Controlling multiple instruments with one VI

[jawright]

I have 5 instruments that I need to control simutaneously.  Right now, each is controlled separately by its own VI, all of which run in LabVIEW 7.1.  I would like to consolidate control into one panel instead of 5.  I have seen examples of libraries that contain multiple sub-VIs controlled by a main VI, but I cannot figure out how data is passed between them, or how to create a library from my existing VIs.  Is there a way to do this? 

[Dennis_Knutson]

For a simplistic answer, you just have to place your existing VIs into a new top level main VI. In order to pass data from a subVI to a mian, you wire the controls/indicators on the subVI to the subVI's connector pane. These is really basic LabVIEw knowledge and if you don't know how to do this, then you should probably spend some time learning LabVIEW basics. A great starting point is at https://learn.ni.com/learn/article/labview-tutorial.

With 7.1, a library is an llb file and you really don't need to use one of these. They can be handy for distributing an application but should not be used during development. Just keep your VIs in folders.