triangle, and basic  
function wave generators.  
Professional Analysis  
The Professional Analysis class library, which ships with Measurement  
Studio Professional Edition, includes the Standard Analysis functionality  
as well as the following functionality:  
Bessel, Chebyshev, Inverse Chebyshev, Windowed, Kaiser, and  
Elliptic Low, High, Bandpass, and Bandstop filters  
Signal processing functions such as convolution, deconvolution,  
correlation, decimation, integration, and differentiation  
FFT, Inverse FFT, Fast Hartley, Inverse Fast Hartley, Fast Hilbert,  
Inverse Fast Hilbert, and Real FFT transformations  
Linear algebra functions such as determinant, check positive  
definiteness, calculate dot product, and other various matrix methods  
Scaled and unscaled windowing classes  
Common statistical functions such as mean, median, mode,  
and variance  
Exponential, linear, and polynomial curve fitting functions  
Signal generation functions  
Measurement Studio User Manual  
2-2  
ni.com  
Download from Www.Somanuals.com. All Manuals Search And Download.  
               
Chapter 2  
Measurement Studio .NET Class Libraries  
Enterprise Analysis  
The Enterprise Analysis class library, which ships with Measurement  
Studio Enterprise Edition, includes the Standard and Professional Analysis  
functionality as well as the following advanced functionality:  
EquiRipple filters  
Linear algebra functions such as forward and back substitution,  
LU factorization, and Cholesky factorization  
Probability and analysis of variance  
Sinc, impulse, pulse, ramp, and chirp patterns  
General least square curve fit and interpolation functions  
Tip For more information about analyzing or generating data with the Analysis class  
library, refer to the Using the Measurement Studio Analysis .NET Library topic in the  
NI Measurement Studio Help.  
Common  
The Measurement Studio Common .NET class library is in the  
NationalInstrumentsnamespace. The Common class library provides  
a set of classes that facilitates the exchange of data between the acquisition,  
analysis, and user interface portions of your application. The Common  
class library includes the following features:  
A ComplexDoubledata type. This data type represents a complex  
number of type Double that is composed of a real part and an  
imaginary part.  
A DataConverterclass that converts data from one data type to  
another data type.  
An EngineeringFormatInfoclass that defines a custom formatter  
to format numeric values with engineering notation and International  
System of Units (SI) prefixes and symbols.  
Tip For more detailed information about the Common class library, refer to the  
NationalInstruments section in the NI Measurement Studio Help.  
© National Instruments Corporation  
2-3  
Measurement Studio User Manual  
Download from Www.Somanuals.com. All Manuals Search And Download.  
         
Chapter 2  
Measurement Studio .NET Class Libraries  
NI-488.2  
The Measurement Studio NI-488.2 .NET class library is in the  
NationalInstruments.NI4882namespace. This class library is included  
on the Device Drivers CD. The NI-488.2 class library includes a set of  
classes that communicates with GPIB instruments, controls GPIB boards,  
and acquires GPIB status information. Use this library to design code that  
communicates with and controls instruments on a GPIB interface. Use the  
classes in the NI-488.2 class library to perform the following operations:  
Configure and communicate with GPIB instruments and boards.  
Perform I/O operations using the Deviceand Boardclasses.  
Tip For information about easily creating a Measurement Studio NI-488.2 application  
using the Instrument I/O Assistant, refer to the Creating a Measurement Studio NI-488.2  
or NI-VISA Application section of Chapter 4, Developing with Measurement Studio. For  
more information about GPIB, visit ni.com/gpib.  
NI-DAQmx  
The Measurement Studio NI-DAQmx .NET class library is in the  
NationalInstruments.DAQmxnamespace. This class library is  
included on the Device Drivers CD. Use the NI-DAQmx class library to  
communicate with and control NI data acquisition (DAQ) devices.  
Note Some DAQ devices are not currently supported by the NI-DAQmx driver. Refer  
to the NI-DAQ Readme for a complete listing of supported hardware.  
Use the NI-DAQmx class library to perform the following types of tasks:  
Analog signal measurement  
Analog signal generation  
Digital I/O  
Pulse generation  
Signal switching  
Tip For information about easily creating a DAQ application using the NI DAQ Assistant,  
refer to the Creating a Measurement Studio DAQ Application section of Chapter 4,  
Developing with Measurement Studio. For more information about DAQ, visit  
ni.com/daq.  
Measurement Studio User Manual  
2-4  
ni.com  
Download from Www.Somanuals.com. All Manuals Search And Download.  
         
Chapter 2  
Measurement Studio .NET Class Libraries  
NI-VISA  
The Measurement Studio NI-VISA .NET class library is in the  
NationalInstruments.VisaNSnamespace. The NI-VISA class library  
includes a set of classes that provides a rich, object-oriented interface to the  
NI-VISA driver. Use this library to quickly create bus-independent and/or  
bus-specific instrument control applications.  
The NI-VISA class library supports I/O operations, locking, event  
handling, and interface-specific extensions. With this class library you can  
access the functionality available in NI-VISA for communicating with  
message-based and register-based instruments using the following  
interfaces:  
GPIB  
PXI  
Serial (RS-232 and RS-485)  
TCP/IP  
USB  
VXI  
Tip For information about easily creating a Measurement Studio NI-VISA application  
using the Instrument I/O Assistant, refer to the Creating a Measurement Studio NI-488.2  
or NI-VISA Application section of Chapter 4, Developing with Measurement Studio. For  
more information about NI-VISA, visit ni.com/visa.  
User Interface  
The Measurement Studio User Interface .NET class library is in the  
NationalInstruments.UI.WindowsFormsnamespace. The User  
Interface class library encapsulates the following Measurement Studio user  
interface controls:  
Waveform graph  
Scatter graph  
Legend  
Knob  
Gauge  
Meter  
Slide  
© National Instruments Corporation  
2-5  
Measurement Studio User Manual  
Download from Www.Somanuals.com. All Manuals Search And Download.  
         
Chapter 2  
Measurement Studio .NET Class Libraries  
Thermometer  
Tank  
Numeric edit  
Switch  
LED  
Use this class library to add measurement-specific user interface controls  
to your application. Configure the controls programmatically or through  
the Properties window in the Windows Forms Designer. The following  
sections describe each of the Measurement Studio user interface controls.  
Tip For more information about easily using the .NET interface controls, refer to  
the Using the Measurement Studio Windows Forms .NET Controls section in the  
NI Measurement Studio Help.  
Waveform Graph and Scatter Graph Controls  
Use the Measurement Studio waveform graph and scatter graph controls,  
as shown in Figure 2-1, to display two-dimensional data on a Windows  
Forms user interface. Use the waveform graph to display data that is  
uniformly spaced in one dimension. Use the scatter graph to display data  
that is arbitrarily spaced in two dimensions.  
Measurement Studio User Manual  
2-6  
ni.com  
Download from Www.Somanuals.com. All Manuals Search And Download.  
   
Chapter 2  
Measurement Studio .NET Class Libraries  
Figure 2-1. Waveform Graph with Cursors and Scatter Graph with XY Point  
Annotation; Both Graphs Have Corresponding Legends  
With the waveform graph and scatter graph controls and the classes that  
interface with the controls, you can perform the following operations:  
Plot and chart data.  
Configure a graph to contain multiple plots to show separate but  
related data on the same graph.  
Configure a graph to include multiple axes or independent ranges so  
that plot data fits the graph plot area.  
Draw lines or fills from a plot to an X value, Y value, or plot.  
Specify plots in the scatter graph control as X and Y data. Specify plots  
in the waveform graph control as X or Y data and optionally with date  
and time scaling.  
Specify anti-aliased plots for plot lines.  
Use plot data tooltips to display X and Y coordinates when a user  
hovers the mouse over a data point.  
Use cursors to identify key points in plots and the plot area.  
Configure cursor snap modes to be fixed, floating, nearest point,  
and to plot.  
© National Instruments Corporation  
2-7  
Measurement Studio User Manual  
Download from Www.Somanuals.com. All Manuals Search And Download.  
 
Chapter 2  
Measurement Studio .NET Class Libraries  
Use cursor labels to display X and Y data coordinates that the cursor  
crosshair points to, and customize the text font and colors of the label.  
Use the extensible plot and plot area drawing capabilities and events to  
customize the graph appearance.  
Create custom point and line styles for plots and cursors.  
Pan and zoom interactively.  
Configure the axis modes to exact or loose autoscaling, fixed, strip  
chart, or scope chart.  
Configure major, minor, and custom divisions.  
Use logarithmic axes with configurable bases.  
Configure text labels, arrows, and drawing shapes to annotate a point  
anywhere in the plot area of the graph.  
Configure range area, text labels, and arrows to annotate a range in the  
plot area of the graph.  
Copy the graph as a BMP, GIF, JPEG, or PNG image, and paste it to  
the clipboard or a file.  
Tip For more information about using the waveform and scatter graph controls, refer to  
the Using the Measurement Studio Graph .NET Controls section in the NI Measurement  
Studio Help.  
Legend Control  
Use the Measurement Studio legend control, as shown in Figure 2-1, to  
display symbols and descriptions for a specific set of elements of another  
object, such as the plots or cursors of a graph. When you associate the  
legend control with another object, any changes you make to that object are  
automatically reflected in the legend. For example, if you associate the  
legend control with the plots of a graph, any changes you make in the plots  
collection editor are automatically reflected in the legend.  
Tip For more information about using the legend control, refer to the Using the  
Measurement Studio Legend .NET Control section in the NI Measurement Studio Help.  
Measurement Studio User Manual  
2-8  
ni.com  
Download from Www.Somanuals.com. All Manuals Search And Download.  
   
Chapter 2  
Measurement Studio .NET Class Libraries  
Numeric Controls  
Use the Measurement Studio numeric controls to display numerical  
information on a Windows Forms user interface with the look of scientific  
instruments. The numeric controls include a knob, gauge, meter, slide,  
thermometer, and tank. The following sections describe operations  
available with the controls and the classes that interface with them.  
Use the Measurement Studio knob, gauge, and meter controls, as shown in  
Figure 2-2, to represent a knob, gauge, and meter on your user interface.  
Figure 2-2. Knob, Gauge, and Meter Controls  
With the knob, gauge, and meter controls and the classes that interface with  
the controls, you can perform the following operations:  
Specify the start and sweep angle of the arc programmatically or from  
the Properties Window.  
Use automatic division spacing and custom divisions, and invert the  
scale to counter-clockwise.  
Use the Measurement Studio slide, tank, and thermometer controls, as  
shown in Figure 2-3, to represent a slide, tank, and thermometer on your  
interface.  
© National Instruments Corporation  
2-9  
Measurement Studio User Manual  
Download from Www.Somanuals.com. All Manuals Search And Download.  
               
Chapter 2  
Measurement Studio .NET Class Libraries  
Figure 2-3. Slide, Tank, and Thermometer Controls  
With the slide, tank, and thermometer controls and the classes that interface  
with them, you can perform the following operations:  
Fill the minimum or maximum value of the scale.  
Position the scale horizontally with left, right, or both and position the  
scale vertically with top, bottom, or both.  
With all of the numeric controls and the classes that interface with them,  
you can perform the following operations:  
Configure the scale to be linear or logarithmic and toggle the visibility  
of the scale.  
Bind the value to a .NET data source using .NET data binding.  
Connect to the Measurement Studio .NET numeric edit control so that  
if you change the value of one control, it changes the value of the other  
control.  
Customize the appearance of the control using 3D lab styles or classic  
2D styles and change the color and length of ticks and labels.  
Configure the format of value labels to engineering or date/time.  
Tip For more information about using the knob, gauge, meter, slide, tank, or thermometer  
controls, refer to the Knob, Gauge, Meter, Slide, Tank, or Thermometer Class sections in  
the NI Measurement Studio Help.  
Measurement Studio User Manual  
2-10  
ni.com  
Download from Www.Somanuals.com. All Manuals Search And Download.  
   
Chapter 2  
Measurement Studio .NET Class Libraries  
Numeric Edit Control  
Use the Measurement Studio numeric edit control, as shown in Figure 2-4,  
to display numeric values and to provide a way by which end users can edit  
numeric values. Typically, you use a numeric edit control to input or  
display doublenumerical data instead of using a Windows Forms  
TextBox or NumericUpDown control.  
Figure 2-4. Numeric Edit Control in Engineering Format Mode  
With the numeric edit control and the classes that interface with the control  
you can perform the following operations:  
Use up/down buttons for easy incrementing and decrementing.  
Perform range checking.  
Set the range to infinite maximums and minimums.  
Create custom formats or use built-in numeric formats including  
generic, engineering, and simple double.  
Connect to a numeric control so that if you change the value of  
one control, it changes the value of the other control.  
Set the coercion mode property to discrete or continuous values. This  
configures the control to allow entry or display of either a discrete set  
of values or any value.  
Set the interaction mode to keyboard and mouse, keyboard only,  
mouse only, or none.  
Use the edit box to select text programmatically and to validate text  
values.  
Tip For more information about using the numeric edit control, refer to the NumericEdit  
Class section in the NI Measurement Studio Help.  
© National Instruments Corporation  
2-11  
Measurement Studio User Manual  
Download from Www.Somanuals.com. All Manuals Search And Download.  
     
Chapter 2  
Measurement Studio .NET Class Libraries  
Switch and LED Controls  
Use the Measurement Studio switch and LED controls as Boolean controls  
on a Windows Forms user interface. You typically use a switch control,  
as shown in Figure 2-5, to receive and control Boolean input on an  
application user interface.  
Figure 2-5. Switch Control in Vertical Toggle 3D Style  
You typically use an LED control, as shown in Figure 2-6, to indicate a  
Boolean value on an application user interface.  
Figure 2-6. LED Control in Square 3D Style  
With the switch and LED controls and the classes that interface with the  
controls, you can perform the following operations:  
Receive notification before or after the state of the control changes.  
Configure how the control behaves when you click it with the mouse  
or press the spacebar when the control has focus.  
Configure the appearance of the control.  
Make the control background transparent.  
Configure the LED control to blink while it is on or off and configure  
the rate at which the LED control blinks.  
Tip For more information about using the switch and LED controls, refer to the Using  
the Measurement Studio Switch and LED .NET Controls section in the NI Measurement  
Studio Help.  
Measurement Studio User Manual  
2-12  
ni.com  
Download from Www.Somanuals.com. All Manuals Search And Download.  
       
3
Measurement Studio Visual C++  
Class Libraries  
This chapter provides overview information about the Visual C++ class  
libraries that are available with Measurement Studio. Refer to the Using  
the Measurement Studio Visual C++ Class Libraries section of the  
NI Measurement Studio Help for detailed information about these libraries.  
Measurement Studio Visual C++ Class Libraries  
Overview  
Measurement Studio provides libraries of MFC-based classes that you can  
use to develop complete measurement and automation applications in  
Visual C++.  
Measurement Studio includes the following Visual C++ class libraries:  
3D Graph  
Analysis  
Common  
Instrument Drivers  
LabVIEW Real-Time Interface  
Microsoft Excel Interface  
Microsoft Word Interface  
NI-488.2  
NI-DAQmx  
NI-Reports  
NI-VISA  
User Interface  
Utility  
© National Instruments Corporation  
3-1  
Measurement Studio User Manual  
Download from Www.Somanuals.com. All Manuals Search And Download.  
         
Chapter 3  
Measurement Studio Visual C++ Class Libraries  
ActiveX Controls in Visual C++  
ActiveX controls are specialized COM servers that implement a specific set  
of interfaces. The Measurement Studio Visual C++ button, graph, knob,  
numeric edit, slide, and 3D Graph are ActiveX controls. Measurement  
Studio includes classes that provide native C++ interfaces to the ActiveX  
controls. For example, the CNiGraphclass provides an interface to the  
CWGraph ActiveX graph control.  
The Measurement Studio classes that provide interfaces to the  
Measurement Studio ActiveX controls simplify using ActiveX controls in  
Visual C++ interfaces and programs. The features that simplify this process  
include overloaded functions, the ability to call the control from any thread,  
and automatic data type translations.  
3D Graph Control  
Use the Measurement Studio ActiveX 3D graph control, as shown in  
Figure 3-1, to plot three-dimensional data. The 3D graph is included only  
in the Measurement Studio Enterprise package.  
Figure 3-1. ActiveX 3D Graph Control  
With the Measurement Studio ActiveX 3D graph control and the classes  
that interface with the control, you can perform the following operations:  
Plot three-dimensional data, including curves and surfaces.  
Configure the control to render directly to OpenGL-enabled hardware  
accelerator cards.  
Measurement Studio User Manual  
3-2  
ni.com  
Download from Www.Somanuals.com. All Manuals Search And Download.  
         
Chapter 3  
Measurement Studio Visual C++ Class Libraries  
Bind the control to a DataSocket Server to enable automatic read and  
write functionality.  
Use multiple plot styles—point-line, line-point, hidden-line, contour,  
surface, surface-line, surface-contour, and surface-normal.  
Create multiple plots with individual properties, such as name, line and  
point style, width, and base value.  
Configure the axes using customizable ticks, labels, value pairs,  
and captions.  
Use legends and plane projections.  
Use cartesian, cylindrical, and spherical coordinate systems.  
Customize the control using color maps, transparency, and lighting.  
Display in orthographic and perspective views.  
Use built-in format styles for labels including scientific, symbolic  
engineering, scaling, time, and date.  
Rotate, pan, and zoom interactively.  
Tip For information about easily creating graphs with the 3D graph control library,  
refer to the 3D Graph Visual C++ Class Library Overview topic in the NI Measurement  
Studio Help.  
Analysis  
The Measurement Studio Analysis Visual C++ class library includes a set  
of classes that provides various digital signal processing, signal filtering,  
signal generation, peak detection, and other general mathematical  
functionality. Use the Analysis Visual C++ class library to analyze  
acquired data or to generate data.  
The functionality included in the Analysis library varies based on the  
Measurement Studio package you purchased. Refer to the following  
sections for information about the Standard, Professional, and Enterprise  
Analysis class libraries.  
Standard Analysis  
The Standard Analysis class library, which ships with Measurement Studio  
Standard Edition, includes the sawtooth, sine, square, triangle, and basic  
function wave generators.  
© National Instruments Corporation  
3-3  
Measurement Studio User Manual  
Download from Www.Somanuals.com. All Manuals Search And Download.  
       
Chapter 3  
Measurement Studio Visual C++ Class Libraries  
Professional Analysis  
The Professional Analysis class library, which ships with Measurement  
Studio Professional Edition, includes the Standard Analysis functionality  
as well as the following functionality:  
Bessel, Chebyshev, Inverse Chebyshev, Windowed Kaiser, and Elliptic  
Low, High, Bandpass, and Bandstop filters  
Signal processing functions such as convolution, deconvolution,  
correlation, decimation, integration, and differentiation  
FFT, Inverse FFT, Fast Hartley, Inverse Fast Hartley, Fast Hilbert,  
Inverse Fast Hilbert, and Real FFT transformations  
Linear algebra functions such as determinant, check positive  
definiteness, calculate dot product, and other various matrix methods  
Scaled and unscaled windowing classes  
Common statistical functions such as mean, median, mode,  
and variance  
Exponential, linear, and polynomial curve fitting functions  
Signal generation functions  
Enterprise Analysis  
The Enterprise Analysis class library, which ships with Measurement  
Studio Enterprise Edition, includes the Standard and Professional Analysis  
functionality as well as the following advanced functionality:  
EquiRipple filters  
Linear algebra functions such as forward and back substitution,  
LU factorization, and Cholesky factorization  
Probability and analysis of variance  
Sinc, impulse, pulse, ramp, and chirp patterns  
General least square curve fit and interpolation functions  
Tip For more information about analyzing or generating data with the Analysis class  
library, refer to the Analysis Visual C++ Class Library Overview topic in the  
NI Measurement Studio Help.  
Measurement Studio User Manual  
3-4  
ni.com  
Download from Www.Somanuals.com. All Manuals Search And Download.  
       
Chapter 3  
Measurement Studio Visual C++ Class Libraries  
Common  
The Measurement Studio Common Visual C++ class library provides data  
types and classes that other Measurement Studio Visual C++ class libraries  
use. The classes that are implemented natively in Visual C++ include the  
CNiVectorand CNiMatrixclasses.  
The Common class library includes the following data types:  
CNiScalarVector—Implements a vector object that contains scalar  
numbers.  
CNiScalarMatrix—Implements a matrix object that contains scalar  
numbers.  
CNiString—Extends the MFC CStringclass with streaming  
operators for a variety of data types and with various other string  
manipulation functions.  
CNiVariant—Extends the MFC COleVariantclass with additional  
constructors and assignment operators for CNiComplex-,  
CNiVector-, and CNiMatrix-derived objects and with cast operators  
to convert CNiVariantobjects to a variety of other object types.  
CNiException—Extends the MFC CExceptionclass and serves as  
the base class for many Measurement Studio exceptions.  
CNiRegKey—Encapsulates the interface to the Windows registry. Use  
this class and related classes to open and create keys, get keys, and get  
values associated with those keys.  
Tip For more detailed information about the Common class library, refer to the Common  
Visual C++ Class Library Overview topic in the NI Measurement Studio Help.  
Instrument Drivers  
Measurement Studio includes a set of class libraries that provides  
Visual C++ classes that you can use to program instruments, such as digital  
multimeters and oscilloscopes. These Visual C++ classes provide native  
C++ interfaces to ANSI C DLL-based Interchangeable Virtual Instrument  
(IVI) drivers. Each Measurement Studio instrument driver class library  
includes a set of Visual C++ classes that interfaces to a single IVI driver.  
The Measurement Studio Visual C++ classes provide enhancements to the  
ANSI C interface, such as automatic data type translation and organization  
of properties and methods into a logical hierarchy.  
© National Instruments Corporation  
3-5  
Measurement Studio User Manual  
Download from Www.Somanuals.com. All Manuals Search And Download.  
       
Chapter 3  
Measurement Studio Visual C++ Class Libraries  
IVI drivers are divided into two main categories—class drivers and specific  
drivers. Each class driver provides a consistent interface to a particular type  
of device. Measurement Studio includes the following class driver class  
libraries:  
IviDcPwr—Provides an interface to the IVI DC power supply class  
driver. CNiIviDcPwris the top-level class of this class library.  
IviDmm—Provides an interface to the IVI DMM class driver.  
CNiIviDmmis the top-level class of this class library.  
IviFgen—Provides an interface to the IVI arbitrary waveform  
generator class driver. CNiIviFgenis the top-level class of this class  
library.  
IviScope—Provides an interface to the IVI oscilloscope class driver.  
CNiIviScopeis the top-level class of this class library.  
IviSwitch—Provides an interface to the IVI switch class driver.  
CNiIviSwtchis the top-level class of this class library.  
Each specific driver provides an interface to a particular device, such  
as the NI-DMM modular instrument. National Instruments provides  
Measurement Studio Visual C++ instrument driver class libraries for  
the National Instruments PXI modular instruments and for many  
third-party vendor instruments. You can download the Measurement Studio  
Visual C++ instrument driver class libraries from ni.com/idnet.  
Tip For more information on using instrument drivers, refer to the Using Instrument  
Drivers in Measurement Studio Applications section in the NI Measurement Studio Help.  
LabVIEW Real-Time Interface  
Use the Measurement Studio LabVIEW Real-Time Interface Visual C++  
class library to read from and write to shared memory on a LabVIEW RT  
Series processor board. Use shared memory to pass data between  
LabVIEW RT VIs and your application. Use this class library both from  
an application that runs on the host machine and from a DLL that you  
download to the board.  
Note The LabVIEW RT DLLs you create with the Measurement Studio LabVIEW RT  
Interface Visual C++ class library work only with the LabVIEW Real-Time Module  
Measurement Studio User Manual  
3-6  
ni.com  
Download from Www.Somanuals.com. All Manuals Search And Download.  
             
Chapter 3  
Measurement Studio Visual C++ Class Libraries  
Tip For more information on using the LabVIEW Real-Time Module, refer to the  
LabVIEW Real-Time Interface Visual C++ Class Library Overview topic in the  
NI Measurement Studio Help. For more information about the LabVIEW Real-Time  
Module, visit ni.com/labviewrt.  
Microsoft Excel Interface  
Use the Measurement Studio Excel Visual C++ class library to  
automatically create Excel spreadsheets and charts from within  
measurement and automation applications. Use the Microsoft Excel  
Interface class library to perform offline processing of the measurement  
and automation data you acquire and analyze using other Measurement  
Studio Visual C++ classes. This class library is included only in the  
Measurement Studio Enterprise package.  
Tip For more information about using the Measurement Studio Excel Visual C++ class  
library to create applications that present data in Microsoft Excel format, refer to the  
Microsoft Excel Interface Visual C++ Class Library Overview topic in the  
NI Measurement Studio Help.  
Microsoft Word Interface  
Use the Measurement Studio Microsoft Word Interface Visual C++ class  
library to automatically create Word documents from within measurement  
and automation applications. Use the Microsoft Word Interface class  
library to perform offline processing of the measurement and automation  
data you acquire and analyze using other Measurement Studio Visual C++  
classes. This class library is included only in the Measurement Studio  
Enterprise package.  
Tip For more information about using the Measurement Studio Word Visual C++  
class library to create applications that present data in Microsoft Word, refer to the  
Microsoft Word Interface Visual C++ Class Library Overview topic in the  
NI Measurement Studio Help.  
© National Instruments Corporation  
3-7  
Measurement Studio User Manual  
Download from Www.Somanuals.com. All Manuals Search And Download.  
       
Chapter 3  
Measurement Studio Visual C++ Class Libraries  
NI-488.2  
Use the Measurement Studio NI-488.2 Visual C++ class library to  
communicate with and control instruments on a GPIB interface.  
Use the classes in this library to perform the following operations:  
Perform I/O with GPIB instruments and boards.  
Configure GPIB instruments and boards.  
Perform event handling for GPIB instruments and boards.  
with a device that is using GPIB and/or programs that interface with the  
GPIB board directly.  
Tip For information about easily creating a Measurement Studio NI-488.2 application  
using the Instrument I/O Assistant, refer to the Creating a Measurement Studio NI-488.2  
or NI-VISA Application section of Chapter 4, Developing with Measurement Studio. For  
more information about GPIB, visit ni.com/gpib.  
NI-DAQmx  
Use the Measurement Studio NI-DAQmx Visual C++ class library to  
communicate with and control an NI data acquisition (DAQ) device.  
Note Some DAQ devices are not currently supported by the NI-DAQmx driver. Refer to  
the NI-DAQ Readme for a complete listing of supported hardware.  
Use the NI-DAQmx class library to perform the following types of tasks:  
Analog signal measurement  
Analog signal generation  
Digital I/O  
Pulse generation  
Signal switching  
Tip For information about easily creating a DAQ application using the NI DAQ Assistant,  
refer to the Creating a Measurement Studio DAQ Application section of Chapter 4,  
Developing with Measurement Studio. For more information about DAQ, visit  
ni.com/daq.  
Measurement Studio User Manual  
3-8  
ni.com  
Download from Www.Somanuals.com. All Manuals Search And Download.  
         
Chapter 3  
Measurement Studio Visual C++ Class Libraries  
NI-Reports  
Use the Measurement Studio NI-Reports Visual C++ class library to  
generate printed reports from Measurement Studio Visual C++  
applications. This class library is included only in the Measurement Studio  
Enterprise package.  
Tip For more information about generating printed reports using the NI-Reports class  
library, refer to the NI-Reports Visual C++ Class Library Overview topic in the  
NI Measurement Studio Help.  
NI-VISA  
The Measurement Studio NI-VISA Visual C++ class library includes  
Visual C++ classes that provide an object-oriented interface to the  
NI-VISA driver. Use the NI-VISA class library to quickly create  
bus-independent and/or bus-specific instrument control applications.  
The NI-VISA class library supports I/O operations, locking, event  
handling, and interface-specific extensions. With this class library, you  
can access the functionality available in NI-VISA for communicating with  
message-based and register-based instruments using the following  
interfaces:  
GPIB  
PXI  
Serial (RS-232 and RS-485)  
TCP/IP  
USB  
VXI  
Tip For more information about easily creating a Measurement Studio NI-VISA  
application using the Instrument I/O Assistant, refer to the Creating a Measurement Studio  
NI-488.2 or NI-VISA Application section of Chapter 4, Developing with Measurement  
Studio. For information about NI-VISA, visit ni.com/visa.  
© National Instruments Corporation  
3-9  
Measurement Studio User Manual  
Download from Www.Somanuals.com. All Manuals Search And Download.  
       
Chapter 3  
Measurement Studio Visual C++ Class Libraries  
User Interface  
Use the Measurement Studio User Interface Visual C++ class library to add  
user interface controls to your application. You can configure the user  
interface controls programmatically or through the property pages in the  
Visual C++ resource editor. The following sections describe each of the  
Measurement Studio Visual C++ user interface controls.  
Button Control  
Use the Measurement Studio ActiveX button control, as shown in  
Figure 3-2, for different Boolean displays, such as on/off or true/false.  
Typically, you use buttons to input or display Boolean information or  
initiate an action in a program. The CNiButtonclass provides the Visual  
C++ interface to the ActiveX button control.  
Figure 3-2. ActiveX Button Control  
With the button control and the classes that interface with the control,  
you can perform the following operations:  
Configure how the control behaves when you click it with the mouse  
or press the spacebar when the control has focus.  
Configure how the button control appears using button styles. You can  
configure the button control to appear as a push button, LED,  
or switch.  
Bind properties to a DataSocket source or target. You use binding to  
read property values from a source and write property values to a  
target.  
Tip For more information about easily using the button control, refer to the Using the  
Measurement Studio Visual C++ Button Control section in the NI Measurement  
Studio Help.  
Measurement Studio User Manual  
3-10  
ni.com  
Download from Www.Somanuals.com. All Manuals Search And Download.  
         
Chapter 3  
Measurement Studio Visual C++ Class Libraries  
Graph Control  
Use the Measurement Studio ActiveX graph control, as shown in  
Figure 3-3, to plot and chart two-dimensional data. The CNiGraphclass  
provides the Visual C++ interface to the ActiveX graph control.  
Figure 3-3. ActiveX Graph Control  
With the graph control and the classes that interface with the control, you  
can perform the following operations:  
Plot and chart data.  
Configure a graph to contain multiple plots to show separate but  
related data on the same graph.  
Configure a graph to include multiple Y axes so that plot data fits the  
graph plot area.  
Use cursors and annotations to identify key points in plots and the  
plot area.  
Configure cursor snap modes to be fixed, floating, nearest point,  
and to plot.  
Pan and zoom interactively.  
Use the CNiAxisclass to interface to a single axis of a graph control.  
This feature allows you to modify the appearance and behavior of  
the axis.  
Automatically label axes with log or inverted numeric scales.  
Configure the axis modes for manual scaling or autoscaling.  
Configure the graph for fixed, strip, or scope charting.  
Customize the graph by using ticks, labels, and value pairs.  
© National Instruments Corporation  
3-11  
Measurement Studio User Manual  
Download from Www.Somanuals.com. All Manuals Search And Download.  
     
Chapter 3  
Measurement Studio Visual C++ Class Libraries  
Bind properties to a DataSocket source or target. You use binding to  
read property values from a source and write property values to a  
target.  
Tip For more information about easily using the graph control, refer to the Using the  
Measurement Studio Visual C++ Graph Control section in the NI Measurement  
Studio Help.  
Knob Control  
Use the Measurement Studio ActiveX knob control, as shown in  
Figure 3-4, to display numerical information. The CNiKnobclass provides  
the Visual C++ interface to the ActiveX knob control.  
Figure 3-4. ActiveX Knob Control  
With the knob control and the classes that interface with the control, you  
can perform the following operations:  
Use different display styles—dials, gauges, and meters.  
Use multiple control pointers, each representing one scalar value.  
A control pointer indicates the current value of the knob.  
Use the CNiAxisclass to interface to a single axis of a knob control.  
This feature allows you to modify the appearance and behavior of  
the axis.  
Automatically label axes with log or inverted numeric scales and  
continuous or discrete values.  
Customize the knob by using ticks, labels, and value pairs.  
Bind properties to a DataSocket source or target. You use binding to  
read property values from a source and write property values to a  
target.  
Tip For more information about easily using the knob control, refer to the Using the  
Measurement Studio Visual C++ Knob Control section in the NI Measurement  
Studio Help.  
Measurement Studio User Manual  
3-12  
ni.com  
Download from Www.Somanuals.com. All Manuals Search And Download.  
     
Chapter 3  
Measurement Studio Visual C++ Class Libraries  
Numeric Edit Control  
Use the Measurement Studio ActiveX numeric edit control, as shown in  
Figure 3-5, to display numeric values and provide a way by which end  
users can edit numeric values. Typically, you use a numeric edit control to  
input or display numerical data instead of using a text box. The  
CNiNumEditclass provides the Visual C++ interface to the ActiveX  
numeric edit control.  
Figure 3-5. ActiveX Numeric Edit Control with Scientific Formatting  
With the numeric edit control and the classes that interface with the control,  
you can perform the following operations:  
Use built-in numeric format styles, including scientific, symbolic  
engineering, scaling, time, and date.  
Perform range checking.  
Bind properties to a DataSocket source or target. You use binding to  
read property values from a source and write property values to a  
target.  
Tip For more information about easily using the numeric edit control, refer to the Using  
the Measurement Studio Visual C++ Numeric Edit Control section in the NI Measurement  
Studio Help.  
© National Instruments Corporation  
3-13  
Measurement Studio User Manual  
Download from Www.Somanuals.com. All Manuals Search And Download.  
     
Chapter 3  
Measurement Studio Visual C++ Class Libraries  
Slide Control  
Use the Measurement Studio ActiveX slide control, as shown in  
Figure 3-6, to display numerical data. CNiSlideis the class that provides  
the Visual C++ interface to the ActiveX slide control.  
Figure 3-6. ActiveX Slide Control  
With the slide control and the classes that interface with the control,  
you can perform the following operations:  
Use different display styles—vertical, horizontal, tank, and  
thermometer.  
Use the CNiAxisclass to interface to a single axis of a slide control.  
This ability allows you to modify the appearance and behavior of  
the axis.  
Use multiple control pointers, each one representing one scalar value.  
Automatically label axes with log or inverted numeric scales and  
continuous or discrete values.  
Customize the slide by using ticks, labels, and value pairs.  
Bind properties to a DataSocket source or target. You use binding to  
read property values from a source and write property values to a  
target.  
Tip For more information about easily using the slide control, refer to the Using the  
Measurement Studio Visual C++ Slide Control section in the NI Measurement Studio Help.  
Measurement Studio User Manual  
3-14  
ni.com  
Download from Www.Somanuals.com. All Manuals Search And Download.  
     
Chapter 3  
Utility  
Use the Measurement Studio Utility Visual C++ class library to easily  
access Windows operating system functionality. Table 3-1 lists classes in  
the Utility class library and their functionality.  
Table 3-1. Utility Class Names and Functionalities  
Utility Class  
Functionality  
CNiFile  
CNiFileextends the MFC CStdioFileclass by adding streaming  
operators for standard Visual C++ data types. In addition, a variety  
of class static functions add the ability to manipulate file, path,  
directory, and drive attributes.  
CNiSound  
CNiSoundencapsulates an interface for generating synchronous and  
asynchronous tones at specific frequencies.  
CNiSystem  
CNiSystemprovides the following functionality:  
Getting and setting system preferences  
Displaying help files  
Getting input for the keyboard  
CNiSystemTrayIcon  
CNiSystemTrayIconencapsulates the interface to the system tray  
area that displays changes in the status of an application. The  
CNiSystemTrayIconclass includes the following features:  
Icons—You can place an icon in the system tray to notify the user  
of changes in an application status.  
String tooltips—You can associate a string tooltip with an icon  
and display the tooltip when the user hovers over the icon.  
Shortcut menus—You can associate a shortcut menu with an icon  
and display the shortcut menu when the user right-clicks the icon.  
Overridable event handling.  
© National Instruments Corporation  
3-15  
Measurement Studio User Manual  
Download from Www.Somanuals.com. All Manuals Search And Download.  
             
Chapter 3  
Measurement Studio Visual C++ Class Libraries  
Table 3-1. Utility Class Names and Functionalities (Continued)  
Utility Class  
Functionality  
CNiTempFile  
CNiTempFileextends the functionality of CNiFileto add  
temporary file creation and manipulation.  
CNiTimer  
CNiTimerobjects use the Windows multimedia timer to generate  
high-resolution, asynchronous tick events. Respond to tick events  
when you want to perform an action at a discrete interval.  
Additionally, you can count the tick events to calculate elapsed time.  
The CNiTimerclass also contains static functions you can use to  
delay for a period of time or to determine elapsed time between  
two points in your program.  
Tip For more information about using the Utility class library, refer to the Utility Visual  
C++ Class Library Overview topic in the NI Measurement Studio Help.  
Measurement Studio User Manual  
3-16  
ni.com  
Download from Www.Somanuals.com. All Manuals Search And Download.  
4
Developing with Measurement  
Studio  
When you use Measurement Studio in the Visual Studio .NET  
environment, you have access to measurement and automation tools and  
integrated tools and features are designed to help you quickly and easily  
build measurement and automation applications.  
applications with Measurement Studio:  
Measurement Studio Menu  
Creating a New Measurement Studio Project  
Creating a Measurement Studio DAQ Application  
Creating a Measurement Studio NI-488.2 or NI-VISA Application  
Adding or Removing Measurement Studio Class Libraries  
Selecting a Measurement Studio Parameter Value  
Calling Instrument Drivers from .NET Languages  
These sections include overview information on developing applications  
with Measurement Studio tools and features. Refer to the Developing with  
Measurement Studio section of the NI Measurement Studio Help for more  
information about the functionality of these tools and features.  
Measurement Studio Menu  
The Measurement Studio Menu provides an easy way to access the  
following National Instruments resources and tools:  
Parameter Assistant—Use the Measurement Studio Parameter  
Assistant to discover and insert valid parameter values for various  
Measurement Studio class libraries, such as NI-DAQ, NI-488.2,  
and NI-VISA methods.  
© National Instruments Corporation  
4-1  
Measurement Studio User Manual  
Download from Www.Somanuals.com. All Manuals Search And Download.  
           
Chapter 4  
Developing with Measurement Studio  
Add/Remove Class Libraries Wizard—Use the Measurement  
Studio Add/Remove Class Libraries wizard to add or remove  
Measurement Studio class libraries or assemblies in existing Visual  
Basic .NET, Visual C#, or Visual C++ .NET projects.  
Project Conversion Wizard—Use the Project Conversion wizard to  
convert Measurement Studio 1.0 and 6.0 Visual C++ projects to  
the current version installed on your machine. Conversion from  
7.0 projects to 7.1 projects is not necessary.  
National Instruments Tools»Measurement & Automation  
Explorer (MAX)—Use MAX to configure NI hardware; add new  
channels, interfaces, and virtual channels; execute system diagnostics;  
and view devices and instruments connected to the system.  
National Instruments Tools»NI Spy—Use NI Spy to monitor,  
record, and display National Instruments API calls made by instrument  
connectivity applications. Use NI Spy to quickly locate and analyze  
any erroneous National Instruments API calls that an application  
makes and verify that the communication with an instrument is correct.  
Developer Exchange—Use NI Developer Exchange at  
ni.com/devzoneto participate in discussion forums and exchange  
code with measurement and automation developers around the world.  
Instrument Driver Network—Use the NI Instrument Driver  
Network at ni.com/idnetas a central resource for downloading,  
developing, and submitting instrument drivers.  
Search Technical Support—Use NI Technical Support at  
ni.com/supportto find support resources available for most  
products, including software drivers and updates, a KnowledgeBase,  
product manuals, step-by-step troubleshooting wizards, conformity  
documentation, example code, tutorials and application notes,  
instrument drivers, discussion forums, and a measurement glossary.  
NI Measurement Studio Help—Use the NI Measurement Studio  
Help to access detailed Measurement Studio help, including function  
reference and in-depth documentation on developing with  
Measurement Studio.  
Additional Online Resources»Measurement Studio Home  
Page—Use the Measurement Studio Web site at ni.com/mstudioto  
find Measurement Studio news, support, downloads, and evaluation  
software.  
Additional Online Resources»Measurement Encyclopedia—Use  
the online NI Measurement Encyclopedia to find information on  
measurement principles, standards organizations, and a wide range of  
technology and measurement terms.  
Measurement Studio User Manual  
4-2  
ni.com  
Download from Www.Somanuals.com. All Manuals Search And Download.  
             
Chapter 4  
Developing with Measurement Studio  
Preferences—Use the Measurement Studio Preferences dialog box to  
configure Measurement Studio settings, such as conversion options  
and add-in preferences.  
Patents—Use the Patents dialog box to view information about  
NI patents.  
About NI Measurement Studio—Use the NI Measurement Studio  
About box to view version information.  
Tip For more information about the resources included in the Measurement Studio Menu,  
refer to the Measurement Studio Menu topic in the NI Measurement Studio Help.  
Measurement Studio includes class library and application templates that  
you can use to quickly create measurement applications with Visual Basic  
.NET, Visual C#, and Visual C++ .NET. Use the Visual Studio .NET New  
Project dialog box, as shown in Figure 4-1, to access these templates and  
create the following types of projects:  
Measurement Studio Visual Basic .NET project  
Measurement Studio Visual C# project  
Measurement Studio Visual C++ .NET project  
Measurement Studio Visual C++ project with  
NI LabWindows/CVI libraries  
© National Instruments Corporation  
4-3  
Measurement Studio User Manual  
Download from Www.Somanuals.com. All Manuals Search And Download.  
       
Chapter 4  
Developing with Measurement Studio  
Figure 4-1. New Project Dialog Box  
Tip For more information about using project templates to create a new Measurement  
Studio project, refer to the Creating a New Measurement Studio Project section in the  
NI Measurement Studio Help. For information about converting Measurement Studio  
projects, refer to the Converting Measurement Studio Projects section in the  
NI Measurement Studio Help.  
Creating a Measurement Studio DAQ Application  
To create a Measurement Studio DAQ application, use the NI DAQ  
Assistant. The DAQ Assistant integrates into Visual Studio .NET as a code  
designer. Use the Add New Item wizard to add a DAQ task to your project,  
and use the DAQ Assistant user interface, as shown in Figure 4-2, to  
interactively create and configure the DAQ task. The DAQ Assistant  
automatically generates a Visual Basic .NET, Visual C#, or Visual C++  
.NET class that includes the functionality you configure in the user  
interface.  
Measurement Studio User Manual  
4-4  
ni.com  
Download from Www.Somanuals.com. All Manuals Search And Download.  
         
Chapter 4  
Developing with Measurement Studio  
The DAQ Assistant interactively assists you in performing the following  
operations:  
Creating a DAQ task class  
Configuring a DAQ task class  
Generating a Visual Basic .NET, Visual C#, or Visual C++ .NET class  
that includes the functionality you configure in the user interface  
Generating code that uses a DAQ task class  
Using a DAQ task class in a project  
Figure 4-2. DAQ Assistant  
Tip For more information about using the DAQ Assistant to create a Measurement Studio  
DAQ application, refer to the Creating a Measurement Studio DAQ Application section in  
the NI Measurement Studio Help.  
© National Instruments Corporation  
4-5  
Measurement Studio User Manual  
Download from Www.Somanuals.com. All Manuals Search And Download.  
 
Chapter 4  
Developing with Measurement Studio  
Creating an NI-DAQmx User Control  
You can create an NI-DAQmx .NET user control with Measurement Studio  
that provides a default graphical user interface to an NI-DAQmx task. The  
NI-DAQmx User Control wizard wraps a configured NI-DAQmx task class  
in a user-friendly control. You can drop the generated user control from the  
Visual Studio .NET Toolbox onto a form and use it just as you use any  
Windows Forms control.  
Tip For more information on how to create a user control, refer to the Using a DAQmx  
Task Class in a Project topic of the NI Measurement Studio Help.  
Application  
To create a Measurement Studio NI-488.2 or NI-VISA application, use the  
Instrument I/O Assistant. The Instrument I/O Assistant, as shown in  
Figure 4-3, integrates into Visual Studio .NET as a code designer. Use the  
Add New Item wizard to add an instrumentation task to your project, and  
use the Instrument I/O Assistant user interface to create and configure the  
instrumentation task. The Instrument I/O Assistant generates a Visual  
Basic .NET, Visual C#, or Visual C++ .NET class that includes the  
functionality you configure in the user interface. Use this assistant to help  
you write code that communicates with devices such as serial, Ethernet, or  
GPIB instruments.  
Measurement Studio User Manual  
4-6  
ni.com  
Download from Www.Somanuals.com. All Manuals Search And Download.  
           
Chapter 4  
Developing with Measurement Studio  
Figure 4-3. Instrument I/O Assistant  
The Instrument I/O Assistant aids you in performing the following  
operations:  
Creating an instrumentation task class  
Configuring an instrumentation task class to communicate with  
an instrument and parse data you receive from the instrument.  
Tip For more information about using the Instrument I/O Assistant to create a  
Measurement Studio NI-488.2 or NI-VISA application, refer to the Creating a  
Measurement Studio 488.2 or VISA Application section of the NI Measurement  
Studio Help.  
© National Instruments Corporation  
4-7  
Measurement Studio User Manual  
Download from Www.Somanuals.com. All Manuals Search And Download.  
 
Chapter 4  
Developing with Measurement Studio  
Adding or Removing Measurement Studio Class  
Libraries  
To add or remove Measurement Studio class libraries from a project,  
use the Measurement Studio Add/Remove Class Libraries wizard on the  
Measurement Studio menu. This wizard provides an interface, as shown  
in Figure 4-4, that you can use to select the Measurement Studio class  
libraries you want to add to or remove from a project.  
When you exit the wizard, the wizard adds or removes the appropriate  
references to or from the project, thus adding or removing the functionality  
associated with the class library.  
Figure 4-4. Measurement Studio Add/Remove Class Libraries Wizard  
Tip For more information about using the Add/Remove Class Libraries wizard to add or  
remove Measurement Studio class libraries, refer to the Adding or Removing Measurement  
Studio Class Libraries section in the NI Measurement Studio Help.  
Measurement Studio User Manual  
4-8  
ni.com  
Download from Www.Somanuals.com. All Manuals Search And Download.  
       
Chapter 4  
Developing with Measurement Studio  
Selecting a Measurement Studio Parameter Value  
To access I/O devices or resources, you must specify string constants or  
scalar values for many method parameters and property values. Use the  
Measurement Studio Parameter Assistant, on the Measurement Studio  
menu, to discover and insert into your code valid parameter values for  
methods and various Measurement Studio class libraries, such as  
NI-DAQmx, NI-488.2, and NI-VISA.  
With the Parameter Assistant, you can select the correct parameter value  
for a device or resource, as shown in Figure 4-5, based on your current  
system configuration. Click the Insert Selected Item button on the  
Parameter Assistant to insert the value into the current location in the active  
source file.  
Figure 4-5. Measurement Studio Parameter Assistant  
Tip For more information about using the Measurement Studio Parameter Assistant to  
select a parameter value, refer to the Selecting a Measurement Studio Parameter Value  
section in the NI Measurement Studio Help.  
© National Instruments Corporation  
4-9  
Measurement Studio User Manual  
Download from Www.Somanuals.com. All Manuals Search And Download.  
       
Chapter 4  
Developing with Measurement Studio  
Calling Instrument Drivers from .NET Languages  
To use an IVI or VXIplug&play instrument driver with a C DLL in a  
Measurement Studio .NET application, use the Measurement Studio .NET  
Instrument Driver wizard to create .NET entry points to the C DLL  
functions you need to call from your application. Use the Add New Item  
wizard to select the .NET Instrument Driver Wizard.  
The Measurement Studio .NET Instrument Driver wizard, as shown in  
Figure 4-6, generates a .NET wrapper class for calling into IVI,  
VXIplug&play, and legacy instrument drivers based on the instrument  
driver function panel, header file, and an optional .subfile for IVI drivers.  
The wizard can generate both Visual C# and Visual Basic .NET source  
code. After completing the wizard, a new instrument driver wrapper class  
is added to your project and opened in the source code editor.  
Figure 4-6. Launching the Measurement Studio .NET Instrument Driver Wizard from  
the Add New Item Wizard  
Tip For more information about the .NET instrument driver wizard, refer to the Using  
Instrument Drivers in Measurement Studio Applications section in the NI Measurement  
Studio Help.  
Measurement Studio User Manual  
4-10  
ni.com  
Download from Www.Somanuals.com. All Manuals Search And Download.  
     
A
Technical Support and  
Professional Services  
Visit the following sections of the National Instruments Web site at  
ni.comfor technical support and professional services:  
Support—Online technical support resources at ni.com/support  
include the following:  
Self-Help Resources—For immediate answers and solutions,  
visit the award-winning National Instruments Web site for  
software drivers and updates, a searchable KnowledgeBase,  
product manuals, step-by-step troubleshooting wizards, thousands  
of example programs, tutorials, application notes, instrument  
drivers, and so on.  
Free Technical Support—All registered users receive free Basic  
Service, which includes access to hundreds of Application  
Engineers worldwide in the NI Developer Exchange at  
ni.com/exchange. National Instruments Application Engineers  
make sure every question receives an answer.  
Training and Certification—Visit ni.com/trainingfor  
self-paced training, eLearning virtual classrooms, interactive CDs,  
and Certification program information. You also can register for  
instructor-led, hands-on courses at locations around the world.  
System Integration—If you have time constraints, limited in-house  
technical resources, or other project challenges, NI Alliance Program  
members can help. To learn more, call your local NI office or visit  
ni.com/alliance.  
If you searched ni.comand could not find the answers you need, contact  
your local office or NI corporate headquarters. Phone numbers for our  
worldwide offices are listed at the front of this manual. You also can visit  
the Worldwide Offices section of ni.com/niglobalto access the branch  
office Web sites, which provide up-to-date contact information, support  
phone numbers, email addresses, and current events.  
© National Instruments Corporation  
A-1  
Measurement Studio User Manual  
Download from Www.Somanuals.com. All Manuals Search And Download.  
                   
Glossary  
A
ActiveX  
Set of Microsoft technologies for reusable software components. Formerly  
called OLE.  
ActiveX control  
Reusable software component that adds functionality to any ActiveX  
control container through exposed properties, methods, and events. The  
Measurement Studio data acquisition, user interface, and analysis controls  
are examples of ActiveX controls.  
ActiveX control  
container  
Development environment that fully supports ActiveX controls and  
integrates them into its own environment using COM. An ActiveX control  
container enables you to specify how ActiveX controls interact with the  
environment through environment properties. Visual Basic is an example  
of an ActiveX control container.  
analog I/O  
annotate  
ANSI C  
API  
Reading or writing data in continuously variable physical quantities,  
such as voltage or current.  
Adding text, arrows, or shapes to describe or highlight a point or region on  
a graph.  
C programming language defined by the American National Standards  
Institute.  
Application Programming Interface. A specification of software functions  
and their input and return parameters.  
assembly  
A collection of one or more files that are versioned and deployed as a unit.  
An assembly is the primary building block of a .NET Framework  
application. All managed types and resources are contained within an  
assembly and are marked either as accessible only within the assembly or  
as accessible from code in other assemblies.  
asynchronous  
Function that begins an operation and returns control to the program prior  
to the completion or termination of the operation.  
© National Instruments Corporation  
G-1  
Measurement Studio User Manual  
Download from Www.Somanuals.com. All Manuals Search And Download.  
     
Glossary  
B
button  
A control used to input or display boolean information or to initiate an  
action in a program.  
C
channel  
1. Physical—a terminal or pin at which you can measure or generate an  
analog or digital signal. A single physical channel can include more than  
one terminal, as in the case of a differential analog input channel or a digital  
port of eight lines. The name used for a counter physical channel is an  
exception because that physical channel name is not the name of the  
terminal where the counter measures or generates the digital signal.  
2. Virtual—a collection of property settings that can include a name, a  
physical channel, input terminal connections, the type of measurement or  
generation, and scaling information. You can define NI-DAQmx virtual  
channels outside a task (global) or inside a task (local). Configuring virtual  
channels is optional in Traditional NI-DAQ and earlier versions, but is  
integral to every measurement you take in NI-DAQmx. In Traditional  
NI-DAQ, you configure virtual channels in MAX. In NI-DAQmx, you can  
configure virtual channels in either MAX or in a program, and you can  
configure channels as part of a task or separately.  
3. Switch—a switch channel represents any connection point on a switch.  
It may be made up of one or more signal wires (commonly one, two, or  
four), depending on the switch topology. A virtual channel cannot be  
created with a switch channel. Switch channels may be used only in the  
NI-DAQmx Switch functions and VIs.  
chart  
To append new data points to the end of an existing plot over time.  
CodeBuilder  
LabWindows/CVI feature that creates code based on a .uirfile to connect  
your GUI to the rest of your program. This code can be compiled and run  
as soon as it is created.  
coercion  
COM  
Automatic conversion that Measurement Studio controls perform to change  
the numeric representation of a data element.  
Component Object Model. Microsoft specification for architecting and  
developing reusable software components.  
Measurement Studio User Manual  
G-2  
ni.com  
Download from Www.Somanuals.com. All Manuals Search And Download.  
Glossary  
context-sensitive help  
Help for dialog boxes, the controls in dialog boxes, and keywords in source  
code that you can access with the <F1> key or a Help button, or by clicking  
the link that appears in the Dynamic Help window in Visual Studio .NET.  
control  
1. ActiveX control. See ActiveX control.  
2. Object for entering, displaying, or manipulating data on a user interface.  
counter/timer I/O  
Reading or writing data based on high-precision timing through a counter or  
timer. By combining a counter with a highly accurate clock, you can create  
a wide variety of timing and counting applications, such as monitoring and  
analyzing digital waveforms and generating complex square waves.  
cursor  
Flashing rectangle that shows where you may enter text on the screen. If  
you have a mouse installed, there is a rectangular mouse cursor, or pointer.  
cursor label  
Text object used to display X and Y coordinates that a cursor crosshair  
points to on a graph.  
D
DAQ  
Data acquisition. Process of acquiring data, typically from A/D or digital  
input plug-in boards.  
DAQ Assistant  
DAQ device  
A graphical interface for configuring measurement tasks, channels, and  
scales.  
A device that acquires or generates data and can contain multiple channels  
and conversion devices. DAQ devices include plug-in devices, PCMCIA  
cards, and DAQPad devices, which connect to a computer USB or 1394  
(FireWire) port. SCXI modules are considered DAQ devices.  
DataSocket  
Technology that simplifies live data exchange between applications and  
HTTP, FTP, OPC, logos (Lookout objects) and file servers over the Internet.  
It provides one common API to a number of different communication  
protocols.  
device  
An instrument or controller you can access as a single entity that controls  
or monitors real-world I/O points. A device is often connected to a host  
computer through some type of communication network. See also DAQ  
device and measurement device.  
digital I/O  
Reading or writing digital representations of data in discrete units  
(the binary digits 1 and 0). Digital information is either on or off.  
© National Instruments Corporation  
G-3  
Measurement Studio User Manual  
Download from Www.Somanuals.com. All Manuals Search And Download.  
 
Glossary  
distribution  
DLL  
Ability to install programs you develop with Measurement Studio to others  
working on different computers.  
Dynamic Link Library. A library of functions that link to a program and  
load at run time rather than being compiled into the program. Loading  
libraries only when they are needed saves memory in software applications.  
DMM  
driver  
DSTP  
Digital Multimeter. A common measurement instrument that measures  
resistance, current, and voltage in a wide variety of applications.  
Software that controls a specific hardware device, such as a data acquisition  
board or GPIB interface board. See also instrument driver.  
DataSocket Transfer Protocol. Protocol based on TCP/IP to exchange data  
directly between two applications using DataSocket clients. Data is passed  
through a DataSocket Server between the applications.  
E
Ethernet  
Standard connection type for networks, where computers are connected by  
coaxial or twisted-pair cable.  
event  
Object-generated response to some action or change in state, such as a  
mouse click or a completed acquisition. The event calls an event procedure  
that processes the event.  
executable  
Program file with a .exeextension that you can run independently of the  
development environment in which it was created.  
F
form  
Window or area on the screen on which you place controls and indicators  
to create the user interface for your program.  
front panel  
FTP  
Interactive user interface of a virtual instrument. Modeled after the front  
panel of physical instruments, it is composed of switches, slides, meters,  
graphs, charts, gauges, LEDs, and other controls and indicators.  
File Transfer Protocol. Protocol based on TCP/IP to exchange files between  
Measurement Studio User Manual  
G-4  
ni.com  
Download from Www.Somanuals.com. All Manuals Search And Download.  
Glossary  
G
gauge  
A control used to input or display numerical data.  
GPIB  
General Purpose Interface Bus. The standard bus used for controlling  
electronic instruments with a computer. Also called IEEE 488 bus because  
it is defined by ANSI/IEEE Standards 488-1978, 488.1-1987, and  
488.2-1987.  
graph  
A 2D or 3D display of one or more plots.  
H
HTTP  
HyperText Transfer Protocol. Protocol based on TCP/IP, which is used to  
download Web pages from an HTTP server to a Web browser.  
I
IEEE 488  
Shortened notation for ANSI/IEEE Standards 488-1978, 488.1-1987,  
and 488.2-1987. See also GPIB.  
IMAQ Vision  
National Instruments image acquisition and analysis software that you  
can use to acquire images from National Instruments image acquisition  
(IMAQ) boards, display them in your program, perform interactive viewer  
operations, and analyze the images to extract information.  
indicator  
installer  
A control in read-only mode.  
Software program that copies program, system, and other necessary files to  
computers.  
instrument driver  
Library of functions to control and use one specific physical instrument.  
Also a set of functions that adds specific functionality to an application.  
Instrument I/O  
Assistant  
Assists in writing code to communicate with devices such as serial,  
Ethernet, or GPIB instruments. The Instrument I/O Assistant provides a  
user interface within the Visual Studio .NET environment. You use the  
Instrument I/O Assistant to interactively write commands to a device, read  
data that the device returns, and specify how to parse the response.  
© National Instruments Corporation  
G-5  
Measurement Studio User Manual  
Download from Www.Somanuals.com. All Manuals Search And Download.  
   
Glossary  
interface  
Connection between one or more of the following: hardware, software, and  
the user. For example, hardware interfaces connect two other pieces of  
hardware.  
IVI  
Interchangeable Virtual Instruments. A technology involving standard  
programming interfaces for classes of instruments, such as oscilloscopes,  
DMMs, and function generators, that results in hardware-independent  
instrument drivers. The IVI standard programming interfaces have been  
defined by the IVI Foundation, an industry consortium. Visit  
K
knob  
A control used to input or display numerical data.  
L
LabVIEW  
Laboratory Virtual Instrument Engineering Workbench. Graphical  
development environment used for developing test and measurement  
applications.  
LabWindows/CVI  
LED  
ANSI C development environment for building test and measurement  
applications.  
Light-Emitting Diode. An indicator that emits a light when current passes  
through it. For example, an LED shows if your computer or printer is  
turned on.  
legend  
A control that displays symbols and descriptions for a specific set of  
elements of another object, such as the plots or cursors of a graph.  
M
matrix  
A rectangular array of numbers or mathematical elements that represent the  
coefficients in a system of linear equations.  
MB  
Megabytes of memory.  
Measurement Studio User Manual  
G-6  
ni.com  
Download from Www.Somanuals.com. All Manuals Search And Download.  
Glossary  
Measurement &  
Automation Explorer  
(MAX)  
National Instruments tool for configuring your National Instruments  
hardware and driver software; executing system diagnostics; adding new  
devices, interfaces, and virtual channels; and viewing devices and  
instruments connected to your system.  
measurement device  
Measurement Studio  
DAQ devices such as the E Series multifunction I/O (MIO) devices,  
SCXI signal conditioning modules, and switch modules.  
National Instruments software that includes tools to build measurement  
applications in Visual Basic .NET, Visual C#, and Visual C++ .NET.  
meter  
A control used to input or display numerical data.  
method  
Function that performs a specific action on or with an object. The operation  
of the method often depends on the values of the object properties.  
MFC  
Microsoft Foundation Class. A framework for programming in Microsoft  
Windows, MFC provides code for managing windows, menus, and dialog  
boxes; performing basic input/output; storing collections of data objects,  
and more.  
N
NI-488.2  
Driver-level software to control and communicate with National  
Instruments GPIB hardware.  
NI-DAQ  
Driver-level software to control and communicate with DAQ hardware.  
NI-DAQ is an extensive library of VIs and functions you can call from an  
application development environment (ADE) to program all the features of  
an NI measurement device, such as configuring, acquiring and generating  
data from, and sending data to the device.  
NI-DAQmx  
The latest NI-DAQ driver with new VIs, functions, and development tools  
for controlling measurement devices. The advantages of NI-DAQmx over  
earlier versions of NI-DAQ include the DAQ Assistant for configuring  
channels and measurement tasks for your device for use in LabVIEW,  
LabWindows/CVI, and Measurement Studio; increased performance such  
as faster single-point analog I/O; and a simpler API for creating DAQ  
applications using fewer functions and VIs than earlier versions of  
NI-DAQ.  
NI-IMAQ  
Driver-level software to control and communicate with National  
Instruments image acquisition hardware.  
© National Instruments Corporation  
G-7  
Measurement Studio User Manual  
Download from Www.Somanuals.com. All Manuals Search And Download.  
 
Glossary  
numeric edit control  
A control used to display and edit numeric values.  
O
OCX  
OLE Control eXtension. Another name for ActiveX controls, reflected by  
the .ocxfile extension of ActiveX control files.  
OLE  
OPC  
Object Linking and Embedding. See ActiveX.  
OLE for Process Control. An industry standard based on ActiveX and COM  
technologies that enables you to create a single client application that can  
communicate with disparate devices. Visit www.opcfoundation.org  
.
oscilloscope  
Measurement instrument widely used in high-speed testing applications,  
such as telecommunication physical layer testing, video testing, and  
high-speed digital design verification.  
P
PCI  
Peripheral Component Interconnect. High-performance expansion bus  
architecture commonly found in PCs.  
PID  
plot  
Proportional-Integral-Derivative. A three-term control mechanism  
combining proportional, integral, and derivative control. You might use a  
PID algorithm to control processes such as heating and cooling systems,  
fluid level monitoring, flow control, and pressure control.  
1. Trace (data line) on a graph representing the data in one row or column  
of an array.  
2. To display a new set of data while deleting any previous data on the  
graph.  
point  
Structure that contains two 16-bit integers that represent horizontal and  
vertical coordinates.  
property  
Attribute that defines the appearance or state of an object. The property can  
be a specific value or another object with its own properties and methods.  
For example, a value property is the color (property) of a plot (object),  
while an object property is a specific Y axis (property) on a graph (object).  
The Y axis itself is another object with properties, such as minimum and  
maximum values.  
Measurement Studio User Manual  
G-8  
ni.com  
Download from Www.Somanuals.com. All Manuals Search And Download.  
   
Glossary  
property pages  
PXI  
Window or dialog box that displays current configuration information and  
allows users to modify the configuration.  
PCI eXtensions for Instrumentation. Rugged, open platform for modular  
instrumentation with specialized mechanical, electrical, and software  
features. Visit www.pxisa.org.  
R
range  
Region between the limits within which a quantity is measured, received,  
or transmitted. The range is expressed by stating the lower and upper range  
values.  
S
scalar  
Number that a point on a scale can represent. The number is a single value  
as opposed to an array.  
scale  
a series of marks or points at known intervals to denote units of measure.  
scatter graph  
A control that displays two-dimensional data on a Windows Forms user  
interface; displays a graph of X and Y data pairs.  
scope  
serial  
See oscilloscope.  
Standard serial bus on a computer used to communicate with instruments.  
Also known as RS-232.  
slide  
A control used to input or display numerical data.  
Moveable part of a slide control.  
slider  
switch  
A control used to receive and control boolean input in an application user  
interface.  
synchronous  
Property or operation that begins and returns control to the program only  
when the operation is complete.  
© National Instruments Corporation  
G-9  
Measurement Studio User Manual  
Download from Www.Somanuals.com. All Manuals Search And Download.  
Glossary  
T
tank  
A control used to input or display numerical data.  
task  
NI-DAQmx—a set of channels and the channel configurations, timing, and  
triggering, and other details that define a measurement or generation you  
want to perform.  
TCP/IP  
Transmission Control Protocol/Internet Protocol. A standard format for  
transferring data in packets from one computer to another. The two parts of  
TCP/IP are TCP, which deals with the construction of data pockets, and IP,  
which routes them from computer to computer.  
TestStand  
Ready-to-run test executive from National Instruments for organizing,  
controlling, and executing your automated prototype, validation, or  
manufacturing test systems.  
thermometer  
A control used to input or display numerical data.  
U
UI  
User Interface.  
1D array.  
V
vector  
virtual instrument (VI)  
Program in Measurement Studio that models the appearance and function  
of a physical instrument.  
VISA  
Driver-software architecture developed by National Instruments to unify  
instrumentation software for serial, GPIB, and VXI instruments or  
controllers. It has been accepted as a standard for VXI by the  
VXIplug&play Systems Alliance.  
VXI  
VME eXtension for Instrumentation. Instrumentation architecture and bus  
based on the VME standard. Used in high-end test applications.  
W
waveform graph  
A control that displays two-dimensional data on a Windows Forms user  
interface; displays data that is uniformly spaced in one dimension.  
Measurement Studio User Manual  
G-10  
ni.com  
Download from Www.Somanuals.com. All Manuals Search And Download.  
Index  
A
libraries, 4-8  
Analysis  
data acquisition (DAQ), 2-4, 3-8  
developing with Measurement Studio, 4-1  
diagnostic tools (NI resources), A-1  
distribution requirements, 1-2  
documentation  
.NET class library, 2-2  
Enterprise Analysis, 2-3  
Professional Analysis, 2-2  
Standard Analysis, 2-2  
Visual C++ class library, 3-3  
Professional Analysis, 3-4  
Standard Analysis, 3-3  
conventions used in manual, viii  
NI resources, A-1  
drivers (NI resources), A-1  
B
button control, 3-10  
C
languages, 4-10  
gauge control, 2-9  
3D, 3-2  
class driver class libraries  
IviDcPwr, 3-6  
IviDmm, 3-6  
IviFgen, 3-6  
IviScope, 3-6  
IviSwitch, 3-6  
Common  
Visual C++ class library, 3-5  
conventions used in the manual, viii  
creating  
help  
NI Measurement Studio Help, 1-5  
technical support, A-1  
how to use this manual, vii  
Measurement Studio DAQ application, 4-4  
Measurement Studio NI-488.2 or NI-VISA  
application, 4-6  
© National Instruments Corporation  
I-1  
Measurement Studio User Manual  
Download from Www.Somanuals.com. All Manuals Search And Download.  
 
Index  
I
installation  
optional, 1-1  
requirements, 1-1  
A-1  
.NET class libraries  
instrument driver wizard, .NET, 4-10  
instrument drivers (NI resources), A-1  
Instrument Drivers Visual C++ class library,  
3-5  
Analysis, 2-2  
Common, 2-3  
NI-488.2, 2-4  
NI-DAQmx, 2-4  
NI-VISA, 2-5  
overview, 2-1  
User Interface, 2-5  
K
knob  
.NET control, 2-9  
distribution requirements, 1-2  
NI DAQ Assistant, 4-4  
NI Developer Exchange, 4-2  
NI Instrument Driver Network, 4-2  
NI Measurement Encyclopedia, 4-2  
NI Spy, 4-2  
L
LabVIEW Real-Time Interface Visual C++  
class library, 3-6  
NI support and services, A-1  
NI-488.2  
LED control, 2-12  
creating a 488.2 application, 4-6  
.NET class library, 2-4  
Visual C++ class library, 3-8  
NI-DAQmx  
creating a DAQ application, 4-4  
.NET class library, 2-4  
Visual C++ class library, 3-8  
NI-Reports Visual C++ class library, 3-9  
NI-VISA  
legend control, 2-8  
M
(MAX), 4-2  
Measurement Studio  
developing with, 4-1  
home page, 4-2  
Menu, 4-1  
package comparison chart, 1-4  
Preferences, 4-3  
resources, 1-5  
creating a VISA application, 4-6  
.NET class library, 2-5  
Visual C++ class library, 3-9  
numeric controls, 2-9  
numeric edit  
meter control, 2-9  
.NET control, 2-11  
Microsoft Excel Interface Visual C++ class  
library, 3-7  
Visual C++ control, 3-13  
Measurement Studio User Manual  
I-2  
ni.com  
Download from Www.Somanuals.com. All Manuals Search And Download.  
Index  
O
U
overview  
User Interface  
.NET class library, 2-5  
gauge, 2-9  
knob, 2-9  
LED, 2-12  
legend, 2-8  
meter, 2-9  
numeric edit, 2-11  
scatter graph, 2-6  
slide, 2-10  
P
Parameter Assistant, 4-9  
programming examples (NI resources), A-1  
project templates, 4-3  
switch, 2-12  
tank, 2-10  
thermometer, 2-10  
waveform graph, 2-6  
Visual C++ class library, 3-10  
button, 3-10  
R
requirements  
distribution, 1-2  
installation, 1-1  
graph, 3-11  
knob, 3-12  
numeric edit, 3-13  
slide, 3-14  
S
scatter graph control, 2-6  
value, 4-9  
Utility Visual C++ class library  
CNiFile (table), 3-15  
CNiSound (table), 3-15  
slide control  
.NET, 2-9  
Visual C++, 3-14  
switch control, 2-12  
Visual C++ class libraries  
3D graph, 3-2  
Analysis, 3-3  
Common, 3-5  
T
tank control, 2-9  
distribution requirements, 1-2  
Instrument Drivers, 3-5  
LabVIEW Real-Time Interface, 3-6  
Microsoft Excel Interface, 3-7  
Microsoft Word Interface, 3-7  
NI-488.2, 3-8  
technical support, A-1  
thermometer control, 2-9  
training and certification (NI resources), A-1  
troubleshooting (NI resources), A-1  
© National Instruments Corporation  
I-3  
Measurement Studio User Manual  
Download from Www.Somanuals.com. All Manuals Search And Download.  
Index  
NI-DAQmx, 3-8  
NI-Reports, 3-9  
NI-VISA, 3-9  
overview, 3-1  
User Interface, 3-10  
Utility, 3-15  
waveform graph control, 2-6  
Web resources, A-1  
Windows Forms user interface controls, 2-5  
Measurement Studio User Manual  
I-4  
ni.com  
Download from Www.Somanuals.com. All Manuals Search And Download.  

Miele Refrigerator K1801SF User Manual
MTD Yard Vacuum 24677 8 User Manual
Nokia Cell Phone V104 User Manual
NuTone Fan 765HFL User Manual
Oki Printer ML1120 User Manual
Omega Vehicle Security Battery Charger OM51 User Manual
Oreck Pet Care Product BB2000 User Manual
Oreck Vacuum Cleaner XL2606HH User Manual
Panasonic Digital Camera AJ D610WA User Manual
Panasonic Switch MA2Z785 MA785 User Manual