Creating I/O Name Controls

Use the I/O name controls and indicators located on the Controls»I/O or Controls»Classic Controls»I/O palettes to pass DAQ channel names, VISA resource names, and IVI logical names you configure to I/O VIs to communicate with an instrument or a data acquisition device. You also can drag configured devices from MAX to the front panel to create the I/O name control.

Complete the following steps to create an I/O name control.

  1. Select a DAQ channel name, VISA resource name, or IVI logical name control on the Controls»I/O palette, and place it on the front panel.
  2. Right-click the I/O name control and select the class you want from the shortcut menu.
  3. Use the Operating tool to select a name from the pull-down menu or type a string in the control. For example, you can type a name such as Temperature, or type the VISA resource string, such as VXI0::1::INSTR.

    If the I/O name control does not have items available in the pull-down menu, you must configure the names.

    Windows Use Measurement & Automation Explorer, available on the Tools menu, to configure DAQ channel names, VISA resource names, and IVI logical names. You also can create a DAQ channel without launching Measurement & Automation Explorer.

    Macintosh Use the NI-DAQ Configuration Utility, available on the Tools menu, to configure National Instruments DAQ hardware. Use the DAQ Channel Wizard, available on the Tools menu, to configure DAQ channel names.

    Macintosh and UNIX Use the configuration utilities for your instrument to configure VISA resource names and IVI logical names. Refer to the documentation for your instrument for more information about the configuration utilities.
  4. Display the block diagram.
  5. Wire the I/O name terminal to the refnum or string terminal of a DAQ, IVI, or VISA VI or function.

To allow the user to enter names that have not been defined using Measurement & Automation Explorer or another configuration utility, right-click the I/O name control and select Allow Undefined Names from the shortcut menu. The Allow Undefined Names menu item is disabled by default.

To allow the user to enter multiple DAQ channel names in the control, including valid NI-DAQ ranges, right-click the DAQ channel name control and select Allow Multiple Names from the shortcut menu. The Allow Multiple Names menu item is enabled by default. If Allow Multiple Names is enabled, you can type multiple channel names in the control, using commas to separate them.