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Oldest VI you've ever created that you still use (minor modifications through the years permitted)

Clearly this is one for the elders among us.  Just wondered if anyone would care to name one or more of those really old VIs that you created in your early days of LabVIEW development that still exists (presumably in a reuse library) in some recognizable state.  Props if it has some VI revision history to back it up.

 

Just realized that a CRC VI I did from scratch in September of 1999 (love that old VI comment logging!) is still used nearly 20 years on.  I'm sure I can find a few other moldy-oldies if I dig around.

 

No special reason for asking, other than we all like to brag on how far back we go.  Awaiting some interesting responses...

 

Dave

David Boyd
Sr. Test Engineer
Abbott Labs
(lapsed) Certified LabVIEW Developer
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I also have a few CRC functions that have been around for more than a decade (supposedly still in use at my former employer and the customer).  Also around that time, I made a Wait function that I still use (has the error wire since NI refused to, but technically did make in LabVIEW 2017, but I'm still stuck with 2016).  Not much more that I will claim to still be around over the years.  Been doing LabVIEW for 14 years now, and most of that early stuff was me teaching myself.  Therefore, not much worth keeping around other than for nostalgia.


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Well I've moved around companies a few times, and when I do I leave the reuse behind, other than stuff that I've posted online and can download like anyone else.  But I did keep some old stuff I used for learning LabVIEW.  Some of it is on my personal website and hasn't been updated in many years.  From there I have a utility for renaming files and folders which I still go back to every once in a while and is from the 2005 era or so.  But that isn't quite what this question was about.  If we are specifically talking about a single VI, mine is going to be pathetically new, like on the order of 2011 when I started being more active and posting things more online.

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I wrote an Event Logger back in LV 6.1 that still lives on and has been integrated into the standard re-use we offer.

 

It has VIs that can be dropped into error cluster wires and will log errors or events.

 

The new guys love it once they learn how to use it since it make sit easy to locate exactly where a problem was encountered. Using the log files we can diagnose a problem that comes or goes if needed. It has been enhanced "Look what they did to my song Ma" over the years to include a pop-up screen to show the event live as well as logging errors from RT targets to the Window side applications.

 

It so useful that if I am developing code under a contract that rules-out "Re-Use", I will re-write it from scratch!

 

Ben

Retired Senior Automation Systems Architect with Data Science Automation LabVIEW Champion Knight of NI and Prepper LinkedIn Profile YouTube Channel
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Up until very recently I used enum-based functional globals that I probably started using around 2004 LV7. I've since moved on to DVR globals. But I still find my old globals lurking in older code.

PaulG.

LabVIEW versions 5.0 - 2020

“All programmers are optimists”
― Frederick P. Brooks Jr.
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@Ben wrote:

 

It so useful that if I am developing code under a contract that rules-out "Re-Use", I will re-write it from scratch!

 

Ben


Why would someone specify in a contract that they want you to spend more time than necessary?!

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@Gregory wrote:

@Ben wrote:

 

It so useful that if I am developing code under a contract that rules-out "Re-Use", I will re-write it from scratch!

 

Ben


Why would someone specify in a contract that they want you to spend more time than necessary?!


I can only speculate, because that is all ironed out before the PO is accepted and I get involved.

 

For some reason the lawyers for fortune 500 companies want to put that in the terms and conditions. Sometimes my management can talk them out of that requirement in the interest of saving money. Others simply will not budge and I have to work within their requirements.

 

Now why would lawyers want to include that requirement... ?

 

Sometimes it is cheaper to pay more for me than to pay for the lawyer to wave that requirement.

 

Ben

Retired Senior Automation Systems Architect with Data Science Automation LabVIEW Champion Knight of NI and Prepper LinkedIn Profile YouTube Channel
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Probably concerned as to actual ownership of the code. Many of mine have stated that the code belongs exclusively to them at the end, gets muddy when reused or open source code it introduced.

Putnam
Certified LabVIEW Developer

Senior Test Engineer North Shore Technology, Inc.
Currently using LV 2012-LabVIEW 2018, RT8.5


LabVIEW Champion



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@LV_Pro wrote:

Probably concerned as to actual ownership of the code. Many of mine have stated that the code belongs exclusively to them at the end, gets muddy when reused or open source code it introduced.


I agree.

 

"Public Re-Use" even with creative commons or whatever is also disallowed in many cases. Some for ownership concerns like Putnam posted and other due to security concerns. Can't allow for a Stuxnet virus to be introduced into the labs that are used for critical components used in the military. I can still hear the customer telling me "Ben, if I ever see password protected code, you will never see any more business from us!"

 

Such is the life of an itinerant wire-worker!

 

But to keep this somewhat on-topic..

 

I had tired of starting from a clean slate and developing DAQ code that I could configure via a ini file. So gradually over time enhanced a collection of code that I called a DAQ Engine. It can be completely controlled from a configuration file and covered all of the functionality we would find in BridgeVIEW  (NOT DSC mind you but BridgeVIEW). That collection of code has been sold as re-use in a bunch of projects that were upgrades of old BridgeVIEW and DSC applications. It also supports serial based devices as well.

 

In addition to being configurable, it has "un-do", simulation, "On-the-fly-scaling", "Filtering" and runs silently in the background and lets me concentrate on the application specifics. It also exposes the I/O in an assortment of ways making it possible to grab all readings or a "By-Name" interface which makes it easy for me to read the code since the name clearly indicates which I/O point is being acted on. The code reads like "If temperature not over limit then update temp setpoint." 

 

While it is not my oldest code, it does go back to the introduction of DAQmx.

 

Ben

Retired Senior Automation Systems Architect with Data Science Automation LabVIEW Champion Knight of NI and Prepper LinkedIn Profile YouTube Channel
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Smiley Very Happy     @Ben   "itinerant wire-worker"   ,   I have described what I do as "migrant technical worker" as I usually am some distance from hearth and home.

Putnam
Certified LabVIEW Developer

Senior Test Engineer North Shore Technology, Inc.
Currently using LV 2012-LabVIEW 2018, RT8.5


LabVIEW Champion



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