XNET Signal List Control Deployed to RT target NI-cDAQ-9133

[sdp8483]

I am developing a VI to read and log CAN signals from an engine. One of the requirements is that this will be a stand alone application that will run on the target device, a NI-cDAQ-9133 real time device with a NI9861 module. It also has an analog thermocouple module that is read and recorded alongside the CAN signals.

Anyways I made the front panel so that the user can pick the CAN signals from a drop down menu of all the signals in the XNET database and then run the VI to display and record the signals. On the development PC it works as expected, I can change the signals before running the VI.

When I build and deploy the project I am no longer able to do that. The drop down boxes are greyed out and are unresponsive to clicks. How do I allow the user to pick signals to read and log?

I have attached a photo to better explain the front panel control I have for the user to pick the signals. Nothing fancy there just select the node and right click to create control. The picture is how it looks on the development PC, I don't have a screen grab from the target device.

[Hooovahh]

Do these controls work at all on the Linux RT UI?  Or is this a case of the database not being loaded and available on the RT?  You'll need to somehow send over the database XML from the database editor, and then load it using the Database Add Alias.  Even in Windows these drop downs won't work if the referenced database isn't loaded.

[sdp8483]

I'm not sure if the controls work at all on the Linux RT UI. Maybe I will have to created some drop down controls that are not linked to XNET and see if they work.

I have the database deployed to the rt target, I used the deploy database from the drop down menu and also the deploy VI that NI has as an example. If I change the control to a constant and deploy it everything works but it would be really nice to pick and chose the signals. Since it works as a constant I assumed that the database was properly deployed but I could be wrong.

[sdp8483 · Accepted solution]

I was able to find a work around. I used an array of enum controls on the front panel that then are wired into a case structure surrounded by a for loop. This builds the XNET signal list based on the enum array. Probably not the most elegant solution but it does work and allows the CAN signals to be chosen from the front panel on the RT target.

[Hooovahh]

Sorry I forgot to reply but I had another work around that is related.  Instead of using an enum (which is static) you could get away with querying the database, and then populating a combo box (which look the same with a dropdown menu).  Then if the database gets updated your drop down will be too.  Still it is odd this control isn't supported in the UI, I say bug.