National Instruments 320685D-01 Using a Loadable Compiled Module as a User Library , Using a Loadable Compiled Module in the Project List

Chapter 2 Using Loadable CompiledM odules

National Instruments Corporation 2-3 LabWindows/CVI Programmer Reference Manual

If the instrument driver program file is a compiled module, it must adhere to the requirements

outlined for each operating system in Chapter3, Windows 95/NT Compiler/Linker Issues,

Chapter 4, Windows3.1 Compiler/Linker Issues, and Chapter 5, UNIX Compiler/Linker

Issues, of this manual.

Using a Loadable Compiled Module as a User Library

You can install your own libraries into the Library menu. A user library has the same form

as an instrument driver. You can load as a user library anything that you can load into the

Instrument menu, provided the program is in compiled form. Refer to the Using Instrument

Drivers and the Instrument Menu sections of Chapter 3, Project Window, of the

LabWindows/CVI User Manual for more information. The main difference between modules

you load as instrument drivers and those you load as user libraries is that you can unload

instrument drivers using the Unload command in the Instrument menu, but you cannot

unload user libraries. You cannot edit and recompile user libraries while they are loaded.

Install user libraries by selecting the Library Options command in the Project Options

menu. The next time you run LabWindows/CVI, the libraries load automatically and appear

at the bottom of the Library menu.

You can develop a user library module to pro vide suppor t functi ons fo r instru ment dr i v ers or

any other modules in your project. By installing a module through the Library Options

command, you ensure that the library is always available in the LabWindows/CVI

development environment. If you do not want to develop fun ction panels for the library , create

a .fp file without any classes or functions. In that case, LabWindows/CVI loads the library

at startup but does not include the library name in the Library menu.

User libraries must adhere to the requirements outlined for the target operating system.

Chapter 3, Windows95/NT Compiler/Linker Issues, Chapter 4, Windows3.1

Compiler/Linker Issues, and Chapter 5, UNIX Compiler/Linker Issues, of this manual, discuss

operating system requirements.

Using a Loadable Compiled Module in the Project List

You can include compiled modules directly in the project list.

Note To use a DLL in your project under Windows 95/NT, you must include the DLL

import library (.lib) file in the project list rather than the DLL.

Even when you include a source module in the project list, you can instruct LabWindo ws/CVI

to create an object module on disk when it compiles the file instead of debuggable code in

memory. To do this, double click in the O column next to the source file in the Project window.