Community Nugget, 02/27/2008

[tst]

LabVIEW is a graphical language. As such, we often wish to post images of code to illustrate a point more easily and accurately than describing it with text.

Today's nugget is about a utility designed to make this easier - the Code Capture Tool.

I'm sure some of you are already aware of it and maybe are even using some version of it, but since we've just released the official 1.0 version, I figured it might be a good time to post about it.

For those who don't know it, the CCT is an option in your Tools menu. When you select it, a dialog comes up which lets you select how to capture an image of the current VI. The image is then saved to a file and the path of the file is copied into the clipboard, ready to be pasted in the attachment field. This makes adding images of code to your posts very easy.

Here's an image of the code capture tool capturing an image of itself:

The tool also exposes an API for capturing images of your code which you can use for all kinds of things. It comes with a very simple installer, so all you need to do is download it and run it. You're welcome to provide feedback if you wish.

My thanks go to Ton, who probably did most of the work on this new version and to CC, JP and Altenbach who created the original version.

I'll let Ton's video do the rest:

If you follow the link, you can watch a video demonstrating how to use this tool.

You can find the Code Capture Tool here.

By the way, an interesting contender for the best way of capturing a VI has surfaced recently - a utility which converts a VI into a usable Flash object. It's not currently at a tool level, but who knows, maybe it will be soon. It can be found here.

For a list of past nuggets, see here.

Message Edited by tst on 02-27-2008 10:44 PM

[tst]

OK, here's the video:

[GerdW]

Hi tst,

thanks for this nugget - the CCT is really a wonderful tools menu entry!

But you should note: before downloading from LAVA you have to register in this forum as well...

[tst]

---

GerdW wrote:

But you should note: before downloading from LAVA you have to register in this forum as well...

---

This is only an issue with the Code Repository. You can download from the forums without registering. I'll tell Michael about it.

In the meantime, here's the current version.

Note: the CCT should work with any version later than 6.1.

[Neil.Pate]

This is really a great tool, it makes doing screen caps for user manuals and such a whole lot easier! Great work to all those involved.

Is there a changelog available somewhere?

ps: although the zip file says its build 137 it is actually 139. Not that it reallt matters I suppose

[Ray.R]

Thanks for the Nugget tst,

This will be handy for people like me who prefer pictures to words.. 😉 

[RavensFan]

This has been a great tool, and this latest version has really been polished.  The installer VI works great.

However, if you already have the older version of the tool, it will show up twice in the tools menu, once for the old and once for the new.  It looks like deleting the Code Capture Tool.llb from the c:\Program Files\National Instruments\ LV X.X\Project directory will take care of that?

Does anything else need to be done to clear out traces of the old version of the tool?

[parthabe]

Yeah, the CCT is a great tool for manual & documentation purposes!

I ve recently changed my job; and it has been a good last month of doing the VI documentation & the project manual using the CCT in my previous company, with the older version from Starware post in the Breakpoint forum.

Now, in my current company, the first thing I installed for LV is the CCT latest version from LAVA.

[TCPlomp]

---

@tst wrote:

---

@GerdW wrote:

But you should note: before downloading from LAVA you have to register in this forum as well...

---

This is only an issue with the Code Repository. You can download from the forums without registering. I'll tell Michael about it.

In the meantime, here's the current version.

Note: the CCT should work with any version later than 6.1.

---

Sorry to disappoint you, the first version that is  supported is 7.0. It is simply not possible to capture an image of the BD in LabVIEW 6.
In the meantime, Michael Availiotis has enabled the download of Code Repository items without logging in!

Ton

PS most of the great ideas are from Tst

[parthabe]

---

@TonP wrote:

---

@tst wrote:

---

@GerdW wrote:

But you should note: before downloading from LAVA you have to register in this forum as well...

---

This is only an issue with the Code Repository. You can download from the forums without registering. I'll tell Michael about it.

In the meantime, here's the current version.

Note: the CCT should work with any version later than 6.1.

---

Sorry to disappoint you, the first version that is  supported is 7.0. It is simply not possible to capture an image of the BD in LabVIEW 6.
In the meantime, Michael Availiotis has enabled the download of Code Repository items without logging in!

Ton

PS most of the great ideas are from Tst

---

Hi Ton,

I think thats what tst meant to say...