Post the NI-DAQmx base C Function Reference Help pages on your fora somewhere

[jhfrontz]

I continually come to your site looking for the DAQmx base API manual and have yet to find it.  I eventually have to dig out an old CD to find my copy.

How 'bout posting these online so that we can help ourselves out of jams?

Thanks,

Jeff

[Dennis_Knutson]

You mean this?

[jhfrontz]

Could be-- is it inside that proprietary-format "CHM" file embedded in a ZIP file hidden under a title with "Labview" in it?

I want to be able to search for DAQmxBaseReadAnalogF64 and have one of the results be the man page.

[Dennis_Knutson]

The ,chm is a widows help file that contains the c reference for DAQmx Base. I don't see LabVIEW in the title, just 'C'.

[jhfrontz]

Indeed, a windows help file, buried in a zip file.  Kind of contrary to the whole idea of HTML and platform-independent documentation available on The Internets, no?

And not very useful when I'm using a web browser on a linux box or mac to find the information on the NI web site while I'm up to my eyeballs trying to debug someone else's code and I just need to know "just what ARE the units on that parameter anyway?" and I haven't downloaded the various helper apps and really, why should I have too, I mean, it's the web and HTML is platform-independent by design and surely they want to help me write software that will make their DAQ work in my product so that my company can sell more of our products and thus sell more of their DAQs, so why make it so hard?

And there's that little "I can't find it when I search for DAQmxBaseReadAnalogF64" issue.

Seriously, the DAQmx base API manual needs to be posted on the website.   And accessible by platform-independent means. In Plain Old HTML.  And made searchable. Period.

[JoeFriedchicken]

If the code you're debugging can compile on that Linux box, that means the DAQmx Base C API is installed on that Linux machine, which means that the pure HTML docs for the API are installed on that Linux machine. And they're searchable since they're flat text, and you don't need a network connection 😉

Try looking at

"/usr/local/natinst/nidaqmxbase/documentation/DAQmxBase C Function Ref Help.html"

And yes, it's aggravating to not find man pages or other online formats, but there are other mechanisms at play that make it difficult to just put the docs in a place where they can be indexed. We're aware of the discrepancy, but there isn't much my development group can do at this time.

[jhfrontz]

Nice, thanks for the tip Joe-- found it on the build machine.  Which is a headless machine located in the cloud.  Granted, I could copy them to all of the various virtual and physical machines that I could ever possibly use when I'm trying to debug code to sell more NI products to my customers.

I feel your pain on pushing the other mechanisms into the 21st century.  Let this thread serve as notice to the keepers of said mechanisms that the OEM developers trying to make you money are looking for some love.  Hopefully not in all the wrong places.

Jeff

P.S. to any metrics keepers and product managers:  I still want them online.  On your site.  And indexed for easy access.  From any modern browser.  Like the Eagle DAQ does it: http://www.eagle.co.za/download/manual/edreonline/index.html

[jhfrontz]

2+ years later.  Still no joy.  For anyone else who ends up here looking for love, try the Oregon State physics department

[jlblanco]

It is unbelievable how hard it is to find good documentation on NI's web, especially on the C APIs. Shameful.

I extracted a few CHM files into an easy-to-browse online reference website, hopefully reachable by Google in the future: 

• NI DAQmx Base 3.x C_Function_Reference
• NI-DAQmx C Reference

 Enjoy it.