Glossary

   

---

ActiveX

A loosely defined set of technologies developed by Microsoft ”we're talking about ActiveX components .

ADA

A programming language.

ATE (Automatic Test Equipment)

Tests the products under computer control.

Auto-Indexed

If you put an array into a For Loop and don't wire the number of increments , it will iterate every element in the array, passing that element data into the Loop.

Baud

The rate at which you can get your serial port to talk.

BCD (Binary Coded Decimal)

A numbering format for describing decimal numbers in 4 bits.

Bespoke Software

Software that is designed from scratch to the customer's requirements.

C ++

A programming language that is object oriented.

CASE Tools (Computer Aided Software Engineering Tools)

CASE Tools help to automate the software engineering process by linking the design, documentation and management.

Cluster

A LabVIEW variable holder.

Coercion Dot

LabVIEW puts it on the diagram when converting one representation number to another.

Cohesion

A software design term , see text.

Component Interaction Diagram

A basic component-based data flow diagram.

Coupling

A software design term, see text.

ctl

Suffix of a saved control.

CVI

National Instruments' C-based software.

DAQ

National Instruments and others use it as a generic term for data acquisition equipment. Also, National Instruments' own line of internal PC cards for data acquisition.

Data Flow Paradigm

Data flows in on the inputs and out on the outputs and is processed in between. A program is several of these structures linked together by their inputs and outputs.

Decoupling

Removing the connection.

Delphi

Borland's "Visual" Pascal.

DFD (Data Flow Diagram)

The notation used for structured analysis.

Digital Multiplexing

Allows you to monitor many ports by the use of enabling signals. You make certain ports live by setting a clock or input.

DIO (Digital Input and Output)

What you use to get your 1s and 0s in and out of the computer. Used for driving relays, detecting switches, interfacing and so on.

DMM (Digital Multimeter)

A piece of measurement equipment which can measure Volts, current, resistance and more.

DSP (Digital Signal Processing)

Manipulation of analogue signals that have been converted into a digital format.

Encapsulation

A software design term, see text.

Enumerated Type

An unsigned integer in the form of a list.

G

LabVIEW.

GPIB (General Purpose Interface Bus)

Also referred to by its original name , HPIB, and IEEE-488, its standard. The GPIB was invented by Hewlett-Packard at the end of the 1960s.

GUI (Graphical User Interface)

The mouse driven user interface we've become so used to. Rather than the text based interfaces of the past.

HPBasic

A programming language that is Hewlett-Packard's test language for their 680x0-based workstations. It also comes in PC and UNIX flavors.

I/O (Input/Output)

Input is the data going in, output is the data going out.

ICs (Integrated Circuits)

A small semiconductor device.

Information Hiding

A software design term, see text.

Java

A programming language that is Sun Microsystems' tidied up version of C++, with the pointers removed.

LabVIEW (Laboratory Virtual Instrument Engineering Workbench)

A programming language.

LCOD (LabVIEW Component Oriented Design)

A method by designing software using LabVIEW.

LED (Light Emitting Diode)

Pass current through it and it will light. Many LabVIEW controls emulate these.

Merge VIs

A way to reuse block diagrams.

Methodology

A way of working that provides the framework to accomplish a particular function.

Modularity

Breaking a problem into smaller "modules" makes the design process more intellectually manageable. Modularity is the measure of the number of modules used in a software design. For module think subVI or subroutine.

Multithreaded

A single program can have several operations running in the processor at any one time.

MUX (Multiplexer)

A method of splitting a single signal into many. We are referring to a type of switching system.

NI (National Instruments)

The company that created LabVIEW. They want to sell you lots of hi-tech goodies .

m V

A microvolt.

Noun

A word used to describe.

Object Oriented

A software design technique where rather than concentrate on functionality the designer searches for objects, their attributes, and the relationships between them.

OOA (Object Oriented Analysis)

Understanding the problem using Object Oriented techniques.

OOD (Object Oriented Design)

Translating the results from the analysis stage into a software blueprint. One advantage being that the notations from the analysis stage are the same.

OOP (Object Oriented Programming)

Converting the design into the finished application using Object Oriented methods .

Paradigm

A set of assumptions, concepts, or values.

Pascal

A programming language.

Polymorphic

Can adapt to many shapes and data types.

Primitives

These are the lowest level base functions in a language, as provided by the language vendor. Nearly everything is written using them.

Problem Domain

Everything to do with the problem for which your software will be the solution.

PSU (Power Supply Unit)

QuickBasic

A programming language that is an older version of BASIC. It was the precursor to Visual Basic, without the visual part.

Ring-fence

When you drag a load of code with your cursor and turn it into a subVI by using Edit>>Create subVI.

RS232

A serial communications standard.

Scope

An abbreviation for oscilloscope.

Shift Registers

Used in While Loop and For Loop structures to pass data from one iteration to another. You can also use them to hold data in a subVI.

sig.gen.

An abbreviation for signal generator.

SmallTalk

A real OO language.

Source Code

The stuff in your block diagram.

State Transition Diagram

A diagram for mapping the states and transitions of state machines.

Strict Type Definition

If you set your control to this, any instances of it, including constants, will be updated when you update the original. The Strict part ensures that all the instances are physically similar throughout your software.

Structured Software Design

A design methodology that is the basis of LabVIEW.

Syntactical Errors

You typed it wrong.

TCP/IP (Transmission Control Protocol/Internet Protocol)

Your network or Internet probably uses it to communicate between computers.

Test Stub

A VI designed purely to test another VI.

Transducer

Converts one form of energy to another.

Tunnel

When data goes into a structure it makes a tunnel (little blob).

Turbo Pascal

A programming language ”Borland's version of Pascal.

UCLA Pascal

A programming language.

UI (User Interface)

The users method of interacting with a system.

UML (Unified Modeling Language)

A combination of older Object Oriented modeling languages. Used to describe systems.

VB (Visual Basic)

A programming language ”Microsoft's rapid development language.

Verb

A doing word.

VI (Virtual Instrument)

A LabVIEW program, so called because they originally imitated real instruments on your computer.

Wrapper VI / Component

This is a VI you put around another VI to make it more abstract and to simplify its interface.

---

Top