LabVIEW Cert

functions palette

contains the VIs, functions and constants you use to create the block diagram

controls palette

contains the controls and indicators you use to create the front panel

block diagram

contains the graphical source code; contains terminals for front panel controls and indicators

build text VI

creates text, usually for displaying on the front panel window or exporting to a file or instrument

password display

displays an asterisk (*) for each character including spaces

'\' codes display

displays backslash codes for all non-displayable characters

context help window

displays basic information about LabVIEW objects when you move the cursor over each object

normal display

displays printable characters using the font of the control; non-displayable characters generally appear as boxes

hex display

displays the ASCII value of each character in hex instead of the character itself

color copy tool

dropper in a box icon; use this tool to copy colors for pasting with the coloring tool

front panel indicators VI

examples include waveform chart, waveform graph, and XY graph

owned labels

explain data contents of wires and objects; move with object; have transparent backgrounds; created by selecting Visible Items>>Label from the shortcut menu

operating tool

finger pointing icon; use this tool to change the values of a control

components of a VI

front panel block diagram icon/connector pane

simulate signal VI

generates simulated data such as a sine wave

enums

give users a list of items from which to select; are useful because they make strings equivalent to numbers, which are easy to manipulate on the block diagram; each item represents a pair of values: a string value and a 16-bit integer

scrolling tool

hand in a box icon; use this tool to scroll through windows without using scrollbars

d. the value passed into a node was converted to a different representation

if an input to a function is marked with a red dot (known as coercion dot), what does the dot indicate? a. data was transferred into a structure b. that input has not been wired c. the wire is broken d. the value passed into a node was converted to a different representation

run

if the _____ button appears broken when you finish wiring the block diagram, the VI is broken and cannot run

Build Specifications

includes build configurations for source distributions and other types of builds available in LabVIEW toolkits and modules

controls

interactive input; knobs, push buttons, dials, and other inputs; simulate instrument input devices and supply data to the block diagram

object shortcut menu tool

cursor and square divided into three sections icon; use this tool to access an object shortcut menu with the left mouse button

positioning tool

cursor icon; use this tool to select or resize objects

common causes of broken VIs

- broken wire due to mismatch of data types - required terminal is unwired - control wired to another control - broken subVI due to unwired required terminal

free labels

describe algorithms; have fixed location; have pale yellow backgrounds; created by double-clicking in any open space

any nonzero value; true

If the 8-bit value __________, the Boolean value is _______.

zero; false

If the 8-bit value is _____, the Boolean value is ______.

8-bit values

LabVIEW stores Boolean data as ______________

probe tool

P in a circle with arrow going through it icon; use this tool to create probes on wires on the block diagram; use this tool to check intermediate values in a VI that produces questionable or unexpected results

front panel, block diagram, icon/connector pane

What are the three parts of a VI? a. front panel b. block diagram c. project d. icon/connector pane

code

a 32-bit signed integer that identifies the error numerically; a non-zero error code is coupled with a status of FALSE signals a warning rather than an error

status

a boolean value that reports TRUE if an error occurs

NaN (not a number)

a floating-point value that invalid operations produce, such as taking the square root of a negative number

inf (infinity)

a floating-point value that valid operations produce, such as dividing a number by zero

LabVIEW

a graphical programming environment you can used to develop sophisticated measurement, test, and control systems

string data type

a sequence of ASCII characters; use these controls to receive text from the user such as a password or user name; use these indicators to display text to the user

string

a sequence of displayable or non-displayable ASCII characters; provide a platform-independent format for information and data

source

a string that identifies where the error occurred

express VIs

a type of subVI that you configure with dialog boxes; icons for these appear on the block diagram as icons surrounded by a blue field; designed specifically for completing common, frequently used operations; use the dynamic data type to pass data between Express VIs

DAQ Assistant VI

acquires data through a data acquisition device

Instrument I/O Assistant VI

acquires instrument control data, usually from a GPIB or serial interface

error handling

anticipation, detection, and resolution of warnings and errors

subVIs

are VIs that run on the block diagram of another VI; they have front panels and block diagrams; any VI has the potential to be used as this; when you double-click this, the front panel and block diagram open

functions nodes (functions)

are fundamental operating elements of LabVIEW and do not have front panels or block diagrams; have pale yellow backgrounds

icon

are the graphical representation of VIs; use this from the upper-right corner of the front panel as the _____ that appears when you place the subVI on a block diagram; can contain text, images, or a combo of both; if you use a VI as a subVI, the ______ identifies the subVI on the block diagram of the VI

automatic error handling

at run time, LabVIEW suspends execution, highlights node where error occurred, and displays Error dialog box

green wire

boolean

coloring tool

box on another box icon next to a paintbrush icon; use this tool and the color picker to color an object; this tool displays the current foreground and background color settings; select this tool and right-click an object or workspace to display the color picker

icons; expandable nodes

by default, subVIs appear as ______ on the block diagram, and Express VIs appear as _____ _____

statistics VI

calculates statistical data from a waveform; this includes mean, sum, standard deviation, and extreme values

numeric data type

can represent numbers of various types, such as integer or real; the two common _____ objects are the ____ control and the _____ indicator

waveform data type

carries the data, start time, and dt of a waveform

indicators

interactive output; graphs, LEDs, and other displays; simulate instrument output devices and display data the block diagram acquires or generates

connector pane

is the map of inputs and outputs of a VI; these terminals correspond to the controls and indicators on the front panel of the VI; you cannot access this from the block diagram window; similar to the parameter list of a function call in text-based programming languages; defines the inputs and outputs you can wire to the VI so you can use it as a subVI; receives data at its input terminals and passes the data to the block diagram code through the front panel controls and receives the results at its output terminals from the front panel indicators

front panel

is the user interface; has controls (inputs) and indicators (outputs)

dataflow

labVIEW follows a _______ model for running VIs

different control palettes

modern silver classic systems difference is the display style; only for the front panel

orange wire

numeric (floating-point)

blue wire

numeric (integer)

nodes

objects on the block diagram that have inputs and/or outputs and perform operations when a VI runs; are analogous to statements, operators, functions, and subroutines in text-based programming languages; can be functions, subVIs, or structures

breakpoint tool

octagon with arrow pointing out of it icon; use this tool to set breakpoints on VIs, functions, nodes, wires, and structures to pause execution at that location

project root

part of the Project Explorer; contains all other items in the Project Explorer window; includes the filename for the project

Dependencies

part of the Project Explorer; includes VIs and items that VIs under a target require

My Computer

part of the Project Explorer; represents the local computer as a target in the project

spectral measurements VI

performs spectral measurement on a waveform, such as magnitude and power spectral density

amplitude and measurements VI

performs voltage measurements on a signal; these include DC, rms, maximum peak, minimum peak, peak to peak, cycle average, and cycle rms measurements

filter VI

processes a signal through filters and windows; filters used include the following: highpass, lowpass, bandpass, bandstop, and smoothing

read from measurement file VI

reads a file that was created using the Write to Measurement File Express VI; specifically reads LVM or TDM file formats; does not read ASCII files

boolean data type

represents data that only has two possible states, such as TRUE and FALSE or ON and OFF; use these controls and indicators to enter and display boolean values

icon/connector pane

represents the VI and makes it possible to use the VI as a subVI; maps the inputs and outputs to the VI

merge errors

returns the first error found; if no error is found, it returns the first warning; does not concatenate errors; use to propagate errors along wires; use to merge errors from different wire paths

tone measurements VI

searches for a single tone with the highest frequency or highest amplitude; also finds the frequency and amplitude of a single tone

yes. A well-designed block diagram typically flows from left to right. This makes it easier to see the flow of data on the block diagram. However, do not assume left-to-right or top-to-bottom execution when no data dependency exists.

should a well-designed block diagram flow in a particular direction?

wiring tool

spool icon; use this tool to wire objects together on the block diagram

warnings

status = FALSE and code = non-zero; less severe; node executes normally, but it is important to monitor warnings during development to ensure proper behavior of your application

errors

status = TRUE and code = non-zero; more severe; passed to the next node without executing that part of the code

dynamic data type

stores the information generated or acquired by an Express VI

path data type

stores the location of a file or directory using the standard syntax for the platform you are using

pink wire

string

block diagram objects

terminals subVIs functions constants structures wires

terminals

the entry and exit ports that exchange information between the front panel and block diagram; can view as icon conserve space

block diagram terminals

these visually communicate information about the data type represented. Terminal colors, text, arrow direction, and border thickness all provide visual information about the terminal.

boolean text

this text appears only on the front panel, and by default, appears in the center of the Boolean control

control label

this text identifies the terminal of the Boolean control for programming purposes; this text does not appear on the front panel unless you select Visible

wires

transfer data between block diagram objects

labeling tool

typing cursor in a box icon; use this tool to enter text in a control, to edit text, and to create free labels

error cluster

use these controls and indicators to create error inputs and outputs in subVIs

shortcut menus

use these items to change the appearance or behavior of objects

error list dialog box

use this to locate the source of errors and warnings, and get more detailed information about the problem

breakpoint tool

use this tool to place a breakpoint on a VI, node, or wire and pause execution at that location

statistics

which Express VI is best suited to determining the average value of the acquired data a. tone measurements - finds the frequency and amplitude of a single tone b. statistics - calculates statistical data from a waveform c. amplitude and level measurements - performs voltage measurements on a signal d. filter - processes a signal through filters and windows

write to measure file and waveform graph

which Express VIs and/or indicators are best suited to displaying the data on a graph and logging the data to file a. DAQ Assistant - acquires data through a data acquisition device b. write to measurement file - writes a file in LVM or TDM file format c. build text - creates text, usually for displaying on the front panel window or exporting to a file or instrument d. waveform graph - displays one or more plots of evenly sampled measurements

DAQ Assistant

which express VI is best suited to acquire a sine wave from a data acquisition device a. DAQ Assistant - acquires data through a data acquisition device b. Instrument I/O Assistant - acquires instrument control data, usually from a GPIB or serial interface c. Simulate Signal - generates simulated data, such as a sine wave

c. latch when pressed

which mechanical action causes a Boolean control in the FALSE state to change to TRUE when you click it and stay TRUE until LabVIEW has read the value? a. switch until released b. switch when released c. latch when pressed d. latch when released

a. a subVI is broken c. a required subVI input is unwired d. a boolean terminal is wired to a numeric indicator

which of the following will result in a broken run arrow a. a subVI is broken b. the diagram includes a divide by zero c. a required subVI input is unwired d. a boolean terminal is wired to a numeric indicator

Project Explorer

window to manage projects in LabVIEW

automatic tool selection

wrench and screwdriver icon next to a rectangular shape icon; when this is selected, LabVIEW automatically chooses a tool based on the location of your cursor; can be turned off by simply pressing this button or by selecting another item on the palette

write to measurement file VI

writes a file in LVM or TDMS file format

icons; expandable nodes

you can display VIs and Express VIs as either _______ or _______ __________

manual error handling

you control when dialog boxes appear, propagate errors through error in/error out clusters, terminate error chain with Simple Error Handler