Full XML support

[Mads]

In Visual Studio you have XML Schema tools etc. It is a breeze to e.g. populate a drop down menu based on XML from a web service, and my first thought when I see it in action is - why do we not have this at our fingertips in LabVIEW already? LabVIEW could have made it simple to create schemas, generate flexible XML etc. You could have wizards that helped you, and cluster to xml conversion like in EasyXML from JKI - and it should all feel fully integrated (toolkits are OK, but this really needs to have native support).

I am currently developing a web service in LabVIEW and the first thing I had to do was to abandon the few in-built XML functions and write my own serialization code (using terminal mode for the web service gave you XML without proper headers, and the in-built flatten to XML outputs XML is impractical in use). Once I have serialized a text table e.g. and published it - using that table feels incredibly easy in Visual Studio (add data source-> input web address etc.) , it would be much more difficult to do the same in LV.

I think NI should make a big leap in the use of web technology. The RESTful web service functionality was a great addition, but the doumentation is non-existing, and we should have come much further by now. I know there are some cool experiments going on with web based GUI editors, but LabVIEW 2010 was just released with very little news on this front so forgive me if I rant a bit...

[normd]

I concur with this. XML support is a BIG part of my development. I have gotten so used to it being in Visual Studio. Native support in LabVIEW would be great.

[Jervin Justin]

Hi Mads,

We just launched a new branch of the NI Idea Exchange to foster ideas for LabVIEW Add-ons. The intent was to create a place for LabVIEW Add-on developers (both NI R&D and developers in the community) to find ideas that matter to the community.

This is part of our ongoing effort to enable LabVIEW developers to productize LabVIEW code. Some of the other things we’ve done this year were adding Licensing & Activation for 3^rd Parties, launching the Compatible with LabVIEW Program and the LabVIEW Tools Network.

We’ve identified your particular idea as one that could potentially be made into an Add-on and would like to move it to this new Idea Exchange so that Add-on developers can easily find it. Would this be okay with you?

Thanks!

[Mads]

I did mention in the idea that I would prefer if it was not implemented as an add-on...;-), but sure - feel free to move it.

PS. If you are planning to create multiple idea exchanges there is one I would really like to see - namely a hardware idea exchange. I'm sure I'm not the only one that would like to see PACs with a fraction of today's power consumption - and power saving features like programmable sleep periods e.g.