Dev1 needed for some DAQmx parameters but /Dev1 for others

[SteveP]

Some DAQmx VI's such as Create Channel use Dev to specify their input parameter while others such as Digital Start Trigger Source or Sample Clock Source require a leading "/" as in /Dev1.  Is this done intentionally because they are different terminal types ?

[Seth_B.]

Hello Steve,

The main difference here is the difference between "physical channels" and "terminals".  A physical channel is defined without the backslash and can usually be specified in ranges (e.g. "Dev1/ai0:8").  A terminal is a single physical location is and defined by an absolute references to that location (e.g. "/Dev1/ai/SampleClock")  A good explanation of the difference is in the NI-DAQmx at the following locations:

NI-DAQmx Key Concepts » Channels and Tasks in NI-DAQmx » Channels, Physical Versus Virtual » Physical Channel Syntax

and

NI-DAQmx Key Concepts » Terminals » Terminal Names » Syntax for Terminal Names

Hope this clarifies.