DIAdem Idea Exchange

Post an idea

Using Calculate for basic mathematical functions is like taking a sledgehammer to crack a nut. Cause Calculate takes ages compared to e.g. ChnAdd, ChnMul, ChnDiv etc. But on the other hand it lets you script formulas in an easy-to-read format.

The idea is to have a pre-processor analyzer for scripts that identifies Calculate commands and checks if these commands could be translated into a series of these basic mathematical functions. If yes, then the script engine should be able to do so in the background in order to speed up the calculation.

I am sure that this is far from a 'new idea'. I have been using DiAdem 11.1, and have not looked at the new features of 2010 yet. The new idea...use LabVIEW code to make scripts. I know LabVIEW very well, that is how I make the TDMS files; but the idea of data analysis or automation comes to a standstill when you tell me I need to learn VB to manipulate or work with the data I just gathered beyond the canned toolsets already in DiAdem. DiAdem needs to be like Teststand in this regard. You can use different code types with Teststand, and it works. And this needs to work in all the different categories of scripting or automation (Navigator, View, Analysis, etc.) Any software package NI creates should have LabVIEW as the center point, and always require seamless integration of LabVIEW code. I think that comes down to plain-jane good marketing strategy.

We use scripts extensively to automate many tasks in a consistent manner, so we back these scripts up in a version control system to track changes and revert back to a know version if issues arise.

However, because we also use Diadem dialogs we need to create SUD files to house not only the menus but also the scripts that can be built into them. These SUD files are binary in nature and cannot be compared in the version control system, which is primarily a text based tool, and because the fileformat is unknown any differences at the binary level are not easily understood.

My idea is to have a tool that can parse a SUD file to extract the script associated with each dialog and export that script to a VBS file in a programmatic manner, such that multiple VBS files can be created quickly instead of having to open each SUD file and its many dialogs and then capturing the scripts. The benefit this brings is that there will now be the ability to track script differences in any text diff tool of your choice, it would not address any changes of a graphical nature within the SUD file, but that is not the motivation for this idea.

View All (2)

I've been spoiled by using other scripting environments lately, and thought I'd suggest a few features that I feel would make scripting in DIAdem a little more convenient:

Check for un-dimmed variables when Option Explicit is turned on
Check for unused dimmed variables (very helpful for cleanup)
Check for variables that are used, but never initialized to a value

I feel these would be really useful for identifying and fixing bugs (especially for inexperienced script writers) and cleaning up old scripts, while not requiring major changes to the interface (although they could get really annoying if implemented incorrectly, may be difficult to implement in the back end, and may even require manual compilation to detect?).

Thanks!

-Josh

Sometimes it is necessary to call a procedure with an optional argument. VB provides an opportunity to do so: https://msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/library/f25e2b6b.aspx. I created a little workaround which is not working in every case, for example not, when the optional parameter is at the last position of the argument list.

Call Example1(1,) 'throws an error message
Call Example1(1) 'throws an error message
Call Example2(1,,3) 'works

' Not working
Sub Example1(param1, param2)
    If VarType(param2) = 10 Then param2 = 0
End Sub

' Working
Sub Example2(param1, param2, param3)
    If VarType(param2) = 10 Then param2 = 0
End Sub

My idea is to introduce optional parameters for procedures in the argument list with the possibility to define a default value.

Sub Example1(param1, Optional ByVal param2 = 0)

View All (3)

In the DIAdem interface, there are menubar buttons available that allow the user to "Save ___ As...", whether it's a script, SUD, layout, etc. In the script editor, there is also a "Save All" button that saves all of the opened scripts. However, 9 times out of 10 I just want to save the current layout/script/whatever. It would be great to have a standard "Save" button either in addition to or in place of the "Save As..." button in the menubar.

(Yes, I know I can use the keyboard shortcut "Ctrl+S" or click "File --> Save" but these options are not as readily apparent as the "Save As..." or "Save All" icons, so I find myself clicking one of those and then having to click several more times just to get out of it...when all I wanted was a one-click save.)

An added benefit would be (like in the Script editor), if the file has not changed then the "Save" icon could be grayed out. That way the user would know that the current state of the current script/layout/etc was saved to disk.

Hello

When developing scripts, I frequently add channel groups for analysis results, using

call data.root.channelgroups.add("analysis")

However, when re-running the scripts, successive groups "analysis1", "analysis2" etc. are created. This is a handy feature that I should not want to miss at some times, BUT

at other times I want to skip the creation of new channel groups. As a work-around I litter my code with 'exist'-statements such as

If not call data.root.channelgroups.exists("analysis") then

call data.root.channelgroups.add("analysis")

end if

Set oResGrp = data.root.channelgroups("analysis")

Now, my suggestion is to add a command such as "AddOrReplace" or "Use", which would use the existing group if it exists and creates a new group if not. Pretty much the same behaviour as with the calculator, where

CH("NewChannel")= CH("oldChannel") will create a new channel or overwrite an existing one.

call data.root.channelgroups.add("analysis")

would work as we know it and

call data.root.channelgroups.Use("analysis")

would create a new object or use the existing one.

Alternatively one could supply an optional paramter to the .Add-method like

call data.root.channelgroups.add("analysis",0)

as default using the well-known behaviour whereas

call data.root.channelgroups.add("analysis",1)

would change to create or replace.

Obviously the same would come in handy for channels or other objects that use an .add-method.

Thank you

Michael

What do you need our team of experts to assist you with?

Request a quote Find the right product Place an order Get support on a product

How can we help?

Please enter your information below and we'll be intouch soon.

This field is required

Preferred communication method

Email Phone call

What do you need our team of experts to assist you with?

Request a quote Find the right product Place an order Get support on a product

DIAdem Idea Exchange

Calculate analyzer for basic mathemetical functions

Allow more than 5 workers for DIAdem 2018+

Show Array in Debug

DiAdem Scripting and Automation via LabVIEW code/sub-VIs

The script Editor must be improved. Actual supports the script editior no automatic listing of functions or variables of the structs and classes, which are include by the "script include" command.

Programmatically Extract Scripts from SUD Files for Version Control

Goto Definition

Conditional Breakpoints in Script

Diadem script engine

Script Interface Conveniences

INI-File Handling

CodeCompletion without hitting a Ctrl + Spacebar

Compare 2 Script Files

Integrated statistics package

Create SQL interface for the datafinder.

SCRIPT Calling simplification

Save Icon (vs. Save As or Save All)

Save SUD Dialog for previous version

"add or replace" for data objects

Search History