how to run field point vi without the fieldpoint?

[Rob Franks]

I'm running LV 7.1.  I'm writing a vi that uses compact fieldpoint modules for DAQ and control.  The system is located in another lab.  I'd really like to be able to work on the vi at my desktop, but of course not having the cFP connected makes that a problem, at least when I try to run the program.

Is there some sort of "dummy" mode for cFP that will let my system actually run the vi?  The cFP is on a private subnet, so I can't get to it over ethernet (although I guess I could try putting it on the public net).  I could replace all the cFP express vis, I guess, but that would be a real pain to swwitch back and forth.

Thanks, Rob

[Aitortxo]

Hi Rob:

I think there is no "dummy mode". But you can make it!

You can insert all FP calling functions into a case structure.

The case would be selected by a boolean (the same boolean for all), where True would mean Simulated, and False would mean Real.

This boolean would be loaded at startup from an INI file, for example.

You should create the Simulated cases, providing their outputs should return the same values as the real ones.

When you are in the laboratory you can set the boolean to False, and otherways to True.

Hope it helps,

[Jarrod_S.]

That is correct. There is no way to simulate a FieldPoint device. The suggested workaround should work well for you, however. Create some simulated VIs that perform the same task as the FieldPoint writes and reads (at least in terms of what inputs they accept or outputs they have), and place them in the other case in a Case Structure as the FieldPoint VIs.

LabVIEW 8 takes these possibilities one step further with Conditional Disable Structures and Diagram Disable Structures. The difference between these two structures and a Case Structure is that code in the disabled cases doesn't even compile. This means you could even have broken wires or broken subVIs inside the disabled case, and you'd still be able to run your program. In the case of this FieldPoint application, you could use a Conditional Disable Structure that automatically polls the target OS type (Windows, Linux, Pharlap ETS, etc) and selectively compiles one case based on the target OS. This would allow you to seamlessly run VIs on your computer and FieldPoint without modifying any code. The other advantage is that the simulated FieldPoint code wouldn't get compiled when you target your real FieldPoint device, so you wouldn't increase your code size or memory usage unnecessarily for the final product.

Message Edited by Jarrod S. on 04-24-2006 03:51 PM