National Instruments 6527 Software Programming Choices

Chapter1 GettingStarted with Your 6527

©NationalInstruments Corporation 1-3 6527User Manual

Software Programming Choices

There are several options to choose from when programming your

NationalI nstrumentsD AQ hardware.You can use LabVIEW,

LabWindows/CVI, Visual C++, or Visual Basic with the NI-DAQ

driversoftware.

LabVIEW featuresinteractive graphics, a state-of-the-art user interface,

and a powerful graphical programming language. The LabVIEW Data

Acquisition VI Library, a series of VIs for using LabVIEW with National

Instruments DAQ hardware, is included with LabVIEW. The LabVIEW

Data Acquisition VI Library is functionally equivalent to the

NI-DAQ software.

Measurement Studio, which includes LabWindows/CVIand tools for

VisualC++ and Visual Basic, features interactive graphics, user interface

controls, and data acquisition through standard ANSI C functions and

ActiveXcontrols. With Measurement Studio, you can use all of the

configurationtools, resource management utilities, and interactive

control utilities included with NI-DAQ.

UsingLabVIEW orMeasurement Studio software will greatlyreduce

the developmenttime for your data acquisition and control application.

The NI-DAQ driver software is included at no charge with all

National Instruments DAQ hardware. NI-DAQ has an extensive library

offunct ions that you can call from your application programming

environment. These functions allow you to use all features of your

6527device.

NI-DAQaddresses many of the complex issues between the computer and

the DAQhardware such as programming interrupts. NI-DAQ maintains a

consistentsoftware interface among its different versions so that you can

change platforms with minimal modifications to your code. Whether you

are using LabVIEW or Measurement Studio, your application uses the

NI-DAQdriver software, as illustrated in Figure 1-1.