Controlling Labview program with Tablet

[albre]

Hi there. I have a big Labview program that makes use of sbRios and MyRios running on a pc. I would like for a tablet to be able to control the program. For example, visitors come and just by using the tablet they can start the simulation, pause it, play with the controls ( fire a missile, start a fault), etc.

What would the best approach be? What kind of tablet do I need? and how do I set this up? Do i need to install labview in the tablet and copy my program there> Please help.

[MaxJoseph]

What operating system is running on the tablet?

If you can get .exe's to run then you will probably get something working relatively easily, but it might run into problems if it makes calls to OS level functions that are not there!

[albre]

I was thinking about buying a windows-based tablet, but I just wanted to make sure that what I want to do is possible. The labview programming itself will be done on a desktop computer that is connected to the Rio's, I just want to use the tablet to run the simulation, pause it, activate components, etc..

[Patrem1]

I remember controlling a Vi from a web page, but it was a long time along.

Maybe this can help you : 

Issue Details

How do I publish my VI so that I can control or view its front panel from a web page?

https://knowledge.ni.com/KnowledgeArticleDetails?id=kA00Z0000019LsaSAE&l=en-CA

[RTSLVU]

The easiest way would be to use the built in LabVIEW web server and "remote panels", then any tablet can control your program using any web browser  .

Okay not ANY... but any tablet who's browser supports the plugin needed to run LabVIEW remote panels.

Also for Android Tablets there's the  LabVIEW Data Dashboard last time I looked at it it was not useful for much though.

[Darin_G]

I would encourage you to try out the LabVIEW NXG Web Module to write a WebVI to show on the device, and then augment your LabVIEW 201x apps to speak WebSockets. There are other options to transfer data to a WebVI if you prefer.

Here is some background on the Web Module overall, that I posted recently:

https://forums.ni.com/t5/NI-Blog/Designing-LabVIEW-NXG-Web-Integration/ba-p/3854244

In the upcoming 3.1 release, we are adding a few things that should make your job much simpler:

 1) support for "flexible layout" which will relayout the panel controls as your iPad is rotated

 2) support for "WebSockets" to let you stream data directly from a LabVIEW 201x app with the MediaMongrels WebSockets Library to the WebVI built with NXG.I recently made an app that did this and posted in the Web Module Lead User forum here.

Adding a WebVI to an existing application is a great example of a healthy and measured way to mix LabVIEW + LabVIEW NXG.  NOTE: Web Module is not free, but there is an evaluation version you can try out for free. It is also available to anyone with an NI enterprise agreement.

[aptivo]

As a simple workaround you could run your program on a standard Windows PC and connect via remote desktop or any other remote control software to that PC. Therefore you will not run into browser plugin or any other issues.

[Darin_G]

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It is also available to anyone with an NI enterprise agreement.

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Correction:
Web Module is available to anyone with an Academic Site License (ASL) or Alliance Partner Software (APS).

[Kirinos]

I have a situation with two Microsoft Surface Go tablets that monitor and control a main LabVIEW application. The very low end Surface Gos cost $300 and are perfectly capable for remote control. I use Network Streams and push real-time data at 300 Hz to each tablet with virtually no processor load. They work great over WiFi and wired Ethernet (required in an operating theater). This approach allows all LabVIEW screen layout and communication. You can develop entirely on a desktop with the tablet application running along side and then pushing out for user testing.