Visually Organized Programming Guidelines - Relevant?

[LabVIEWGuru(Retired)]

Briefly, I was a programmer many years ago before suffering brain damage which drastically affected my ability to continue as a programmer.  Prior to my forced retirement, I had worked with Pearson Publishing on a book entitled "LabVIEW, Rules to Program By."

These were written in 2001, and were applicable up to LabVIEW 6.  I cannot confirm either way how well they would work with later versions of LabVIEW, but I believe, based on the basic principles of my guidelines and LabVIEW, that they should at least serve as a basis, if not still fully apply.

I never finished the book, but I did complete the guidelines, and have made them available in PDF form here:

http://disperser.info/documents/LabVIEWRulesToProgramBy(Incomplete)(Wolf2001).pdf

I welcome your feedback here for the benefit of all users as to whether or not these guidelines can be useful in these later versions of LabVIEW I have only seen snippets of long ago.  If they are still useful, and could use some updating, I may consider doing so, especially as I have heard they are finally releasing a free version of LabVIEW.

These guidelines are based on my extensive experience working on other people's diagrams, which I had the fortunate luck to start working on quite massive programs with diagrams that took weeks to decipher and which I converted to diagrams which were quite a bit easier to understand and read (as in possible.)

Please review and comment.  If you have questions, please feel free to contact me via here or email.

[Bob_Schor]

In searching the Web for "LabVIEW programming guidelines", I found an archived copy of "LabVIEW Development Guidelines", dated April, 2003, whose Chapter 6 was "LabVIEW Style Guide", which covers most of the topics that are covered in your document.

But LabVIEW has come a long way since 2003.  Modern LabVIEW includes the VI Analyzer that, itself, contains a number of tools to check VIs for numerous "Style" points.  There are also more texts that cover LabVIEW development, and even one, Peter Blume's "The LabVIEW Style Book", devoted entirely to LabVIEW Style.

Good Style (especially in LabVIEW) is important!  I recommend you check out what is currently available, and see what "missing piece" you could fill.

Bob Schor

[Yamaeda]

You know it's based on some old LV when error wires are the pink cluster wires. 🙂

The examples could need a little tidying up, there are some unnecessary wire crossings and bends and the encapsulation example doesn't have any icon.

Otherwise the suggestions are good.

/Y

[LabVIEWGuru(Retired)]

I don't even know what LabVIEW looks like after 6.  I saw 7 once, but I don't recall the differences (bigger VI icons in the diagram, different error wire does sound familiar..green?)

What I'm looking for is input on the relevancy.  Does this still apply.  I see that there are automatic features, but I don't know that the discipline suggested by the guidelines I wrote are still in line with new LabVIEW.  I guess what I'll do is ask for a copy of it when the free version comes out and see if I can contribute a set of guidelines for those users, assuming I can find the time in the future.