TDMS Digital Waveform Editor

[Neubee]

Since NI is not supporting niHWS module anymore, how can I edit TDMS waveform file as conveniently as editing HWS file with Digital Waveform Editor? Editing with Excel is not feasible for my case as I have few hundred thousands of data.

[GerdW]

Hi Neubee,

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@Neubee wrote:

how can I edit TDMS waveform file as conveniently as editing HWS file with Digital Waveform Editor? Editing with Excel is not feasible for my case as I have few hundred thousands of data.

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You can read the signals from your TDMS file, edit them with all those signal functions, and write them to a new TDMS file…

What exactly do you want to achieve? (How do you define "edit conveniently"?)

[Neubee]

Hi GerdW,

Thank you for the fast response.

NI Digital Waveform Editor, which supports HWS file, offers waveform creation and editing, graphical display, built in fill function (eg. counting up / down), digital vector design (0, 1, H, L, Z, X). Due to its graphical display, it is easier for the user to visualize the digital waveform. 

I have converted the HWS file to TDMS file format with LabVIEW. I do not wish to convert HWS file to TDMS file everytime I make changes to the digital waveform. ni-HWS is not supported by LabVIEW 2021 and later version anymore. I wonder if there is similar software / way to edit TDMS file with the features like NI Digital Waveform Editor. 

Thanks in advance!

[santo_13]

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@Neubee wrote:

Hi GerdW,

Thank you for the fast response.

NI Digital Waveform Editor, which supports HWS file, offers waveform creation and editing, graphical display, built in fill function (eg. counting up / down), digital vector design (0, 1, H, L, Z, X). Due to its graphical display, it is easier for the user to visualize the digital waveform. 

I have converted the HWS file to TDMS file format with LabVIEW. I do not wish to convert HWS file to TDMS file everytime I make changes to the digital waveform. ni-HWS is not supported by LabVIEW 2021 and later version anymore. I wonder if there is similar software / way to edit TDMS file with the features like NI Digital Waveform Editor. 

Thanks in advance!

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This digital waveform editor was useful when using HSDIO cards, but since those 655x cards are discontinued, I don't think NI plans to invest into a replacement for the waveform editor.

[GerdW]

Hi Neubee,

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@Neubee wrote:

NI Digital Waveform Editor, which supports HWS file, offers waveform creation and editing, graphical display, built in fill function (eg. counting up / down), digital vector design (0, 1, H, L, Z, X). Due to its graphical display, it is easier for the user to visualize the digital waveform. 

I wonder if there is similar software / way to edit TDMS file with the features like NI Digital Waveform Editor. 

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None that I know of…

• There is the TDMSFileViewer to display TDMS signals. You can use it as a starting point…
• "waveform creation", "fill function", "digital vector design" sound similar in their implementation: create a waveform using some parameters. Should be rather simple to implement on your own…
• "waveform editing" requires some more capabilities, but could be feasible using a graph with some cursors…

[Neubee]

Hi Santhosh,

Thank you for the quick explanation to GerdW. Yes, I mainly use digital waveform editor together with NI HSDIO.

Where can I find the info that HSDIO cards are discontinued? I have recently upgraded my LabVIEW version to 2025 but it is still supporting HSDIO driver.

On top of that, do you have any recommendation to replace the work of writing and reading waveform by using HSDIO?

Thank you in advance.

[Neubee]

Hi GerdW,

Thank you for the suggestion. I am aware that I can create and edit TDMS file by using LabVIEW but it is much more troublesome as compared to editing a HWS file with digital waveform editor. That is also why I am asking for such possibility... if anyone in the forum knows or had the same problem I am facing.

[GerdW]

Hi Neubee,

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@Neubee wrote:

Where can I find the info that HSDIO cards are discontinued?

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By reading the entries in the product catalog?

Here it says: "not available anymore"…

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@Neubee wrote:

I have recently upgraded my LabVIEW version to 2025 but it is still supporting HSDIO driver.

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The driver support for older (discontnued) hardware is something different than trying to buy that discontinued old hardware…

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@Neubee wrote:
I am aware that I can create and edit TDMS file by using LabVIEW but it is much more troublesome as compared to editing a HWS file with digital waveform editor. 

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The HWS editor "only" has to manage digital waveforms - a very narrow area of interest and a tool dedicated to that area of iinterest.

TDMS can handle (nearly) any kind of signals(with lots of additional features like groups or properties), so it would be not reasonable to have NI provide an editor for "any kind" of signals.

When YOU want to edit signals, that are stored in TDMS files, then YOU need to create a tool to do so!

You want to edit digital signals: I would rather handle analog signals…

[Neubee]

Hi GerdW,

Yes, you're right... Thank you for the screenshot.