How can I call and operate 3rd party software with LabView?

[Little Nemo]

Hi there!

What I'm trying to do, is to have LabView take pictures of my testing rig at certain times.

What I've got is a Camera (Canon S50) connected via USB and the matching Remote Capture software (which is btw. freeware).

Now I wonder wheter it is possible to start and operate this software with LabView, i.e. pressing shortcuts as ctrl+o to connect the camera and F1 to take a picture.

So far I figured out that the System Exec VI can open the Remote Capture software, but now I want to send comands to the software as if I were clicking on buttons or using shortcuts or just a simple return.

Alternatively I wonder whether it is possible to comunicate with the camera directly via USB using LabView?

Zillion thanks for any help ...

[smercurio_fc]

Well, you could try messing around with the keyboard and have LabVIEW send keystrokes to the application, though that's unlikely to work. You might want to check out NI-IMAQ for USB cameras.

[Little Nemo]

Hm ... the problem is that the NI-IMAQ for USB cameras only recognizes USB cameras, like web cams etc. It does not recognize my digital camera. I do not necessarily have to be able to read the pictures straight into LabVIEW, since I can import them afterwards straight from the hard drive.

[zou]

> What I'm trying to do, is to have LabView take pictures of my testing rig at certain times.

> What I've got is a Camera (Canon S50) connected via USB and the matching Remote Capture software (which is btw. freeware).

> Now I wonder wheter it is possible to start and operate this software with LabView, i.e. pressing shortcuts as ctrl+o to connect the camera
> and F1 to take a picture.

You can use System Exec.vi to launch the application, and simulate key press to send ctrl+o, and F1 to the application.

For simulate key press, just search this forum.

Good luck.


George Zou
http://gtoolbox.yeah.net