Opening an existing vi
You load a VI into memory by selecting
File>>Open . In the
Choose the VI to
open dialog box that appears, navigate to the VI you
want to open.
The VIs you edit in this course are located in the
C:\Exercises\LabVIEW Basics I directory.
As the VI loads, a status dialog box similar to might appear.
The
Loading section lists the subVIs of the VI
as they are loaded into memory.
Number Loaded is the number of subVIs loaded into memory so far. You can
cancel the load at any time by clicking the
Stop button.
If LabVIEW cannot immediately locate a subVI, it begins
searching through all directories specified by the
VI
Search Path . You can edit the
VI Search
Path by selecting
Tools>>Options and
selecting
Paths from the top pull-down
menu. The
Searching section lists directories
or VIs as LabVIEW searches through them. You can haveLabVIEW ignore a subVI by clicking the
Ignore
SubVI button, or you can click the
Browse button to search for the missing subVI.
Saving vis
Select
Save ,
Save As ,
Save
All , or
Save with Options from the
File menu to save VIs as individual files or
group several VIs together and save them in a VI library. VIlibrary files end with the extension
.llb . National Instruments recommends that you
save VIs as individual files, organized in directories,especially if multiple developers are working on the same
project.
LabVIEW uses the native file dialog boxes so they act
similar to other applications on the computer. You candisable this feature by selecting
Tools>>Options and selecting
Miscellaneous from the top pull-down menu. If
you disable native file dialogs, LabVIEW uses its ownplatform-independent file dialog boxes with some convenient
features, such as providing a list of recent paths andreducing the steps necessary to save VIs in VI libraries.
Moving vis across platforms
You can transfer VIs from one platform to another, such as from Mac OS to Windows. LabVIEW automatically translates andrecompiles the VIs on the new platform.
Because VIs are files, you can use any file transfer method or utility to move VIs between platforms. You can port VIsover networks using FTP, Z or XModem protocols, or similar utilities. Such network transfers eliminate the need foradditional file translation software. If you port VIs using magnetic media, such as floppy disks or a moveable externalhard drive, you need a generic file transfer utility program, such as the following:
- ( Windows ) MacDisk and TransferPro transfer Mac OS files to the PC format and vice versa.
- ( Mac OS ) DOS Mounter, MacLink, and Apple File Exchange convert PC files to the Mac OS formatand vice versa.
- ( Sun ) PC File System (PCFS) converts PC files to the Sun format and vice versa.
Refer to the
Porting and Localizing LabVIEW VIs Application Note, available by selecting
Help>>Search
the LabVIEW Bookshelf , for more information about
porting VIs.