Setting FPGA register: using the reference pass-through

[jbeale1]

Basic Labview FPGA question. When I am using a FPGA Read/Write control to set a register in an FPGA, is there any difference between using a FPGA reference "pass through" (connecting FPGA VI Reference Out on one block to FPGA VI Reference In on the next) or directly sharing the same reference node?  Below image illustrates the two alternate connections: are these functionally the same? If so, why is there a reference out? Is it just to keep the wiring diagram neater?

[nathand · Accepted solution]

Yes, these two are identical, as they would be for any reference type in LabVIEW. The top version is a lot cleaner, though, isn't it? Also, if for some reason you didn't want to use the error wire, the reference wire here provides an alternate way to enforce order of execution.

Note, also, that you can drag down the Read/Write node to read and write multiple items in a single node, and they can be a mix of read and write.