Software tools

A collection of 43 posts

TDMS Headers

Our TDMS Headers has officially been published to the NI Tools Network. It makes it easier to read and write cluster of data as properties for tdms files. Simply pass it a cluster and it does the rest. Check it out on the NI Tools Network Check it out the
1 min read
Gitflow the easy way

Gitflow the easy way

You may have heard of Gitflow. It was first proposed here nearly 10 years ago. If you are like me, when I first saw it, I was a little overwhelmed. I certainly got the idea of making use of git’s powerful branching model, and not simply developing in master.
1 min read
Caraya Review

Caraya Review

Caraya is a popular Unit Testing solution from JKI. Compared to JKI VI Tester, Caraya seems to be newer and better supported. In fact while conducting this review I found a small bug. I reported it and it was fixed within 24 hours. The Caraya paradigm is different from the
4 min read
Insta Coverage

Insta Coverage

I first heard about InstaCoverage at NI Week 2018. I was part of a panel discussing Unit Testing. Peter Bokor gave a brief presentation right before the panel started on a new unit testing tool IncQuiry Labs had created called InstaCoverage. He really emphasized the code coverage calculation. This is
7 min read
Using JKI VI Tester

Using JKI VI Tester

If you have been following my posts, you will know that I am a big fan of JKI VITester. It is my goto Unit Tester. Why? Mostly because it is an implementation of xUnitStyle testing, which means that I can easily use all of the great patterns outlined in xUnit
5 min read

Events for UI Actor Indicators

Allen Smith and I have been working on a side project we called Events for UI Actor Indicators for a couple months (we’ve both been busy lately).  It started with a discussion at a CLA summit in Austin.  That prompted Allen to come up with an idea and then
1 min read
How to use VIPM effectively

How to use VIPM effectively

My friend Matt Richardson recently suggested I write a post about how I use packages in my workflow, particularly how I use VIPM. This is my response. Matt, hopefully I answered all your questions. What is VIPM? VIPM stands for VI package manager. It is a free tool made by
7 min read

AF Tester Now On GitLab

At the recent CLA Summit, there was a lot of talk about collaboration particularly about open source projects hosted on sites such as GitLab. I’m proud to announce that the AF Tester project that I’ve showcased in some of my recent presentations is now available on GitLab as
1 min read
Using Virtual Machines Part 2

Using Virtual Machines Part 2

This is second of a 2 part series on using Virtual Machines for LabVIEW development.  You can check out part 1 here.  Part 1 discusses why we use virtual machines.  This article will discuss a little more of the how.  I’m not going to give away all my secrets,
12 min read

Finding LabVIEW Version of a File

Since I do consulting, I often end up inheriting code.  Often I get called in because someone had hired a LabVIEW developer to write some code for them and then the LabVIEW developer had disappeared, either retired or moved, or got another job or something similar.  Luckily they usually leave
3 min read

Introducing Automatic Version Manager (AVM) for LabVIEW

Automatic Version Manager (AVM) for LabVIEW This video is a  demo of some software I wrote called Automatic Version Manager for LabVIEW.  AVM is a solution for dealing with multiple versions of LabVIEW installed on the same computer.  If you have ever used multiple versions of LabVIEW on the same
5 min read

Creating CHM Help Files

Help Files If you are not creating help files for your applications, you should seriously consider it.  How many times have you written an application and then one of the users comes to ask you how to do perform some task in the software?  When I was writing software for
4 min read

Alternative to LabVIEW's Installer Builder

Most people who develop software in LabVIEW are familiar with the installer build process from within LabVIEW.  If you haven’t built an installer from within LabVIEW, it is similar to building an executable.  The first step is to build your executable.  Next you right click on Build Specifications in
3 min read

Development Server Setup

Software Developers often use a development server which runs version control and bug tracking software. Version control systems, such as Subversion, keep copies of each iteration of the source code. This allows developers to roll back changes if need be to fix bugs or broken code. Bug tracking software, such
8 min read

Hidden Gems in LabVIEW

January ALARM Meeting Summary I recently made apresentation on Wednesday the 20th at the ALARM meeting.  ALARM stands for Advandced LabVIEW Architects of the Rocky Mountains.  This is a NI sponsored LabVIEW users group.    We meet every other month alternating between Loiusville and Golden, Colorado.  There is free food.  Lots
2 min read