User Select File Path Before Running Rest of VI?

[NT_Engineer]

I am designing a system where data is being acquired and written to 12 data files, and I would like to have the operator have the option of selecting the data path while keeping the filenames of the individual files constant. It is necessary for the data not to be acquired until the operator completes the prompt so the data acquisition and writing are synchronized.  How can design my VI to not start the data acquisition and writing the data until the operator has selected the file path?

I've attached my program below. It has a producer/consumer design with two consumer loops. One consumer loop will process and write the data and the other controls a water bath based on the data that is acquired.

[AdnanZ]

I would have a state machine architecture and wouldn't progress onto the next state unless the file path control had a valid data path in it. The next state could have my DAQ architecture.

[Ben_S]

NT_Engineer,

Hello! If I understand what you are asking correctly, you just want to have the user select a file path before you start your data acquisition, control, and file writing. Is this correct?

There are multiple ways in which you could do this.

1. As mentioned previously you could design your VI to operate like a State Machine.
2. A flat sequence structure could be used to first execute a dialog portion of your code, and then the data acquisition portion.
3. You could use an event structure to not start your program until a user clicked  "Done" button.

Let me know if this is what you were asking.