Measurement Studio ActiveX graph control vs LabWindows graph control

[InoSw]

Hello,

we are redesigning our software and in this context we are deliberating whether to replace the LabWindows CVI graph controls with the Measuremnt Studio ActiveX graph control in our software. Can we be sure that the ActiveX Graph control provides the same functions as the LabWindows CVI grahp control? We are using almost everthing of the graph control. Is there any documentation about the differences?

The other question for us is: is the ActiveX graph control just as performant as the LabWindows CVI graph control?

Thanks for reply

InoSw

[D_Biel]

The Measurement Studio ActiveX graph control is now considered legacy as of Measurement Studio 2010. I would not recommend using it over the LabWindows/CVI control for this reason.

It should perform very similarly to the CVI control, but the lack of integration into CVI and the API will make it far more difficult to work with than the CVI control. The Measurement Studio ActiveX controls are not designed to be an alternative to the CVI controls within CVI, instead they are intended to be used in C++ and VB 6 development (the targeted platforms for Measurement Studio, now replaced by .NET).

Is there a particular functionality that you are unable to perform with the CVI control? Why are you looking at the ActiveX control instead?

(Note: The Measurement Studio ActiveX 3D Graph control is intended to be used with CVI. CVI does not have native 3D Graph control.)

[InoSw]

Two years ago we converted our CVI project to a Visual Studio project and since then are using C++. Now we have to change to an object orientated GUI framework but we don't want to loose the functionality of the CVI graph controls because they are the heart of our very complex software. We thought about QT because with QT we can integrate ActiveX controls. But for this we have to know if the ActiveX controls provides the same functionality as the CVI graph control particulary the cursor functionality. Where can I find a documentation of the API of your ActiveX conrtols?

Antoher question: what do you mean with "now replaced by .NET"? Will .NET be the Measurement Studio's main target platform in future? Would it be better to use .NET (with managed C++) instead of QT to integegrate the Measurement Studio controls in future? 

Thank you very much for your help

InoSw

[D_Biel]

Now I understand. In that case, the MStudio ActiveX control probably will work better for you. We don't have any side-by-side comparisons of the graph controls, but I can tell you that the ActiveX graph does support Cursors and I am not aware of any specific limitations to the ActiveX graph compared to the CVI graph. We also do not have documentation for those controls online, so you will have to install Measurement Studio in order to view the help for those controls.

When I said that MStudio is now targeting .NET, I mean that Measurement Studio no longer supports VB 6 or C++ MFC and only supports .NET. This may change in the future as technologies change, but for now the focus is on .NET support. Primarily C# and VB .NET. You can use the Measurement Studio .NET class libraries in Managed C++, but you will not have assistance from Measurement Studio's Visual Studio integration features. Also, all the help and support resources are for C# and VB .NET, so there are no examples or code snippets to help you get started. Even though Measurement Studio for C++ MFC is now legacy, you will likely have a better expereince with unmanaged C++ than Managed C++. However, I have never worked with QT before, so I cannot comment on that.