Configuring Web server for Remote Front Panels programatically.

[CodePeasant]

Updated a LabVIEW application from 8.5 to 2012. Used Remote Front Panel server configured using the application/vi properties and method nodes. Client would use application/vi methods to connect to the server. Both executing in the run-time environment (no web browser). No longer works after rebuilding in 2012. Attached is the Remote Panel Methods example shipped with 2012 tailored slightly to test the environment. Please advise.

[JefeL]

Does the shipping example function properly without modifications?

Are you using a 2012 shipping example or upgrading a shipping example from LabVIEW 8.5?

When modifications are made, what errors do you experience and how does the applications behavior differ from expected behavior?

[CodePeasant]

Jeff L,

To answer your questions directly: The shipping example does not work without modifications.  The non modified examples did ship with 2012.   For this modifed example I included, the server runs just fine although i'm not sure the application WebSrvr.Active and WebSrvr.Port property nodes work since the indicators remain false and 0 respectively.  On the client an Error 56 occured at the Application RP.Open Connection To Server method (connection timed out).

Don't take my word for it; I strongly encourage you to try to get the out of the box LabVIEW 2012 Remote Panel examples to work.  You'll find them at the LabVIEW 2012\examples\remotepanel\ folder.  Now before you comment on the fact that LabVIEW no longer supports the VI FP.Open property, open my example and see why I modified it from the shipped example.  I replaced this with the VI FP.Open method.  The subVI Invoke VIInNewThread.vi is a canned VI developed specifically to prepare a VI for use in a Remote Front Panel server application (which works successfully in 8.5.1). The SetupAppVars.vi is another canned VI developed specifically to prepare a software run environment to access the application or vi directory, setup a standardized log file location and unique name for the running instance, and proivde a way to port a software name throughout the code.  Just one of several housekeeping VIs for larger programs.

[CodePeasant]

Update:

Have been working with Matthew Roberts, AE at large.  He and i have been working through the steps to see what Remote Panel Server (correct name for this capability, i think) functionality exists in LabVIEW 2012. 

We have found that the example that ships with LabVIEW 2012  (examples\remotepanel\RemotePanelMethods-Server.vi & RemotePanelMethods-Client.vi) works only if a project is not concurrently open in LabVIEW.

Open the RemotePanelMethods-Server.vi and run it without opening a project and it will open the WebServer port you specify in the Remote Panel Server section of the Web Server category page under LabVIEW >> Tools >> Options.  This implementation of Remote Panel Server (where another instance of LabVIEW Professional Development System or a LabVIEW run-time environment using the Run-Time Menu Operate >> Connect To Remote Panel functionality connects to a vi), doesn't seem to work the same since LabVIEW 8.x and I think its due to the introduction of the new Web Services in 2009.

I remember at the end of one of the presentations at NI Week 2012, I think it was Jonah Paul's "Selecting the right technology...", several users, myself included, asked about Remote Panel Server because we'd upgraded and found the capibility changed.  If you are one of these users who wonder what happened to this capablity please post and let us know if its something you want looked into and hopefully fixed. Remote Panels works just fine with web browser clients so i'm not referring to that.  Please read the preceeding paragraph to see what specific capibility i am referring to.