NI Community

Help

    • The NI Discussion Forums provide a place for NI hardware and software users to collaborate, troubleshoot, and learn from one another. The NI Forums are a hub for education and thought leadership and also provide a place for users to give feedback on how to improve and extend our products.

      • Guests (unregistered visitors) can browse or search the boards for information.
      • Registered members can browse, search, post messages, give kudos, track discussions, mark solutions, and receive email notifications for new posting activity.

      To receive help with a technical question:

      1. Navigate to the appropriate board based on the product you are working with
      2. Post your question
      3. Allow other users to offer assistance and advice.
      4. Be patient. The NI Forums are made up of extremely knowledgeable and proficient users who all engage in this space on their own time and by their own accord. Please be respectful and thorough in your question asking.
    • You are essential to the Community. By posting questions and sharing answers, not only do you contribute to a unique, customer-built knowledgebase, but you also become part of a virtual support network extending across literally hundreds of thousands of potential users.

      We encourage you visit often and participate. Come with your toughest issues- chances are, someone has a solution or can point you in the right direction. If you find a solution that works, let others know, and pass along your own tips and insights- you just may have the answer someone else has been seeking!

      Please remember to thank fellow users who have assisted you. Show your appreciation by giving Kudos to helpful messages, posting thank you replies, marking a solution, or sending positive feedback to Forum management.

      We want the community to be appropriate, friendly, informative, and fun for everyone.

      Be sure to read the Community Terms of Service and the community's Rules and Guidelines (link to user guidelines posted to feedback board) so that you know what to expect and what is expected of you when you're here.

    • In order to get the best help and support from other community members, always make sure to respectfully post as much detailed information as possible in the clearest, most concise way possible (i.e. refraining from languages such as SMS). Please provide a good background description of your system. Useful items to include in your first post would be the following:

      • Specific hardware used (for example, PCI-6221 or USB-6008)
      • All software and drivers used (include versions)
      • Operating system
      • Snapshots/images of important code snippits
      • Error number and/or detailed error message description

        Please keep in mind that not all forum members have been working with LabVIEW or NI software or hardware for years. Many of them are new to the products.

        Treat each member on the forum with common courtesy, respect, and understanding, please. This is a platform used to help users resolve their issues and gain knowledge from more experienced users.

        Any spam that is posted to the forums will be removed promptly.

    • Changing your avatar is an easy way to personalize your community identity. You can change your avatar as often as you like. Your current avatar appears at the top of the Avatar page.


      To change your avatar:

      1. Sign in to your community account.
      2. Go to My Settings > Avatars.
      3. Choose a new avatar in one of these ways:
        • Choose an avatar from the Community collection. (Choose an avatar collection and click the avatar your want.)
        • Use an image from your Image Gallery. (Click From Image Gallery and click the image you want.) You can only use this option if you have uploaded images that have been approved.
        • If you have been granted permission, use your Facebook profile photo as your avatar. (Click From Facebook and click Set Avatar.
        • If you have been granted permission, use an image from the web. (Click From the Web and enter the URL for the image. Then, click Set Avatar.

    • Your signature is text that appears at the bottom of every message you post to the boards.
      1. Login to the Forum.
      2. Click the My Profile link.
      3. Click on the Personal Profile tab.
      4. On the Personal Profile tab, fill in the text you want for you signature in the Signature field.
        Simple HTML is allowed.
      5. Click Save Changes.
      1. Login to the Forum.
      2. Click the My Profile link.
      3. Click the Personal Profile tab.
      4. Find the Personal Profile section and fill in any fields you want to share.
        By default, any information you type in this section is shown to no one. However, you can choose to share it with everyone. This setting is found in the Personal Privacy Settings section on the Preferences tab.
    • Your Friends List is a way to create your own community within a community.

      Depending on your privacy settings, the people on your Friends List can see your biography, other personal information, or online status. If you send private messages, you can choose friends from a list instead of typing their user names.

      Note: Your Friends List is available only if your community supports private messages.

      To add people to your Friends List:

      1. Sign in to the community.
      2. Click the user name of a friend to see the friend's About user name page.
      3. Click Add user name to Friends.

      Note: You can remove a person from your Friend's List by clicking "Remove from Friends". Additionally, you can click "Ignore" to prevent specific users from contacting you.

    • There are a number of display preferences you can set for your Forum experience. For example, you can change your Time Zone, customize the way you view the message boards and the Forums home page, and change your Personal Privacy Settings to set the amount of information other users can view in your profile. Click the question mark icon next to any setting for a detailed explanation. To modify:
      1. Log into the Forum.
      2. Click the My Profile link.
      3. Click the Preferences tab.
      4. Make any changes you wish.
      5. Click Save Changes.
    • Go to the board you want to post on, and click the New Message link near the top of the message list. Next, you will execute a search for your question. Enter your question into the search box and click Go. Review the possible solutions for an answer to your question. If the possible solutions do not address your question, click Post This Question to ask your question to the NI Discussion Forum community.

      On the Post Message page, you will see a Subject area and a Body area.

      1. In the first field, the Subject field, type a title for your message.
        This is the only part of the message that shows up on the message listing page, so try to make it something that will be clear and concise. Use keywords about your topic.
      2. In the second field, the Body field, type your message. Put details about your topic here. Use the WYSIWYG (What You See Is What You Get) Editor to format your post for easier reading. If you are posting on a technical topic, it is helpful to include all pertinent information regarding your inquiry in the body.
      3. If you want, you can click Check Spelling to look for misspelled words, or you can click Preview Post to see what your post will look like on the boards.
      4. When you are happy with your message, click the Submit Post button.
        Your message will be added to board and everyone else on the board will be able to read it.
    • Click Reply to respond to a particular post.

      The Reply Message screen is similar to the Post Message screen, with these differences:

      • When you reply to a post, the subject line is filled in automatically. You can change it if you want.
      • You can paste the message to which you are replying into the body of your reply by clicking Quote Message.

      Your reply is added the existing thread; it won't create a new thread.

    • Yes. You can use macros to create boilerplate text that you can paste into any message. You can create up to 9 macros.

      To set up a macro for boilerplate text:

      1. Sign in to the community.
      2. Go to My Settings > Macros.
      3. Enter a short but memorable name in the Macro Title field.
      4. In the Macro box, enter your boilerplate text. (You can use HTML tags if your community allows it.)
      5. Click Save.

      Tip: To add text at the bottom of your posts, you can include that text as part of your signature instead of using a macro.

      To add your boilerplate text to a post:

      1. Go to a post.
      2. In the comment area, place your cursor where you want to add the boilerplate text.
      3. Open the Macros menu and select the macro you want to add.
    • The NI Idea Exchange is a public collection of customer-submitted product suggestions. NI R&D reviews these ideas and incorporates many of these ideas into future releases of their products.
      • Ideas are easy to submit, easy to vote on, and easy to share.
      • You can comment on ideas the same way you do on blog articles. Ideas and comments on ideas count towards your NI Discussion Forums rank.
      • Each idea can have a status that tells you the company's latest response: if the idea is under consideration or might be implemented, for example.
      • You can easily see the rank of the community members who post ideas.
      • A quick link to social bookmarking sites can let you share interesting ideas with others.
      • Labels and tags make it easy to find related ideas.
    • Posting an idea is just like posting a message on a board.

      To post your idea:

      1. Go to the idea exchange where you want to post an idea.
        Tip: It's a good idea to search the idea exchange first to make sure that someone else hasn't already posted the same idea.
      2. Click the New Idea link.
      3. Type an Idea Subject and the body of your idea.
        You can use simple HTML, format the text, or add links or images. You can also preview your idea and check your spelling before you post the idea.
      4. Choose one or more labels.
        The labels you can choose from are listed below the Label entry area. Click a label to choose it. Labels make it easy to find related or similar ideas.
      5. Add one or more tags if you wish.
      6. When you're ready, click Post .
      7. Ideas and comments on ideas count towards your rank in the NI Discussion Forums.
    • You vote for an idea by giving it kudos. Just click the Kudos! button next to the idea. If you change your mind, you can revoke your kudos later.
    • Posting a comment on an idea is a lot like replying to a message on a board. If the idea is open for comments, you'll see a Comment link or a Comment count link at the bottom of the idea.

      To post your comment:

      1. Click the Comment or the Comment count link.
        You can post a comment to an idea , but not to other comments.
      2. Type your comment in the Comment area.
        You can use simple HTML and quote the idea you're commenting on. You won't be able to edit or delete a comment once it's posted, so be sure to preview your comment and check your spelling first.
      3. When you're happy with your comment, click Post Your Comment.
    • If you want to tell your colleagues about an idea, you can use any of dozens of shared bookmarking, social network, or other tracking services, such as Del.icio.us, Digg, Reddit, Facebook, MySpace, Google, StumbleUpon, Technorati, or Twitter. All you need is an account with the service.

      To share an idea:

      1. When you get to an idea you want to share, click the Bookmark button.
      2. Click the service you want to use.
        The next steps depend on the service. You may need to log in. If you don't already have an account, you'll probably be asked to register and create one. The way you share the idea also depends on the service.
      Just choose a service and go.
    • New

      All new ideas are assigned this status. Vote on these ideas and add comments that will help refine them. NI R&D will consider the most popular ideas and assign developers to implement as many as possible in a given release cycle.

      Duplicate

      This idea is shipping with LabVIEW! Every young idea has dreams of reaching this status. Someday, young padawan, someday.

      Already Implemented

      This idea is shipping with LabVIEW! Every young idea has dreams of reaching this status. Someday, young padawan, someday.

      Declined

      Once developed, an idea (now a feature) is marked as "In Beta." This idea will go through internal testing and be available for users to test in the next LabVIEW beta release.

      In Development

      Ideas in this status have been approved by NI R&D and a developer has been assigned to implement them.

      Completed

      This idea is shipping with LabVIEW! Every young idea has dreams of reaching this status. Someday, young padawan, someday.

    • Bookmarks allow you to list boards, threads, and individual messages on a special page so you can easily find them again.

      To Bookmark a board:

      1. Log into the Forum.
      2. Go to the board you want to bookmark.
      3. Open the Board Options menu and click Add this Board to my bookmarks.

      To add a thread or message to your bookmarks:

      1. Log into the Forum.
      2. Open the message you want to bookmark.
      3. Open the Message Options menu and click Add this Thread/Message to my bookmarks

      To view your bookmarks, click My Profile, and then click the Bookmarks tab.
      To delete any of your Bookmarks, click My Profile, and then click the Bookmarks tab. Place a checkmark in the bookmark you want to delete from the list and click the Remove option for that section.

    • If you add a board, thread, message, or search term to your subscriptions, the system will send you an e-mail every time someone posts to the board, or replies to the message or thread. If you prefer not to receive an e-mail for your subscriptions, you can subscribe to the RSS feed of a board, thread, user, or search term.

      To add a board to your Subscriptions

      1. Login to the Forum.
      2. Go to the board to which you want to subscribe.
      3. Open the Board Options menu and click Add board to my subscriptions.

      Add a message to your Subscriptions

      1. Login to the Forum.
      2. Open the message to which you want to subscribe to.
      3. Open the Message Options menu and click Add this Thread to my subscriptions or Add this Message to my subscriptions.

      To view your Subscriptions, click My Profile, and then click the Subscriptions tab.

      To delete any of your Subscriptions, click My Profile, and then click the Subscription tab. Place a checkmark in the subscription you want to delete from the list and click the Remove option for that section.

      To change your subscription email address, click the My Profile link in the footer of the page and choose the option to Modify Profile.

    • You can create a search query subscription that sends you an immediate or digest email whenever a submitted message matches your search criteria. You can create one query for yourself.

      It can take about 15 minutes before you are notified about any new matching messages, and existing messages posted before you create a search subscription will not trigger any notification emails. Matches on terms used in author names, tags, labels, or attachments do not trigger any notifications.

      To create a search query subscription:

      1. Go to your profile page.
      2. Click My Settings > Subscriptions & Notifications.
      3. Enter one search query.
      4. Click Save.

      When entering search queries, pay attention to the following:

      • Search queries are not case sensitive
      • Asterisks (*) and question marks (?) must be preceded by an alphanumeric character
      • Quotes (") can be used around multiple terms to search for an exact phrase
      • Special characters (%$#@) must be inside quotation marks ("%")
      • Parentheses must be closed on both ends
      • Using foreign characters in a search query is not supported
      Search queries can include one or more of the following operators:

      QUERY EXAMPLESEMAILS SENT WHEN
      Including/excluding specific terms or phrases
      milk AND honey
      milk honey
      +milk +honey
      Posts include both "milk" and "honey" in any field, in any order.
      milk OR honey Posts include either "milk" or "honey" in any field, in any order.
      "heavy metal" NOT "heavy duty" Posts include the exact phase "heavy metal" but no other combinations of the 3 words.
      +grain -rice
      grain NOT rice
      Posts use the term "grain" but not "rice".
      "milk honey"
      milk+honey
      Posts use the exact phrase "milk honey".
      +"blue bird" AND parrot Posts use the exact phrase "blue bird" AND the term "parrot".
      +"blue bird" OR parrot Posts use the exact phrase "blue bird" OR the term "parrot".
      (+"blue bird" AND parrot) -owl Posts use the exact phrase "blue bird" AND the term "parrot" but NOT the term "owl".
      (+blue +black) OR (+pink +purple) Posts include "blue AND black" in an order, in any field OR "pink AND purple" in an order, in any field.
      Using wildcards
      mi* Posts include words that start with "mi" (like milk) but not words that include "mi" in middle (dynamite) or end (demi).
      dy*mi* Posts include words that start with "dy" and include "mi" in the middle of the word (like dynamite).
      te?t Posts include a 4-letter word that starts with "te" and ends in "t" (like "text" and "test" but not "term" or "tested").
      Specifying fields to search in
      title:roses The word "roses" is used in the title (subject) field.
      teaser:roses The word "roses" is used in the Blog or TKB teaser field.
      body:roses The word "roses" is used in the body field.
    • It's easy! Starting from your image gallery, you choose the image, give it a name, and you're done.

      To upload an image to your image gallery:

      1. Go to your Profile page and click the View Image Gallery link.
      2. Click Browse to select an image file to be uploaded.
        If the image is small enough (the size limit is 333 Kb) and is the correct type (.jpg, .jpeg, .png, .gif), the image is uploaded. A preview of the image appears so that you can make sure you uploaded the right image.
      3. Type a title for the image.
        The image title appears above the image when you view images one at a time.
      4. Click the Hide in Gallery (Private) check box if you would like to make this image private.
        Private images never appear when other community members view your image gallery. They only appear if you insert the image in a post.
      5. Click Save to Gallery.
    • You can use any image in your image gallery as your personal icon. The first step is to upload the image.

      To use an uploaded image as your personal icon:

      1. Go to your My Profile page and click the Icons tab.
      2. Click the Click here to choose an icon from your image gallery link to select a new icon.
      3. Click an image to use it as your personal icon.
    • You insert an image the same way as you did before, but now you have more choices about where the image comes from and how it looks. You can insert an image from your computer (this uploads the image to your gallery), from your image gallery (if the image has been approved), or from another location on the Web.

      To insert an image in a post:

      1. Start a new post.
        You can insert images anywhere: in messages, replies, blog articles, ideas, or comments.
      2. Click the Insert Image button in the editor's tool bar (it looks like a tree).
      3. Choose one of the sources listed below.

      To insert an image located on your computer:

      1. Click the From My Computer tab.
      2. Click Browse to select a file.
      3. Type a title for the image if you want something other than the file name.
      4. Click Hide in Gallery (Private) if you would like to keep the image private until your post appears.
      5. Choose an image size.
        • Full Size inserts the image at the full size of the original file.
        • Small, Medium, and Large insert the image with a maximum height or width of 200, 400, and 600 pixels.
          We don't stretch images, so very small images won't get any bigger regardless of the image size you choose.
      6. Choose how you want the image aligned.
        • Left aligns the image on the left side of the post. Any text that comes after the image appears to the right.
        • Inline inserts the image right where the cursor is in the editor. If you add a return after the image, any text you add appears below the image.
        • Right inserts the image on the right side of the post. Text appears to the left of the image. If you add a lot of text, it eventually wraps under the image.

      To insert an image from your image gallery:

      1. Click the From My Gallery tab.
      2. Click the image.
      3. Choose an image size.
      4. Choose how you want the image aligned.
      5. Click Insert Image.

      To insert an image from another Website:

      1. Click the From Another Site tab.
      2. Type the URL for the image and click Load Image.
      3. Choose an image size.
      4. Choose how you want the image aligned.
    • A private image is one that only you can see.

      Each time you upload an image you can decide whether you want that image to appear in your image gallery. If you decide no, the image is private.

      The setting you choose depends on why you're uploading the image. If you want others to see it, make the image public (the default). If you want to keep the image a secret until you insert it in a post, make the image private. <

      To change the privacy setting for an image:

      1. In your gallery page, click the check box below the image you want to change.
      2. Choose Image Options > Make All Checked Images Public or Private.
    • Accepted Solutions is a way for you to choose the reply that best answers a question that you have posted. When you accept a solution, both the question and the solution get special icons and links that take you directly from the question to the answer and back again.

      An Accepted Solutions icon also appears on boards and in search results so you can see which messages have solutions.

      You can mark a solution as accepted only for questions that you have posted (you started the thread).

    • If you have posted a question to a forum, you can choose the reply that best answers your question and mark it as an accepted solution. To mark a message as a solution, click the Solution? icon on the reply.

      If you find out the reply did not answer your question, or if another reply provides an even better answer, you can revoke the first selection and accept the second reply. To revoke an accepted solution, choose Options > Unmark as Accepted Solution. You can choose another solution or leave the question unsolved.

    • Kudos is a new rating system that lets you vote for the messages you think are the most useful or important.

      When you give Kudos to a message, you are offering a thumbs up for good content and a pat on the back to its author. Your Kudos help to boost the value of certain messages and enhance the reputation of their authors.

      Giving Kudos is as easy as a single click!

    • When you are signed into the Forums, you can give Kudos to any posts in the community except for your own. To give Kudos to a message and its author click the Kudos! icon on the message.

      If needed, you can revoke your Kudos. To revoke Kudos you have given choose Options > Revoke My Kudos from this Message.

      The Kudos count is updated and the Kudos icon shows that you can now give the message Kudos again.

    • On the Profile pages, you can see Kudos activity for yourself or other community members .

      To see who has given you Kudos:

      1. Click on your user name to go to your Profile page.
        Your Profile pages shows the names of forum members who gave you Kudos, the messages they Kudoed, your top Kudoed messages, and the Kudos you have given.
      2. To see all of your recent Kudos activity in an area, click the view all link at the bottom of the list.
        Your Kudos Activity page shows the recent Kudos you have given or received.
      3. Click the tabs to see more info about your Kudos activity.
    • There are two Kudos leaderboards, one for authors and another for messages on the Forums front page. The author's leaderboard shows who has received the most Kudos. The message leaderboard showcases the most Kudoed messages.

      Links from the front-page leaderboards take you to the full leaderboard pages. To view the Top Kudoed Messages leaderboard, click the view all link from the front page module.

      To view the Top Kudoed Authors leaderboard, click the view all link from the front page module.

    • It is easy to find out which forum members have given Kudos to a message.

      To see who has given Kudos to a message:

      1. Go to the message page.
      2. Click the Kudos! total.
        The Who Kudoed this Message page shows you all the forum members who have given Kudos to the message.
      3. Click the User Name or Date Kudoed link to sort this page by the name of the user who gave Kudos or by the date.
    • There are a few reasons why you might not be able to give Kudos to a post.

      • You have already given Kudos to this message (you can only give them once).
      • You wrote the message (you can't Kudo your own messages).
      • Kudos is turned off for a message or a forum.
      • Kudos is frozen for this message. You can still see how many Kudos the message has received, but you cannot give it additional Kudos.
    • Sometimes a message gets so many Kudos that we run out of space to show the number. When that happens you'll see a Hot Kudos symbol or icon instead of the Kudos count on the Kudos icon.

    • A tag is a single keyword or phrase that describes the topic, theme, or subject of a post. You can add as many tags as you want and so can other community members. For example, in a post about a mouse, you might add these tags: mouse, USB mouse, optical mouse, wireless, DPI.

      Be sure to use commas between tags.

    • A tag cloud displays tags used frequently within the community or within an area of the community. The more frequently a tag is used, the larger it appears in the tag cloud. By looking at a tag cloud, you can get a sense of what the hot topics are in a given area.

    • Some users will tag posts for their own convenience in finding them later. Other users enjoy helping categorize interesting posts for the benefit of the community. View the number of tags applied by forum users in the LeaderBoard file posted to Feedback on NI Discussion Forums.
    • You can use tags to bookmark, categorize, or identify a post. A well chosen tag will also help other users find interesting content.

    • Navigate to an interesting message. When you're at a place where you can read the whole message, you'll see the Tags area at the bottom of the post.
    • Type a single word topic into the Add Tag field. You can type more than one tag - just type a space after each.
    • Click the Add Tag button.

      The Tags area updates with your new tags!
    • Find messages you have tagged by visiting your profile and choosing the tag. You can also click on your tag in any cloud and look for the My Most Tagged Messages section. Many tag options can be configured on the tagging tab of your profile.
    • Private Messenger enables you to send private notes to other community members. Private Messenger has two big advantages over email:

      • You don't have to know the other member's email address to send the note. (Also, you don't have to reveal yours.)
      • You can read and send private messages without leaving the community, making it easy to a quick conversation with another community member.

      To use the Private Messenger, you must be registered and signed in. You'll see a Private Message icon at the top of your page. If you have any new messages, you'll see the number of unread messages next to the envelope icon.

      Click the message count or envelope icon to go to your Private Messages Inbox.

    • To send a private message:

      1. Sign in to the community.
      2. Click the message count or envelope icon to go to your Private Messages Inbox.
      3. Click Compose New Message.
      4. Enter the recipient's name in the Send to area.

        Note: Depending on your role in the community, you might be able to send a message to a group of users based on their role or rank in the community. If so, you can choose a role or a rank.
      5. Enter the subject for the message in the Message Subject area.
      6. Type the reply in the Message Body editor.
      7. Click Send Message.
        You can look for the messages you've sent in the Sent tab.
    • To read a private message:

      1. Sign in to the community.
        If you have any new messages, you'll see the number of unread messages next to the envelope icon.
      2. Click the message count or envelope icon to go to your Private Messages Inbox.
      3. To read a message, click the message subject.
      4. To reply to a message, click Reply. Type the reply and click Send Message.
    • To reply to a private message:

      1. Sign in to the community.
      2. Click the message count or envelope icon to go to your Private Messages Inbox.
      3. To read a message, click the message subject.
      4. To reply to a message, click Reply.
        The recipient and subject are automatically entered for you, but you can edit them.
      5. Type the reply in the Message Body editor.
      6. Click Send Message.
    • You can delete messages one at a time as you read them, or in bulk from your Inbox.

      To delete a private message:

      1. Sign in to the community.
      2. Click the message count or envelope icon to go to your Private Messages Inbox.
      3. To delete a single message, click the message to view it and then click Delete.
      4. To delete all messages, click the Options menu and click Delete All.
    • To see the private messages you've sent:

      1. Sign in to the community.
      2. Click the message count or envelope icon to go to your Private Messages Inbox.
      3. Click Sent Messages.
    • Your Friends List is a way to create your own community within a community.

      Depending on your privacy settings, the people on your Friends List can see your biography, other personal information, or online status. If you send private messages, you can choose friends from a list instead of typing their user names.

      Note: Your Friends List is available only if your community supports private messages.

      To add people to your Friends List:

      1. Sign in to the community.
      2. Click the user name of a friend to see the friend's About user name page.
      3. Click Add user name to Friends.

      Note: You can remove a person from your Friend's List by clicking "Remove from Friends". Additionally, you can click "Ignore" to prevent specific users from contacting you.

    • Most users in an online community get along very well. Sometimes, however, you might encounter someone you consider a nuisance. If you are receiving messages that you'd prefer not to receive, you can add the sender to your Ignored Users list. The system blocks all messages from users on your Ignored Users list.

      To add someone to your Ignored Users list:

      1. Sign in to the community.
      2. Click the message count or envelope icon to go to your Private Messages Inbox.
      3. Click a message from the user you want to ignore and click Ignore user name.

      To remove someone from your Ignored Users list:

      1. Sign in to the community.
      2. Click Ignored Users to see the list.
      3. Click Remove from Ignored list to begin receiving messages from this user again.

      You can also search for community members and add them to your Ignored Users list.

      To search for a user.

      1. On any page, enter a user name in the Search box.
      2. Choose Users and click Search.
      3. In the Search Results, click the user's name.
      4. Click Ignore user name in the Contact area