National Instruments Corporation

Jeffrey D Washington

Paul F Austin

Newton G Petersen

Robert E Dye

Hojin Kee

Tai A Ly

Dustyn K Blasig

Ram Kudukoli

Haoran Yi

Mahesh A Ramchandani

Mike Santori

Bob Young

Trevor Petruk

When compiling high level, graphical code (e.g. LabVIEW&#x2122; code) representative of a design, parts of the code that do not depend on external input data may be executed during the compilation process. Specific variables and/or value traces of specific variables in the program, e.g. constant values and/or repeating patterns may be recorded then analyzed, and certain transformations may be applied in the compilation process according to the results of the analysis, thereby optimizing the design. In one approach, the graph may be dynamically stepped through one node at a time, and it may be determined whether all inputs to the stepped-through node are known. If those inputs are known, type conversion and the operation corresponding to the stepped-through node may be dynamically performed. In another approach, a subset of the graphical code not depending on external data may be compiled and executed, thereby obtaining the same results as described above.

Program optimization via compile time execution

Compile time execution

A system and method for programmatically generating a graphical program or a portion of a graphical program in response to receiving user input. The user input may specify functionality of the graphical program or graphical program portion to be generated. In response to the user input, a graphical program (or graphical program portion) that implements the specified functionality may be programmatically generated. Thus, different graphical programs may be generated, depending on the user input received.

Programmatically generating a graphical program in response to user input

A system and method for creating a graphical program that performs a numerical function on at least a subset of a set of data values received over a period of time. The method may utilize a 'collector node', which simplifies these types of common programming tasks. The collector node may be operable to maintain state information regarding received data values and may use the state information to determine a data collection on which to perform a numerical function. The data collection comprises at least a subset of data values that have been received by the collector node. The user may be able to configure the collector mode to determine the data collection in various ways.

Collector node for a graphical program

A system and method for configuring a node in a graphical program by programmatically generating graphical source code associated with the node. The node may initially have no functionality or may have default functionality and may be able to take on different functionality in the graphical program, depending on configuration user input received. User input specifying desired functionality for the node may be received via a GUI. Graphical source code may then be programmatically generated for the node, such that the node is operable to implement the specified desired functionality when the graphical program is executed. Since the graphical source code associated with the node is generated programmatically, a 'minimal' amount of graphical source code may be generated.

Automatically generating a sub-graphical program in response to user input configuring a graphical program node

System and method for programmatically generating a graphical program in response to user input

System and method for programmatically creating graphical program code in a graphical program

A system and various methods for enhancing the readability of a graphical program. In one embodiment, user input specifying desired functionality for a node may be received, and input and/or output terminals for the node may be programmatically created and displayed, based on the user input received. The one or more input/output terminals that are displayed on the node may be a subset of the possible input/output terminals, i.e., a subset that facilitates configuration of the node to accomplish the desired functionality. In another embodiment, an alias may be specified for input/output terminals of a node. For each input terminal or output terminal for which an alias was specified, the aliases may be displayed in the graphical program.

System and method for enhancing the readability of a graphical program

A system and method for creating a graphical program based on a pre-defined program process. Information indicating a plurality of program processes may be displayed. Each program process may have a corresponding graphical program template, wherein each graphical program template comprises a plurality of interconnected nodes for implementing the program process. The user may select the appropriate template, and the template may be programmatically included in the graphical program. In one embodiment, one or more of the nodes that were specified by the template and programmatically included in the graphical program may initially have no definite functionality or may have default functionality. A method for programmatically generating graphical source code for a node may be employed to specify desired functionality for such a node.

System and method for creating a graphical program based on a pre-defined program process

A system and method for enabling a property browser to display properties of sub-objects of a control, such as an ActiveX control. The system and method further enables a user to manipulate properties of sub-objects of the control. The method determines the top level interface of the control and displays the top level properties at the top level interface in a property browser. The property browser also displays an indication of properties which are sub-objects, i.e., properties which themselves have properties. This indicator is typically a conventional plus sign which indicates further elements are available in a hierarchy tree of elements. When the user subsequently selects a property which is a sub-object, the method operates to read the interface of the sub-object property from the type library and then display further top level properties of the interface as necessary.

Property browser which displays properties of sub-objects in an Active X control

A system and method for dynamically substituting colors in graphic images. The color substitution method receives a color to be replaced within the graphic image (Cr) and a new color (Cn). The method also receives a hue variance % value, which indicates the degree of hue variance for which a color substitution is performed. The method then converts the color to be replaced (Cr) to hue, luminance and saturation components (Hr, Lr, Sr), and converts the new color (Cn) to hue, luminance and saturation components (Hn, Ln, Sn). The method also computes a luminance difference Ld&equals;Ln&minus;Lr. Then, for each color element, e.g., each pixel or color command, the method performs a color substitution operation to replace one or more current colors in the graphic image with the new color. The color substitution operation for each color element compares the hue component Hc of the current color (Cc) of a current pixel in the graphic image and determines if Hc matches Hr within the specified hue variance. The method maintains the current color of the current color element unchanged if Hc does not match Hr within the specified hue variance, since the color of the current color element is not sufficiently close to the color desired to be changed. If Hc matches Hr within the specified hue variance, then the method sets the value of Hc to the value of Hn and sets the value of Lc to Lc&plus;Ld in response to determining that Hc matches Hr. After the values of Hc and Lc have been changed appropriately, the method converts the new Hc and Lc values and the Sc value, back to an rgb format to produce a new color for the current color element. This new color is then stored for the respective color element, thereby effecting a color substitution for the respective color element.

Growing community of inventors

Round Rock, TX, United States of America

Jeffrey D Washington