View Front panel runing on RT target

[ramses64]

Hi,

I developped an application on SBRIO, and it works fine on developpment : when I launch the main VI, it is loaded on RT target.
Now I want to find the best way to run my application on any PC (just with Labview Run Time Engine).

I found this link : http://digital.ni.com/public.nsf/allkb/F8E716543334806286256BC9007CF3EB, and if I well understood, I could run an .exe on a desktop pc, and this would deploy the application on my RT target.
The problem is that I didn't found the option  "on the Application Settings tab when running the Application Builder."

Any idea ?

Best Regards,

[Freelance_LV]

Hi

Which version of LabVIEW are you using?

The KB article mentioned in your post is valid for LV version below 8.0. For your ref: There is another article on the Applicaiton Builder, linked to, in the same page under 'Related Links'.

If you are using later versions of LabVIEW, you will be building the RT installer from the RT Target on the LabVIEW Project.

When you open the Application (EXE) builder by the following steps:

Build specifications -> Build Real Time Application:

In the  'Source File Settings' page, click 'Customize VI Properties'.  There you can modify the 'Show Front panel when called' settings as you need.

[ramses64]

HI,

i'm using labview 2010, so you're wright.

I don't understand what you're saying.

In my project, I have 2 build specifications :
     - Build specifications for RT (where I made a rtexe)

     - Build specifications for PC : I cannot do anything, because the main vi has to be on RT host.

So when I start the application on RT host, the host can't open any front panel, isn't it ?

Thanks for your help...

[Freelance_LV]

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@ramses64 wrote:

In my project, I have 2 build specifications :
     - Build specifications for RT (where I made a rtexe)

---

When you made the rtexe, you opened a window where you selected the RT vi etc to build the EXE. right?

In this window, as attached in the picture, you have the 'Source File Settings' page. You can see the 'Customize VI Settings' button in this page, when you select the Main VI.

Click this button and then you can set the VI settings.

Try this and let me know.

One more question:

---

@ramses64 wrote:

  - Build specifications for PC : I cannot do anything, because the main vi has to be on RT host.

So when I start the application on RT host, the host can't open any front panel, isn't it ?

---

what are you doing with the RT Main VI Front panel? Where is your GUI? Is it on the RT or on the PC?

[Norbert_B]

RT does not have a graphical display. Therefore, the front panel is always removed for VIs if used on RT targets.

What you are referring to (i assume) is that LV does, in background, create a "communication channel" between RT target and host for you during development. So you run the VI on the host and "see its front panel 'live' on the host".

This is not the way it does and should work for finished applications (RT Startup.exe).

For information about "how to implement a professional solution", you should search for "reference architectures", esp. for cRIO.

Here one example on how such a reference architecture can look like.

hope this helps,

Norbert 

[ramses64]

Hi,

thanks for your reply.
The only way I found is to use network shard variables to communicate between PC and RT host : I hate theses variables, and don't want to use them.

Is there any other way ?

It's verry frustrating to implement a VI which well works, and then arrive to the end and realize that it's not as simple as a classic LabVIEW program...

[Norbert_B]

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@ramses64 wrote:

[..]

Is there any other way ?
[..]

---

Sure, plenty:

- Network Streams

- STM

- Any other kind of TCP/UDP based communication protocol (be it "open source" or proprietary) 

EDIT: You could also create your own webservice for the RT application. 

[ramses64]

Hi Norbert,

thanks for your reply. When I said "is there any other way", it's "is there any other way without developping a new program" !

I tried to use network shared variables, but there are big problems of access, and the refreshing speed isn't fast enough : I have a speed indicator which isn't smooth (I'm using a while loop at 10ms to read the variable).

I'm verry desappointed with Labview Real-Time : there are a lot of bugs, and it's not user friendly...

[Norbert_B]

---

@ramses64 wrote:

[..]I'm verry desappointed with Labview Real-Time : there are a lot of bugs, and it's not user friendly...[..]

---

Hm, ok, there are bugs, sure. But i wouldn't say "a lot of"....

And you have to acknowledge that RT is NO Windows. So there are some rules you have to follow or you will mess up with the determinism.

Another thing i have to point out:

Updating visual elements with a time frame of 10ms DOES NOT MAKE ANY SENSE.

The human eye has about 25fps (frames per second), so updating HMI at a faster rate cannot be seen by an average user, so it is unecessary work. In general, updating HMI is usually recommended at 100-200ms, so 5-10Hz.

just my 2 cents,

Norbert 

[Wayne.C]

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ramses64 wrote:

[..]I'm verry desappointed with Labview Real-Time : there are a lot of bugs, and it's not user friendly...[..]

---

My experience has been that the learning curve with RT is steep.  There are a lot of small details pertaining to the particular RT OS and the hardware that need to be managed.  Network variables are not perfect for all situations.  They can quickly peg your cpu is used incorrectly.  One trick for the shared variable is to use programatic access.  Much more flexibility.