Guide to LabWindows/CVI Documentation
Use the following information to help you find resources as you develop applications in LabWindows/CVI.
Resources for New Users
Resources for Upgrade Users
Overview Information
Advanced Topics
Context-Sensitive Help
Resources for New Users
- Harbison, Samuel P. and Guy L. Steele, Jr. C: A Reference Manual. Englewood Cliffs, NJ: Prentice-Hall, Inc. 1995. The LabWindows/CVI Help assumes a working knowledge of the C programming language. If you need an additional resource, this book provides a detailed description of the C programming language, as well as suggestions for correct and efficient code writing.
- The Getting Started with LabWindows/CVI manual provides a hands-on introduction to the LabWindows/CVI software. The manual contains exercises that help you become familiar with the LabWindows/CVI development environment and learn to build an application. You also will find an introduction to instrument control and data acquisition.
- Read the LabWindows/CVI Readme for known issues and workarounds. Select Start»All Programs»National Instruments»LabWindows CVI version»LabWindows CVI version Readme to access this document.
Resources for Upgrade Users
- Read the LabWindows/CVI Readme for known issues and workarounds.
Overview Information
The following topics provide an overview of LabWindows/CVI.
- Components of LabWindows/CVI
- LabWindows/CVI Environment
- Workspace Window Overview
- Graphical User Interface
- LabWindows/CVI Compiler
Advanced Topics
For more in-depth information about advanced topics, refer to the following LabWindows/CVI Help topics.
 Multithreading Overview
The Library Reference»User Interface Libary»Multithreading book provides an introduction to multithreading and multithreaded programs. The book also reasons for creating a multithreaded application and considerations for applications. You also can read about LabWindows/CVI functions for creating a multithreaded application.
 Working with Project and File Encoding
The Working with Project and File Encoding book discusses how to write your LabWindows/CVI program so that it is compatible with different types of string encoding. This section includes example code.
- Programming for Multibyte Character Sets in LabWindows/CVI
- Programming for UTF-8 Encoding
- Migrating ANSI Projects to UTF-8
 Building ActiveX Servers in LabWindows/CVI
The Building ActiveX Servers in LabWindows/CVI book provides an introduction to ActiveX/COM technology and a step-by-step guide to building ActiveX servers using the tools and libraries available in LabWindows/CVI.
 Building Networked Applications with the LabWindows/CVI TCP Support Library
The Building Networked Applications with the LabWindows/CVI TCP Support Library book describes how to use the LabWindows/CVI TCP Support Library to build networked applications.
 Instrument Driver Development
The IVI Driver Development Help describes how to develop and add an instrument driver to LabWindows/CVI. You can use this help file to develop instrument drivers to control programmable instruments such as GPIB, VXI, and RS-232 instruments.
Context-Sensitive Help
You can access help in the following ways:
- Press <F1> in a dialog box or when you highlight a menu to open the LabWindows/CVI Help to the topic describing the currently open menu or dialog box.
- Right-click a menu and select Menu Help to view online help for the menu.
- Click the Help button in dialog boxes to display the help topic associated with the dialog box.
- In a Source window, press <F1> while your cursor is on LabWindows/CVI library function name to open the help for that function.
- In Edit Control dialog boxes, press the question mark and click an option in the dialog box to view help for that option.
Using Context-Sensitive Help for Controls in User Interface Windows
You can access help for controls in the UI Editor in the following ways:
- Right-click a control and select Control Help—LabWindows/CVI Help appears with help for that control.
- Select two or more controls of the same subtype and right-click—LabWindows/CVI Help appears with help for that type of control.
- Select a control and press <F1>—Help specific to that control appears.
- Select two or more controls of the same subtype and press <F1>—LabWindows/CVI Help appears with help for that type of control.
- Select a control or multiple controls of the same subtype and select Help»Control Help—Help for the selected control appears.