GUI

[Tark]

As there is no UI available for deployed LabVIEW apps on the Raspberry Pi, does anyone have a solution to this ?

I spent many fruitless hours trying to get QT to to build onto the Rpi before moving to a Xojo solution. This seems to work really well using simple UDP comms between the LabVIEW and Xojo apps.

[DavidWilt]

I am not familiar with Xojo but I used the NXG Web Module capabilities.  I believe this is how NI intended UIs to be created for the Raspberry Pi as they included it in the community edition.  With NXG going away I am not sure how much effort should be put into this solution but they are supposed to include the NXG Web Module in future versions of LabVIEW classic so we will have to wait and see what that means.

If you are not familiar with the NXG Web Module here is a good example you can try out: https://www.mediamongrels.com/make-ing-with-labview-raspberry-pi-part-4-user-interfaces-with-labview...

[Tark]

Thank you for your reply,

Yes, I'm aware of the NXG Web Module but to be honest I never felt it was a great solution......perhaps I'm just too long in the tooth to embrace web based UI's !

Xojo just seemed more intuitive, and as it's very similar to VB it just felt more familiar to me........I got a simple UI up and running in no time. It's also free for Rpi deployment, and has been around for a long time so will be supported for the foreseeable future (unlike NXG).

[MilanR]

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 supposed to include the NXG Web Module in future versions of LabVIEW classic so we will have to wait and see what that means

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will be supported for the foreseeable future (unlike NXG).

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The LabVIEW NXG Web Module will become a standalone product (name TBD) for developing Web UIs to use as standalone web tools, with LabVIEW applications, or as plugins to make custom UIs in tools like SystemLink. The roadmap is publicly available in the Future of the LabVIEW NXG Web Module article.

[DavidWilt]

Thanks for the link to the NXG Web Module.  I had not read that yet.

[Tark]

Sorry, but I'm still not convinced that the NXG Web Module is the way to go.

If you could just migrate your LabVIEW front panel to a Web interface, then this would be great....but you have to start all over and design your UI again so no real advantage over Xojo here (perhaps the original intention was to be able to do this in LabVIEW NXG, I'm not sure)

For sure, you can probably create some really wizzy UI's.......and if you are familiar with HTML and Javascript you can embed all sorts of nice stuff I suppose. Generally though, all I need is a simple UI with a few indicators and graphs and some buttons and selector controls. (and I REALLY don't want to start leaning HTML thank you)

The Xojo solution creates a fully compiled executable which you can just call from your LabVIEW code....no messing about with hosting your UI on a browser. You can also deply the same UI to IOS, Windows or Mac (although there is a charge for these builders)

And finally, is the NXG Web Module free ?....... it appears not. Currently it's listed at £820, so I can't see many Raspberry pi developers stumping up this every year.

Please feel free to correct me on any of the points I've raised, or engage me in an argument as to why I'm just 'not getting it' !

[DavidWilt]

Well as for price, if the intent is for the community to use it I hope they include it in the community edition as you are right no one is going to pay for it if they are a hobby developer.

I am interested in using it beyond the hobby level so I am not worried about price at this point.

I am going to have to wait and see how the standalone Web Module works because currently it relies on NXG.  If you remove NXG will it rely on Classic?  If so then your point about just turning your front panel into a Web interface may be true.  It might just be a build process.  This would remove the need of 2 projects which is required currently with NXG.

The whole benefit of running in a Web browser is that it is supposed to be able to be supported on every OS with 1 build.

I am not sure your point on learning HTML or java as I have not experienced that with my NXG Web interface.  I did fully use a JKI state machine as part of the web interface so it steams very powerful.  Though, I have only just experienced with this method of UI.

[MilanR]

Well as for price, if the intent is for the community to use it I hope they include it in the community edition as you are right no one is going to pay for it if they are a hobby developer.

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LabVIEW NXG Web Module is included with LabVIEW NXG Community Edition 👍

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I am going to have to wait and see how the standalone Web Module works because currently it relies on NXG.  If you remove NXG will it rely on Classic? [...] This would remove the need of 2 projects which is required currently with NXG.

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The stand-alone web module development environment will be a subset of the NXG environment catering to the Web Module use case. Workflows should look very similar to today. An application with a Web Module project for the web application and a LabVIEW project will continue as-is.

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I am not sure your point on learning HTML or java as I have not experienced that with my NXG Web interface.  I did fully use a JKI state machine as part of the web interface so it steams very powerful.  Though, I have only just experienced with this method of UI.

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Yep the goal is that for most use-cases you can use Web Module to create monitoring and control web interfaces without having to write HTML, JavaScript, and CSS yourself. For the examples described of indicators, graphs, buttons, and selectors I would not expect one to have to write custom HTML, JavaScript, or CSS.

In addition, similar to how you may use the Call Library Function Node to call C DLLs in LabVIEW, in the Web Module we have the JavaScript Library Interface (JSLI) to call JavaScript libraries in the browser. Some examples of adding APIs to Web Module using JSLI can be found in the Example Code forum with the LabVIEW NXG Web Module tag with examples like Google Maps integration, Debugging Tools, Rich pop-up dialogs, File I/O, etc.

[DavidWilt]

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@MilanR wrote:

Well as for price, if the intent is for the community to use it I hope they include it in the community edition as you are right no one is going to pay for it if they are a hobby developer.

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LabVIEW NXG Web Module is included with LabVIEW NXG Community Edition 👍

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 I know it is included in NXG Community Edition but when happens when NXG goes away?  Is the stand-alone Web Module going to be included in the Community Edition?

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@MilanR wrote:

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I am going to have to wait and see how the standalone Web Module works because currently it relies on NXG.  If you remove NXG will it rely on Classic? [...] This would remove the need of 2 projects which is required currently with NXG.

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The stand-alone web module development environment will be a subset of the NXG environment catering to the Web Module use case. Workflows should look very similar to today. An application with a Web Module project for the web application and a LabVIEW project today will continue as-is.

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How do you know about what the standalone Web Module will be like?  Are you from NI?  Is there a beta somewhere?  I was looking for a beta but could not find one.  It does not make sense to me that it would still be "NXG" because then they would still have to support this subset of NXG correct?  Also, if it is a subset then it is going to be limited as to what you can actually include in the web application then?  If it is limited in its capacities then I may have to look for a different solution.  This sounds like it would only work in some situations and not work for everything.

[MilanR]

Is the stand-alone Web Module going to be included in the Community Edition?

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I have a guess but let me get back to you on that.

How do you know about what the standalone Web Module will be like?  Are you from NI?  Is there a beta somewhere?  I was looking for a beta but could not find one.

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Yes, I am a developer at NI working with our web technologies like Web Module and SystemLink. There is not a beta of the stand-alone Web Module currently available.

It does not make sense to me that it would still be "NXG" because then they would still have to support this subset of NXG correct?

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Our NXG-based portfolio will continue as described in the Our Commitment to LabVIEW as we Expand our Software Portfolio post. The following excerpt gives a few examples:

We will continue to advance our NXG-based portfolio of solutions such as the NXG Web Module, SystemDesigner, as well as our expanding suite of configuration-based products such as FlexLogger and VeriStand.

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Also, if it is a subset then it is going to be limited as to what you can actually include in the web application then?

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LabVIEW NXG Web Module projects that target the Web Server target on SystemDiagram will be able to be use the stand-alone Web Module product. If you have portions of a project on different targets, such as the PC target, those portions may not carry forward to the stand-alone Web Module product.

I expect Web Applications on the Web Server target to retain the capabilities they have today and continue to be developed based on the previously shared roadmap.