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LabVIEW 5 -- What happens to the global variables in a .glb file when you compile it?

I'm trying to assist a production group with some test programs written in LabVIEW 5.

From what I can tell, it looks like a development system was deployed to the manufacturing environment to run an inspection machine. There are different flavors of the widgets or modules which have multiple electrical tests performed, and each has type has slightly different spec limits.  On the computer, it looks like a complete test program was duplicated multiple times, and the variables in a .glb file were set to different defaults for each particular type of module/test and then the code compiled. Then repeated each time for the different modules that are tested on that system.

 

One of the modules however is not compiled and runs in the development system. I was able to open the .glb file, make changes and watch parts pass or fail in the program based on the limits I set.


There are also a bunch of copies of the .glb file (copy1, copy2, copy3). Looking through the code, there are references to dat and text files as well as subvis all over the hard drive, so no making sense of how things are structured.

 

My question is for the compiled programs, do all the variables in the .glb file get "compiled in" so you can't see them, or is it possible that the program is accessing the separate .glb files at runtime? If so, is it possible to trace which .glb file it is pulling from?

 

I did try making changes to most of the separate .glb files to see if the exe was accessing them without any luck. Several of the .glb files would not open in the LV5 environment, which made me question if they might be modified for use by the .exe.

 

Unfortunately there is no possibility to discuss with the developers of the equipment or to upgrade at this time. Since I'm the only person here who speaks LabVIEW, my word will be the final one...

 

Thank you in advance for any insight!

maat
LV2019
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Can't provide any insight but will definitely follow to know about LV 5.0, there are going to be only a bunch of LV veterans who have worked with LV 5.0 and are still active on this forum.

Santhosh
Soliton Technologies

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So right.  I started on 6i so it's a little bit of a rewind for me.  

maat
LV2019
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Ok, labview since 2.5 or something around a view month before the first windows version. Never really used these global variables. The extension doen't matter and I think they work the same way like in actual labview versions. It may be possible to load globals during runtime from within an executable - with lot of restrictions. Normally they are compiled with the executable and never change. Everything else makes no sense.

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Those glb files were just a convention-to save what is basically a Vi where the diagram was not used. LabVIEW itself never really cared about file endings but uses other characteristics inside the file to determine the type.

When you have such a file the controls on it simply serve as storage and can be read and written to from your program. It’s the same as the global variables you have in LabVIEW now. So they get automatically linked into an executable as any other referenced VI or CTL file.

Rolf Kalbermatter
My Blog
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