How does Labview read data from another application?

[astroboy]

Hi all. I am back here after hibernating for many months.

I need your help from the most experienced developers.

I have an application "B" (I think it was developed in C++ and complied,
designed to read the data and display in the waveform)

So now I would like to use Labview program to get data from that "B" and
display it in Labview's own display control. Don't know if it's possible
to hide "B" but still getting data from "B".

Application "B" is already compiled to binary form so there's no way for me to know inside it.

So how do I do that? I know about COM and ActiveX but I believe COM is used only
in C++. Must I use COM functions to do that? I cannot find more information and
samples in NI Library or Developer Zone.

Pls advise.

regards,
Clement

[becktho]

Hi Clement

I'm not very used to COM or ActiveX (just a little ActiveX), but as fas as I know it won't work as long as you don't have the functions which make the data available.

You may be able to open a ActiveX-reference and place an invoke-node to access functionality of your application B. But if there is not a function to make the data accessible you should have problems to get the data.

Thomas

[shoneill]

Bechtho's right,

If the program isn't written to expose the data through COM or ActiveX, I don't think it's going to work.

Depending on the type of program, there might be other ways of getting the data. What does the program do, what inputs and outputs does it have?

Shane.

[Bazza]

Can I ask what type of program B was compiled into?

Was it an 'exe' or maybe a 'dll'? If it was an exe it is unlikely you will ever get data out of that and into labVIEW. I have tried doing similar things with Teststand/LabVIEW before with no success.

If it is a dll you may be lucky (as Shane and Bechtho have suggested) and functions exist in the compiled code that return the gathered data. If this is the case you may be able to use the 'Call Library Function Node' found in the advanced Palette in LabVIEW.

Bazza

[astroboy]

Hi Thanks for your helpful comments.

Now I begin to understand.

The Program B is in exe.

Maybe later I need to find out if there is a program that has not been compiled yet.

The Program or application B is designed to acquire th inputs from the meter, to display the values and waveform.

regards,
Clement