How to get DASYLab to handshake using XML

[dobedoinat]

I am attempting to get DASYLab (I currently have version 7, considering upgrading to version 10) to accomplish a simple XML handshake with a proprietary computer system where I work. I do not see XML discussed in the Help files of either version.

My alternative is to employ a DLL which was written to interface LabView with this proprietary computer system. Might this work?

Thanks for any help along these lines...

[DavidMN]

Hi dobedoinat,

With regard to the XML handshake using DASYLab, I recommend you contact DASYTEC's online technical support.  As for your alternative, do you mean that you will employ the DLL designed for LabVIEW within DASYLab, or that you will abandon DASYLab to use LabVIEW?

Regards,

David

Applications Engineer

National Instruments

[CJ_Butler__DASYLab_Pro]

DASYLab doesn't support XML, either as a data format nor as a communications protocol.

There is an Extensions Toolkit available, if you want to write your own module to accomplish this task. You can contact one of our applications engineers at www.measurementcomputing.com to discuss this, since I'm not sure any other DASYLab or NI experience people will be able to help with this. 

I'm curious, since I don't know what a "simple XML handshake" would be.  How does it work, what other programs work with it? Is it a feature that we should be considering?

[dobedoinat]

We would like to continue using DASYLab, but the DLL that was written to work with our proprietary system was written specifically for LabView. I have not attempted to use it with DASYLab as of yet, hoping that the XML handshake would work...

[CJ_Butler__DASYLab_Pro]

What does the XML handshake look like? How does it connect to the computer? RS232, TCP/IP, other?

[dobedoinat]

When using the term "simple XML handshake", what I am referring to is a formatted XML file that the proprietary system outputs, containing information such as which data port to use, samples per second, which "ID" (measurement data ID) is where in the datastream, etc., which then could be "read" by DASYLab (hopefully), and then a formatted XML "reply" is sent back to the proprietary system from DASYLab, telling the proprietary system it is ready to receive data. Voila!

This "XML handshake" works with LabView, but we would like to adapt this to DASYLab.

I think it would be a great feature for DASYLab, since it does not appear to support XML out of the box.

[CJ_Butler__DASYLab_Pro]

Here's some information about the Extension Toolkit. Contact your DASYLab reseller for pricing.

Note -- this describes the V8 toolkit. The shipping version fully supports V9/10, but the changes were primarily to the menu features - you now add your new module to the Module menu, not the main menu as described here. 

Full working examples are included for three module types... a Generator (Data Source), Derivation (data processing), and Lamp (Data sink).

Message Edited by CJ Butler -- DASYLab Pro on 02-25-2009 08:51 AM

[dobedoinat]

Our connection between the proprietary system and DASYLab is currently using TCP.  It might be possible to adapt it to use RS232.

I am sorry that I cannot give more details on the XML format, but it is clearly marked proprietary. There must be examples of a similar coding scheme elsewhere on the web...