Read a text file from Labview web server (http)

[programer]

I will have a computer conected to internet with a fixed IP address, acquiring data of a system. A Labview 6.0i software will write an incremental text file containing data acquired and I need to show that data in another computer.

A simple way is to enable Labview web server and publish the front panel as an image. But I need to download a new picture on every refresh of the browser in the remote computer.

If I put that file in the Labview web server directory (C:\program files\National Instruments\LabVIEW 6\www), I can see it in the remote computer using an web browser.

Question: is there a simple way (not using data socket) to read that file with Labview 6.0i in the remote computer, like it can be read as a local file? Is it possible to use some vi like "Read From Spreadsheet File.vi", reading directly that remote file (addressing like http://aaa.bbb.ccc.ddd/textfile.txt)?

My idea is to have another software in the remote computer, showing that remote data, but reading directly the file.

[CoastalMaineBird]

Where is the picture coming from? Is the "server" LabVIEw program generating it?

If so, then you're better off not dealing with the files, but put a TCP listener in your LV Server, and query it using TCP OPEN in the client. You'll have to manage dividing it up into blocks, but that's not terrible.

Another alternative is to send the data via the same mechanism.

Another alternative is for your server VI to read the file and send it via TCP.

All these require you to take your gloves off and deal straight with TCP, but it's not difficult, and VERY flexible.