Best practices for hierarchy within project?

[Orion HE]

I am looking for some advice, here is my situation:

I have am using Labview and the DSC module to create an HMI for a customer.  I am connecting through OPC to a PLC, and I have access to over 1000 tags.  I don't use them all at the same time, but they are in my project.  I have imported them all as Network Shared Bound Variables.  I originally created "Virtual Folders" to store the bound variables by data type.  However, you are not allowed to view and edit them in the Multiple Variable Editor when they are in Virtual Folders.  So, as per recommendation by a Labview Engineer.  I converted all my Virtual Folders into "Libraries".  That worked well for me as I was able to view and edit my shared variables in the multiple variable editor.  But now, as I am attempting to build an application executable, I find that according to this article, I am supposed to combine all of my dependent libraries if I want my library to deploy programmatically.  This will lump 1000 variables all in the same folder where they will no longer be sorted by PLC data type.  It seems NI engineers and documentation are running me in circles, so I was hoping for a better way.  Anybody have any experience with this sort of thing?

[Orion HE]

Any suggestions?

[unclebump]

That's why I liked using the group name in the DSC 7.0 world. Group all of the tags with the same name. I haven't used the new DSC 8.6 yet.

[Burt_S]

Hello,

That is a good question.  I do not know what would be the best architecture for you to resolve this issue, but this is something I am very insterested in looking into.  When looking through the article you linked, I was curious if you had actually received this error or if you just thought that this might be a problem for you in the future.  I will do some more research on this and get back to you with the results. 

[Orion HE]

At one point in time I did recieve that error.  I am asking for advice because I have been stuck for over 4 days on a dsc and shared variable related issue, and the boss is looking over my shoulder and wants results on this fancy new software I sold him on.  Thanks for your interest in my issue.

[Burt_S]

I have been playing around with this problem for a little while and have a couple of suggestions for you.  The first is to place all of your variables within the same library and use the Multiple Variable Editor to sort the variables by data type.  This won't sort them in the project for you, but you will still be able to view and edit your tags by data type.  If this isn't quite what you are looking for, another thing you could try would be to use nested libraries.  Create a library and place your I/O Server inside.  Then create new libraries inside of the original library and arrange the variables inside of these sub-libraries.  You should still be able to edit them all in the Multiple Variable Editor and they should all still deploy because they are technically all still inside the same library as their I/O Server.  Let me know if this helps. 

[Orion HE]

Is this what you are describing?  I have a Library with an OPC server inside that library as well as several other libraries inside that first one with each of these separate libraries containing groups of shared variables linked to different address types on an Automation Direct PLC.  When I run the program through Labview it's fine.  But when I deploy, even on my development computer, no libraries deploy.

Message Edited by Orion HE on 11-24-2008 10:56 AM

[Orion HE]

Could the fact that all of my VIs are inside the main Library have anything to do with this?  Should I relocate them to a different Library reserved for VIs?

[Burt_S]

That is interesting.  To be clear, when you deploy are you getting error 1 like in the article that you linked, or does it simply not work?   You could definitely try to move all of the VIs into a separate library, but I do not know whether or not this will help.  I am going to try to reproduce this and see what happens.  I will keep you posted on my results.

[Orion HE]

At last attempt, no error was kicked out to me when I run the built application.  It just sits there and my NI Distributed System Manager says nothing got deployed.  By the way, I have tried programmatically deploying the main library, the nested libraries, all libraries, as well as packing them in different configurations and locations at build time.