Getting started with Compact Fieldpoint

[hendra@ngms]

Is there a tutorial document to help get started programming Compact Fieldpoint in LabWindows?

Examples?

[Greg_J]

Are you using the LabWindows/CVI Real-Time Module?  It appears that Compact FieldPoint is explicitly not supported on that module.

- Greg J

[Greg_J]

However, perhaps the Compact FieldPoint Frequently Asked Questions will provide some additional information.

- Greg J

[hendra@ngms]

Greg,

Thanks for teh reply.  Not much in the FAC about programming the cFP controller in LabWindows.  Not real-time.  It is an ongoing frustration how truly awful the NI documentation is on programming with some of the hardware technologies.  Everything is so LabView centric -- CVI is an afterthought. 

It would be so helpful to people just starting to program with cFP, SCXI, etc, to have a tutotial that says,

   This is how you initialize everything and these are all the options

   This is how you read single points, multiple points, and these are all the options

   This is how you write single points, multiple ponts, and these are all the options

   etc, etc,

So I slog through the examples, with no suitable explanations in the function panels.  I'll finish sometime today what I need to do with the three module types in my application.

[Starla_T.]

Hi!

I was able to find a few community examples involving LabWindows/CVI and a FieldPoint: https://forums.ni.com/t5/Example-Programs/ct-p/code-documents

Hope this helps!

Starla T. 

[hendra@ngms]

Starla,

Thank you for finding those examples.  I have looked through two of them and they were helpful.  Most of this work is done now, but I've found an oddity -- I get an IA_Status = 0, ie, successful, when doing a FP_CreateTagIOPoint on a cFP unit that is not powered.  Will the surprises never end....

[Starla_T.]

Hello,

I have experimented with the Create Tag Point function in LabVIEW.   The function does not actually make a connection to Field Point.   Connection is not attempted until you try the Read or Write functions.  Functions in LabVIEW and LabWindows/CVI work the same, just with a different format (graphical vs text).   Therefore I would not expect the FP_CreateTagIOPoint to return an error unless the serverHandle, commName, deviceName, or itemName is invalid.   When you attempt to read or write to the device when it is turned off, you should expect an error.  

Starla T.