Activity 2. Use the LabVIEW Help Utilities

Your objective is to become familiar with the Context Help and the LabVIEW Help.

If it is not already open from Activity 1, open the Temperature System Demo VI by selecting File»Open and navigating to labview\examples\apps\tempsys.llb\Temperature System Demo.vi.

Context Help

  1. Display the block diagram by selecting Window»Show Diagram or by pressing the <Ctrl-E> keys. Macintosh Press the <Command-E> keys.
  2. Display the Context Help window by selecting Help»Show Context Help or by pressing the <Ctrl-H> keys. Macintosh Press the <Command-H> keys.
  3. The Context Help window displays information about the functions and wires as you move the cursor over each object.
    1. Move the cursor over the Temperature Status VI icon. A description of the VI appears in the Context Help window.
    2. Move the cursor over the terminals of the Temperature Status VI. LabVIEW selects the Wiring tool and the corresponding terminals blink in the Context Help window as the tool moves over them.
    3. Move the cursor over a wire. The Context Help window displays the data type of the wire.

VI and Function Reference in the LabVIEW Help

  1. Move the cursor over the Initialize Array function, on the upper left of the block diagram. A blue link appears at the bottom of the Context Help window.

    This link displays the reference information for the Initialize Array function in the LabVIEW Help. The function reference information in the LabVIEW Help is more detailed than the information in the Context Help window. Most VIs and functions that ship with LabVIEW have links in the Context Help window to detailed VI and function reference in the LabVIEW Help.

Note  Macintosh and UNIX When you perform the next step, you will go to a different topic in the LabVIEW Help and these instructions will disappear. To return to these instructions, click the Back button twice in the LabVIEW Help.
  1. Click the blue link at the bottom of the Context Help window to view the function reference information in the LabVIEW Help.

How To Instructions in LabVIEW Help

In addition to VI and function reference information, the LabVIEW Help contains overview and procedural information about LabVIEW features. Select Help»VI, Function, and How-To Help to display the LabVIEW Help.

When you are finished with this tutorial, use the Contents, Index, and Search tabs to browse the LabVIEW Help to learn more about LabVIEW.

Printed and PDF Documentation and Full Text Searches

LabVIEW includes extensive documentation for new and experienced LabVIEW users. All LabVIEW manuals and Application Notes are also available as PDFs. You must have Adobe Acrobat Reader 4.0 or later installed to view the PDFs. Refer to the Adobe Systems Incorporated Web site to download Acrobat Reader. Refer to the NI Product Manuals Library for updated documentation resources.

The LabVIEW Bookshelf is a powerful front end for all the printed and PDF documentation. You can search PDF versions of all the LabVIEW manuals and Application Notes.

  1. In LabVIEW, open the LabVIEW Bookshelf by selecting Help»Search the LabVIEW Bookshelf.
  2. In the LabVIEW Bookshelf, click the Search to display a search dialog box.
  3. Enter temperature for your search string and click Search. Note the different results, separated by document. Double-click one of the documents to view the results.
  4. Click the Next Highlight button to go to the next highlighted instance of temperature.
  5. Perform a more specific search. Click the Search button to perform a new search. Enter single-buffered analog output and click Search.
  6. Double-click the document listed to view the results.
  7. When you are finished, close Acrobat Reader.

NI Developer Zone

The NI Developer Zone at zone.ni.com is the essential resource for building measurement and automation systems. You use the NI Developer Zone to find programs, tutorials and technical presentations for learning more about NI products, instrument drivers, and an array of other useful resources.

Compare the results of a search for single-buffered analog output on the NI Developer Zone to what you found searching the installed documentation. For example, you might be looking for information about how to continuously generate a waveform using an external analog trigger.

  1. Open your Web browser, and navigate to http://zone.ni.com to open the NI Developer Zone. Macintosh and UNIX Open a new browser window and navigate to the address.
  2. In the search window, enter single-buffered analog output and click GO. Note the large number of results.
  3. Narrow your search by selecting the search within these results checkbox. Enter E-Series to indicate you're searching for results that pertain to a National Instruments E-Series DAQ board. Notice the significantly fewer results.
  4. Further narrow your search by searching these results for waveform.
  5. One of your results is Continuously Generate Waveform Analog Output Using an External Analog Trigger (E-Series). Click the link to view the document. Notice the document includes overview information, instructions for how to use the example, a discussion of the key parameters and DAQ VIs used, and a link to the example in ZIP format. Click the link to download the file.
  6. Open the ZIP file. Notice the file contains the VIs required and a readme file that describes the requirements for the VI.
  7. When you are finished, close your Web browser and the ZIP file.

End of Activity 2. Use the LabVIEW Help Utilities