Code Interface Reference

Manual

LabVIEW Code Interface Reference Manual

January 1998 Edition

Part Number 320539D-01
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Contents

About This Manual

Organization of This Manual ...........................................................................................xi
Conventions Used in This Manual...................................................................................xii
Related Documentation....................................................................................................xiii
Customer Communication ...............................................................................................xiv

Chapter 1
CIN Overview
Introduction......................................................................................................................1-1
Classes of External Code...................................................................................1-2
Supported Languages ........................................................................................1-3
Macintosh............................................................................................1-3
Microsoft Windows 3.1.......................................................................1-4
Microsoft Windows 95 and Windows NT ..........................................1-4
Solaris..................................................................................................1-4
HP-UX and Concurrent.......................................................................1-5
Steps for Creating a CIN..................................................................................................1-5
Place the CIN on a Block Diagram ...................................................................1-6
Add Input and Output Terminals to the CIN.....................................................1-6
Input-Output Terminals.......................................................................1-7
Output-Only Terminals .......................................................................1-8
Wire the Inputs and Outputs to the CIN............................................................1-8
Create .c File......................................................................................................1-9
Special Macintosh Considerations ......................................................1-11
Compile the CIN Source Code ..........................................................................1-12
Macintosh............................................................................................1-13
THINK C for 68K (Version 7) .............................................1-13
Symantec C++ 8.0 for Power Macintosh..............................1-16
Metrowerks CodeWarrior for 68K .......................................1-18
Metrowerks CodeWarrior for Power Macintosh ..................1-20
Macintosh Programmer’s Workshop for 68K
and Power Macintosh ........................................................1-22
Microsoft Windows 3.x.......................................................................1-26
Watcom C Compiler .............................................................1-26
Microsoft Windows 95 and Windows NT ..........................................1-28
Visual C++ Command Line..................................................1-28
Visual C++ IDE ....................................................................1-30
Symantec C...........................................................................1-30

© National Instruments Corporation v LabVIEW Code Interface Reference Manual

Contents

Watcom C Compiler for Windows 3.1 under

Windows 95 or Windows NT............................................ 1-31
Solaris 1.x ........................................................................................... 1-31
Solaris 2.x ........................................................................................... 1-31
HP-UX and Concurrent PowerMAX.................................................. 1-32
Unbundled Sun ANSI C Compiler, HP-UX C/ANSI C Compiler,
and Concurrent C Compiler............................................................. 1-32
Load the CIN Object Code................................................................................ 1-33
LabVIEW Manager Routines .......................................................................................... 1-34
Online Reference............................................................................................... 1-34
Pointers as Parameters ...................................................................................... 1-34
Debugging External Code ............................................................................................... 1-36
DbgPrintf........................................................................................................... 1-37
Debugging CINs Under Windows 95/NT......................................................... 1-37
Debugging CINs Under Sun or Solaris............................................................. 1-39
Debugging CINs Under HP-UX ....................................................................... 1-39

Chapter 2
CIN Parameter Passing
Introduction ..................................................................................................................... 2-1
CIN .c File ....................................................................................................................... 2-1
How LabVIEW Passes Fixed Sized Data to CINs .......................................................... 2-2
Scalar Numerics ................................................................................................ 2-2
Scalar Booleans................................................................................................. 2-2
Refnums ............................................................................................................ 2-3
Clusters of Scalars............................................................................................. 2-3
Return Value for CIN Routines....................................................................................... 2-3
Examples with Scalars..................................................................................................... 2-4
Creating a CIN That Multiplies Two Numbers ................................................ 2-4
Comparing Two Numbers, Producing a Boolean Scalar .................................. 2-7
How LabVIEW Passes Variably Sized Data to CINs ..................................................... 2-8
Alignment Considerations................................................................................. 2-9
Arrays and Strings............................................................................................. 2-10
Paths (Path) ....................................................................................................... 2-10
Clusters Containing Variably Sized Data ......................................................... 2-10
Resizing Arrays and Strings ............................................................................................ 2-11
SetCINArraySize............................................................................................................. 2-12
NumericArrayResize ....................................................................................................... 2-13
Examples with Variably Sized Data................................................................................ 2-15
Concatenating Two Strings ............................................................................... 2-15
Computing the Cross Product of Two Two-Dimensional Arrays..................... 2-17
Working with Clusters ...................................................................................... 2-20

LabVIEW Code Interface Reference Manual vi © National Instruments Corporation

 Contents

Chapter 3
CIN Advanced Topics
CIN Routines ...................................................................................................................3-1
Data Spaces and Code Resources......................................................................3-1
CIN Routines: The Basic Case ..........................................................................3-3
Loading a VI .......................................................................................3-3
Unloading a VI....................................................................................3-4
Loading a New Resource into the CIN ...............................................3-4
Compiling a VI....................................................................................3-4
Running a VI .......................................................................................3-5
Saving a VI..........................................................................................3-5
Aborting a VI ......................................................................................3-5
Multiple References to the Same CIN in a Single VI .......................................3-5
Multiple Reference to the same CIN in different VIs .......................................3-6
Single Threaded Operating Systems ...................................................3-7
Multithreaded Operating Systems.......................................................3-8
Code Globals and CIN Data Space Globals ......................................................3-8
Examples.............................................................................................3-9
Using Code Globals..............................................................3-10
Using CIN Data Space Globals ............................................3-11
Calling a Windows 95 or Windows NT Dynamic Link Library .....................................3-12
Calling a Windows 3.1 Dynamic Link Library ...............................................................3-12
Calling a 16-Bit DLL.........................................................................................3-13
1. Load the DLL..................................................................................3-13
2. Get the address of the desired function ...........................................3-14
3. Describe the function ......................................................................3-14
4. Call the function..............................................................................3-15
Example: A CIN that Displays a Dialog Box....................................................3-15
The DLL..............................................................................................3-15
The CIN Code .....................................................................................3-17
Compiling the CIN..............................................................................3-20
Optimization........................................................................................3-20

Chapter 4
External Subroutines
Introduction......................................................................................................................4-1
Creating Shared External Subroutines .............................................................................4-2
External Subroutines .........................................................................................4-3
Macintosh............................................................................................4-3
Microsoft Windows 3.1, Windows 95, and Windows NT..................4-3
Solaris 1.x, Solaris 2.x, HP-UX, and Concurrent PowerMAX ...........4-4

© National Instruments Corporation vii LabVIEW Code Interface Reference Manual

Contents

Calling Code.................................................................................................................... 4-4

Macintosh ........................................................................................... 4-5
Microsoft Windows 3.1, Windows 95, and Windows NT ................. 4-6
Solaris 1.x, Solaris 2.x, HP-UX, and Concurrent PowerMAX ........... 4-6
External Subroutine Example ........................................................................... 4-7
Compiling the External Subroutine .................................................... 4-7
Macintosh ............................................................................. 4-7
Microsoft Windows 3.1........................................................ 4-8
Microsoft Windows 95 and Windows NT ........................... 4-9
Solaris 1.x, Solaris 2.x, HP-UX, and
Concurrent PowerMAX .................................................... 4-9
Calling Code Example ...................................................................................... 4-10
Compiling the Calling Code ............................................................... 4-11
Macintosh ............................................................................. 4-11
Microsoft Windows 3.1........................................................ 4-12
Microsoft Windows 95 and Windows NT ........................... 4-13
Solaris 1.x, Solaris 2.x, HP-UX, and
Concurrent PowerMAX .................................................... 4-13

Chapter 5
Manager Overview
Introduction ..................................................................................................................... 5-1
Basic Data Types............................................................................................................. 5-2
Scalar Data Types ............................................................................................. 5-2
Booleans ............................................................................................. 5-2
Numerics............................................................................................. 5-3
Complex Numbers................................................................ 5-4
char Data Type .................................................................................................. 5-4
Dynamic Data Types......................................................................................... 5-4
Arrays ................................................................................................. 5-4
Strings ................................................................................................. 5-5
C-Style Strings (CStr) .......................................................... 5-5
Pascal-Style Strings (PStr) ................................................... 5-5
LabVIEW Strings (LStr) ...................................................... 5-5
Concatenated Pascal String (CPStr)..................................... 5-6
Paths (Path)......................................................................................... 5-6
Memory-Related Types..................................................................................... 5-6
Constants........................................................................................................... 5-7

LabVIEW Code Interface Reference Manual viii © National Instruments Corporation

 Contents

Memory Manager ............................................................................................................5-7

Memory Allocation ...........................................................................................5-7
Static Memory Allocation ...................................................................5-7
Dynamic Memory Allocation: Pointers and Handles .........................5-8
Memory Zones...................................................................................................5-9
Using Pointers and Handles...............................................................................5-9
Simple Example ..................................................................................5-10
Reference to the Memory Manager ...................................................................5-12
Memory Manager Data Structures......................................................5-12
File Manager ....................................................................................................................5-12
Identifying Files and Directories .......................................................................5-13
Path Specifications ............................................................................................5-13
Conventional Path Specifications .......................................................5-13
Empty Path Specifications ..................................................................5-15
LabVIEW Path Specification..............................................................5-16
File Descriptors .................................................................................................5-16
File Refnums .....................................................................................................5-16
Support Manager..............................................................................................................5-17

Appendix A
CIN Common Questions

Appendix B
Customer Communication

Glossary

Figures
Figure 3-1. Data Storage Spaces for One CIN, Simple Case.....................................3-2
Figure 3-2. Three CINs Referencing the Same Code Resource.................................3-6
Figure 3-3. Three VIs Referencing a Reentrant VI Containing One CIN .................3-7

Tables
Table 1-1. Functions with Parameters Needing Pre-allocated Memory ...................1-35

© National Instruments Corporation ix LabVIEW Code Interface Reference Manual

About This Manual

The LabVIEW Code Interface Reference Manual describes Code Interface

Nodes and external subroutines for users who need to use code written in
conventional programming languages. The manual includes information
about shared external subroutines, libraries of functions, memory and file
manipulation routines, and diagnostic routines. Additional information not
included in this manual is also available by selecting Online Reference
from LabVIEW’s Help menu.

Organization of This Manual

This manual is organized as follows:
• Chapter 1, CIN Overview, introduces the LabVIEW Code Interface
Node (CIN), a node that links external code written in a conventional
programming language to LabVIEW.
• Chapter 2, CIN Parameter Passing, describes the data structures that
LabVIEW uses when passing data to a CIN.
• Chapter 3, CIN Advanced Topics, covers several topics that are needed
only in advanced applications, including how to use the CINInit,
CINDispose, CINAbort, CINLoad, CINUnload, CINSave, and
CINProperties routines. The chapter also discusses how global
data works within CIN source code, and how users of Windows 3.1,
Windows 95, and Windows NT can call a DLL from a CIN.
• Chapter 4, External Subroutines, describes how to create and call
shared external subroutines from other external code modules.
• Chapter 5, Manager Overview, gives an overview of the function
libraries, called managers, which you can use in external code
modules. These include the memory manager, the file manager, and
the support manager. The chapter also introduces many of the basic
constants, data types, and globals contained in the LabVIEW libraries.
• Appendix A, CIN Common Questions, answers some of the questions
commonly asked by LabVIEW CIN users.
• Appendix B, Customer Communication, contains forms you can use to
request help from National Instruments or to comment on our products
and manuals.

© National Instruments Corporation xi LabVIEW Code Interface Reference Manual

About This Manual

• The Glossary contains an alphabetical list and description of terms

used in this manual, including acronyms, abbreviations, metric
prefixes, mnemonics, and symbols.

Conventions Used in This Manual

The following conventions are used in this manual:

bold Bold text denotes the names of menus, menu items, parameters, dialog
boxes, dialog box buttons or options, icons, windows, Windows 95 tabs,
or LEDs.

italic Italic text denotes variables, emphasis, a cross reference, or an introduction

to a key concept. This font also denotes text from which you supply the
appropriate word or value, as in Windows 3.x.

bold italic Bold italic text denotes an activity objective, note, caution, or warning.

monospace Text in this font denotes text or characters that you should literally enter
from the keyboard, sections of code, programming examples, and syntax
examples. This font is also used for the proper names of disk drives, paths,
directories, programs, subprograms, subroutines, device names, functions,
operations, variables, filenames and extensions, and for statements and
comments taken from programs.

monospace italic Italic text in this font denotes that you must enter the appropriate words or
values in the place of these items.

<> Angle brackets enclose the name of a key on the keyboard—for example,
<shift>. Angle brackets containing numbers separated by an ellipsis
represent a range of values associated with a bit or signal name—for
example, DBIO<3..0>.

- A hyphen between two or more key names enclosed in angle brackets

denotes that you should simultaneously press the named keys—for
example, <Control-Alt-Delete>.

paths Paths in this manual are denoted using backslashes (\) to separate drive
names, directories, folders, and files.

This icon to the left of bold italicized text denotes a note, which alerts you
to important information.

LabVIEW Code Interface Reference Manual xii © National Instruments Corporation

 About This Manual

This icon to the left of bold italicized text denotes a caution, which advises
! you of precautions to take to avoid injury, data loss, or a system crash.

Abbreviations, acronyms, metric prefixes, mnemonics, symbols, and terms

are listed in the Glossary.

Related Documentation
The following documents contain information that you might find helpful
as you read this manual:
• G Programming Reference Manual
• LabVIEW User Manual
• LabVIEW Function and VI Reference Manual
• LabVIEW Online Reference, available by selecting
Help»Online Reference

Sun users might also find the following document useful:

• Sun Workshop CD-ROM, Sun Microsystems, Inc., U.S.A., 1997

Windows users might also find the following documents useful:

• Microsoft Windows documentation set, Microsoft Corporation,
Redmond, WA, 1992-1995
• Microsoft Windows Programmer’s Reference, Microsoft Corporation,
Redmond, WA, 1992-1995
• Win32 Programmer’s Reference, Microsoft Corporation,
Redmond, WA, 1992-1995
• Watcom C/C++ User’s Guide CD-ROM, Watcom Publications
Limited, Waterloo, Ontario, Canada, 1995; Help file: “The
Watcom C/C++ Compilers”
• Microsoft Visual C++ CD-ROM, Microsoft Corporation,
Redmond, WA, 1997

© National Instruments Corporation xiii LabVIEW Code Interface Reference Manual

About This Manual

Customer Communication
National Instruments wants to receive your comments on our products and
manuals. We are interested in the applications you develop with our
products, and we want to help if you have problems with them. To make it
easy for you to contact us, this manual contains comment and configuration
forms for you to complete. These forms are in Appendix B, Customer
Communication, at the end of this manual.

LabVIEW Code Interface Reference Manual xiv © National Instruments Corporation

CIN Overview
1
This chapter introduces the LabVIEW Code Interface Node (CIN), a node
that links external code written in a conventional programming language
to LabVIEW.

Introduction
A CIN is a block diagram node associated with a section of source
code written in a conventional programming language. You compile the
source code first and link it to form executable code. LabVIEW calls the
executable code when the node executes, passing input data from the
block diagram to the executable code, and returning data from the
executable code to the block diagram.

The LabVIEW compiler can usually generate code fast enough for most
of your programming tasks. However, you can use CINs for tasks a
conventional language can accomplish more easily, such as tasks that are
time-critical or require a great deal of data manipulation. CINs are also
useful for tasks you cannot perform directly from the diagram, such as
calling system routines for which no corresponding LabVIEW functions
exist. CINs can also link existing code to LabVIEW, although you may
need to modify the code so it uses the correct LabVIEW data types.

CINs execute synchronously, which means LabVIEW cannot use the

execution thread used by the CIN for any other purpose. When a VI
executes, LabVIEW monitors menus and the keyboard. When running
multi-threaded, there is a separate thread for these tasks. When running
single-threaded, the VI returns to LabVIEW to allow it time to scan menus
and the keyboard, and run other VIs.

When CIN object code executes, it takes control of its execution thread.
If LabVIEW has only a single thread of control, then all of LabVIEW is
stopped until the CIN object code returns. On single-threaded operation
systems such as Macintosh and Windows 3.1, CINs even prevent other
applications from running. In multi-threaded operating systems such as
Windows 95/NT, only the execution thread running the CIN is locked up.
However, if there is only one execution thread, other VIs are prevented
from running.

© National Instruments Corporation 1-1 LabVIEW Code Interface Reference Manual

Chapter 1 CIN Overview

A VI executing a CIN can not be reset until the CIN completes—the

executing CIN object code cannot be interrupted by LabVIEW. Although
you can create VIs that use CINs and behave in a more asynchronous
fashion, be aware of this potential problem if you intend to write a CIN that
executes a long task and you need LabVIEW to multitask in the interim.

A CIN appears on the diagram as an icon with input and output terminals.
You associate this node with a section of code you want LabVIEW to call.
When it is time for the node to execute, LabVIEW calls the code associated
with the CIN, passing it the specified data.

In some cases, you may want a CIN to perform additional actions at

certain execution times. For example, you might want to initialize data
structures at load time or free private data structures when the user
closes the VI containing the CIN. For these situations, you can write
routines LabVIEW calls at predefined times or when the node executes.
Specifically, LabVIEW calls certain routines when the VI containing the
CIN is loaded, saved, closed, aborted, or compiled. You generally use
these routines in CINs that perform an on-going action, such as
accumulating results from call to call, so you can allocate, initialize,
and deallocate resources at the correct time. Most CINs perform a
specific action at run time only.

After you have written your first CIN as described in this manual, writing
new CINs is relatively easy. The work involved in writing new CINs is
mostly in coding the algorithm, because the interface to LabVIEW remains
the same, no matter what the development system.

Classes of External Code

LabVIEW supports code resources for CINs and external subroutines.
An external subroutine is a section of code you can call from other external
code. If you write multiple CINs that call the same subroutine, you may
want to make the shared subroutine an external subroutine. The code for
an external subroutine is a separate file; when LabVIEW loads a section
of external code that references an external subroutine, it also loads the
appropriate external subroutine into memory. Using an external subroutine
makes each section of calling code smaller, because the external subroutine
does not require embedded code. Further, you need to make changes only
once if you want to modify the subroutine.

Note LabVIEW does not support code resources for external subroutines on the Power
Macintosh. If you are working with a Power Macintosh, you should use shared
libraries instead of external subroutines. For information on building shared
libraries, consult your development environment documentation.

LabVIEW Code Interface Reference Manual 1-2 © National Instruments Corporation

 Chapter 1 CIN Overview

Although LabVIEW for Solaris 2.x, HP-UX, and Concurrent PowerMAX support
external routines, it is recommended you use UNIX shared libraries instead,
because they are a more standard library format.

Supported Languages
The interface for CINs and external subroutines supports a variety of
compilers, although not all compilers can create code in the correct
executable format.

External code must be compiled as a form of executable appropriate for a

specific platform. The code must be relocatable, because LabVIEW loads
external code into the same memory space as the main application.

Macintosh
LabVIEW for the Macintosh uses external code as a customized code
resource (for 68K) or shared library (for Power Macintosh) that is prepared
for LabVIEW using the separate utilities lvsbutil.app for THINK C
and Metrowerks CodeWarrior, and lvsbutil.tool for the Macintosh
Programmer’s Workshop. These utilities are included with LabVIEW.

The LabVIEW utilities and object files are compatible with the three major
C development environments for the Power Macintosh:
• THINK C, version 7 for Macintosh and Symantec C++ version 8 for
Power Macintosh, from Symantec Corporation of Cupertino, CA
• Metrowerks CodeWarrior from Metrowerks Corporation of
Austin, Texas
• Macintosh Programmer’s Workshop (MPW) from Apple Computer,
Inc. of Cupertino, CA

LabVIEW header files are compatible with these three environments.

Header files may need modification for other environments.

CINs compiled for the 68K Macintosh will not be recognized by LabVIEW
for the Power Macintosh, and vice versa.

LabVIEW does not currently work with fat binaries (a format including
multiple executables in one file, in this case both 68K and Power
Macintosh executables).

© National Instruments Corporation 1-3 LabVIEW Code Interface Reference Manual

Chapter 1 CIN Overview

Microsoft Windows 3.1

LabVIEW for Windows supports external code compiled as a .REX file
and prepared for LabVIEW using an application included with LabVIEW.
This application requires dos4gw.exe, which comes with Watcom C.
LabVIEW is a 32-bit, flat memory-model application, so you must
compile external code for a 32-bit memory model when you install the
Watcom C compiler.

Watcom C is the only LabVIEW-supported compiler that can create 32-bit

code of the correct format.

Microsoft Windows 95 and Windows NT

You can use CINs in LabVIEW for Windows 95/NT created with any of
the following compilers.
• The Microsoft Visual C++ compiler.
• Symantec C Compiler.
See the Microsoft Windows 95 and Windows NT subsection of the
Compile the CIN Source Code section of this chapter for information
on how to create a CIN using these compilers.
• The Watcom C/386 compiler for Windows 3.1.
In most cases, you can use CINs created using the Watcom C compiler
for Windows 3.1 with LabVIEW for Windows 95/NT. See the
Microsoft Windows 3.x subsection of the Compile the CIN Source
Code section of this chapter for more information on using the
Watcom C compiler for Windows 3.1.

Note Under Windows 95 and Windows NT, do not call CINs created using the
Watcom C compiler that call DLLs and system functions or that access hardware
directly. The technique Watcom uses to call such code under Windows 3.1 does
not work under Windows 95 or Windows NT.

Solaris
LabVIEW for Sun supports external code compiled in a.out format under
Solaris 1.x and a shared library format under Solaris 2.x. These formats are
prepared for LabVIEW using a LabVIEW utility.

The unbundled Sun ANSI C compiler is the only compiler tested

thoroughly with LabVIEW. The header files are compatible with
the unbundled Sun ANSI C Compiler and may need modification for
other compilers.

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 Chapter 1 CIN Overview

HP-UX and Concurrent

LabVIEW for HP-UX and Concurrent support external code compiled
as a shared library. This library is prepared for LabVIEW using a
LabVIEW utility.

The HP-UX C/ANSI C compiler and Concurrent C Compiler are the only
compilers tested thoroughly with LabVIEW.

Steps for Creating a CIN

You create a CIN by first describing in LabVIEW the data you want to
pass to the CIN. You then write the code for the CIN using one of the
supported programming languages. After you compile the code, you run
a utility that puts the compiled code into a format LabVIEW can use.
You then instruct LabVIEW to load the CIN.

If you execute the VI at this point, and the block diagram needs to execute
the CIN, LabVIEW calls the CIN object code and passes any data wired to
the CIN. If you save the VI after loading the code, LabVIEW saves the CIN
object code along with the VI so LabVIEW no longer needs the original
code to execute the CIN. You can update your CIN object code with new
versions at any time.

The examples directory contains a cins directory that includes all of the
examples given in this manual. The names of the directories in the cins
directory correspond to the CIN name given in the examples.

The following steps explain how to create a CIN.

© National Instruments Corporation 1-5 LabVIEW Code Interface Reference Manual

Chapter 1 CIN Overview

Place the CIN on a Block Diagram

Select the Code Interface Node function from the Advanced palette of the
Functions palette, as shown in the following illustration.

Add Input and Output Terminals to the CIN

A CIN has terminals with which you can indicate which data passes to and
from a CIN. Initially, the CIN has one set of terminals, and you can pass a
single value to and from the CIN. You add additional terminals by resizing
the node or by selecting Add Parameter from the CIN terminal pop-up
menu. Both methods are shown in the following illustration.

You can resize the node to add parameters,

LabVIEW Code Interface Reference Manual 1-6 © National Instruments Corporation

 Chapter 1 CIN Overview

or use the pop-up menu to add a parameter.

Each pair of terminals corresponds to a parameter LabVIEW passes to the

CIN. The two types of terminal pairs are input-output and output-only.

Input-Output Terminals
By default, a terminal pair is input-output; the left terminal is the input
terminal, and the right terminal is the output terminal. As an example,
consider a CIN that has a single terminal pair. Assume a 32-bit integer
control is wired to the input terminal, and a 32-bit integer indicator is
wired to the output terminal, as shown in the following illustration.

When the VI calls the CIN, the only argument LabVIEW passes to the CIN
object code is a pointer to the value of the 32-bit integer input. When the
CIN completes, LabVIEW then passes the value referenced by the pointer
to the 32-bit integer indicator. When you wire controls and indicators to the
input and the output terminals of a terminal pair, LabVIEW assumes the
CIN can modify the data passed. If another node on the block diagram
needs the input value, LabVIEW may have to copy the input data before
passing it to the CIN.

Now consider the same CIN, but with no indicator wired to the output
terminal, as shown in the following illustration.

If you do not wire an indicator to the output terminal of a terminal pair,

LabVIEW assumes the CIN will not modify the value you pass to it. If
another node on the block diagram uses the input data, LabVIEW does

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Chapter 1 CIN Overview

not copy the data. The source code should not modify the value passed into
the input terminal of a terminal pair if you do not wire the output terminal.
If the CIN does modify the input value, nodes connected to the input
terminal wire may receive the modified data.

Output-Only Terminals
If you use a terminal pair only to return a value, make it an output-only
terminal pair by selecting Output Only from the terminal pair pop-up
menu. If a terminal pair is output-only, the input terminal is gray, as
shown in the following illustration.

For output-only terminals, LabVIEW creates storage space for a return

value and passes the value by reference to the CIN the same way it passes
values for input-output terminal pairs. If you do not wire a control to the
left terminal, LabVIEW determines the type of the output parameter by
checking the type of the indicator wired to the output terminal. This can
be ambiguous if you wire the output to two destinations that have different
data types. You can remove this ambiguity by wiring a control to the left
(input) terminal of the terminal pair as shown in the preceding figure. In
this case, output terminal takes on the same data type as the input terminal.
LabVIEW uses the input type only to determine the data type for the output
terminal; the CIN does not use or affect the data of the input wire.

To remove a pair of terminals from a CIN, pop up on the terminal you

want to remove and choose Remove Terminal from the menu. LabVIEW
disconnects wires connected to the deleted terminal pair. Wires connected
to terminal pairs below the deleted pair remain attached to those terminals
and stretch to adjust to the terminals’ new positions.

Wire the Inputs and Outputs to the CIN

Connect wires to all the terminal pairs on the CIN to specify the data
you want to pass to the CIN, and the data you want to receive from the
CIN. The order of terminal pairs on the CIN corresponds to the order
in which parameters are passed to the code. Notice you can use any
LabVIEW data types as CIN parameters. Thus, you can pass arbitrarily
complex hierarchical data structures, such as arrays containing clusters
which may in turn contain other arrays or clusters to a CIN. See Chapter 2,
CIN Parameter Passing, for a description of how LabVIEW passes
parameters of specific data types to CINs.

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 Chapter 1 CIN Overview

Create .c File
If you select Create .c File... from the CIN pop-up menu, as shown in
the following illustration, LabVIEW creates a .c file in the style of the
C programming language. The .c file describes the routines you must
write and the data types for parameters that pass to the CIN.

For example, consider the following call to a CIN, which takes a 32-bit
integer as an input and returns a 32-bit integer as an output.

The following code excerpt is the initial .c file for this node. Eight routines
may be written for the CIN. The CINRun routine is required—the others are
optional. If an optional routine is not present, a default routine is supplied
when the CIN is built.

These eight routines are discussed in detail in subsequent chapters. The

.c file is presented here to give you an idea of what LabVIEW creates at
this stage in building a CIN.
/*
* CIN source file
*/
#include "extcode.h"
CIN MgErr CINRun(int32 *num_in, int32 *num_out);
CIN MgErr CINRun(int32 *num_in, int32 *num_out) {
/* ENTER YOUR CODE HERE */
return noErr;
}

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Chapter 1 CIN Overview

This .c file is a template in which you must write C code. Notice

extcode.h is automatically included; it is a file that defines basic data
types and a number of routines that can be used by CINs and external
subroutines. extcode.h defines some constants and types whose
definitions may conflict with the definitions of system header files.
The LabVIEW cintools directory also contains a file, hosttype.h,
that resolves these differences. This header file also includes many of
the common header files for a given platform.

Always use #include "extcode.h" at the beginning of your source

code. If your code needs to make system calls, also use #include
"hosttype.h" immediately after #include "extcode.h", and then
include your system header files. hosttype.h includes only a subset of
the .h files for a given operating system. If the .h file you need is not
included by hosttype.h, you can include it in the .c file for your CIN
just after you include hosttype.h.

LabVIEW calls the CINRun routine when it is time for the node to
execute. CINRun receives the input and output values as parameters. The
other routines (CINLoad, CINSave, CINUnload, CINAbort, CINInit,
CINDispose, and CINProperties) are housekeeping routines, called at
specific times to give you the opportunity to take care of specialized tasks
with your CIN. For instance, CINLoad is called when a VI is first loaded.
If you need to accomplish some special task when your VI is first loaded,
put the code for that task in the CINLoad routine. To do this, write your
CINLoad routine as follows:
CIN MgErr CINLoad(RsrcFile reserved) {
Unused (reserved);
/* ENTER YOUR CODE HERE */
return noErr;
}

In general, you only need to write the CINRun routine. The other routines
are supplied for instances when you have special initialization needs, such
as when your CIN must maintain some information across calls, and you
want to preallocate or initialize global state information. The following
code shows how to fill out the CINRun routine from the previously shown
LabVIEW-generated .c file to multiply a number by two. This code is
included for illustrative purposes. Chapter 2, CIN Parameter Passing,
discusses how LabVIEW passes data to a CIN, with several examples.
CIN MgErr CINRun(int32 *num_in, int32 *num_out) {
*num_out = *num_in * 2;
return noErr;
}

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 Chapter 1 CIN Overview

Special Macintosh Considerations

If you compile your code for a 68K Macintosh, there are certain
circumstances under which you must use the ENTERLVSB and LEAVELVSB
macros at the entry and exit of some functions. These macros ensure the
global context register (A5 for MPW builds, A4 for Symantec/THINK
and Metrowerks builds) for your CIN is established during your function,
and the caller's is saved and restored. This is necessary to enable you to
reference global variables, call external subroutines, and call LabVIEW
routines such as those described in subsequent chapters.

You need not use these macros in any of the eight predefined entry points
(CINRun, CINLoad, CINUnload, CINSave, CINInit, CINDispose,
CINAbort, and CINProperties), because the CIN libraries already
establish and restore the global context before and after calling these
routines. Using them here would be harmless, but unnecessary.

However, if you create any other entry points to your CIN, you should
use these macros. You create another entry point to your CIN whenever
you pass the address of one of your functions to some other piece of code
that may call your function later. An example of this is the use of the
QSort routine in the LabVIEW support manager (described in the CIN
Function Overview section of the LabVIEW Online Reference). You must
pass a comparison routine to QSort. This routine gets called directly by
QSort, without going through the CIN library. Therefore it is your
responsibility to set up your global context with ENTERLVSB and
LEAVELVSB.

To use these macros properly, place the ENTERLVSB macro at the beginning
of your function between your local variables and the first statement of the
function. Place the LEAVELVSB macro at the end of your function just
before returning, as in the following example.
CStr gNameTable[kNNames];
int32 MyComparisonProc(int32 *pa, int32 * pb)
{
int32 comparisonResult;
ENTERLVSB
comparisonResult = StrCmp(gNameTable[*pa],
gNameTable[*pb]);
LEAVELVSB
return comparisonResult;
}

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Chapter 1 CIN Overview

The function MyComparisonProc is an example of a routine that might

be passed to the QSort routine. Because it explicitly references a global
variable (gNameTable), it must use the ENTERLVSB and LEAVELVSB
macros. There are other things that can implicitly reference globals.
Depending on the compiler and settings of various options, literal strings
may also be referenced as globals.

It is best to always use the ENTERLVSB and LEAVELVSB macros whenever

you create a new entry point to your CIN.

When you use these macros, be sure your function does not return
before calling the LEAVELVSB macro. One technique is to use a goto
endOfFunction statement (where endOfFunction is a label just before
the LEAVELVSB macro at the end of your function) in place of any return
statements you may place in your function.

Compile the CIN Source Code

You must compile the source code for the CIN in a format LabVIEW can
use. There are two steps to this process. First you compile the code using a
compiler LabVIEW supports. Then you use a LabVIEW utility to modify
the object code, putting it into a format LabVIEW can use.

Because the compiling process is often complex, LabVIEW includes

utilities that simplify the process. These utilities take a simple specification
for a CIN and create object code you can load into LabVIEW. These tools
vary depending on the platform and compiler you use. The following
sections summarize the steps for each platform.

Note Compiling the source code is different for each platform. Look under the heading
for your platform and compiler in the following sections to find the instructions
for your system.

Every source code file for a CIN should list #include "extcode.h" before any
other code. If your code needs to make system calls, you should also use #include
"hosttype.h" immediately after #include "extcode.h".

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 Chapter 1 CIN Overview

Macintosh
LabVIEW for the Macintosh uses external code as a customized code
resource (on a 68K Macintosh) or as a shared library (on a Power
Macintosh) prepared for LabVIEW using the separate utilities
lvsbutil.app for THINK and Metrowerks or lvsbutil.tool for
MPW. Both these utilities are included with LabVIEW.

You can create CINs on the Macintosh with compilers from any of the three
major C compiler vendors: Symantec’s THINK environment, Metrowerks’
CodeWarrior environment, and Apple’s Macintosh Programmer’s
Workshop (MPW) environment. Always use the latest Universal headers
containing definitions for both 68K and Power Macintosh compilers.

The LabVIEW utilities for building Power Macintosh CINs are the same
ones used for the 68K Macintosh and can be used to build both versions
of a CIN. If you want to place both versions in the same folder, however,
some development conflicts may arise. Because the naming conventions
for object files and.lsb files are the same, make sure one version does not
replace the other. These kinds of issues can be handled in different ways,
depending on your development environment.

Some CIN code that compiles and works on the 68K Macintosh and calls
Macintosh OS or Toolbox functions requires changes to the source code
before it will work on the Power Macintosh. Any code that passes a
function pointer to a Mac OS or Toolbox function must be modified to
pass a Routine Descriptor (see Apple’s Inside Macintosh chapter on the
Mixed Mode Manager, available in the Macintosh on RISC SDK from
APDA). Also, if you use any 68K assembly language in your CIN, it must
be ported to either C or Power Macintosh assembly language.

THINK C for 68K (Version 7)

To create a THINK C CIN project, make a new folder for the project.
Launch THINK C and create a new project in the new folder. The name of
your THINK C project must match your CIN name exactly, and must not
use any of the conventional project suffixes, such as .π or .proj. If you
name your CIN test, your THINK C project must also be named test, so
it produces a link map file named test.map. You should keep the new
project and the CIN files associated with it within the same folder.

With THINK C 7, an easy way to set up your CIN project is to make use
of the project stationery in the cintools:Symantec-THINK Files:
Project Stationery folder. For THINK C 7 projects, the project
stationery is a folder called LabVIEW CIN TC7. It provides a template

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Chapter 1 CIN Overview

for new CINs with most of the settings you need. See the Read Me file in
the Project Stationery folder for details.

When building a CIN using THINK C for 68K, many of the preferences
can be set to whatever you wish. Others, however, must be set to specific
values to correctly create a CIN. If for some reason you do not use the
CIN project stationery, you will need to ensure the following settings in
the THINK C Preferences dialog box are made:
• Pull down the THINK C Edit menu and pop up on the Options item;
select THINK Project Manager.... Under Preferences, check the
Generate link map box, and then click on the OK button. Now go
back to the Options item under the Edit menu and select THINK C....
• To complete the project set-up process, select the Require prototypes
button under Language Settings and then check the Check Pointer
Types box. Under Prefix, delete the line #include <MacHeaders>
if it is present. Finally, under Compiler Settings, check the Generate
68881 instructions box, the Native floating-point format box, and
the Generate 68020 instructions box. You can use the Copy button
at the top of the dialog box to make these settings the default settings
for new projects, which will make the set-up process for subsequent
CINs simpler.
• When you have finished selecting the options in the Edit menu, turn
to the THINK C Project menu; select Set Project Type.... First, set
the type to Code Resource. From the new options that appear, set the
File Type to .tmp, the Creator to LVsb, the Name to the name of the
CIN plus the extension .tmp, the Type to CUST, the ID to 128, and
check the Custom Header box. If you are creating a CIN called
test, you must name the resource test.tmp, as shown in the
following illustration.

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 Chapter 1 CIN Overview

After these parameters are set, add the libraries CINLib.TC7 and
LabVIEWLib.TC7, found in cintools:Symantic-THINK Files:
Think C 7 Libraries, to the project. You must also add the default
version of each standard CIN procedure not defined by your code.
Each default procedure is in its own correspondingly named library,
located in cintools:Symantic-THINK Files:THINK C 7
Libraries. These libraries are CINLoad.TC7, CINUnload.TC7,
CINInit.TC7, CINDispose.TC7, CINAbort.TC7, CINSave.TC7,
and CINProperties.TC7. Then add your .c files.

You are now ready to build the code resource. Go to the Project menu
and select Build Code Resource.... A dialog box will appear, allowing
you to save the code resource. The name of the code resource must be
the same as the name of the CIN plus the extension .tmp.

After you build a code resource and give it a .tmp extension, you must run
the application lvsbutil.app, also included with LabVIEW, to prepare
external code for use as a CIN or external subroutine. This utility prompts
you to select your .tmp file. The utility also uses the THINK C link map
file, which carries a .map extension and must be in the folder with your
.tmp file. The application lvsbutil.app uses the .tmp and the .map
files to produce a .lsb file that can be loaded into a VI.

If you are making a CIN, select the CIN option in the dialog box, as shown
in the above illustration. If you are making a CIN for the Power Macintosh,
also check the For Power PC box. If you are making an external
subroutine, select the Subroutine option.

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Chapter 1 CIN Overview

Advanced programmers can check the Add separate resource file box to
add additional resources to their CINs or the Put directly into VI box to
put the .lsb code into a VI without opening it or launching LabVIEW.
Remember the VI designated to receive the .lsb code must already
contain .lsb code with the same name. Notice you cannot put the code
directly into a library.

If your .tmp code resource file does not show up in the dialog box, check
its file type. When building the .tmp file, specify the file type as .tmp,
which is under the Set Project Type... menu item of the Project menu in
THINK C. The .lsb file this application produces is what the LabVIEW
CIN node should load.

Note The THINK C compiler will only find extcode.h if the file extcode.h is located
on the THINK C search path. You can place the cintools folder in the same
folder as your THINK C application, or you can make sure the line #include
"extcode.h" is a full pathname to extcode.h under THINK C. For example:
#include "harddrive:cintools:extcode.h"

If you are using System 7.0 or later, you can extend the THINK C search path.
To do so, first create a new folder in the same folder as your THINK C project and
name it Aliases. Then make an alias for the cintools folder, and drag this alias
into your newly created Aliases folder. This technique enables the include line
to read #include "extcode.h"; therefore, it is not necessary to type the full
pathname.

Symantec C++ 8.0 for Power Macintosh

To create CINs using this environment, you will need to install the
ToolServer application from the Symantec C++ 8.0 distribution disks.
ToolServer is an Apple tool that performs the final linking steps in
creating your CIN. It can be found in the Apple Software:Tools folder.
Copy the ToolServer 1.1.1 folder to your hard drive and place an
alias to ToolServer in the (Tools) folder in your Symantec C++ for
PowerMac folder.

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 Chapter 1 CIN Overview

You need the following files in your project to create a CIN for Power
Macintosh.
• ~CINLib.ppc. This file is shipped with LabVIEW and can be found
in the cintools:Symantic-THINK Files:Symantic C 8 folder.
• Your source files

You might also need the LabVIEW.xcoff file. This file is shipped with
LabVIEW and can be found in the cintools:PowerPC Libraries
folder. It is needed if you call any routines within LabVIEW, such as
DSSetHandleSize() or SetCINArraySize().

An easy way to set up your CIN project is to make use of the CIN
project stationery in the cintools:Symantec-THINK Files:Project
Stationery folder. For Symantec C version 8 projects the project
stationery is a folder called LabVIEW CIN SC8PPC. The folder provides
a template for new CINs containing almost all of the files and preference
settings you need. See the Read Me file in the Project Stationery
folder for details.

When building a CIN using Symantec C++ for PowerMac, you can set
many of the preferences to whatever you wish. Others, however, must be
set to specific values to correctly create a CIN. If you do not use the CIN
project stationery, you need to make the following settings in the Symantec
Project Manager Options dialog box (accessed from the Project menu):
• Project Type—Set the Project Type pop-up menu to Shared Library.
Set the File Type text field to .tmp. Set the Destination text field to
cinName.tmp, where cinName is the name of your CIN. Set the
Creator to LVsb.
• Linker—Set the Linker pop-up menu to PPCLink & MakePEF.
Set the PPCLink settings text field to -export

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Chapter 1 CIN Overview

gLVExtCodeDispatchTable, LVSBhead. Set the MakePEF

settings text field to have -librename
LabVIEW.xcoff.o=LabVIEW in addition to the factory setting.
• Extensions—Set the File Extension text field to .ppc, the Translator
pop-up menu to XCOFF convertor, and press the Add button.
• PowerPC C—In the Compiler Settings sub-page, select the
Align to 2 byte boundary radio button. In the Prefix sub-page,
remove the line that reads #include <PPCMacheaders>.

Build the CIN by selecting Build Library from the Build menu. Then
convert the .tmp file with lvsbutil.app (with For PowerPC checked).

Metrowerks CodeWarrior for 68K

You need the following files in your project to be able to create a
Metrowerks 68K CIN.
• CustHdr.68k.mwerks (This file must be the first file in the project.)
• CINLib.68k.mwerks
• LabVIEW.68k.mwerks
• Your source files

Note All of your files must be in a single segment. LabVIEW does not support
multi-segment CINs.

An easy way to set up your CIN project is to use the CIN project stationery
in the cintools:Metrowerks Files:Project Stationery folder.
For CodeWarrior 68K projects the project stationery is a file called
LabVIEW CIN MW68K. The file provides a template for CINs containing
almost all of the settings you need. See the Read Me file in the Project
Stationery folder for details.

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 Chapter 1 CIN Overview

When building a CIN using CodeWarrior for 68K, you can set many of
the preferences to whatever you wish. Others, however, must be set to
specific values to correctly create a CIN. If you do not use the CIN project
stationery, you need to make the following settings in the CodeWarrior
Preferences dialog box:
• Language—Set the Source Model pop-up menu to Apple C.
Empty the Prefix File text field.
• Processor—Check the 68881 Codegen and MPW C Calling
Conventions checkboxes. Leave the 4-Byte Ints and 8-Byte Doubles
checkboxes unchecked.
• Linker—Check the Generate Link Map checkbox.
• Project—Set the Project Type pop-up menu to Code Resource.
Set the File Name text field to cinName.tmp, where cinName is the
name of your CIN. Set the Resource Name text field to the same text
as in the File Name text field. Set the Type text field to .tmp and the
ResType text field to CUST. Set the ResID text field to 128. Set the
Header Type pop-up menu to Custom. Set the Creator to LVsb.
• Access Paths—Add your cintools folder to the list of access paths.

Build the CIN by selecting Make from the CodeWarrior Project menu.

Caution This operation will destroy the contents of any other file named cinName.tmp
! in that folder. This could easily be the case if this is the same folder in which
you build a Power Macintosh version of your CIN. If you are building for both
platforms, you should keep separate directories for each. The convention used
by the MPW CIN tools is to have two subdirectories named PPCObj and M68Obj
where all platform-specific files reside.

Note If you have both a ThinkC68K and a MetrowerksC68K map file, lvbutil cannot
know in advance which compiler your .tmp file came from. It will first look for a
ThinkC .map file, then for a Metrowerks .map file. To avoid any conflict, remove
the unnecessary .map file before using lvsbutil.app.

When you have successfully built the cinName.tmp file, you must then
use the lvsbutil.app application to create the cinName.lsb file.

The lvsbutil.app application has a checkbox in the file selection dialog

box labelled For Power PC. This checkbox must not be checked for 68K
CINs. Select any other options you want for your CIN, and then select your
cinName.tmp file. cinName.lsb will be created in the same folder as
cinName.tmp.

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Chapter 1 CIN Overview

Caution This operation will destroy the contents of any previous file named cinName.lsb
! in that folder. This could easily be the case if this is the same folder in which you
build a 68K Macintosh version of your CIN.

Metrowerks CodeWarrior for Power Macintosh

You need the following files in your CodeWarrior project to create a CIN
for Power Macintosh.
• CINLib.ppc.mwerks is shipped with LabVIEW and is found in the
cintools:Metrowerks Files:PPC Libraries folder.
• Your source files

You may also need the LabVIEW.xcoff file. This file is shipped with
LabVIEW and is found in the cintools:PowerPC Libraries folder.
It is needed if you call any routines within LabVIEW e.g.,
DSSetHandleSize(), or SetCINArraySize().

Finally, if you call any routines from a system shared library, you must add
the appropriate shared library interface file to your project's file list.

An easy way to set up your CIN project is to make use of the CIN
project stationery in the cintools:Metrowerks Files:Project
Stationery folder. For CodeWarrior PowerPC projects the project
stationery is a file called LabVIEW CIN MWPPC. This file provides a
template for CINs containing almost all of the settings you need. See
the Read Me file in the Project Stationery folder for details.

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 Chapter 1 CIN Overview

When building a CIN using CodeWarrior for PPC, you can set many of
the preferences to whatever you wish. Others, however, must be set to
specific values to correctly create a CIN. If you do not use the CIN project
stationery, you need to make the following settings in the CodeWarrior
Preferences dialog box:
• Language—Set the Source Model pop-up menu to Apple C. Empty
out the Prefix File text field (using MacHeaders will not work).
• Processor—Set the Struct Alignment pop-up menu to 68K.
• Linker—Empty all of the Entry Point fields.
• PEF—Set the Export Symbols pop-up menu to Use .exp file
and place a copy of the file projectName.exp (found in your
cintools:Metrowerks Files:PPC Libraries folder) in the
same folder as your CodeWarrior project. Rename this file to
projectName.exp, where projectName is the name of the project
file. CodeWarrior will look in this file to determine what symbols
your CIN exports. LabVIEW needs these to link to your CIN.
• Project—Set the Project Type pop-up menu to Shared Library.
Set the file name to be cinName.tmp, where cinName is the name of
your CIN. Set the Type field to .tmp. Set the Creator to LVsb.
• Access Paths—Add your cintools folder to the list of access paths.

Build the CIN by selecting Make from the CodeWarrior Project menu.

Caution This operation will destroy the contents of any other file named cinName.tmp in
! that folder. This could easily be the case if this is the same folder in which you
build a 68K Macintosh version of your CIN. If you are building for both platforms,
you should keep separate folders for each. The convention used by the MPW CIN
tools is to have two subdirectories named PPCObj and M68Obj where all
platform-specific files reside.

When you have successfully built the cinName.tmp file, you must then
use the lvsbutil.app application to create the cinName.lsb file.

The lvsbutil.app application has a checkbox in the file selection

dialog box labelled For Power PC. Check this box, along with any other
options necessary for your CIN, and then select your cinName.tmp file.
cinName.lsb will be created in the same folder as cinName.tmp.

Caution This operation will destroy the contents of any previous file named cinName.lsb
! in that folder. This could easily be the case if this is the same folder in which you
build a 68K Macintosh version of your CIN.

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Chapter 1 CIN Overview

Macintosh Programmer’s Workshop for 68K

and Power Macintosh
You can use Macintosh Programmer’s Workshop (MPW) to build CINs
for either the Motorola 680x0 (68K) Macintosh or the Power Macintosh.
Several scripts are available for the MPW environment to help you build
CINs. To deal with the problem of building CINs for two different CPUs,
these new scripts are designed to use two subdirectories in your CIN folder,
PPCObj and M68Obj. The platform-specific object and CIN files are kept
in these subdirectories. The scripts make use of the MrC compiler on
PowerPC and the SC compiler on 68K Macintosh. Older compilers, PPCC
and C, may also be used. The scripts are:
• CINMake—A script capable of building both Power Macintosh and
68K Macintosh CINs. It uses a simplified form of a makefile you
provide. It can be run every time you need to rebuild your CIN.
• LVMakeMake—A script similar to the lvmkmf (LabVIEW Make
Makefile) script available for building CINs under the Solaris
operating system. It builds a skeletal but complete makefile you
can then customize and use with the MPW make tool.

CINMake can be used for building both Power Macintosh and 68K
Macintosh versions of your CINs. By default, the CINMake script
builds 68K Macintosh CINs and puts the resulting cinName.lsb into
the M68Obj folder.

You must have one makefile for each CIN. Name the makefile by
appending .lvm to the CIN name. This indicates this is a LabVIEW
makefile. The makefile should resemble the following pseudocode.
Be sure each Dir command ends with the colon character (:).

name = name Name for the code; indicates the base

name for your CIN. The source code for
your CIN should be in name.c. The code
created by the makefile is placed in a new
file, name.lsb (.lsb is a mnemonic for
LabVIEW subroutine).

type = type Type of external code you want to create.

For CINs, you should use a type of CIN.

codeDir = codeDir: Complete pathname to the folder

containing the .c file used for the CIN.

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 Chapter 1 CIN Overview

cinToolsDir = cinToolsDir:
Complete pathname to the LabVIEW
cintools:MPW folder, which is located
in the LabVIEW folder.

LVMVers = 2 Version of CINMake script reading this

.lvm file.

inclDir = -i inclDir: (optional) Complete or partial pathname

to a folder containing any additional
.h files.

otherM68ObjFiles = otherM68ObjFiles
(optional) For 68K Macintosh only,
list of additional object files (files with
a .o extension) your code needs to
compile. Separate the names of files
with spaces.

otherPPCObjFiles = otherPPCObjFiles
(optional) For Power Macintosh only,
list of additional object files (files with
a .o extension) your code needs to
compile. Separate the names of files
with spaces.

subrNames = subrNames (optional) For 68K Macintosh only, list

of external subroutines the CIN calls.
You need subrNames only if the CIN
calls external subroutines. Separate the
names of subroutines with spaces.

ShLibs = sharedLibraryNames
(optional) For Power Macintosh only,
a space-separated list of the link-time
copies of import libraries with which
the CIN must be linked. Each should be
a complete path to the file.

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Chapter 1 CIN Overview

ShLibMaps = sharedLibMappings
(optional) For Power Macintosh only, the
command-line arguments to the MakePEF
tool that indicate the mapping between
the name of each link-time import library
and the run-time name of that import
library. These will usually look
something like the following:
-librename libA.xcoff=libA
-librename libB.xcoff=libB

Notice only the file names are needed, not

entire paths.

You must adjust the —Dir names to reflect your own file system hierarchy.

Modify your MPW command search path by appending the

cintools:MPW folder to the default search path. This search path is
defined by the MPW Shell variable commands.
set commands "{commands}","<pathname to directory of
cinToolsDir>"

Go to the MPW Worksheet and enter the following commands.

First, set your current folder to the CIN folder using the MPW
Directory command:
Directory <pathname to directory of your CIN>

Next, run the LabVIEW CINMake script:

CINMake <name of your CIN>

If CINMake does not find a .lvm file in the current folder, it builds a
file named cinName.lvm, and prompts you for necessary information.
This file, cinName.lvm, is in a format compatible with building both
Power Macintosh and 68K Macintosh CINs in the same folder. If CINMake
finds a cinName.lvm but it does not have the line LVMVers = 2, saves the
.lvm file in cinName.lvm.old and update the cinName.lvm file to be
compatible with the new version of CINMake.

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 Chapter 1 CIN Overview

The format of the CINMake command follows, with the optional

parameters listed in brackets.
CINMake [-MakeOpts “opts”] [-RShell] [-PPC/-MrC/-SC/-C]
[-dbg] [-noDelete] <name of your CIN>

-MakeOpts opts specifies extra options to pass

to make.

-Rshell

-PPC/-MrC/-SC/-C Use one of these options to specify the

compiler to use.

-dbg If this argument is specified, CINMake

prints out statements describing what it
is doing.

-noDelete If this argument is specified, CINMake

will not delete temporary files used when
making the CIN.

You can use LVMakeMake to build an MPW makefile you can then
customize for your own purposes. You should only have to run
LVMakeMake once for a given CIN. You can modify the resulting makefile
by adding the proper header file dependencies, or by adding other object
files to be linked into your CIN. The format of a LVMakeMake command
follows, with optional parameters listed in brackets.
LVMakeMake [-o makeFile] [-PPC] <name of your CIN>.make

-o makeFile specifies the name of the

output makefile. If this argument is not
specified, LVMakeMake writes to
standard output.

-PPC If this argument is specified, a makefile

suitable for building a Power Macintosh
CIN is created. By default, a 68K
Macintosh makefile is created.

For example, to build a Power Macintosh makefile for a CIN named

myCIN, execute the following command:
LVMakeMake -PPC myCIN > myCIN.ppc.make
## creates the makefile

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Chapter 1 CIN Overview

You can then use the MPW make tool to build your CIN, as shown in the
following commands.
make -f myCIN.ppc.make> myCIN.makeout
## creates the build commands
myCIN.makeout
## executes the build commands

You should load the .lsb file this application produces into your
LabVIEW CIN node.

Microsoft Windows 3.x

Microsoft Windows 3.x is a 16-bit operating system. A 16-bit application
faces several obstacles when working with large amounts of information,
such as manipulating arrays requiring more than 64 kilobytes of memory.

LabVIEW is a 32-bit application without most of the inherent limitations

found in 16-bit applications. Because of the way CINs are linked to VIs,
however, LabVIEW can use only code compiled for 32-bit applications.
This is because CINs reside in the same memory space as VIs and work
with LabVIEW data. To create CINs, a compiler must be able to create
32-bit relocatable object code.

The only compiler that currently supports the correct format of executables
is Watcom C. The following section lists the steps for compiling a CIN with
the Watcom compiler.

Watcom C Compiler
With the Watcom C compiler, you create a specification that includes the
name of the file you want to create, relevant directories, and any external
subroutines or object files the CIN needs. (External subroutines are
described in Chapter 4, External Subroutines.) You then use the wmake
utility included with Watcom to compile the CIN.

In addition to compiling the CIN, the makefile directs wmake to put the CIN
in the appropriate form for LabVIEW.

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 Chapter 1 CIN Overview

The makefile should look like the following pseudocode. Append .lvm to
the makefile name to indicate this is a LabVIEW makefile.

name = name Name for the code; indicates the base

name for your CIN. The source code for
your CIN should be in name.c. The code
created by the makefile is placed in a new
file, name.lsb (.lsb is a mnemonic for
LabVIEW subroutine).

type = type Type of external code you want to create.

For CINs, you should use a type of CIN.

codeDir = codeDir Complete or partial pathname to the

directory containing the .c file used for
the CIN.

wcDir = wcDir Complete or partial pathname to the

overall Watcom directory

cinToolsDir = cinToolsDir
Complete or partial pathname to the
LabVIEW cintools directory, which is
located in the LabVIEW directory. This
directory contains header files you can
use for creating CINs, and tools the
wmake utility uses to create the CIN.

inclDir = inclDir (optional) Complete or partial pathname

to a directory containing any additional
.h files.

objFiles = objFiles (optional) List of additional object files

(files with an .obj extension) your code
needs to compile. Separate the names of
files with spaces.

subrNames = subrNames (optional) List of external subroutines

the CIN calls. You need subrNames
only if the CIN calls external subroutines.
Separate the names of subroutines
with spaces.
!include $(CinToolsDir)\generic.mak

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Chapter 1 CIN Overview

Execute the wmake command by entering the following in DOS.

wmake /f <name of your CIN>.lvm

Note The wmake utility sometimes erroneously stops a make with an incorrectly
reported error when it is run in the DOS shell within Windows. If this happens,
run it in normal DOS.

The wmake utility scans the specified LabVIEW makefile and

remembers the defined values. The last line of the makefile, !include
$(CinToolsDir)\generic.mak, instructs wmake to compile the code
resource based on instructions in the generic.mak file, which is stored
in the cintools directory. The wmake utility compiles the code and then
transforms it into a form LabVIEW can use. The resulting code is stored
in a name.lsb file, where name is the CIN name given in the name line
of the makefile.

Note You cannot link most of the Watcom C libraries to your CIN because precompiled
libraries contain code that cannot be properly resolved by LabVIEW when it links
a VI to a CIN. If you try to call those functions, your CIN may crash.

LabVIEW provides functions that correspond to many of the functions in these

libraries. These functions are described in subsequent chapters of this manual.
If you need to call a function not supplied by LabVIEW, you can access
the function from a dynamic link library (DLL). A CIN can call a DLL using
the techniques described in the Watcom C manuals. A DLL can call any
function from the C libraries. See Chapter 3, CIN Advanced Topics, for
information on calling a DLL.

Microsoft Windows 95 and Windows NT

You can use the Microsoft Visual C++ compiler and Symantec C compiler
to build CINs for LabVIEW for Windows 95/NT. With some restrictions,
you can also use some CINs created using Watcom C for Windows 3.1.

Visual C++ Command Line

The method for building CINs using command line tools under
Windows 95 and Windows NT is similar to the method for building CINs
under Windows 3.1 using the Watcom C compiler.
1. Add a CINTOOLSDIR definition to your list of user environment
variables.
Under Windows NT, you can edit this list with the System control
panel accessory. For example, if you installed LabVIEW for
Windows 95/NT in c:\lv50nt, the CIN tools directory should be

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 Chapter 1 CIN Overview

c:\lv50nt\cintools. In this instance, you would add the following

line to the user environment variables using the System control panel.
CINTOOLSDIR = c:\lv50nt\cintools
Under Windows 95, you must modify your AUTOEXEC.BAT, to set
CINTOOLSDIR to the correct value.
2. Build a .lvm file (LabVIEW Makefile) for your CIN. LabVIEW for
Windows 95/NT requires you to define fewer variables than LabVIEW
for Windows 3.1. You must specify the following items:
• name = name of CIN or external subroutine (mult, for example)
• type = CIN or LVSB (depending on whether it is a CIN or an
external subroutine)
• !include $(CINTOOLSDIR)\ntlvsb.mak
If your CIN uses extra object files or external subroutines, you can
specify the objFiles and subrNames options. You do not need to
specify the codeDir parameter, because the code for the CIN must be
in the same directory as the makefile. You do not need to specify the
wcDir parameter, because the CIN tools can determine the location of
the compiler.
You can compile the CIN code using the following command, where
mult is the makefile name.
nmake /f mult.lvm
If you want to use standard C or Windows 95 or Windows NT libraries,
define the symbol cinLibraries. For example, to use standard
C functions in the preceding example, you could use the following
.lvm file.
name = mult
type = CIN
cinLibraries=libc.lib
!include $(CINTOOLSDIR)\ntlvsb.mak
To include multiple libraries, separate the list of library names
using spaces.

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Chapter 1 CIN Overview

Visual C++ IDE

To build CINs using the Visual C++ Integrated Development Environment,
complete the following steps:
• Create a new DLL project. Select File»New… and select Win32
Dynamic-Link Library as the project type. You can name your
project whatever you like.
• Add CIN objects and libraries to the project. Select Project»Add To
Project»Files… and select cin.obj, labview.lib, lvsb.lib, and
lvsbmain.def from the Cintools\Win32 subdirectory. These files
are needed to build a CIN.
• Add Cintools to the include path. Select Project»Settings… and
change Settings for: to All Configurations. Select the C/C++ tab
and set the category to Preprocessor. Add the path to your cintools
directory in the Additional include directories: field.
• Set alignment to 1 byte. Select Project»Settings… and change
Settings For: to All Configurations. Select the C/C++ tab and
set the category to Code Generation. Choose 1 Byte from the
Struct member alignment: tab.
• Choose run-time library. Select Project»Settings… and change
Settings for: to All Configurations. Select the C/C++ tab and set
the category to Code Generation. Choose Multithreaded DLL
from the Use run-time library: tab.
• Make a custom build command to run lvsbutil. Select
Project»Settings… and change Settings for: to All
configurations. Select the Custom Build tab and change the
Build commands field to <your path to cintools>\win32\
lvsbutil $(TargetName) -d $(WkspDir)\$(OutDir) and
the Output file fields to $(OutDir)$(TargetName).lsb.

Symantec C
The process for creating CINs using Symantec C is similar to the
process for Visual C++ Command Line. Use smake instead of nmake
on your .lvm file.

Note You cannot currently create external subroutines using Symantec C.

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 Chapter 1 CIN Overview

Watcom C Compiler for Windows 3.1 under Windows 95 or

Windows NT
CINs you have created using the Watcom C compiler for Windows 3.1
should work under Windows 95 or Windows NT. However, your CIN
may not work without modification if it makes calls to communicate
with hardware drivers, performs register or memory mapped I/O, or
calls Windows 3.1 functions. Windows 3.1 drivers do not run under
Windows 95 or Windows NT, so you must port any drivers you may
have written for Windows 3.1 to Windows 95 or Windows NT. In
addition, CINs cannot manipulate hardware directly. To perform register
or memory-mapped I/O, you need to write a Windows 95 or Windows NT
driver. If you call Windows 3.1 functions, you should check to make sure
those functions are still valid under Windows 95 and Windows NT.

To create CINs using Watcom C for Windows 3.1, follow the Watcom C
instructions given in the Watcom C Compiler subsection of the Compile the
CIN Source Code section of this chapter. You must compile the source code
for the CINs under Windows 3.1. Use the LabVIEW for Windows 3.1
CIN libraries to compile the CINs.

Solaris 1.x
LabVIEW for Sun can use external code compiled in a.out format
and prepared for LabVIEW using a LabVIEW utility. The unbundled
Sun C compiler is the only compiler tested thoroughly with LabVIEW.
Other compilers that can generate code in a.out format might also work
with LabVIEW, but this has not been verified. The C compiler that comes
with the operating system does not use extended-precision floating-point
numbers; code using this numeric type will not compile. However, the
unbundled C compiler does use them.

Solaris 2.x
The preceding information for Solaris 1.x is true for Solaris 2.x, with one
exception—LabVIEW 3.1 and higher for Solaris 2.x uses code compiled in
a shared library format, rather than the a.out format previously specified.

Note LabVIEW 3.0 for Solaris 2.x supported external code compiled in ELF format.

Existing Solaris 1.x and Solaris 2.x (for LabVIEW 3.0) CINs will not
operate correctly if they reference functions not in the System V Interface
Definition (SVID) for libc, libsys, and libnsl. Recompiling your
existing CINs using the shared library format should ensure your CINs
function as expected.

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Chapter 1 CIN Overview

HP-UX and Concurrent PowerMAX

As previously stated, the HP-UX C/ANSI C compiler and Concurrent
C Compiler are the only compilers tested with LabVIEW.

Unbundled Sun ANSI C Compiler, HP-UX C/ANSI

C Compiler, and Concurrent C Compiler
With these compilers, you create a makefile using the shell script lvmkmf
(LabVIEW Make Makefile), which creates a makefile for a given CIN.
You then use the standard make command to make the CIN code. In
addition to compiling the CIN, the makefile puts the code in a form
LabVIEW can use.

The format for the lvmkmf command follows, with optional parameters
listed in brackets.
lvmkmf [-o Makefile] [-t CIN] [-ext Gluefile] LVSBName

LVSBName, the name of the CIN or external subroutine you want to build,
is required. If LVSBName is foo, the compiler assumes the source is foo.c,
and the compiler names the output file foo.lsb.

-o is optional and supplies the name of the makefile lvmkmf creates. If you
do not use this option, the makefile name defaults to Makefile.

-t is optional and indicates the type of external code you want to create.
For CINs, you should use CIN, which is the default.

-ext is needed only if this external code calls external subroutines.

The argument to this directive is the name of a file containing the names
of all subroutines this code calls, with one name per line. The file is not
necessary to run the lvmkmf script, but it must be present before you can
successfully make the CIN. If you do not specify a -ext option, lvmkmf
assumes the CIN does not reference any external subroutines.

The makefile produced assumes the cin.o, libcin.a,

makeglueXXX.awk, and lvsbutil files are in certain locations,
where XXX is BSD on Solaris 1.x, SVR4 or Solaris 2.x, HP on HP-UX,
and Concurrent on Concurrent PowerMAX. If these assumptions are
incorrect, you can edit the makefile to correct the pathnames.

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 Chapter 1 CIN Overview

If you specify the -ext argument to the lvmkmf script, the makefile creates
temporary files. For example, if the gluefile name is bar, the makefile
creates files bar.s and bar.o. Neither the CIN nor the makefile needs
these files after the CIN has been created.

If you make external subroutines, you need to create a separate makefile

for them. The lvmkmf script creates a file called Makefile unless you use
the -o option. For this reason, you may want to place the code for each
subroutine in separate directories to avoid writing over one Makefile
with the other. If you want to place the code in the same directory, you
need either to combine the two makefiles manually, or to create two
separate makefiles (using the -o option to the lvmkmf script) and use
make -f <makefile> to create the CIN or external subroutine.

Load the CIN Object Code

Load the code resource by choosing Load Code Resource from the
CIN pop-up menu. Select the .lsb file you created in Compile the CIN
Source Code.

This command loads your object code into memory and links the code
to the current front panel/block diagram. After you save the VI, the file
containing the object code does not need to be resident on the computer
running LabVIEW for the VI to execute.

If you make modifications to the source code, you can load the new
version of the object code using the Load Code Resource option. The file
containing the object code for the CIN must have an extension of .lsb.

There is no limit to the number of CINs per block diagram.

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Chapter 1 CIN Overview

LabVIEW Manager Routines

LabVIEW has a suite of routines that can be called from CINs and external
subroutines. This suite of routines performs user-specified routines using
the appropriate instructions for a given platform. These routines, which
manage the functions of a specific operating system, are grouped into
three categories: memory manager, file manager, and support manager.

External code written using the managers is portable—you can compile

it without modification on any platform that supports LabVIEW. This
portability has two advantages. First, the LabVIEW application is built on
top of the managers—except for the managers, the LabVIEW source code
is identical across platforms. Second, the analysis VIs are built mainly from
CINs; the source code for these CINs is the same for all platforms.

For general information about the memory manager, the file manager, and
the support manager, see Chapter 5, Manager Overview.

Online Reference
For descriptions of functions or file manager data structures, refer to the
CIN Function Overview section of the LabVIEW Online Reference,
available by selecting Help»Online Reference.

Pointers as Parameters
Some manager functions have a parameter that is a pointer.
These parameter type descriptions are identified by a trailing asterisk
(such as the hp parameter of the AZHandToHand memory manager
function documented in the CIN Function Overview section of the
LabVIEW Online Reference) or are type defined as such (such as
the name parameter of the FNamePtr function documented in the
CIN Function Overview section of the LabVIEW Online Reference).
In most cases, this means the manager function will write a value to
pre-allocated memory. In some cases, such as FStrFitsPath or
GetALong, the function reads a value from the memory location,
so you don’t have to pre-allocate memory for a return value.

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 Chapter 1 CIN Overview

Table 1-1 lists the functions with parameters that return a value for which
you must pre-allocate memory.

Table 1-1. Functions with Parameters Needing Pre-allocated Memory

AZHandToHand FGetInfo FPathToDString

AZMemStats FGetPathType FPathToPath

AZPtrToHand FGetVolInfo FRefNumToFD

DateToSecs FMOpen FStringToPath

DSHandToHand FMRead FTextToPath

DSMemStats FMTell FUnflattenPath

DSPtrToHand FMWrite GetAlong

FCreate FNamePtr NumericArrayResize

FCreateAlways FNewRefNum RandomGen

FFlattenPath FPathToArr SecsToDate

FGetAccessRights FPathToAZString SetALong

FGetEOF

It is important to allocate space for this return value. The following

examples illustrate correct and incorrect ways to call one of these functions
from within a generic function foo:

Correct example:
foo(Path path) {
Str255 buf; /* allocated buffer of 256 chars */
File fd;
MgErr err;
err = FNamePtr(path, buf);
err = FMOpen(&fd, path, openReadOnly,
denyWriteOnly);
}

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Incorrect example:
foo(Path path) {
PStr p; /* an uninitialized pointer */
File *fd; /* an uninitialized pointer */
MgErr err;
err = FNamePtr(path, p);
err = FMOpen(fd, path, openReadOnly
denyWriteOnly);
}

In the correct example, buf contains space for the maximum-sized Pascal
string (whose address is passed to FNamePtr), and fd is a local variable
(allocated space) for a file descriptor.

In the incorrect example, p is a pointer to a Pascal string, but the pointer is

not initialized to point to any allocated buffer. FNamePtr expects its caller
to pass a pointer to an allocated space, and writes the name of the file
referred to by path into that space. Even if the pointer does not point to
a valid place, FNamePtr will write its results there, with unpredictable
consequences. Similarly, FMOpen will write its results to the space to
which fd points, which is not a valid place because fd is uninitialized.

Debugging External Code

LabVIEW has a debugging window you can use with external code to
display information at execution time. You can open the window, display
arbitrary print statements, and close the window from any CIN or external
subroutine.

Use the DbgPrintf function to create this debugging window. The format
for DbgPrintf is similar to the format of the SPrintf function, which is
described in the CIN Function Overview section of the LabVIEW Online
Reference. DbgPrintf takes a variable number of arguments, where the
first argument is a C format string.

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 Chapter 1 CIN Overview

DbgPrintf
syntax int32 DbgPrintf(CStr cfmt, ..);

The first time you call DbgPrintf, LabVIEW opens a window to display
the text you pass to the function. Subsequent calls to DbgPrintf append
new data as new lines in the window (you do not need to pass in the new
line character to the function). If you call DbgPrintf with NULL instead of
a format string, LabVIEW closes the debugging window. You cannot
position or change the size of the window.

The following examples show how to use DbgPrintf.

DbgPrintf(""); /* print an empty line, opening

the window if necessary */

DbgPrintf("%H", var1); /* print the contents of an

LStrHandle (LabVIEW string),
opening the window if necessary
*/

DbgPrintf(NULL); /* close the debugging window

*/

Debugging CINs Under Windows 95/NT

Windows 95 and Windows NT support source level debugging of
CINs using Microsoft’s Visual C environment. To debug CINs under
Windows 95/NT, complete the following steps.
1. Modify your CIN to set a debugger trap. You must do this to force
Visual C to load your debugging symbols. The trap call must be
done after the CIN is in memory. The easiest way to do this is to place
it in the CINLoad procedure. Once the debugging symbols are loaded,
you can set normal debug points inside Visual C. Windows 95 has a
single method of setting a debugger trap, Windows NT can use the
Windows 95 method or another.

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Chapter 1 CIN Overview

The method common to Windows 95 and Windows NT is to insert a

debugger break using an in-line assembly command:
_asm int 3;
Adding this to CINLoad gives you the following:
CIN MgErr CINLoad(RsrcFile reserved)
{
Unused(reserved);
_asm int 3;
return noErr;
}
When the debugger trap is hit, Visual C pops up a debug window
highlighting that line.
Under Windows NT, you may use the DebugBreak function.
This function exists under Windows 95, but does not produce
suitable results for debugging CINs. To use DebugBreak, include
<windows.h> at the top of your file and place the call where you
want to break:
#include <windows.h>
CIN MgErr CINLoad(RsrcFile reserved)
{
Unused(reserved);
DebugBreak();
return noErr;
}
When that line executes, you will be in assembly. Step out of that
function to get to the point of the DebugBreak call.
2. Rebuild your CIN with debugging symbols.
If you built your CIN from the command line, add the following lines
to the .lvm file of your CIN to add debug information to the CIN:
DEGUG = 1
cinLibraries = Kernel32.lib
If you built your CIN using the IDE, build a debug version of the DLL.
In Projects»Settings…, go to the Debug tab and select the General
category. Enter your LabVIEW executable in the Executable for
debug session box.

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 Chapter 1 CIN Overview

3. Run LabVIEW.
If you built your CIN from the command line, start LabVIEW
normally. When the debugger trap is run, a dialog box appears:
A Breakpoint has been reached. Click OK to terminate
application. Click CANCEL to debug the application.
Click CANCEL. This launches the debugger, which attaches to
LabVIEW, searches for the DLLs, then asks for the source file of
your CIN. Point it to your source file, and the debugger loads the
CIN source code. You can then debug your code.
If you built your CIN using the IDE, open your CIN project and
click the GO button. LabVIEW will be launched by Visual C.

Debugging CINs Under Sun or Solaris

It is not currently possible to use Sun’s debugger, dbx, to debug CINs.
The best you can do is use standard C printf calls or the DbgPrintf
function mentioned earlier.

Debugging CINs Under HP-UX

You can debug CINs built on the HP-UX platform using xdb, the HP
source level debugger. To do so, compile the CIN with debugging turned
on. You must also enable shared library debugging with the -s flag and
direct xdb to the source files for your CIN. For example, if your CIN
source code is in the tests/first directory, you could invoke xdb
with the following command:
xdb -s -d tests/first labview

See the xdb manual for more information. Once the CIN is loaded, break
into the debugger and set your breakpoints. You may need to qualify
function names with the name of the shared library. Qualified names are
in the form function_name@library_name. The name of the shared
library will not be what it was when compiled. Instead, it will be a unique
name generated by the C library function tmpnam. The name will always
begin with the string LV. Use the debugger command mm to display the
memory map of all currently loaded shared libraries. CIN shared libraries
are ordered by load time on the name space, so CINs loaded later appear
in the memory map before CINs loaded earlier. As an example, to break
at CINRun for the library /usr/tmp/LVAAAa17732, set the breakpoint
as follows:
>b CINRun@LVAAAa17732

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Chapter 1 CIN Overview

If you reload a CIN that is already loaded, the debugger will not function
properly. If you change a CIN, you must quit and restart the debugger to
enable it to work as desired.

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CIN Parameter Passing
2
This chapter describes the data structures LabVIEW uses when passing
data to a CIN.

Introduction
LabVIEW passes parameters to the CINRun routine. These parameters
correspond to each of the wires connected to the CIN. You can pass any
data type to a CIN you can construct in LabVIEW; there is no limit to the
number of parameters you can pass to and from the CIN.

CIN .c File
When you select the Create .c File... option, LabVIEW creates a .c file in
which you can enter your CIN code. The CINRun function and its prototype
are given, and its parameters are typed to correspond to the data types being
passed to the CIN in the block diagram. If you want to refer to any of the
other CIN routines (CINInit, CINLoad, and so on), see their descriptions
in Chapter 1, CIN Overview.

The .c file created is a standard C file, except LabVIEW gives the data
types unambiguous names. C does not define the size of low-level data
types—the int data type might correspond to a 16-bit integer for one
compiler and a 32-bit integer for another compiler. The .c file uses names
explicit about data type size, such as int16, int32, float32, and so on.
LabVIEW comes with a header file, extcode.h, that contains typedefs
associating these LabVIEW data types with the corresponding data type
for the supported compilers of each platform.

extcode.h defines some constants and types whose definitions may

conflict with the definitions of system header files. The LabVIEW
cintools directory also contains a file, hosttype.h, that resolves these
differences. This header file also includes many of the common header files
for a given platform.

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Chapter 2 CIN Parameter Passing

Note You should always use #include "extcode.h" at the beginning of your source
code. If your code needs to include system header files, you should include
"extcode.h", "hosttype.h", and then any system header files, in that order.

If you write a CIN that accepts a single 32-bit signed integer, the .c file
indicates the CINRun routine is passed an int32 by reference. extcode.h
typedefs an int32 to the appropriate data type for the compiler you use
(if it is a supported compiler); therefore, you can use the int32 data type
in external code you write.

How LabVIEW Passes Fixed Sized Data to CINs

As described in the Steps for Creating a CIN section of Chapter 1, CIN
Overview, you can designate terminals on the CIN as either input-output
or output-only. Regardless of the designation, LabVIEW passes data by
reference to the CIN. When modifying a parameter value, be careful to
follow the rules described for each kind of terminal in the Steps for
Creating a CIN section of Chapter 1, CIN Overview. LabVIEW passes
parameters to the CINRun routines in the same order as you wire data to
the CIN—the first terminal pair corresponds to the first parameter, and
the last terminal pair corresponds to the last parameter.

The following section describes how LabVIEW passes fixed sized

parameters to CINs. See the How LabVIEW Passes Variably Sized Data to
CINs section of this chapter for information on manipulating variably sized
data such as arrays and strings.

Scalar Numerics
LabVIEW passes numeric data types to CINs by passing a pointer to the
data as an argument. In C, this means LabVIEW passes a pointer to the
numeric data as an argument to the CIN. Arrays of numerics are described
in the subsequent Arrays and Strings section of this chapter.

Scalar Booleans
LabVIEW stores Booleans in memory as 8-bit integers. If any bit of the
integer is 1, the Boolean is TRUE; otherwise the Boolean is FALSE.
LabVIEW passes Booleans to CINs with the same conventions as for
numerics.

Note In LabVIEW 4.x and earlier, Booleans were stored as 16-bit integers. If the
high bit of the integer was 1, the Boolean was TRUE; otherwise the Boolean
was FALSE.

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 Chapter 2 CIN Parameter Passing

Refnums
LabVIEW treats a refnum the same way as it treats a scalar number and
passes refnums with the same conventions it uses for numbers.

Clusters of Scalars
For a cluster, LabVIEW passes a pointer to a structure containing the
elements of the cluster. LabVIEW stores fixed-size values directly as
components inside of the structure. If a component is another cluster,
LabVIEW stores this cluster value as a component of the main cluster.

Return Value for CIN Routines

The names of the CIN routines are prefaced in the header file with the
words CIN MgErr, as shown in the following example.
CIN MgErr CINRun(...);

The LabVIEW header file extcode.h, defines the word CIN to be either
Pascal or nothing, depending on the platform. Prefacing a function with the
word Pascal causes some C compilers to use Pascal calling conventions
instead of C calling conventions to generate the code for the routine.
LabVIEW uses Pascal calling conventions on the Macintosh when calling
CIN routines, so the header file declares the word CIN to be equivalent to
Pascal on the Macintosh. On the PC and Unix, however, LabVIEW uses
standard C calling conventions, so the header file declares the word CIN
to be equivalent to nothing.

The MgErr data type is a LabVIEW data type corresponding to a set of

error codes the manager routines return. If you call a manager routine
that returns an error, you can either handle the error or return the error so
LabVIEW can handle it. If you can handle the errors that occur, return
the error code noErr.

After calling a CIN routine, LabVIEW checks the MgErr value to

determine whether an error occurred. If an error occurs, LabVIEW
aborts the VI containing the CIN. If the VI is a subVI, LabVIEW aborts
the VI containing the subVI. This behavior enables LabVIEW to handle
conditions when a VI runs out of memory. By aborting the running VI,
LabVIEW can possibly free enough memory to continue running correctly.

© National Instruments Corporation 2-3 LabVIEW Code Interface Reference Manual

Chapter 2 CIN Parameter Passing

Examples with Scalars

The following examples show the steps for creating CINs and how to work
with scalar data types. Chapter 5, Manager Overview, contains more
examples.

Creating a CIN That Multiplies Two Numbers

Consider a CIN that takes two single-precision floating-point numbers and
returns their product.
1. Place the CIN on the block diagram.
2. Add two input and output terminals to the CIN.
3. Place two single-precision numeric controls and one single-precision
numeric indicator on a front panel. Wire the node as shown in the
following illustration. Notice A*B is wired to an output-only
terminal pair.

Save the VI as mult.vi.

4. Select Create .c File... from the CIN node pop-up menu. LabVIEW
prompts you to select a name and a storage location for a .c file.
Name the file mult.c. LabVIEW creates a .c file shown in the
following listing.
/*
* CIN source file
*/
#include "extcode.h"
CIN MgErr CINRun (float32 *A, float32 *B,
float32 *A_B);
CIN MgErr CINRun (float32 *A, float32 *B,
float32 *A_B) {
/* ENTER YOUR CODE HERE */
return noErr;
}

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 Chapter 2 CIN Parameter Passing

This .c file contains a prototype and a template for the CIN’s CINRun
routine. LabVIEW calls the CINRun routine when the CIN executes.
In this example, LabVIEW passes CINRun the addresses of the three
32-bit floating-point numbers. The parameters are listed left to right in
the same order as you wired them (top to bottom) to the CIN. Thus, A,
B, and A_B are pointers to A, B, and A*B, respectively.
As described in the CIN .c File section of this chapter, the float32
data type is not a standard C data type. When LabVIEW creates a .c
file, it gives unambiguous names for data types. For most C compilers,
the float32 data type corresponds to the float data type. However,
this may not be true in all cases, because the C standard does not define
the sizes for the various data types. You can use these LabVIEW data
types in your code because extcode.h associates these data types
with the corresponding C data type for the compiler you are using. In
addition to defining LabVIEW data types, extcode.h also prototypes
LabVIEW routines you can access. These data types and routines are
described in Chapter 5, Manager Overview, of this manual and in the
CIN Function Overview section of the LabVIEW Online Reference.

Note The line #include "extcode.h" must be a full pathname to extcode.h under
THINK C. For example: #include "harddrive:cintools:extcode.h"

Optionally, System 7.x users can use the Aliases folder technique described in
the THINK C for 68K (Version 7) subsection of Chapter 1, CIN Overview, to enable
the include line to read #include "extcode.h".

For this multiplication example, fill in the code for the CINRun routine.
You do not have to use the variable names LabVIEW gives you in
CINRun; you can change them to increase the readability of the code.
CIN MgErr CINRun (float32 *A, float32 *B,
float32 *A_B);
{
*A_B = *A * *B;
return noErr;
}
CINRun multiplies the values to which A and B refer and stores the
results in the location to which A_B refers. It is important CIN routines
return an error code, so LabVIEW knows if the CIN encountered any
fatal problems and handles the error correctly.
If you return a value other than noErr, LabVIEW stops the execution
of the VI.

© National Instruments Corporation 2-5 LabVIEW Code Interface Reference Manual

Chapter 2 CIN Parameter Passing

5. After creating the source code, you need to compile it and convert it
into a form LabVIEW can use. The following sections summarize the
steps for each of the supported compilers.

Note Step 5 is different for each platform. Look under the heading for your platform
and compiler in the following sections to find the instructions for your system.
For details, refer to the relevant subsection within the Compile the CIN Source
Code section in Chapter 1, CIN Overview.

(THINK C for 68K and Symantec C++) Create a new project and place
mult.c in it. Build mult.lsb according to the instructions in the
THINK C for 68K (Version 7) or the Symantec C++ 8.0 for Power
Macintosh of the Compile the CIN Source Code section of Chapter 1.
(Macintosh Programmer’s Workshop for 68K and Power Macintosh) Create
a file named mult.lvm. Make sure the name variable is set to mult.
Build mult.lvm according to the instructions in the Macintosh
Programmer’s Workshop for 68K and Power Macintosh subsection
of the Compile the CIN Source Code section of Chapter 1.
(Metrowerks CodeWarrior for Power Macintosh and 68K) Create a new
project and place mult.c in it. Build mult.lsb according to the
instructions in the Metrowerks CodeWarrior for 68K subsection of
the Compile the CIN Source Code section of Chapter 1.
(Watcom C Compiler for Window 3.x) Create a file named mult.lvm.
Make sure the name variable is set to mult. Build mult.lvm
according to the instructions in the Watcom C Compiler subsection
of the Compile the CIN Source Code section of Chapter 1.
(Microsoft Visual C++ Compiler Command Line and Symantec C for
Windows 95 and Windows NT) Create a file named mult.lvm. Make
sure the name variable is set to mult. Build mult.lvm according to
the instructions in the Visual C++ IDE subsection of the Compile the
CIN Source Code section of Chapter 1.
(Microsoft Visual C++ Compiler IDE for Windows 95 and Windows NT) Create
a project according to the instructions in the Visual C++ IDE
subsection of the Compile the CIN Source Code section of Chapter 1.
(All Unix Compilers) As described in the Steps for Creating a CIN
section of Chapter 1, CIN Overview, you can create a makefile using
the shell script lvmkmf. For this example, you should first enter the
following command.
lvmkmf mult

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 Chapter 2 CIN Parameter Passing

This creates a file called Makefile. After executing lvmkmf,

you should enter the standard make command, which uses Makefile
to create a file called mult.lsb, which you can load into the CIN
in LabVIEW.
6. Select Load Code Resource from the CIN pop-up menu and select
mult.lsb, the object code file you created.

If you followed the preceding steps correctly, you should be able to run
the VI at this point. If you save the VI, the CIN object code is saved along
with the VI.

Comparing Two Numbers, Producing a Boolean Scalar

The following example shows how to create a CIN that compares two
single-precision numbers. If the first number is greater than the second
one, the return value is TRUE; otherwise, the return value is FALSE. This
example gives only the block diagram and the code. Follow the instructions
in the Steps for Creating a CIN section of Chapter 1 to create the CIN.

The diagram for this CIN is shown in the following illustration. Save the VI
as aequalb.vi.

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Chapter 2 CIN Parameter Passing

Create a .c file for the CIN, and name it aequalb.c. The .c file
LabVIEW creates is as follows.
/*
* CIN source file
*/
#include "extcode.h"
CIN MgErr CINRun(float32 *ap, float32 *bp,
LVBoolean *aequalbp);
CIN MgErr CINRun(float32 *ap, float32 *bp,
LVBoolean *aequalbp) {
if (*ap == *bp)
*aequalbp= LVTRUE;
else
*aequalbp= LVFALSE;
return noErr;
}

How LabVIEW Passes Variably Sized Data to CINs

LabVIEW allocates memory for arrays and strings dynamically. If a
string or array needs more space to hold new data, its current location
may not offer enough contiguous space to hold the resulting string or array.
In this case, LabVIEW may have to move the data to a location that offers
more space.

To accommodate this relocation of memory, LabVIEW uses handles to

refer to the storage location of variably sized data. A handle is a pointer
to a pointer to the desired data. LabVIEW uses handles instead of simple
pointers because handles allow LabVIEW to move the data without
invalidating references from your code to the data. If LabVIEW moves
the data, LabVIEW updates the intermediate pointer to reflect the new
location. If you use the handle, references to the data go through the
intermediate pointer, which always reflects the correct location of the
data. Handles are described in detail in Chapter 5, Manager Overview.
Information about specific handle functions is available in the CIN
Function Overview section of the LabVIEW Online Reference.

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 Chapter 2 CIN Parameter Passing

Alignment Considerations
When a CIN returns variably sized data, you need to adjust the size of
the handle that references the array. One method of adjusting the handle
size is to use the memory manager routine DSSetHandleSize or, if the
data is stored in the application zone, the AZSetHandleSize routine, to
adjust the size of the return data handle. Both techniques work, but they
are trouble-prone because you have to calculate the size of the new
handle correctly. It is difficult to calculate the size correctly in a
platform-independent manner, however, because some platforms
have special requirements about how you align and pad memory.

Instead of using XXSetHandleSize, use the LabVIEW routines that

take this alignment into account when resizing handles. You can use the
SetCINArraySize routine to resize a string or an array of arbitrary data
type. This function is described in the Resizing Arrays and Strings section
of this chapter.

If you are not familiar with alignment differences for various

platforms, the following examples highlight the problem. Keep in mind
SetCINArraySize and NumericArrayResize take care of these issues
for you.

Consider the case of a 1D array of double-precision numbers. On the PC,

an array of double-precision floating-point numbers is stored in a handle,
and the first four bytes describe the number of elements in the array. These
four bytes are followed by the 8-byte elements that make up the array. On
the Sun, double-precision floating-point numbers must be aligned to 8-byte
boundaries—the 4-byte value is followed by four bytes of padding. This
padding ensures the array data falls on eight-byte boundaries.

As a more complicated example, consider a three-dimensional array of

clusters, in which each cluster contains a double-precision floating-point
number and a 4-byte integer. As in the previous example, the Sun stores this
array in a handle. The first 12 bytes contain the number of pages, rows, and
columns in the array. These dimension fields are followed by four bytes of
filler (which ensures the first double-precision number is on an 8-byte
boundary) and then the data. Each element contains eight bytes for the
double-precision number, followed by four bytes for the integer. Each
cluster is followed by four bytes of padding, which ensures the next
element is properly aligned.

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Chapter 2 CIN Parameter Passing

Arrays and Strings

LabVIEW passes arrays by handle, as described in the Alignment
Considerations section of this chapter. For an n-dimensional array, the
handle begins with n 4-byte values describing the number of values
stored in a given dimension of the array. Thus, for a one-dimensional array,
the first four bytes indicate the number of elements in the array. For a
two-dimensional array, the first four bytes indicate the number of rows,
and the second four bytes indicate the number of columns. These
dimension fields can be followed by filler and then the actual data.
Each element can also have padding to meet alignment requirements.

LabVIEW stores strings and Boolean arrays in memory as one-dimensional

arrays of unsigned 8-bit integers.

Note LabVIEW 4.x stored Boolean arrays in memory as a series of bits packed to
the nearest 16-bit word. LabVIEW 4.x ignored unused bits in the last word.
LabVIEW 4.x ordered the bits from left to right; that is, the most significant
bit (MSB) is index 0. As with other arrays, a 4-byte dimension size preceded
Boolean arrays. The dimension size for LabVIEW 4.x Boolean arrays
indicates the number of valid bits contained in the array.

Paths (Path)
The exact structure for Path data types is subject to change in future
versions of LabVIEW. A Path is a dynamic data structure LabVIEW
passes the same way it passes arrays. LabVIEW stores the data for Paths
in an application zone handle. For more information about the functions
that manipulate Paths, refer to the CIN Function Overview section of the
LabVIEW Online Reference.

Clusters Containing Variably Sized Data

For cluster arguments, LabVIEW passes a pointer to a structure
containing the elements of the cluster. LabVIEW stores scalar values
directly as components inside the structure. If a component is another
cluster, LabVIEW stores this cluster value as a component of the main
cluster. If a component is an array or string, LabVIEW stores a handle
to the array or string component in the structure.

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 Chapter 2 CIN Parameter Passing

Resizing Arrays and Strings

You can use the LabVIEW SetCINArraySize routine to resize return
arrays and strings you pass to a CIN. You pass to the function the handle
you want to resize, information describing the data structure, and the
desired size of the array or handle. The function takes into account any
padding and alignment needed for the data structure. The function does not,
however, update the dimension fields in the array. If you successfully
resize the array, you need to update the dimension fields to correctly
reflect the number of elements in the array.

You can resize numeric arrays more easily with NumericArrayResize.

You pass to this function the array you want to resize, a description of the
data structure, and information about the new size of the array.

When you resize arrays of variably-sized data (for example, arrays of

strings) with the SetCINArraySize or NumericArrayResize routines,
you should be aware of the following facts. If the new size of the array is
smaller, LabVIEW disposes of the handles used by the disposed element.
Neither function sets the dimension field of the array. You must do this
in your code after the function call. If the new size is larger, however,
LabVIEW does not automatically create the handles for the new elements.
You have to create these handles after the function returns.

The SetCINArraySize and NumericArrayResize functions are

described in the following sections.

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Chapter 2 CIN Parameter Passing

SetCINArraySize
syntax MgErr SetCINArraySize (UHandle dataH, int32
paramNum, int32 newNumElmts);

SetCINArraySize resizes a data handle based on the data structure of an argument you pass
to the CIN. It does not set the array dimension field.

Parameter Type Description

dataH UHandle The handle you want to resize.
paramNum int32 The number for this parameter in the
argument list to the CIN. The leftmost
parameter has a parameter number of 0,
and the rightmost has a parameter number
of n – 1, where n is the total number of
parameters
newNumElmts int32 The new number of elements to which the
handle should refer. For a one-dimensional
array of five values, you pass a value of 5 for
this argument. For a two-dimensional array
of two rows by three columns, you pass a
value of 6 for this argument.

returns MgErr, which can contain the errors in the following list. MgErrs are
discussed in Chapter 5, Manager Overview.

Error Description
noErr No error.
mFullErr Not enough memory to perform operation
mZoneErr Handle is not in specified zone.

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 Chapter 2 CIN Parameter Passing

NumericArrayResize
syntax MgErr NumericArrayResize(int32 typeCode, int32
numDims, UHandle *dataHP, int32
totalNewSize);

NumericArrayResize resizes a data handle referring to a numeric array. This routine also
accounts for alignment issues. It does not set the array dimension field. If *dataHP is NULL,
LabVIEW allocates a new array handle in *dataHP.

Parameter Type Description

typeCode int32 Describes the data type for the array you want to resize.
The header file extcode.h defines the following constants
for this argument
iB Data is an array of signed 8-bit integers.

iW is an array of signed 16-bit integers.

iL Data is an array of signed 32-bit integers.

uB Data is an array of unsigned 8-bit integers.

uW Data is an array of unsigned 16-bit integers.

uL Data is an array of unsigned 32-bit integers.

fS Data is an array of single-precision (32-bit) numbers.

fD Data is an array of double-precision (64-bit) numbers.

fX Data is an array of extended- precision numbers.

cS Data is an array of single-precision complex numbers.

cD Data is an array of double-precision complex numbers.

cX Data is an array of extended-precision complex numbers.

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Chapter 2 CIN Parameter Passing

Parameter Type Description

numDims int32 The number of dimensions in the data
structure to which the handle refers. Thus, if
the handle refers to a two-dimensional array,
you pass a value of 2 for numDims.
*dataHP UHandle A pointer to the handle you want to resize. If
this is a pointer to NULL, LabVIEW allocates
and sizes a new handle appropriately and
returns the handle in *dataHP.
totalNewSize int32 The new number of elements to which the
handle should refer. For a unidimensional
array of five values, you pass a value of 5 for
this argument. For a two-dimensional array
of two rows by three columns, you pass a
value of 6 for this argument.

returns MgErr, which can contain the errors in the following list.

Error Description
noErr No error.
mFullErr Not enough memory to perform operation.
mZoneErr Handle is not in specified zone.

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 Chapter 2 CIN Parameter Passing

Examples with Variably Sized Data

The following examples show the steps for creating CINs and how to work
with variably-sized data types.

Concatenating Two Strings

The following example shows how to create a CIN that concatenates two
strings. This example also shows how to use input-output terminals by
passing the first string as an input-output parameter to the CIN. The top
right terminal of the CIN returns the result of the concatenation.

This example gives only the diagram and the code. Follow the instructions
in Chapter 1, CIN Overview, to create this CIN.

The diagram for this CIN is shown in the following illustration. Save the VI
as lstrcat.vi.

Create a .c file for the CIN, and name it lstrcat.c. The .c file
LabVIEW creates is as follows.
/*
* CIN source file
*/
#include "extcode.h"
CIN MgErr CINRun(
LStrHandle var1,
LStrHandle var2);
CIN MgErr CINRun(
LStrHandle var1,
LStrHandle var2) {
/* ENTER YOUR CODE HERE */
return noErr;
}

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Chapter 2 CIN Parameter Passing

Now fill in the CINRun function as follows:

CIN MgErr CINRun(
LStrHandle strh1,
LStrHandle strh2) {
int32 size1, size2, newSize;
MgErr err;
size1 = LStrLen(*strh1);
size2 = LStrLen(*strh2);
newSize = size1 + size2;
if(err = NumericArrayResize(uB, 1L,
(UHandle*)&strh1, newSize))
goto out;
/* append the data from the second string to
first string */
MoveBlock(LStrBuf(*strh2),
LStrBuf(*strh1)+size1, size2);
/* update the dimension (length) of the
first string */
LStrLen(*strh1) = newSize;
out:
return err;
}

In this example, CINRun is the only routine that performs substantial

operations. CINRun concatenates the contents of strh2 to the end of
strh1, with the resulting string stored in strh1. Before performing
the concatenation, you need to resize strh1 with the LabVIEW routine
NumericArrayResize to hold the additional data.

If NumericArrayResize fails, it returns a non-zero value of type MgErr.

In this case, NumericArrayResize could fail if LabVIEW does not have
enough memory to resize the string. Returning the error code gives
LabVIEW a chance to handle the error. If CINRun reports an error,
LabVIEW aborts the calling VIs. Aborting the VIs may free up enough
memory so LabVIEW can continue running.

After resizing the string handle, this example copies the second string to the
end of the first string using MoveBlock. MoveBlock is a support manager
routine that moves blocks of data. Finally, this example sets the size of the
first string to the length of the concatenated string.

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 Chapter 2 CIN Parameter Passing

Computing the Cross Product of Two Two-Dimensional Arrays

The following example shows how to create a CIN that accepts two
two-dimensional arrays and then computes the cross product of the arrays.
The CIN returns the cross product in a third parameter and a Boolean value
as a fourth parameter. This Boolean is TRUE if the number of columns in
the first matrix is not equal to the number of rows in the second matrix.

This example shows only the front panel, block diagram, and source code.
Follow the instructions in the Steps for Creating a CIN section of
Chapter 1, CIN Overview, to create the CIN.

The front panel for this VI is shown in the following illustration. Save the
VI as cross.vi.

The block diagram for this VI is shown in the following illustration.

Save the .c file for the CIN as cross.c. Following is the source code for
cross.c with the CINRun routine added.
/*
* CIN source file
*/
#include "extcode.h"
#define ParamNumber 2
/* The return parameter is parameter 2 */

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Chapter 2 CIN Parameter Passing

#define NumDimensions 2
/* 2D Array */
/*
* typedefs
*/
typedef struct {
int32 dimSizes[2];
float64 arg1[1];
} TD1;
typedef TD1 **TD1Hdl;
CIN MgErr CINRun(TD1Hdl ah, TD1Hdl bh, TD1Hdl
resulth, LVBoolean *errorp);
CIN MgErr CINRun(TD1Hdl ah, TD1Hdl bh, TD1Hdl
resulth, LVBoolean *errorp) {
int32 i,j,k,l;
int32 rows, cols;
float64 *aElmtp, *bElmtp, *resultElmtp;
MgErr err=noErr;
int32 newNumElmts;
if ((k = (*ah)–>dimSizes[1]) !=
(*bh)–>dimSizes[0]) {
*errorp = LVTRUE;
goto out;
}
*errorp = LVFALSE;
rows = (*ah)–>dimSizes[0];
/* number of rows in a and result */
cols = (*bh)–>dimSizes[1];
/* number of cols in b and result */
newNumElmts = rows * cols;
if (err = SetCINArraySize((UHandle)resulth,
ParamNumber, newNumElmts))
goto out;
(*resulth)–>dimSizes[0] = rows;
(*resulth)–>dimSizes[1] = cols;
aElmtp = (*ah)–>arg1;
bElmtp = (*bh)–>arg1;
resultElmtp = (*resulth)–>arg1;
for (i=0; i<rows; i++)
for (j=0; j<cols; j++) {
*resultElmtp = 0;

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 Chapter 2 CIN Parameter Passing

for (l=0; l<k; l++)

*resultElmtp += aElmtp[i*k + l] *
bElmtp[l*cos + j];
resultElmtp++;
}
out:
return err;
}

In this example, CINRun is the only routine performing substantial

operations. CINRun cross multiplies the two-dimensional arrays ah and bh.
LabVIEW stores the resulting array in resulth. If the number of columns
in ah is not equal to the number of rows in bh, CINRun sets *errorp to
LVTRUE to inform the calling diagram of invalid data.

SetCINArraySize, the LabVIEW routine that accounts for alignment and

padding requirements, resizes the array. Notice the two-dimensional array
data structure is the same as the one-dimensional array data structure,
except the 2D array has two dimension fields instead of one. The two
dimensions indicate the number of rows and the number of columns in the
array, respectively. The data is declared as a one-dimensional C-style array.
LabVIEW stores data row by row, as shown in the following illustration.

For an array with r rows and c columns, you can access the element at
row i and column j as shown in the following code fragment.
value = (*arrayh)–>arg1[i*c + j];

© National Instruments Corporation 2-19 LabVIEW Code Interface Reference Manual

Chapter 2 CIN Parameter Passing

Working with Clusters

The following example takes an array of clusters and a single cluster
as inputs, and the clusters contain a signed 16-bit integer and a string.
The input for the array of clusters is an input-output terminal. In addition to
the array of clusters, the CIN returns a Boolean and a signed 32-bit integer.
If the cluster value is already present in the array of clusters, the CIN sets
the Boolean to TRUE and returns the position of the cluster in the array of
clusters using the 32-bit integer output. If the cluster value is not present,
the CIN adds it to the array, sets the Boolean output to FALSE, and returns
the new position of the cluster in the array of clusters.

This example shows only the front panel, block diagram, and source code.
Follow the instructions in the Steps for Creating a CIN section of
Chapter 1, CIN Overview, to create the CIN.

The front panel for this VI is shown in the following illustration. Save the
VI as tblsrch.vi.

The block diagram for this VI is shown in the following illustration:

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 Chapter 2 CIN Parameter Passing

Save the .c file for the CIN as tblsrch.c. Following is the source code
for tblsrch.c with the CINRun routine added:
/*
* CIN source file
*/
#include "extcode.h"
#define ParamNumber 0
/* The array parameter is parameter 0 */
/*
* typedefs
*/
typedef struct {
int16 number;
LStrHandle string;
} TD2;
typedef struct {
int32 dimSize;
TD2 arg1[1];
} TD1;
typedef TD1 **TD1Hdl;
CIN MgErr CINRun(
TD1Hdl clusterTableh,
TD2 *elementp,
LVBoolean *presentp,
int32 *positionp);
CIN MgErr CINRun(
TD1Hdl clusterTableh,
TD2 *elementp,
LVBoolean *presentp,
int32 *positionp) {
int32 size,i;
MgErr err=noErr;
TD2 *tmpp;
LStrHandle newStringh;
TD2 *newElementp;
int32 newNumElements;

size = (*clusterTableh)–>dimSize;
tmpp = (*clusterTableh)–>arg1;
*positionp = –1;
*presentp = LVFALSE;

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Chapter 2 CIN Parameter Passing

for(i=0; i<size; i++) {

if(tmpp–>number == elementp–>number)
if(LStrCmp(*(tmpp–>string),
*(elementp–>string)) == 0)
break;
tmpp++;
}
if(i<size) {
*positionp = i;
*presentp = LVTRUE;
goto out;
}
newStringh = elementp–>string;
if(err = DSHandToHand((UHandle *)
&newStringh))
goto out;
newNumElements = size+1;
if(err =
SetCINArraySize((UHandle)clusterTableh,
ParamNumber,
newNumElements)) {
DSDisposeHandle(newStringh);
goto out;
}
(*clusterTableh)–>dimSize = size+1;
newElementp = &((*clusterTableh)
–>arg1[size]);
newElementp–>number = elementp–>number;
newElementp–>string = newStringh;
*positionp = size;
out:
return err;
}

In this example, CINRun is the only routine performing substantial

operations. CINRun first searches through the table to see if the
element is present. CINRun then compares string components using the
LabVIEW routine LStrCmp, which is described in the CIN Function
Overview section of the LabVIEW Online Reference. If CINRun finds the
element, the routine returns the position of the element in the array.

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 Chapter 2 CIN Parameter Passing

If the routine does not find the element, you have to add a new element
to the array. Use the memory manager routine DSHandToHand to create
a new handle containing the same string as the one in the cluster element
you passed to the CIN. CINRun then increases the size of the array using
SetCINArraySize and fills the last position with a copy of the element
you passed to the CIN.

If the SetCINArraySize call fails, the CIN returns the error code returned
by the manager. If the CIN is unable to resize the array, LabVIEW disposes
of the duplicate string handle.

© National Instruments Corporation 2-23 LabVIEW Code Interface Reference Manual

CIN Advanced Topics
3
This chapter covers several topics needed only in advanced applications,
including how to use the CINInit, CINDispose, CINAbort, CINLoad,
CINUnload, CINSave, and CINProperties routines. The chapter also
discusses how global data works within CIN source code, and how users of
Windows 3.1, Windows 95, and Windows NT can call a DLL from a CIN.

CIN Routines
A CIN consists of several routines, as described by the .c file LabVIEW
creates when you select Create .c File... from the CIN pop-up menu.
The previous chapters have discussed only the CINRun routine. The
other routines are CINLoad, CINInit, CINAbort, CINSave,
CINDispose, CINUnload, and CINProperties.

It is important to understand that for most CINs, you need to write only
the CINRun routine. The other routines are supplied mainly for the cases
in which you have special initialization needs, such as when your CIN
is going to maintain some information across calls, and you want to
preallocate or initialize global state information.

In the case where you want to preallocate/initialize global state

information, you first need to understand more of how LabVIEW
manages data and CINs.

Data Spaces and Code Resources

When you create a CIN, you compile your source into an object code file
and load the code into the node. At that point, LabVIEW loads a copy of
the code (called a code resource) into memory and attaches it to the node.
When you save the VI, this code resource is saved along with the VI as an
attached component; the original object code file is no longer needed.

When LabVIEW loads a VI, it allocates a data space, a block of data

storage memory, for that VI. This data space is used, for instance, to store
the values in shift registers. If the VI is reentrant, then LabVIEW allocates
a data space for each usage of the VI. See Chapter 26, Understanding the

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Chapter 3 CIN Advanced Topics

Execution System, in your G Programming Reference Manual for more

information on reentrancy.

Within your CIN code resource, you may have declared global data.
Global data includes variables declared outside of the scope of all
routines, and, for the purposes of this discussion, variables declared as
static variables within routines. LabVIEW allocates space for this global
data. As with the code itself, there is always only one instance of these
globals in memory. Regardless of how many nodes reference the code
resource and regardless of whether the surrounding VI is reentrant, there is
only one copy of these globals in memory, and their values are consistent.

When you create a CIN node, LabVIEW allocates a CIN data space,
a 4-byte storage location in the VI data space(s), strictly for the use of
the CIN node. Each CIN may have one or more CIN data spaces reserved
for the node, depending on how many times the node appears in a VI or
collection of VIs. You can use this CIN data space to store global data on
a per data space basis, as described in the Code Globals and CIN Data
Space Globals section later in this chapter.

VI

global storage

VI data space code resource

4-byte CIN (code globals)

data space

(data space globals)

Figure 3-1. Data Storage Spaces for One CIN, Simple Case

A CIN node references the code resource by name, using the name
you specified when you created the code resource. When you load a VI
containing a CIN, LabVIEW looks in memory to see if a code resource
with the desired name is already loaded. If so, LabVIEW links the CIN
to the code resource for execution purposes.

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 Chapter 3 CIN Advanced Topics

This linking behaves the same way as links between VIs and subVIs. When
you try to reference a subVI and another VI with the same name already
exists in memory, LabVIEW references the one already in memory instead
of the one you selected. In the same way, if you try to load references to two
different code resources having the same name, only one code resource is
actually loaded into memory, and both references point to the same code.
The difference is that LabVIEW can verify a subVI call matches the subVI
connector pane terminal, but LabVIEW cannot verify your source code
matches the CIN call.

CIN Routines: The Basic Case

The following discussion describes what happens in the standard case, in
which you have a code resource referenced by only one CIN, and the VI
containing the CIN is non-reentrant. The other cases have slightly more
complicated behavior, described in later sections of this chapter.

Loading a VI
When you first load a VI, LabVIEW calls the CINLoad routines for any
CINs contained in that VI. This gives you a chance to load any file-based
resources at load time, because LabVIEW calls this routine only when the
VI is first loaded (see the Loading a New Resource into the CIN section that
follows for an exception to this rule). After LabVIEW calls the CINLoad
routine, it calls CINInit. Together, these two routines perform any
initialization you need before the VI runs.

LabVIEW calls CINLoad once for a given code resource, regardless of the
number of data spaces and the number of references to that code resource.
This is why you should initialize code globals in CINLoad.

LabVIEW calls CINInit for a given code resource a total of one time
for each CIN data space multiplied by the number of references to the
code resource in the VI corresponding to that data space. If you want
to use CIN data space globals, you should initialize them in CINInit.
See the Code Globals and CIN Data Space Globals, the Loading a New
Resource into the CIN, and the Compiling a VI sections of this chapter
for related information.

© National Instruments Corporation 3-3 LabVIEW Code Interface Reference Manual

Chapter 3 CIN Advanced Topics

Unloading a VI
When you close a VI front panel, LabVIEW checks to see if there are any
references to that VI in memory. If so, then the VI code and data space
remain in memory. When all references to a VI are removed from memory,
and its front panel is not open, that VI is unloaded from memory.

When a VI is unloaded from memory, LabVIEW calls the

CINDispose routine, giving you a chance to dispose of anything
you allocated earlier. CINDispose is called for each CINInit call. For
instance, if you used XXNewHandle in your CINInit routine, you should
use XXDisposeHandle in your CINDispose routine. LabVIEW calls
CINDispose for a code resource once for each individual CIN data space.

As the last reference to the code resource is removed from memory,

LabVIEW calls the CINUnload routine for that code resource once,
giving you the chance to dispose of anything allocated in CINLoad.
As with CINDispose/CINInit, a CINUnload is called for each
CINLoad. For example, if you loaded some resources from a file
in CINLoad, you can free the memory those resources are using in
CINUnload. After LabVIEW calls CINUnload, the code resource
itself is unloaded from memory.

Loading a New Resource into the CIN

If you load a new code resource into a CIN, the old code resource is first
given a chance to dispose of anything it needs to dispose. First, LabVIEW
calls CINDispose for each CIN data space and each reference to the code
resource, followed by the CINUnload for the old resource. The new code
resource is then given a chance to perform any initialization it needs to
perform: LabVIEW calls the CINLoad for the new code resource, followed
by the CINInit routine, called once for each data space and each reference
to the code resource.

Compiling a VI
When you compile a VI, LabVIEW recreates the VI data space, resetting
all uninitialized shift registers, for instance, to their default values. In the
same way, your CIN is given a chance to dispose or initialize any storage
it manages. Before disposing of the current data space, LabVIEW calls the
CINDispose routine for each reference to the code resource within the
VI(s) being compiled to give the code resource a chance to dispose of any
old results it is managing. LabVIEW then compiles the VI and creates a
new data space for the VI(s) being compiled (multiple data spaces for any
reentrant VI). The CINInit routine is then called for each reference to the

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 Chapter 3 CIN Advanced Topics

code resource within the compiled VI(s) to give the code resource a chance
to create or initialize any data it wants to manage.

Running a VI
When you press the Run button of a VI, the VI begins to execute.
When LabVIEW encounters a code interface node, it calls the CINRun
routine for that node.

Saving a VI
When you save a VI, LabVIEW calls the CINSave routine for that VI,
giving you the chance to save any resources (for example, something you
loaded in CINLoad). Notice when you save a VI, LabVIEW creates a new
version of the file, even if you are saving the VI with the same name. If the
save is successful, LabVIEW deletes the old file and renames the new file
with the original name. Therefore, anything you expect to be able to load
in CINLoad needs to be saved in CINSave.

Aborting a VI
When you abort a VI, LabVIEW calls the CINAbort routine for every
reference to a code resource contained in the VI being aborted. The
CINAbort routine of all actively running subVIs is also called. If a CIN is
in a reentrant VI, it is called for each CIN data space as well. CINs in VIs
not currently executing are not notified by LabVIEW of the abort event.

CINs are synchronous. When a CIN begins execution, it takes over

control of its thread until the CIN completes. If your version of LabVIEW
is single-threaded, LabVIEW is not notified if the user clicks on the abort
button and therefore cannot abort the CIN. No other LabVIEW tasks can
execute while a CIN executes.

Multiple References to the Same CIN in a Single VI

If you have loaded the same code resource into multiple CINs, or you
have duplicated a given code interface node, LabVIEW gives each
reference to the code resource a chance to perform initialization or
deallocation. No matter how many references you have in memory to a
given code resource, the LabVIEW calls the CINLoad routine only once
when the resource is first loaded into memory (though it is also called if
you load a new version of the resource, as described in the previous
section). When you unload the VI, LabVIEW calls CINUnload once.

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Chapter 3 CIN Advanced Topics

After LabVIEW calls CINLoad, it calls CINInit once for each reference
to the CIN, because its CIN data space may need initialization. Thus, if you
have two nodes in the same VI, where both reference the same code, the
LabVIEW calls the CINLoad routine once, and the CINInit twice. If you
later load another VI referencing the same code resource, then LabVIEW
calls CINInit again for the new version. LabVIEW has already called
CINLoad once, and does not call it again for this new reference.

VI

global storage

(code globals)
VI data space code resource

4-byte CIN
data space
4-byte CIN
data space
4-byte CIN
data space

(data space globals)

Figure 3-2. Three CINs Referencing the Same Code Resource

LabVIEW calls CINDispose and CINAbort for each individual CIN data
space. LabVIEW calls CINSave only once, regardless of the number of
references to a given code resource within the VI you are saving.

Multiple Reference to the same CIN in different VIs

Making multiple references to the same CIN in different VIs is different
for single threaded operating systems than it is for mutlithreaded
operating systems. To take advantage of multithreading, you must use
LabVIEW 5.x on an operating system supporting it: Windows 95,
Windows NT, Solaris 2.x, and Concurrent PowerMAX.

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 Chapter 3 CIN Advanced Topics

Single Threaded Operating Systems

When you make a VI reentrant, LabVIEW creates a separate data space for
each usage of that VI. If you have a CIN data space in a reentrant VI and
you call that VI in seven places, LabVIEW allocates memory to store seven
CIN data spaces for that VI, each of which contains a unique storage
location for the CIN data space for that calling instance.

As with multiple instances of the same node, LabVIEW calls the CINInit,
CINDispose, and CINAbort routines for each individual CIN data space.

In the case where you have a reentrant VI containing multiple copies of

the same code resource, LabVIEW calls the CINInit, CINDispose, and
CINAbort routines once for each use of the reentrant VI, multiplied by the
number of references to the code resource within that VI.

caller 1 caller 2 caller 3

My VI My VI My VI
data space 1 data space 3

4-byte CIN 4-byte CIN

data space data space

(data space globals) (data space globals)

My VI
data space 2 code resource global storage

4-byte CIN
data space

(data space globals) (code globals)

Figure 3-3. Three VIs Referencing a Reentrant VI Containing One CIN

© National Instruments Corporation 3-7 LabVIEW Code Interface Reference Manual

Chapter 3 CIN Advanced Topics

Multithreaded Operating Systems

By default, CINs written before LabVIEW 5.0 run in a single thread, the
user interface thread. When you change a CIN to be reentrant (execute in
multiple threads), more than one execution thread can call the CIN at the
same time. If you want a CIN to run in the diagram’s current execution
thread, add the following code to your .c file:
CIN MgErr CINProperties(int32 mode, void *data)
{
switch (mode) {
case kCINIsReentrant:
*(Bool32 *)data = TRUE;
return noErr;
break;
}
return mgNotSupported;
}

If you read and write a global or static variable or call a non-reentrant

function within your CINs, keep the execution of those CINs in a single
thread. Even if a CIN is marked reentrant, the CIN functions other than
CINRun are called from the user interface thread. This means CINInit and
CINDispose, for example, are never called from two different threads at
the same time, but CINRun might be running when the user interface thread
is calling CINInit, CINAbort, or any of the other functions.

To be reentrant, the CIN must be safe to call CINRun from multiple

threads, and safe to call any of the other CIN… procedures and CINRun at
the same time. Other than CINRun, you do not need to protect any of the
CIN… procedures from each other, because calls to them are always in one
thread.

Code Globals and CIN Data Space Globals

When you declare global or static local data within a CIN code resource,
LabVIEW allocates storage for that data. LabVIEW maintains your globals
across calls to various routines.

When you allocate a global in a CIN code resource, LabVIEW creates

storage for only one instance of it, regardless of whether the CIN’s VI is
reentrant or whether you have multiple references to the same code
resource in memory.

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 Chapter 3 CIN Advanced Topics

In some cases, you may want globals for each reference to the code
resource multiplied by the number of usages of the VI (if the VI is
reentrant). For each instance of one of these globals, LabVIEW allocates
the CIN data space for the use of the code interface node. Within the
CINInit, CINDispose, CINAbort, and CINRun routines you can call the
GetDSStorage routine to retrieve the value of the CIN data space for the
current instance. You can also call SetDSStorage to set the value of the
CIN data space for this instance.

You can use this storage location to store any 4-byte quantity you want to
have for each instance of one of these globals. If you need more than four
bytes of global data, you can store a handle or pointer to a structure
containing your globals.

The following two lines of code are examples of the exact syntax of these
two routines, defined in extcode.h.
int32 GetDSStorage(void);
This routine returns the value of the 4-byte quantity in the CIN data
space LabVIEW allocates for each CIN code resource, or for each use
of the surrounding VI (if the VI is reentrant). You should call this
routine only from CINInit, CINDispose, CINAbort, or CINRun.
int32 SetDSStorage(int32 newVal);
This routine sets the value of the 4-byte quantity in the CIN data space
LabVIEW allocates for each CIN use of that code resource, or the uses
of the surrounding VI, (if the VI is reentrant). It returns the old value
of the 4-byte quantity in that CIN data space. Call this routine only
from CINInit, CINDispose, CINAbort, or CINRun.

Examples
The following two examples illustrate the differences between code globals
and CIN data space globals. In both examples, the CIN takes a number and
returns the average of that number and the previous numbers passed to it.

When you design your code, decide whether it is appropriate to use code
globals or data space globals. If you use code globals, calling the same code
resource from multiple nodes or different reentrant VIs will affect the same
set of globals. In the code globals averaging example, the result will
indicate the average of all values passed to the CIN.

© National Instruments Corporation 3-9 LabVIEW Code Interface Reference Manual

Chapter 3 CIN Advanced Topics

If you use CIN data space globals, each CIN calling the same code resource
and each VI can have its own set of globals, if the VI is reentrant. In the
CIN data space averaging example, the results would indicate the average
of values passed to a specific node for a specific data space.

If you have only one CIN referencing the code resource, and the VI
containing that CIN is not reentrant, it does not matter which method
you choose.

Using Code Globals

The following code implements averaging using code globals. Notice
the variables are initialized in CINLoad. If the variables are dynamically
created (if they are pointers or handles), you can allocate the memory for
the pointer or handle in CINLoad, and deallocate it in CINUnload. You can
do this because CINLoad and CINUnload are called only once, regardless
of the number of references to the code resources and the number of data
spaces. Notice the UseDefaultCINLoad macro is not used, because this
.c file has a CINLoad function.
/*
* CIN source file
*/
#include "extcode.h"
float64 gTotal;
int32 gNumElements;
CIN MgErr CINRun(float64 *new_num, float64 *avg);
CIN MgErr CINRun(float64 *new_num, float64 *avg)
{
gTotal += *new_num;
gNumElements++;
*avg = gTotal / gNumElements;
return noErr;
}
CIN MgErr CINLoad(RsrcFile rf)
{
gTotal=0;
gNumElements=0;
return noErr;
}

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 Chapter 3 CIN Advanced Topics

Using CIN Data Space Globals

The following is an alternative implementation of averaging using CIN
data space globals. A handle for the global data is allocated in CINInit,
and stored in the CIN data space storage using SetDSStorage. When
LabVIEW calls the CINInit, CINDispose, CINAbort, or CINRun
routines, it ensures GetDSStorage and SetDSStorage will return the
4 byte CIN data space value for that node or CIN data space.

When you want to access that data, use GetDSStorage to retrieve the
handle and then dereference the appropriate fields (see the code for
CINRun in the following example). Finally, in your CINDispose routine
you need to dispose of the handle.
/*
* CIN source file
*/
#include "extcode.h"
typedef struct {
float64 total;
int32 numElements;
} dsGlobalStruct;
CIN MgErr CINInit() {
dsGlobalStruct **dsGlobals;
MgErr err = noErr;
if (!(dsGlobals = (dsGlobalStruct **)
DSNewHandle(sizeof(dsGlobalStruct))))
{
/* if 0, ran out of memory */
err = mFullErr;
goto out;
}
(*dsGlobals)–>numElements=0;
(*dsGlobals)–>total=0;
SetDSStorage((int32) dsGlobals);
out:
return noErr;
}
CIN MgErr CINDispose()
{
dsGlobalStruct **dsGlobals;
dsGlobals=(dsGlobalStruct **) GetDSStorage();

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Chapter 3 CIN Advanced Topics

if (dsGlobals)
DSDisposeHandle(dsGlobals);
return noErr;
}
CIN MgErr CINRun(float64 *new_num, float64 *avg);
CIN MgErr CINRun(float64 *new_num, float64 *avg)
{
dsGlobalStruct **dsGlobals;
dsGlobals=(dsGlobalStruct **) GetDSStorage();
if (dsGlobals) {
(*dsGlobals)–>total += *new_num;
(*dsGlobals)–>numElements++;
*avg = (*dsGlobals)–>total /
(*dsGlobals)–>numElements;
}
return noErr;
}

Calling a Windows 95 or
Windows NT Dynamic Link Library
No special techniques are necessary to call a Windows 95 or Windows NT
DLL. Call DLLs the way you ordinarily would in a Windows 95 or
Windows NT program.

Calling a Windows 3.1 Dynamic Link Library

Although dynamic link libraries (DLLs) can be called from a CIN, the
method for doing so is somewhat cumbersome. The Call Library Function
is a more convenient way to call a DLL, and the Watcom compiler is not
required. For more information on the Call Library Function, see
Chapter 13, Advanced Functions, in the LabVIEW Function and VI
Reference Manual, and Chapter 25, Calling Code from Other Languages,
in your G Programming Reference Manual.

Before you attempt to link a dynamic link library with a CIN, first write a
C program calling it. Do this to ensure you are calling the DLL properly,
and the DLL behaves as expected. You can test the C program using the
debugging tools supplied by your compiler.

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 Chapter 3 CIN Advanced Topics

After you are sure the DLL works and you are calling it correctly, write
the 32-bit CIN that LabVIEW can call. The main purpose of this CIN is
to act as a go-between, translating LabVIEW 32-bit data to 16-bit data.
This CIN will take 32-bit pointers from LabVIEW and then call the DLL
with the appropriate arguments.

See the Calling 16-bit DLLs section of Chapter 37, Programming

Overview, in the Windows 32-bit Programming Guide section of the
Watcom C/386 User’s Guide for a detailed discussion of how to call
a 16-bit DLL.

No special techniques are necessary to call a Windows 95 or

Windows NT DLL.

Calling a 16-Bit DLL

The following steps are a brief summary of how to call a 16-bit DLL from
a CIN. If you are not familiar with the functions used in this example, you
should refer to Microsoft Windows Programmer’s Reference or the
Watcom C/386 User’s Guide.

1. Load the DLL

Load the DLL by calling the function LoadLibrary() with the name
of the DLL. For example, the following code returns a handle to a
specified library.
HANDLE hDLL;
hDLL = LoadLibrary("library name");

This is a standard Windows function, and is documented in the Microsoft

Windows Programmer’s Reference.

Note If you do not specify a full path, Windows searches the Windows directory,
the Windows system directory, the LabVIEW directory, and the directories listed
in the Path variable.

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Chapter 3 CIN Advanced Topics

2. Get the address of the desired function

Call GetProcAddress() with the name of the function you want to call.
For example, the following code returns the address of a specified function.
This address is a 16-bit pointer, and cannot be called using standard DLL
call methods. Instead you have to use the Watcom C method, shown as
follows.
FARPROC lpfn;
lpfn = GetProcAddress(hDLL, "function name");

As with LoadLibrary, this function is a standard Windows function, and

is documented in the Microsoft Windows Programmer’s Reference.

3. Describe the function

Use GetIndirectFunctionHandle() to describe the function and the
types of each parameter it accepts. This function uses the following format.
HINDIR GetIndirectFunctionHandle(FARPROC proc
[, long param1type,long param2type,
...,] long terminator);

proc is the address of the function returned in step 2.

The paramXtype values should be one of the following five constants

describing the parameters for the call to the function.

INDIR_DWORD The parameter will be a long word value

(a 32-bit integer).

INDIR_WORD The parameter will be a word value

(a 16-bit integer).

INDIR_CHAR The parameter will be a byte value

(an 8-bit integer).

INDIR_PTR The parameter is a pointer. Watcom will

automatically convert the 32-bit address
to a 16-bit far pointer before calling the
code. Notice this 16-bit pointer is good
only for the duration of the call; after the
function returns, the 16-bit reference to
the data is no longer valid.

LabVIEW Code Interface Reference Manual 3-14 © National Instruments Corporation

 Chapter 3 CIN Advanced Topics

INDIR_CDECL Make the call using Microsoft C calling

conventions. This keyword can be present
anywhere in the parameter list.

For terminator, pass a value of INDIR_ENDLIST, which marks the end of

the parameter list.

GetIndirectFunctionHandle() returns a handle used when you want

to call the function.

4. Call the function

Use InvokeIndirectFunction() to call the function. Pass it the handle
returned in step 3, along with the arguments you want to pass to the CIN.
This function uses the following format.
long InvokeIndirectFunction(HINDIR proc
[, param1, param2, ...]);

proc is the address of the function returned in step 3. Following that are the
parameters you want to pass to the DLL.

Example: A CIN that Displays a Dialog Box

You cannot call most Windows functions directly from a CIN. You can,
however, call a DLL, which in turn can call Windows functions. The
following example shows how to call a DLL from a CIN. The DLL calls
the Windows MessageBox function, which displays a window containing
a specified message. This function returns after the user presses a button
in the window.

The DLL
Most Windows compilers can create a DLL. Regardless of the compiler
you use to create a DLL, the way you call it from a CIN will be roughly the
same. Because you must have Watcom C/386 to write a Windows CIN, the
following example is for a Watcom DLL. The process for creating a DLL
using the Watcom compiler is described in Chapter 38, Windows 32-Bit
Dynamic Link Libraries, of the Watcom C/386 User's Guide.

The following code is for a Watcom C/386 32-bit DLL that calls the
MessageBox function. The _16MessageBox function calls the Windows
MessageBox function; the only difference between these functions is the
former takes far 16-bit pointers, which are pointers passed to the DLL.
In this 32-bit environment, MessageBox expects near 32-bit pointers.

© National Instruments Corporation 3-15 LabVIEW Code Interface Reference Manual

Chapter 3 CIN Advanced Topics

Passing pointers to 32-bit DLLs is inherently tricky. In this example, a

32-bit near pointer is converted to a 16-bit far pointer and passed to
MessageBox via _16MessageBox. You cannot dereference a 16-bit
pointer directly in this DL—it must first be converted to a 32-bit pointer.
These pointer issues are not related to LabVIEW, but are unique to the
Windows 3.1 environment. It may be helpful to build a rudimentary 32-bit
Windows application (in place of LabVIEW) calling the DLL to test the use
of pointers.

The DLL function will accept two parameters. The first is the message to
display in the window. The second is the title to display in the window.
Both parameters are C strings, meaning they are pointers to the characters
of the string, followed by a terminating null character. Save the code in a
file called MSGBXDLL.C.
/*
* MSGBXDLL.C
*/
#include <windows.h>
#include <dos.h>
void FAR PASCAL Lib1( LPSTR message,
LPSTR winTitle)
{
_16MessageBox( NULL,
message,
winTitle,
MB_OK | MB_TASKMODAL );
}
int PASCAL WinMain( HANDLE hInstance,
HANDLE x1,
LPSTR lpCmdLine,
int x2 )
{
DefineDLLEntry( 1,
(void *) Lib1,
DLL_PTR,
DLL_PTR,
DLL_ENDLIST );
return( 1 );
}

LabVIEW Code Interface Reference Manual 3-16 © National Instruments Corporation

 Chapter 3 CIN Advanced Topics

In addition to the C file, you also need to create the following

MSGBXDLL.LNK file.
system win386
file msgbxdll
option map
option stack=12K
option maxdata=8K
option mindata=4K

Enter the following commands at the DOS prompt to create the DLL.
C>wcc386 msgbxdll /zw
C>wlink @msgbxdll
C>wbind msgbxdll –d –n

Following is the LabVIEW block diagram for a VI calling a CIN that calls
the previously described DLL. It passes two LabVIEW strings to the CIN,
and the CIN returns an error code.

The CIN Code

The following C code is for a CIN calling the DLL you created previously.
This code assumes the .h file created by LabVIEW is named msgbox.h.

This example does not pass a full path to LoadLibrary. You should move
the DLL to the top level of your LabVIEW directory so it will be found.
See the note in the section 1. Load the DLL, earlier in this chapter for
more information.
/*
* CIN source file
*/
#include "extcode.h"
#include "hosttype.h"
#include <windows.h>
CIN MgErr CINRun(LStrHandle message,
LStrHandle winTitle,

© National Instruments Corporation 3-17 LabVIEW Code Interface Reference Manual

Chapter 3 CIN Advanced Topics

int32 *err)
{
HANDLE hDLL = NULL;
FARPROC addr = NULL;
HINDIR hMessageBox;
int cb;
char *messageCStr = NULL,
*winTitleCStr = NULL;
MgErr cinErr = noErr;
*err=0;
hDLL = LoadLibrary("msgbxdll.dll");
if (hDLL < HINSTANCE_ERROR) {
*err = 1;/* LoadLibrary failed */
goto out;
}
addr = GetProcAddress(hDLL, "Win386LibEntry");
if (!addr) {
*err = 2;/* GetProcAddress failed */
goto out;
}
hMessageBox = GetIndirectFunctionHandle(
addr,
INDIR_PTR,
INDIR_PTR,
INDIR_WORD,
INDIR_ENDLIST );
if (!hMessageBox) {
*err = 3; /* GetIndirectFunctionHandle
failed */
goto out;
}
if (!(messageCStr =
DSNewPtr(LStrLen(*message)+1))) {
/* mem errs are serious-stop execution */
cinErr=mFullErr;
goto out;
}
if (!(winTitleCStr =
DSNewPtr(LStrLen(*winTitle)+1))) {
/* mem errs are serious-stop execution */
cinErr=mFullErr;
goto out;

LabVIEW Code Interface Reference Manual 3-18 © National Instruments Corporation

 Chapter 3 CIN Advanced Topics

}
SPrintf(messageCStr, (CStr) "%P", *message);
SPrintf(winTitleCStr, (CStr) "%P", *winTitle);
cb = (WORD)InvokeIndirectFunction(
hMessageBox,
messageCStr,
winTitleCStr,
0x1 );
out:
if (messageCStr)
DSDisposePtr(messageCStr);
if (winTitleCStr)
DSDisposePtr(winTitleCStr);
if (hDLL)
FreeLibrary(hDLL);
return cinErr;
}

The CIN first loads the library, and then gets the address of the DLL entry
point. As described in the Watcom C/386 User’s Guide, a Watcom DLL has
only one entry point, Win386LibEntry. Calling GetProcAddress for a
Watcom DLL requests the address of this entry point. For a DLL created
using a compiler other than the Watcom C compiler, request the address
of the function you want to call.

To prepare for the DLL call after getting the address, the example calls
GetIndirectFunctionHandle. Use this function to specify the data
types for the parameters you want to pass. The list is terminated with the
INDIR_ENDLIST value. Because there is only one entry point with a
Watcom DLL, pass an additional parameter (the INDIR_WORD parameter)
that is the number of the routine you want to call in the DLL. With a DLL
created using another compiler, you do not need to pass a function number,
because GetProcAddress returns the address of the desired function.

This example uses InvokeIndirectFunction to call the desired DLL

function, passing the number of the routine the example calls as the last
parameter. With a DLL made by a compiler other than the Watcom C
compiler, you don’t need to pass the function number, because
GetProcAddress returns the address of the desired function.

Notice at each stage of calling the DLL, the code checks for errors and
returns an error code if it fails.

© National Instruments Corporation 3-19 LabVIEW Code Interface Reference Manual

Chapter 3 CIN Advanced Topics

Notice also LabVIEW strings are different from C strings. C strings are
terminated with a null character. LabVIEW strings are not null-terminated;
instead, they begin with a four byte value indicating the length of the string.
Because the DLL expects C strings, this example creates temporary buffers
for the C strings using DSNewPtr, and then uses SPrintf to copy the
LabVIEW string into the temporary buffers. You might consider modifying
the DLL to accept LabVIEW strings instead, because that would require no
temporary copies of the strings.

Compiling the CIN

Following is the LabVIEW makefile for this CIN. It assumes the .c file
is named msgbox.c, the makefile is named msgbox.lvm, and the three
pathnames for the directives codeDir, cinToolsDir, and wcDir are
set correctly.
name=msgbox
type=CIN
codeDir=c:\labview\examples\cins\dll
cinToolsDir=c:\labview\cintools
wcDir=c:\wc
!include $(cinToolsDir)\generic.mak

The following command line prompt compiles the CIN.

c:> wmake /f msgbox.lvm

Optimization
To optimize the performance of this CIN call LoadLibrary during the
CINLoad routine, and call FreeLibrary during the CINUnload routine.
This keeps the overhead of loading and unloading the DLL from affecting
your run-time performance. The following code shows the modifications
you need to make to CINRun, CINLoad, and CINUnload to implement
this optimization.
HANDLE hDLL = NULL;
CIN MgErr CINLoad(RsrcFile rf)
{
hDLL = LoadLibrary("msgbxdll.dll");
return noErr;
}
CIN MgErr CINRun(LStrHandle message,
LStrHandle winTitle,
int32 *err)
{

LabVIEW Code Interface Reference Manual 3-20 © National Instruments Corporation

 Chapter 3 CIN Advanced Topics

FARPROC addr = NULL;

HINDIR hMessageBox;
int cb;
char *messageCStr = NULL,
*winTitleCStr = NULL;
MgErr cinErr = noErr;
*err=0;
if (hDLL < HINSTANCE_ERROR) {
*err = 1;/* LoadLibrary failed */
goto out;
}
addr = GetProcAddress(hDLL,"Win386LibEntry");
if (!addr) {
*err = 2;/* GetProcAddress failed */
goto out;
}
hMessageBox = GetIndirectFunctionHandle(
addr,
INDIR_PTR,
INDIR_PTR,
INDIR_WORD,
INDIR_ENDLIST );
if (!hMessageBox) {
/* GetIndirectFunctionHandle failed */
*err = 3;
goto out;
}
if (!(messageCStr =
DSNewPtr(LStrLen(*message)+1))) {
/* mem errs are serious-stop execution */
cinErr=mFullErr;
goto out;
}
if (!(winTitleCStr =
DSNewPtr(LStrLen(*winTitle)+1))) {
/* mem errs are serious-stop execution */
cinErr=mFullErr;
goto out;
}
SPrintf(messageCStr, (CStr) "%P", *message);
SPrintf(winTitleCStr, (CStr) "%P", *winTitle);

© National Instruments Corporation 3-21 LabVIEW Code Interface Reference Manual

Chapter 3 CIN Advanced Topics

cb = (WORD)InvokeIndirectFunction(
hMessageBox,
messageCStr,
winTitleCStr,
0x1 );
out:
if (messageCStr)
DSDisposePtr(messageCStr);
if (winTitleCStr)
DSDisposePtr(winTitleCStr);
return cinErr;
}
CIN MgErr CINUnload(void)
{
if (hDLL)
FreeLibrary(hDLL);
return noErr;
}

LabVIEW Code Interface Reference Manual 3-22 © National Instruments Corporation

External Subroutines
4
This chapter describes how to create and call shared external subroutines
from other external code modules.

Introduction
An external subroutine (or shared external subroutine) is a function you
can call from multiple external code modules. By placing common code in
an external subroutine, you can avoid duplicating the code in each external
code module. You can also use external subroutines to store information
that must be accessible to multiple external code modules.

External subroutines are different from CINs in that LabVIEW diagrams

do not call them directly. Instead, an external subroutine is a function
CINs and other external subroutines call. You store external subroutines
in separate files, not in VIs.

When you load a VI containing a CIN, LabVIEW determines whether

the CIN references external subroutines. If it does, LabVIEW loads the
external subroutines into memory and modifies the calling code so it
can call the subroutine. LabVIEW modifies any additional subroutines
referencing the same external subroutine to reference the code already
in memory. When you remove the last code referencing the external
subroutine from memory (when you close the VI containing the CIN),
LabVIEW also unloads the external subroutine.

Placing code in external subroutines is helpful for several reasons.

• A single subroutine is easier to maintain, because you need update
only a single file to affect all calls on the subroutine.
• A single subroutine can also reduce memory requirements, because
only a single instance of the code is in memory, regardless of the
number of calls to the subroutine.
• An external subroutine can maintain information used by multiple
external code modules. The first time the external subroutine is called,
it can store data in a variable global to the external subroutine. Other
external code modules can call the same external subroutine to retrieve
the common data.

© National Instruments Corporation 4-1 LabVIEW Code Interface Reference Manual

Chapter 4 External Subroutines

You store external subroutines as files, so you have to give each one a
unique name. When LabVIEW searches for a subroutine file, it loads the
first file it finds with the correct name.

Note External subroutines are not supported on the Power Macintosh. The
Macintosh OS on the Power Macintosh uses shared libraries, which provide
a much cleaner mechanism for sharing code. If you need to share code among
multiple CINs on the Power Macintosh, consult your development environment
documentation to learn how to build a shared library.

Although external subroutines are supported on Solaris 2, HP-UX, and

Concurrent PowerMAX, it is suggested you use shared libraries instead.

Shared library mechanisms compatible with LabVIEW are available on all

platforms. Under Microsoft Windows 3.1, Windows 95, and Windows NT, they
are referred to as DLLs (dynamic link libraries). Under UNIX they are referred
to as shared libraries or dynamic libraries.

Creating Shared External Subroutines

Normally, when you use a compiler to create a program, the compiler
includes the code for all subroutines in a single file called the executable.
External subroutines differ from standard subroutines in that you do not
compile the code for the external subroutine with the code for the calling
subroutine. Instead, your makefile, and consequently the code, indicate the
calling code references an external subroutine. LabVIEW loads external
subroutines based on this information and links the calling code in memory,
so the calling code points correctly to the external subroutine.

You need to compile the calling code, even though its subroutines are not
all present. LabVIEW must be able to determine that your code calls an
external subroutine, find the subroutine, and load it into memory. When the
subroutine is loaded, LabVIEW must be able to modify the memory image
of the calling code so it correctly references the memory location of the
external code. Finally, LabVIEW may need to create and initialize memory
space the external subroutine uses for global data. The following sections
describe how to make this work.

LabVIEW Code Interface Reference Manual 4-2 © National Instruments Corporation

 Chapter 4 External Subroutines

External Subroutines
LabVIEW calls CINs, but only your code calls external subroutines.
Instead of creating seven routines ( CINRun, CINSave, and so on), you
create only one entry point (LVSBMain) for an external subroutine. When
another external code module calls this external subroutine, the LVSBMain
subroutine executes.

LVSBMain is similar to CINRun. You can have an arbitrary number

of parameters, and each parameter can be of arbitrary data type. Also,
because only your code calls the subroutine, you can declare any return
data type, and you do not need to place the word CIN in front of the function
prototype. You must ensure the parameters and return value are consistent
between the calling and called code.

You compile an external subroutine almost the same way you compile a
CIN. Because multiple external code modules can call the same external
subroutine, LabVIEW does not load the code into a specific VI. Instead,
LabVIEW loads the code from the file created by the makefile when the
code is needed.

Macintosh
(THINK C Compiler and CodeWarrior 68K Compiler) To make a subroutine
using the THINK or CodeWarrior 68K C Compiler, build the code
resource (the .tmp file) as discussed in the Steps for Creating a CIN
section of Chapter 1, CIN Overview, but replace the CINLib library with
the appropriate LVSBLib library and select the subroutine option when
running lvsbutil.app.

(MPW Compiler) The only difference between the makefiles of subroutines

and of CINs is that for a subroutine you specify a type of LVSB in your .lvm
file instead of CIN. See the Steps for Creating a CIN section of Chapter 1,
CIN Overview, for a discussion of the makefile contents.

Microsoft Windows 3.1, Windows 95, and

Windows NT
The only difference between the makefiles of subroutines and of CINs is
that for a subroutine you specify a type of LVSB in your .lvm file instead
of CIN. See the Steps for Creating a CIN section of Chapter 1, CIN
Overview, for a discussion of the makefile contents.

© National Instruments Corporation 4-3 LabVIEW Code Interface Reference Manual

Chapter 4 External Subroutines

Solaris 1.x, Solaris 2.x, HP-UX, and

Concurrent PowerMAX
(Unbundled Sun C Compiler, HP-UX C/ANSI C Compiler, and Concurrent C
Compiler) The lvmkmf command for a CIN calling an external subroutine is
the same as described in the Steps for Creating a CIN section of Chapter 1,
CIN Overview, except you use the -t option with the type LVSB to indicate
you are creating a LabVIEW subroutine instead of a CIN.

For example, if you want to create an external subroutine called find,

you could use the following command:
lvmkmf -t LVSB find

This command creates a makefile you could use to create the

external subroutine.

Calling Code
You call external subroutines the same way you call standard
C subroutines. LabVIEW modifies the code at load time to ensure
the calling code passes control to the subroutine correctly.

When you call the external subroutine, do not use the function name
LVSBMain to call the function. Instead, use the name you gave the external
subroutine. If you created an external subroutine called fact.lsb, which
in turn contained an LVSBMain() subroutine, for example, you should call
the function as though it were named fact(). The argument list and return
type should be the same as the argument and return type for the
LVSBMain() subroutine.

You should also create a prototype for the function. This prototype should
have the keyword extern so the compiler will compile the CIN, even
though the subroutine is not present.

When you create the makefile for the CIN, you identify the names of
the external subroutines the CIN calls. The LabVIEW makefile embeds
information in your code LabVIEW uses to determine your code calls
external subroutines. When you load external code referencing external
subroutines into a VI, LabVIEW searches for the subroutine files. If it finds
the subroutines, LabVIEW performs the appropriate linking. If a file is not
found, LabVIEW displays a dialog box prompting you to find it. If you
dismiss the dialog box without selecting the file, the VI loads into memory
with a broken run arrow, indicating the VI is not executable.

LabVIEW Code Interface Reference Manual 4-4 © National Instruments Corporation

 Chapter 4 External Subroutines

One way to ensure LabVIEW can find external subroutines is to place

them in the directories you defined in the search path section of the
LabVIEW defaults file. See the Configuring LabVIEW section of
Chapter 8, Customizing Your LabVIEW Environment, of your LabVIEW
User Manual for more information on setting path preferences.

Macintosh
(THINK C Compiler) The THINK C project must have an extra file named
glue.c specifying each external subroutine. Each reference to the external
subroutine should have an entry as follows in the glue.c file:
long gLVSB<external subroutine name> = 'LVSB';
void <external subroutine name>(void);
void <external subroutine name>(void) {
asm {
move.l gLVSB<external subroutine name>, a0
jmp (a0)
}
}

(CodeWarrior 68K Compiler) The CodeWarrior project must have an extra file
called glue.c, which specifies each external subroutine. Each reference to
the external subroutine should have an entry as follows in the glue.c file:
long gLVSB<external subroutine name> = 'LVSB';
void <external subroutine name>(void);
asm void <external subroutine name>(void) {
move.l gLVSB<external subroutine name>, a0
jmp (a0)
}

(MPW Compiler) The makefile for a calling CIN is the same as described
in the Steps for Creating a CIN section of Chapter 1, CIN Overview,
except you use the optional subrNames directive to identify the
subroutines the CIN references. Specifically, if your code calls two
external subroutines, A and B, you need to have the following line in
the makefile code:
subrNames = A B

© National Instruments Corporation 4-5 LabVIEW Code Interface Reference Manual

Chapter 4 External Subroutines

Microsoft Windows 3.1,

Windows 95, and Windows NT
The makefile for a calling CIN is the same as described in the Steps for
Creating a CIN section of Chapter 1, CIN Overview, except you use
the optional subrNames directive to identify the subroutines the CIN
references. Specifically, if your code calls two external subroutines,
A and B, you need to have the following line in the code makefile, prior
to the !include statement.
subrNames = A B

If you are using the Visual C IDE, follow the steps described in Steps for
Creating a CIN section of Chapter 1, CIN Overview, with the exception of
adding lvsb.obj instead of cin.obj to your project.

Solaris 1.x, Solaris 2.x, HP-UX, and

Concurrent PowerMAX
(Unbundled Sun C Compiler, HP-UX C/ANSI C Compiler, and Concurrent C
Compiler) The lvmkmf command for a calling CIN is the same as described
in the Steps for Creating a CIN section of Chapter 1, CIN Overview, except
you use the optional -ext option with the name of a file listing the names
of the subroutines called by the CIN, one name per line. The makefile
lvmkmf creates uses this file to append linkage information to the CIN
object file.

For example, if your code calls two external subroutines, A and B,

you create a new text file with the name A on the first line and B on the
second. If the list of subroutines is in a file called subrs, and you want
to call the calling CIN lookup, you can use the following command to
create a makefile.
lvmkmf -ext subrs lookup

This command creates a makefile you can use to create the CIN.

LabVIEW Code Interface Reference Manual 4-6 © National Instruments Corporation

 Chapter 4 External Subroutines

External Subroutine Example

The following example illustrates the process of building an external
subroutine that sums the elements of an array. This external subroutine can
be used by a CIN that computes the mean and also by a CIN that computes
the definite integral.

As described in the External Subroutines section of this chapter, you

must write a function called LVSBMain(). When you call the external
subroutine from your CIN or another external subroutine, LabVIEW
passes control to the LVSBMain() function. When you call the external
subroutine, the arguments to it and to its return type should be the same
as in the definition of LVSBMain().

The following is the C code for this external subroutine. Name it sum.c.
/*
* sum.c
*/
#include "extcode.h"
float64 LVSBMain(float64 *x, int32 n);
float64 LVSBMain(float64 *x, int32 n)
{
int32 i;
float64 sum;
sum = 0.0;
for (i=0; i<n; i++)
sum += *x++;
return sum;
}

Compiling the External Subroutine

The procedure you use in compiling the external subroutine depends upon
the platform and programming environment you are using.

Macintosh
(THINK C Compiler and CodeWarrior 68K Compiler) To make a subroutine
using the THINK or CodeWarrior 68K C Compiler, create a project
named sum or sum.µ, respectively, and add sum.c and LVSBLib to the
project. Do not include the CINLib file in your project. Set the options
in the Options... and Set Project Type dialog boxes as described in the
Steps for Creating a CIN section of Chapter 1, CIN Overview. After you
create sum.tmp, run lvsbutil.app and select the Subroutine option.

© National Instruments Corporation 4-7 LabVIEW Code Interface Reference Manual

Chapter 4 External Subroutines

(MPW Compiler) As described in the External Subroutines section of this

chapter, you compile an external subroutine the same way you compile a
CIN. The first step is to create a makefile specification. Following are the
contents of the makefile specification for this example. Notice all Dir
commands must end with a colon (:). Name the file sum.lvm.

name = name sum

type = type LVSB

codeDir = codeDir: Complete pathname to the folder

containing the .c file.

cinToolsDir = cinToolsDir:
Complete or partial pathname to the
LabVIEW cintools folder.

inclDir = inclDir: (optional) Complete or partial

pathname to a folder containing
additional .h files.

Create the subroutine using the following command.

Directory <full pathname to CIN directory>
cinmake sum

Microsoft Windows 3.1

(Watcom C Compiler) As described in the External Subroutines section of
this chapter, you compile an external subroutine the same way you compile
a CIN. The first step is to create a makefile specification. Following are the
contents of the makefile specification for this example. Notice all Dir
commands must end without a backslash(\). Name the file sum.lvm.

name = name sum

type = type LVSB

codeDir = codeDir Complete pathname to the directory

containing the .c file.

cinToolsDir = cinToolsDir
Complete or partial pathname to the
LabVIEW cintools directory.

LabVIEW Code Interface Reference Manual 4-8 © National Instruments Corporation

 Chapter 4 External Subroutines

inclDir = inclDir (optional) Complete or partial

pathname to a directory containing
any additional .h files.

wcDir = wcDir Complete pathname to the directory

containing the Watcom C compiler.
!include $(cinToolsDir)\generic.mak

Create the subroutine using the following command.

wmake /f sum.lvm

Microsoft Windows 95 and Windows NT

As described in the External Subroutines section of this chapter, you
compile an external subroutine the same way you compile a CIN. The
first step is to create a makefile specification. Following are the contents
of the makefile specification for this example. Name the file sum.lvm.

name = name sum

type = type LVSB

!include $(CINTOOLSDIR)\ntlvsb.mak

Create the subroutine using the following command.

nmake /f sum.lvm

Solaris 1.x, Solaris 2.x, HP-UX, and Concurrent PowerMAX

(Unbundled Sun C Compiler, HP-UX C/ANSI C Compiler, and Concurrent C
Compiler) As described in the External Subroutines section of this chapter,
you compile an external subroutine the same way you compile a CIN.
The first step is to create the makefile for the subroutine using the shell
script lvmkmf. You can then use the standard make command to make
the subroutine code. For this example, enter the following command.
lvmkmf -t LVSB sum

This creates a file called Makefile. After executing lvmkmf, enter make,
which uses the makefile to create a file called sum.lsb. CINs and other
external subroutines can call this sum.lsb file.

© National Instruments Corporation 4-9 LabVIEW Code Interface Reference Manual

Chapter 4 External Subroutines

Calling Code Example

The following example shows how to call an external subroutine.
In this example, a CIN uses the external subroutine to calculate the
mean of an array.

The diagram for the VI is shown in the following illustration. To avoid

confusion, create the calling source code and makefiles in a directory
separate from the external subroutine. Save the VI as calcmean.vi.

Save the .c file for the CIN as calcmean.c. The following is a listing of
calcmean.c, with its CINRun routine filled in and the prototype for the
sum external routine added.
/*
* CIN source file
*/
#include "extcode.h"
/*
* typedefs
*/
typedef struct {
int32 dimSize;
float64 arg1[1];
} TD1;
typedef TD1 **TD1Hdl;
extern float64 sum(float64 *x, int32 n);
CIN MgErr CINRun(TD1Hdl xArray, float64 *mean);
CIN MgErr CINRun(TD1Hdl xArray, float64 *mean)
{
float64 *x, total;
int32 n;
x = (*xArray)–>arg1;
n = (*xArray)–>dimSize;
total = sum(x, n);
*mean = total/(float64)n;
return noErr;
}

LabVIEW Code Interface Reference Manual 4-10 © National Instruments Corporation

 Chapter 4 External Subroutines

CINRun calculates the mean using the external subroutine sum to calculate
the sum of the array. The external subroutine is declared with the keyword
extern so the code compiles even though the subroutine is not present.

Compiling the Calling Code

The procedure you use for compiling the calling code depends upon which
platform and programming environment you are using.

Macintosh
(THINK C Compiler) The THINK C project must have an extra file called
glue.c which specifies each external subroutine. The reference to the
external subroutine sum should have an entry as follows in the glue.c file:
long gLVSBsum = 'LVSB';
void sum(void);
void sum(void) {
asm {
move.l gLVSBsum, a0
jmp(a0)
}
}

(CodeWarrior 68K Compiler) The CodeWarrior project must have an

extra file called glue.c, which specifies each external subroutine. Each
reference to the external subroutine sum should have an entry as follows
in the glue.c file:
long gLVSBsum = 'LVSB';
void sum(void);
asm void sum(void){
move.l gLVSBsum, a0
jmp (a0)
}

(MPW Compiler) As described in the Calling Code Example section of this

chapter, when you compile a CIN referencing an external subroutine, you
use the same makefile as described in the Steps for Creating a CIN section
of the Chapter 1, CIN Overview, with the addition of a directive identifying
the subroutines this CIN uses. Following are the contents of the makefile
specification for this example. Notice the Dir command must end in a
colon (:). Name the makefile calcmean.lvm.

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Chapter 4 External Subroutines

name = name calcmean

type = type CIN

codeDir = codeDir: Complete pathname to the folder

containing the .c file.

cinToolsDir = cinToolsDir:
Complete or partial pathname to the
LabVIEW cintools folder.

inclDir = inclDir: (optional) Complete or partial

pathname to a folder containing
additional .h files.

subrNames = subrNames sum

Create the CIN using the following command:

Directory <full pathname to CIN directory>
cinmake sum

Microsoft Windows 3.1

(Watcom C Compiler) As described in the Calling Code section of this
chapter, when you compile a CIN referencing an external subroutine, you
use the same makefile as described in the Steps for Creating a CIN section
of the Chapter 1, CIN Overview, with the addition of a directive identifying
the subroutines this CIN uses. Following are the contents of the makefile
specification for this example. Notice the Dir command must end without
a backslash (\). Name the makefile calcmean.lvm.

name = name calcmean

type = type CIN

codeDir = codeDir Complete pathname to the directory

containing the .c file.

cinToolsDir = cinToolsDir
Complete or partial pathname to the
LabVIEW cintools directory.

inclDir = inclDir (optional) Complete or partial

pathname to a directory containing
additional .h files.

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 Chapter 4 External Subroutines

wcDir = wcDir Complete pathname to the directory

containing the Watcom C compiler.

subrNames = subrNames sum

!include $(cinToolsDir)\generic.mak

Create the CIN using the following command:

wmake /f calcmean.lvm

Microsoft Windows 95 and Windows NT

(Microsoft Visual C Command Line) As described in the Calling Code
section of this chapter, when you compile a CIN referencing an external
subroutine, you use the same makefile as described in the Steps for
Creating a CIN section of the Chapter 1, CIN Overview, with the addition
of a directive identifying the subroutines this CIN uses. Following are
the contents of the makefile specification for this example. Name the
makefile calcmean.lvm.

name = name calcmean

type = type CIN

subrNames = subrNames sum

!include $(CINTOOLSDIR)\ntlvsb.mak

Create the CIN using the following command:

nmake /f calcmean.lvm

(Microsoft Visual C IDE) Building CINs that use external subroutines is not
supported using Microsoft Visual C IDE. A possible alternative would be
to use a DLL instead of an external subroutine.

Solaris 1.x, Solaris 2.x, HP-UX, and Concurrent PowerMAX

(Unbundled Sun C Compiler, HP-UX C/ANSI C Compiler, and Concurrent C
Compiler) As described in the Calling Code section of this chapter,
when you compile a CIN referencing an external subroutine, you use the
lvmkmf script with an addition directive identifying a file with the names
of all subroutines the CIN calls.

For this example, create a text file with the name meansubs. It should
contain a single line with the word sum.

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Chapter 4 External Subroutines

You then create the makefile for this CIN using the following command:
lvmkmf -ext meansubs calcmean

This creates a file called Makefile. After executing lvmkmf, enter make,
which uses the makefile to create a file called calcmean.lsb. You can
load the calcmean.lsb file into the CIN.

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Manager Overview
5
This chapter gives an overview of the function libraries, called managers,
which you can use in external code modules. These include the memory
manager, the file manager, and the support manager. The chapter also
introduces many of the basic constants, data types, and globals contained
in the LabVIEW libraries.

Note For descriptions of specific manager functions, see the CIN Function Overview
section of the LabVIEW Online Reference, available by selecting Help»Online
Reference.

Introduction
External code modules have a large set of functions you can use to perform
simple and complex operations. These functions, organized into libraries
called managers, range from low-level byte manipulation to routines for
sorting data and managing memory. All manager routines described in this
chapter are platform-independent. If you use these routines, you can create
external code modules that will work on all platforms LabVIEW supports.

A fundamental component of platform independence are data types that

do not depend on the peculiarities of various compilers. The C language,
for example, does not define the size of an integer. Without an explicit
definition of the size of each data type, it is almost impossible to create
code that works identically across multiple compilers.

LabVIEW managers use data types that explicitly indicate their size.
For example, if a routine requires a 4-byte integer as a parameter, you
define the parameter as an int32. The managers define data types in terms
of the fundamental data types for each compiler. Thus, on one compiler, the
managers might define an int32 as an int, while on another compiler, the
managers might define an int32 as a long int. When writing external
code modules, use the manager data types instead of the host computer data
types, because your code will be more portable and have fewer errors.

Most applications need routines for allocating and deallocating memory

on request. You can use the memory manager to dynamically allocate,
manipulate, and release memory. The LabVIEW memory manager

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Chapter 5 Manager Overview

supports dynamic allocation of both non-relocatable and relocatable

blocks, using pointers and handles. For more information, see the Memory
Manager section of the LabVIEW Online Reference for more information.

Applications that manipulate files can use the functions in the file manager.
This set of routines supports basic file operations such as creating, opening,
and closing files, writing data to files, and reading data from files. In
addition, file manager routines allow you to create directories, determine
characteristics of files and directories, and copy files. File manager routines
use a LabVIEW data type for file pathnames (Paths) that provides a
platform-independent way of specifying a file or directory path. You can
translate a Path to and from a host platform’s conventional format for
describing a file pathname. See the File Manager section of the LabVIEW
Online Reference for more information.

The support manager contains a collection of generally useful functions,

such as functions for bit or byte manipulation of data, string manipulation,
mathematical operations, sorting, searching, and determining the current
time and date. See the Support Manager section of the LabVIEW Online
Reference for more information.

Basic Data Types

There are five basic data types: scalar, the char data type, dynamic,
memory-related, and constants.

Scalar Data Types

The two kinds of scalar data types are Booleans and numerics,
described below.

Booleans
External code modules work with two kinds of Booleans—those existing
in LabVIEW block diagrams and those passing to and from manager
routines. The manager routines use a conventional form of Boolean, where
0 is FALSE and 1 is TRUE. This form of Boolean is called a Bool32, and
it is stored as a 32-bit value.

LabVIEW block diagrams store Boolean scalars as 8-bit values. The value
is 1 if the Boolean is TRUE, and 0 if the Boolean is FALSE. This form of
Boolean is called an LVBoolean.

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 Chapter 5 Manager Overview

The two forms of Booleans are summarized in the following table.

Name Description
Bool32 32-bit integer, 1 if TRUE, 0 if FALSE
LVBoolean 8-bit integer, 1 if TRUE, 0 if FALSE

Numerics
The managers support 8-, 16-, and 32-bit signed and unsigned integers.
For floating-point numbers, LabVIEW supports the single (32-bit), double
(64-bit), and extended floating-point (at least 80-bit) data types. LabVIEW
supports complex numbers containing two floating-point numbers, with
different complex numeric types for each of the floating-point data types.
The following lists show the basic LabVIEW data types for numbers.
• Signed Integers
– int8 8-bit integer
– int16 16-bit integer
– int32 32-bit integer
• Unsigned Integers
– uInt8 8-bit unsigned integer
– uInt16 16-bit unsigned integer
– uInt32 32-bit unsigned integer
• Floating-Point Numbers
– float32 32-bit floating-point number
– float64 64-bit floating-point number
– floatExt extended-precision floating-point number

In Windows, extended-precision numbers are stored as an 80-bit structure

with two int32 components, mhi and mlo, and an int16 component, e.
On the Sun, extended-precision numbers are stored as 128-bit
floating-point numbers. On the 68K Macintosh, extended-precision
numbers are stored in the 96-bit MC68881 format. On the Power
Macintosh, extended-precision numbers are stored in the 128-bit
double-double format. On HP and Concurrent, extended precision
numbers are the same as float64.

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Chapter 5 Manager Overview

Complex Numbers
The complex data types are structures with two floating-point components,
re and im. As with floating-point numbers, complex numbers can have
32-bit, 64-bit, and extended-precision components. The following
segments of code give the type definitions for each of these complex
data types.
typedef struct {
float32 re, im;
} cmplx64;
typedef struct {
float64 re, im;
} cmplx128;
typedef struct {
floatExt re, im;
} cmplxExt;

char Data Type

The char data type is defined by C to be a signed byte value. LabVIEW
defines an unsigned char data type, with the following type definition.
typedef uInt8 uChar;

Dynamic Data Types

LabVIEW defines a number of data types you must allocate and deallocate
dynamically. Arrays, strings, and paths have data types you must allocate
using memory manager and file manager routines.

Arrays
LabVIEW supports arrays of any of the basic data types described in
the Scalar Data Types section of this chapter. You can construct more
complicated data types using clusters, which can in turn contain scalars,
arrays, and other clusters.

The first four bytes of a LabVIEW array indicate the number of elements
in the array. The elements of the array follow the length field. Chapter 2,
CIN Parameter Passing, gives examples of how to manipulate arrays.

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 Chapter 5 Manager Overview

Strings
LabVIEW supports C-style strings and Pascal-style strings, a special
string data type you use for string parameters to external code modules
called LStr, and lists of strings. The support manager contains routines
for manipulating strings and converting them among the different
types of strings.

C-Style Strings (CStr)

A C string (CStr) is a series of zero or more unsigned characters,
terminated by a zero. C strings have no effective length limit.
Most manager routines use C strings, unless you specify otherwise.
The following code segment is the type definition for a C-style string.
typedef uChar *CStr;

Pascal-Style Strings (PStr)

A Pascal string (PStr) is a series of unsigned characters. The value of the
first character indicates the length of the string. This gives a range of 0 to
255 characters. The following code segment is the type definition for a
Pascal-style string.
typedef uChar Str255[256], Str31[32],
*StringPtr,
**StringHandle;
typedef uChar *PStr;

LabVIEW Strings (LStr)

The first four bytes of a LabVIEW string (LStr) indicate the length of the
string, and the specified number of characters follow. This is the string data
type used by LabVIEW block diagrams. The following code segment is the
type definition for an LStr string.
typedef struct {
int32 cnt;
/* number of bytes that follow */
uChar str[1];
/* cnt bytes */
} LStr, *LStrPtr, **LStrHandle;

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Chapter 5 Manager Overview

Concatenated Pascal String (CPStr)

Many algorithms require manipulation of lists of strings. Arrays of strings
are usually the most convenient representation for lists. This representation
can place a burden on the memory manager, however, because of the large
number of dynamic objects that must be managed. To make working with
lists more efficient, LabVIEW supports the concatenated Pascal string
(CPStr) data type that is a list of Pascal-style strings concatenated into a
single block of memory. You can use support manager routines to create
and manipulate lists using this data structure.

This data type is defined as follows.

typedef struct {
int32 cnt;
/* number of pascal strings that follow */
uChar str[1];
/* cnt concatenated pascal strings */
} CPStr, *CPStrPtr, **CPStrHandle;

Paths (Path)
A path (short for pathname) specifies the location of a file or directory
in a computer’s file system. There is a separate LabVIEW data type for
a path (represented as Path), which the file manager defines in a
platform-independent manner. The actual data type for a path is private
to the file manager and subject to change. You create and manipulate
Paths using file manager routines.

Memory-Related Types
LabVIEW uses pointers and handles to reference dynamically allocated
memory. These data types are described in detail in the CIN Function
Overview section of the LabVIEW Online Reference and have the
following type definitions.
typedef uChar *UPtr;
typedef uChar **UHandle;

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 Chapter 5 Manager Overview

Constants
The managers define the following constant for use with external
code modules.
NULL 0(uInt32)

The following constants define the possible values of the Bool32 data type.
FALSE 0 (int32)
TRUE 1 (int32)

The following constants define the possible values of the LVBoolean

data type.
LVFALSE 0 (uInt8)
LVTRUE 1 (uInt8)

Memory Manager
This section describes the memory manager, a set of platform-independent
routines for allocating, manipulating, and deallocating memory from
external code modules.

Read this section if you need to perform dynamic memory allocation or

manipulation from external code modules. If your external code operates
on data types other than scalars, you need to understand how LabVIEW
manages memory and know the utilities that manipulate data.

Note For descriptions of specific memory manager functions, see the Memory
Manager section of the LabVIEW Online Reference, available by selecting
Help»Online Reference.

Memory Allocation
Applications use two types of memory allocation: static and dynamic.

Static Memory Allocation

With static allocation, the compiler determines memory requirements when
you create a program. When you launch the program, LabVIEW creates
memory for the known global memory requirements of the application.
This memory remains allocated while the program runs. This form of
memory management is very simple to work with because the compiler
handles all the details.

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Chapter 5 Manager Overview

Static memory allocation cannot address the memory management

requirements of most real-world applications, however, because you
cannot determine most memory requirements until run-time. Also,
statically declared memory may result in larger memory requirements,
because the memory is allocated for the life of the program.

Dynamic Memory Allocation: Pointers and Handles

With dynamic memory allocation, you reserve memory when you need it,
and free memory when you are no longer using it. Dynamic allocation
requires more work on your part than static memory allocation, because
you have to determine memory requirements and allocate and deallocate
memory as necessary.

The LabVIEW memory manager supports two kinds of dynamic

memory allocation. The more conventional method uses pointers to
allocate memory. With pointers, you request a block of memory of a
given size, and the routine returns the address of the block to your CIN.
When you no longer need the block of memory, you call a routine to free
the block. You can use the block of memory to store data, and you reference
that data using the address the manager routine returned when you created
the pointer. You can make copies of the pointer and use them in multiple
places in your program to refer to the same data.

Pointers in the LabVIEW memory manager are nonrelocatable, which

means the manager never moves the memory block to which a pointer
refers while that memory is allocated for a pointer. This avoids problems
that occur when you need to change the amount of memory allocated to
a pointer because other references would be out of date. If you need more
memory, there might not be sufficient memory to expand the pointer's
memory space without moving the memory block to a new location.
This causes problems if an application had multiple references to the
pointer, because each pointer refers to the old memory address of the data.
Using invalid pointers can cause severe problems.

A second form of memory allocation uses handles to address this problem.

As with pointers, when you allocate memory using handles, you request
a block of memory of a given size. The memory manager allocates the
memory and adds the address of the memory block to a list of master
pointers. The memory manager returns a handle that is a pointer to the
master pointer. If you reallocate a handle and it moves to another address,
the memory manager updates the master pointer to refer to the new address.
As long as you look up the correct address using the handle, you access
the correct data.

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 Chapter 5 Manager Overview

You use handles to perform most memory allocation in LabVIEW. Pointers

are available, however, because in some cases they are more convenient and
simpler to use.

Memory Zones
LabVIEW's memory manager interface has the ability to distinguish
between two distinct sections, called zones. LabVIEW uses the data space
(DS) zone only to hold VI execution data. LabVIEW uses the application
zone (AZ) to hold all other data. Most memory manager functions have
two corresponding routines, one for each of the two zones. Routines that
operate on the data space zone begin with DS and routines for the
application zone begin with AZ.

Currently, the two zones are actually one zone, but this may change in
future releases of LabVIEW; therefore, a CIN programmer should write
programs as if the two zones actually exist.

External code modules work almost exclusively with data created in

the DS zone, although exceptions exist. In most cases, you use the
DS routines when you need to work with dynamically allocated memory.

All data passed to or from a CIN is allocated in the DS zone except for
Paths, which use AZ handles. You should only use file manager functions
(not the AZ memory manager routines) to manipulate Paths. Thus, your
CINs should use the DS memory routines when working with parameters
passed from the block diagram. The only exceptions to this rule are handles
created using the SizeHandle function, which allocates handles in the
application zone. If you pass one of these handles to a CIN, your CIN
should use AZ routines to work with the handle.

Using Pointers and Handles

Most memory manager functions have a DS routine and an AZ routine.
In the following discussion, XXFunctionName refers to a function in
a general context. In these situations, XX can be either DS or AZ. When
a difference exists between the two zones, the specific function name
is given.

You create a handle using XXNewHandle, with which you specify the
size of the memory block. You create a pointer using XXNewPtr.
XXNewHandleClr and XXNewPClr are variations that create the
memory block and set it to all zeros.

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Chapter 5 Manager Overview

When you are finished with the handle or pointer, release it using
XXDisposeHandle or XXDisposePtr.

If you need to resize an existing handle, you can use the

XXSetHandleSize routine. XXGetHandleSize determines the size
of an existing handle. Because pointers are not relocatable, you cannot
resize them.

A handle is a pointer to a pointer. In other words, a handle is the address

of an address. The second pointer, or address, is a master pointer, which
means it is maintained by the memory manager. Languages that support
pointers provide operators for accessing data by its address. With a handle,
you use this operator twice; once to get to the master pointer, and a second
time to get to the actual data. A simple example of how to work with
pointers and handles in C is shown in the following section.

While operating within a single call of a CIN node, an AZ handle will

not move unless you specifically resize it. In this context there is no need
to lock or unlock handles. If your CIN maintains an AZ handle across
different calls of the same CIN (an asynchronous CIN), the AZ handle
may be relocated between calls. In this case, AZHLock and AZHUnlock
may be useful if you do not want the handle to relocate. A DS handle
will never move unless you resize it.

Additional routines make it easy to copy and concatenate handles and

pointers to other handles, check the validity of handles and pointers,
and copy or move blocks of memory from one place to another.

Simple Example
The following example code shows how you work with a pointer
to an int32.
int32 *myInt32P;
myInt32P = (int32 *)DSNewPtr(sizeof(int32));
*myInt32P = 5;
x = *myInt32P + 7;
...
DSDisposePtr(myInt32P);

The first line declares the variable myInt32P as a pointer to, or the address
of, a signed 32-bit integer. This does not actually allocate memory for the
int32; it creates memory for an address and associates the name
myInt32P with that address. The P at the end of the variable name is a
convention used in this example to indicate the variable is a pointer.

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 Chapter 5 Manager Overview

The second line creates a block of memory in the data space large enough
to hold a single signed 32-bit integer and sets myInt32P to refer to this
memory block.

The third line places the value 5 in the memory location to which
myInt32P refers. The * operator refers to the value in the address location.

The fourth line sets x equal to the value at address myInt32P plus 7.

The last line frees the pointer.

The following code is the same example using handles instead of pointers.
int32 **myInt32H;
myInt32H =(int32**)DSNewHandle(sizeof(int32));
**myInt32H = 5;
x = **myInt32H + 7;
...
DSDisposeHandle(myInt32H);

The first line declares the variable myInt32H as a handle to an a signed

32-bit integer. Strictly speaking, this line declares myInt32H as a pointer
to a pointer to an int32. As with the previous example, this declaration
does not allocate memory for the int32; it creates memory for an address
and associates the name myInt32H with that address. The H at the end of
the variable name is a convention used in this example to indicate the
variable is a handle.

The second line creates a block of memory in the data space large
enough to hold a single int32. DSNewHandle places the address of the
memory block as an entry in the master pointer list and returns the address
of the master pointer entry. Finally, this line sets myInt32H to refer to the
master pointer.

The third line places the value 5 in the memory location to which
myInt32H refers. Because myInt32H is a handle, you use the * operator
twice to get to the data.

The fourth line sets x equal to the value referenced by myInt32H plus 7.

The last line frees the handle.

This example shows only the simplest aspects of how to work with pointers
and handles in C. Other examples throughout this manual show different
aspects of using pointers and handles. Refer to a C manual for a list of other

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Chapter 5 Manager Overview

operators you can use with pointers and a more detailed discussion of how
to work with pointers.

Reference to the Memory Manager

See the CIN Function Overview section of the LabVIEW Online Reference
for descriptions of the routines used for managing memory in external code
segments of LabVIEW. For every function, if XX is AZ, the referenced
handle, pointer, or block of memory is in the application zone. If XX is DS,
the referenced handle, pointer, or block of memory is in the data space
zone.

Memory Manager Data Structures

The memory manager defines generic handle and pointer data types
as follows.
typedef uChar *Ptr;
typedef uChar **UHandle;

File Manager
The file manager supports routines for opening and creating files, reading
data from and writing data to files, and closing files. In addition, with these
routines you can manipulate the end-of-file mark of a file and position the
current read or write mark to an arbitrary position in the file. With other file
routines you can move, copy, and rename files, determine and set file
characteristics and delete files.

Note For descriptions of specific file manager functions, see the File Manager section
of the LabVIEW Online Reference, available by selecting Help»Online Reference.

The file manager contains a number of routines for directories. With these
routines you can create and delete directories. You can also determine and
set directory characteristics and obtain a list of a directory's contents.

LabVIEW supports concurrent access to the same file, so you can have a
file open for both reading and writing simultaneously. When you open a
file, you can indicate whether you want the file to be read from and written
to concurrently. You can also lock a range of the file, if you need to ensure
a range is nonvolatile at a given time.

Finally, the file manager provides many routines for manipulating paths
(short for pathnames) in a platform-independent manner. The file manager
supports the creation of path descriptions, which are either relative to a

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 Chapter 5 Manager Overview

specific location or absolute (the full path). With file manager routines you
can create and compare paths, determine characteristics of paths, and
convert a path between platform-specific descriptions and the
platform-independent form.

Identifying Files and Directories

When you perform operations on files and directories, you need to
identify the target of the operation. The platforms LabVIEW supports use
a hierarchical file system, meaning files are stored in directories, possibly
nested several levels deep. These file systems support the connection of
multiple discrete storage media, called volumes. For example, DOS-based
systems support multiple drives connected to the system. For most of these
file systems, you must include the volume name to completely specify the
location of a file. On other systems, such as UNIX, you do not specify the
volume name because the physical implementation of the file system is
hidden from the user.

How you identify a target depends upon whether the target is an open or
closed file. If a target is a closed file or a directory, you specify the target
using the target’s path. The path describes the volume containing the target,
the directories between the top level and the target, and the target’s name.
If the target is an open file, you use a file descriptor to specify LabVIEW
should perform an operation on the open file. The file descriptor is an
identifier the file manager associates with the file when you open it.
When you close the file, the file manager dissociates the file descriptor
from the file.

Path Specifications
LabVIEW uses three different kinds of filepath specifications:
conventional, empty, and LabVIEW specifications, described below.

Conventional Path Specifications

All platforms have a method for describing the paths for files and
directories. These path specifications are similar, but they are usually
incompatible from one platform to another. You usually specify a path
as a series of names separated by separator characters. Typically, the first
name is the top level of the hierarchical specification of the path, and the
last name is the file or directory the path identifies.

There are two types of paths—relative paths and absolute paths.

A relative path describes the location of a file or directory relative to

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Chapter 5 Manager Overview

an arbitrary location in the file system. An absolute path describes the

location of a file or directory starting from the top level of the file system.

A path does not necessarily go from the top of the hierarchy down to the
target. You can often use a platform-specific tag in place of a name that
indicates the path should go up a level from the current location.

For instance, on a UNIX system, you specify the path of a file or directory
as a series of names separated by the slash ( / ) character. If the path is
an absolute path, you begin the specification with a slash. You can
indicate the path should move up a level using two periods in a row ( .. ).
Thus, the following path specifies a file README relative to the top level
of the file system.
/usr/home/gregg/myapps/README

Two relative paths to the same file are as follows.

gregg/myapps/README relative to /usr/home

../myapps/README relative to a directory inside of the gregg

directory

On the PC, you separate names in a path with a backslash ( \ ) character.

If the path is an absolute path, you begin the specification with a drive
designation, followed by a colon ( : ), followed by the backslash. You can
indicate the path should move up a level using two periods in a row ( .. ).
Thus, the following path specifies a file README relative to the top level of
the file system, on a drive named C.
C:\HOME\GREGG\MYAPPS\README

Two relative paths to the same file are as follows.

GREGG\MYAPPS\README relative to the HOME directory

..\MYAPPS\README relative to a directory inside of the GREGG

directory

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On the Macintosh, you separate names in a path with the colon ( : )

character. If the path is an absolute path, you begin the specification
with the name of the volume containing the file. If an absolute path
consists of only one name (it specifies a volume), it must end with a colon.
If the path is a relative path, it begins with a colon. This colon is optional
for a relative path consisting of only one name. You can indicate the path
should move up a level using two colons in a row ( :: ). Thus, the following
path specifies a file README relative to the top level of the file system, on
a drive named Hard Drive.
Hard Drive:Home:Gregg:MyApps:README

Two relative paths to the same file are as follows.

:Gregg:MyApps:README relative to the Home directory

::MyApps:README relative to a directory inside of the

Gregg directory

Empty Path Specifications

In LabVIEW you can define a path with no names, called an empty path.
An empty path is either absolute or relative. The empty absolute path is the
highest point you can specify in the file hierarchy. The empty relative path
is a path relative to an arbitrary location in the file system to itself.

On a UNIX system, a slash ( / ) represents the empty absolute path.

The slash specifies the root of the file hierarchy. A period ( . ) represents
the empty relative path.

On the PC, you represent the empty absolute path as an empty string.
It specifies the set of all volumes on the system. A period ( . ) represents
the empty relative path.

On the Macintosh, the empty absolute path is represented as an empty

string. It specifies the set of all volumes on the system. A colon ( : )
represents the empty relative path.

© National Instruments Corporation 5-15 LabVIEW Code Interface Reference Manual

Chapter 5 Manager Overview

LabVIEW Path Specification

In LabVIEW, you specify a path using a special LabVIEW data type,
represented as Path. The exact structure of the Path data type is private to
the file manager. You create and manipulate the Path data type using file
manager routines.

A Path is a dynamic data structure. Just as you use memory manager

routines to allocate and deallocate handles and pointers, you use file
manager routines to create and deallocate Paths. Just as with handles,
declaring a Path variable does not actually create a Path. Before you
can use the Path to manipulate a file, you must dynamically allocate
the Path using file manager routines. When you are finished using the
Path variable, you should release the Path using file manager routines.

In addition to providing routines for the creation and elimination of Paths,

the file manager provides routines for comparing Paths, duplicating
Paths, determining characteristics of Paths, and converting Paths to
and from other formats, such as the platform-specific format for the
system on which LabVIEW is running.

File Descriptors
When you open a file, LabVIEW returns a file descriptor associated
with the file. A file descriptor is a data type LabVIEW uses to identify
open files. All operations performed on an open file use the file
descriptor to identify the file.

A file descriptor is valid only while the file is open. If you close the file,
the file descriptor is no longer associated with the file. If you subsequently
open the file, the new file descriptor will most likely be different from the
file descriptor LabVIEW used previously.

File Refnums
In the file manager, LabVIEW accesses open files using file descriptors.
On the front panel and block diagram, however, LabVIEW accesses open
files through file refnums. A file refnum contains a file descriptor for use
by the file manager, and additional information used by LabVIEW.

LabVIEW specifies file refnums using the LVRefNum data type, the
exact structure of which is private to the file manager. If you want to
pass references to open files into or out of a CIN, use the functions in the
File Refnums, Manipulating topic of the Online Reference to convert file
refnums to file descriptors, and to convert file descriptors to file refnums.

LabVIEW Code Interface Reference Manual 5-16 © National Instruments Corporation

 Chapter 5 Manager Overview

Support Manager
The support manager is a collection of constants, macros, basic data
types, and functions that perform operations on strings and numbers.
The support manager also has functions for determining the current time
in a variety of formats.

Note This section gives only a brief overview of the support manager. For descriptions
of specific support manager functions, see the Support Manager section of the
LabVIEW Online Reference, available by selecting Help»Online Reference.

The support manager’s string functions contain much of the functionality

of the string libraries supplied with standard C compilers, such as string
concatenation and formatting. You can use variations of many of these
functions with LabVIEW strings (4-byte length field followed by data,
generally stored in a handle), Pascal strings (1-byte length field followed
by data), and C strings (data terminated by a null character).

With the utility functions you can sort and search on arbitrary data types,
using quicksort and binary search algorithms.

The support manager contains transcendental functions for many complex

and extended floating-point operations.

Certain routines specify time as a data structure with the following form.
typedef struct {
int32 sec;/* 0:59 */
int32 min;/* 0:59 */
int32 hour;/* 0:23 */
int32 mday;/* day of the month, 1:31 */
int32 mon;/* month of the year, 1:12 */
int32 year;/* year, 1904:2040 */
int32 wday;/* day of the week, 1:7 for Sun:Sat */
int32 yday;/* day of year (julian date), 1:366 */
int32 isdst;/* 1 if daylight savings time */
} DateRec;

© National Instruments Corporation 5-17 LabVIEW Code Interface Reference Manual

CIN Common Questions
A
This appendix answers some of the questions commonly asked by
LabVIEW CIN users.

What compilers can be used to write CINs for LabVIEW?

(Microsoft Windows 3.1, Windows 95, and Windows NT) You can use
the Watcom C/386 compiler, version 9.0 or later, to write CINs
for LabVIEW for Windows 3.1. Other compilers for Windows 3.1
(including the Microsoft C compiler) do not generate the proper
code for LabVIEW to operate as a 32-bit application. For a compiler
to work with LabVIEW, it must generate a file in the .REX format
(a 32-bit Phar Lap relocatable executable).

LabVIEW for Windows 95/NT supports additional compilers, including

Microsoft Visual C++ and Symantec C.
(Macintosh) You can use the following compilers to compile your CIN
source code: THINK C, version 7, for 68K (from Symantec Corporation of
Cupertino, CA); Symantec C++, version 8, for PowerPC (from Symantec
Corporation of Cupertino, CA); Metrowerks CodeWarrior for 68K
(from Metrowerks Corporation of Austin, TX); Metrowerks CodeWarrior
for Power Macintosh (from Metrowerks Corporation of Austin, TX);
Macintosh Programmer’s Workshop (MPW) for 68K and PowerPC
(from Apple Computer, Inc. of Cupertino, CA).
(Sun) You can use the Sun ANSI-compatible compiler and the gcc
compiler. The only officially supported compiler is the ANSI C compiler,
also known as the unbundled C compiler or SPARCompiler C, which
can be purchased from Sun. On Solaris 1.x machines, this compiler is
commonly referred to as acc (ANSI C compiler); on Solaris 2.x
machines, the compiler is called cc. The Gnu C compiler (gcc) is also
ANSI-compatible and can be used to create CINs for LabVIEW for Sun.
The only known limitation of the gcc compiler is it does not support
extended-precision floating point numbers under Solaris 1.x. Source
code for the gcc compiler is available for both Solaris 1.x and 2.x
through anonymous ftp to prep.ai.mit.edu.

© National Instruments Corporation A-1 LabVIEW Code Interface Reference Manual

Appendix A CIN Common Questions

SPARCstations with Solaris 1.x come with the bundled C compiler (cc)
that is not ANSI-compliant. Because the cc compiler requires substantial
modification to the header files included with LabVIEW, National
Instruments does not recommend using this compiler for CIN development.
Please note LabVIEW for Solaris 1.x does not accept object files created
with the -g debugging flag turned on during compilation.
(HP and Concurrent) You can use the vendor-supplied compilers on
these platforms.

My VI, which contains a CIN, crashes LabVIEW or gives a memory.c

error.
In almost all cases this indicates an error in the C code of the CIN.
Make sure the CIN code properly allocates or deallocates memory as
necessary. See the section entitled How LabVIEW Passes Variably Sized
Data to CINs in Chapter 2, CIN Parameter Passing, of this manual for
further details and examples.

How do I debug my CIN?

You have several debugging options, depending upon the platform you use.
The following list gives descriptions of some of the available methods.
• Use the DbgPrintf function, which creates a debugging window.
Although the position and size of the window cannot be controlled,
information can be posted to the window as the CIN code executes.
Notice the window does not contain a scrollbar. DbgPrintf is
described in the section entitled Debugging External Code in
Chapter 1, CIN Overview, of this manual.
• If you are using a Macintosh and have Macsbug, you can use the
Debugger and DebugStr statements to set breakpoints in the code.
• If you suspect your CIN is corrupting memory, use
DSHeapCheck(FALSE) to test for integrity. Observe the heap integrity
when you enter and again when you exit the CIN code to determine if
your code is corrupting the heap.
• Use the File Manager functions to write your debugging information
to a file. If you are observing this file while the CIN is running, do not
forget to flush the file before the information gets to the disk.
• If the VI containing the CIN executes without crashing, but you do
not have an external window and decide not to use DbgPrintf, then
a) determine what information is pertinent to your problem, and
b) return the information from one of the parameters of the CIN to
the block diagram of the VI.

LabVIEW Code Interface Reference Manual A-2 © National Instruments Corporation

 Appendix A CIN Common Questions

Is there any sort of scanf function in the LabVIEW

manager routines?
No. National Instruments is investigating this functionality for a future
version of LabVIEW. CINs with LabVIEW for Sun can call the standard
scanf and related functions.

I can’t seem to link to any of the globals mentioned in the LabVIEW

Code Interface Reference Manual.
Examples of these globals include: decimalPt, CrgRtnChar,
LnFeedChar, EOLChar, TabChar, EmptyStrChar, SInfinity,
SNegInfinity, DInfinity, DNegInfinity, EMaxW, EMaxL,
EInfinity, ENegInfinity, DPi, DHalfPi, DThreeHalvesPi,
DTwoPi, DRad2Deg, DTwo, DNan, EPi, EHalfPi, ETwoPi, EE, Eln10,
Eln2, Elog10e, ELog2e, EHalf, EOne, ETwo, ETen, EZero, ERecipPi,
ERecipE, EPlanck, EElemChg, ESpeedLt, EGravity, EAvgdro,
ERydbrg, EMlrGas, ELnOfPi, ELogOfE, ELnOfTwo, and ENan.
Although mentioned in the documentation, these globals are not exported
for use in CINs. To get these values into your CIN code, pass them in as
parameters to the CIN.

Can LabVIEW be used to call a DLL in Windows?

Yes. The Call Library Function calls a DLL function directly. The function
is located in the Advanced palette of the Functions palette. Refer to
Chapter 13 of the LabVIEW Function and VI Reference Manual for more
details on this feature.

I get an error linking to a function when I build my CIN using the

Windows platform.
The Watcom linker usually does not allow you to link with the Watcom
library function modules when making a stand-alone module. If it does
allow you to link, the code should work properly. Unfortunately, there is no
clearly defined way to determine which functions will link and which will
not; it is trial and error.
If this error occurs, the only way to work through the problem is to write a
DLL that calls the library functions.

Why do I get garbage back from math functions such as atan2, pow,
ceil, floor, ldexp, frexp, modf, and fmod when using MPW C?
Include "Math.h" at the top of your .c file.

© National Instruments Corporation A-3 LabVIEW Code Interface Reference Manual

Appendix A CIN Common Questions

Why can't I link to the math functions (sin, cos, and so on) when
using THINK C?
Find the math.c and error.c functions that came with THINK C and
include them in the project. Be sure to also include "Math.h" in the .c file.
Then enable the 68881 options under THINK C preferences.

LabVIEW Code Interface Reference Manual A-4 © National Instruments Corporation

Customer Communication
B
For your convenience, this appendix contains forms to help you gather the information necessary
to help us solve your technical problems and a form you can use to comment on the product
documentation. When you contact us, we need the information on the Technical Support Form and
the configuration form, if your manual contains one, about your system configuration to answer your
questions as quickly as possible.

National Instruments has technical assistance through electronic, fax, and telephone systems to quickly
provide the information you need. Our electronic services include a bulletin board service, an FTP site,
a fax-on-demand system, and e-mail support. If you have a hardware or software problem, first try the
electronic support systems. If the information available on these systems does not answer your
questions, we offer fax and telephone support through our technical support centers, which are staffed
by applications engineers.

Electronic Services
Bulletin Board Support
National Instruments has BBS and FTP sites dedicated for 24-hour support with a collection of files
and documents to answer most common customer questions. From these sites, you can also download
the latest instrument drivers, updates, and example programs. For recorded instructions on how to use
the bulletin board and FTP services and for BBS automated information, call 512 795 6990. You can
access these services at:
United States: 512 794 5422
Up to 14,400 baud, 8 data bits, 1 stop bit, no parity
United Kingdom: 01635 551422
Up to 9,600 baud, 8 data bits, 1 stop bit, no parity
France: 01 48 65 15 59
Up to 9,600 baud, 8 data bits, 1 stop bit, no parity

FTP Support
To access our FTP site, log on to our Internet host, ftp.natinst.com, as anonymous and use
your Internet address, such as [email protected], as your password. The support files and
documents are located in the /support directories.

© National Instruments Corporation B-1 LabVIEW Code Interface Reference Manual

Fax-on-Demand Support
Fax-on-Demand is a 24-hour information retrieval system containing a library of documents on a wide
range of technical information. You can access Fax-on-Demand from a touch-tone telephone at
512 418 1111.

E-Mail Support (Currently USA Only)

You can submit technical support questions to the applications engineering team through e-mail at the
Internet address listed below. Remember to include your name, address, and phone number so we can
contact you with solutions and suggestions.
[email protected]

Telephone and Fax Support

National Instruments has branch offices all over the world. Use the list below to find the technical
support number for your country. If there is no National Instruments office in your country, contact
the source from which you purchased your software to obtain support.

Country Telephone Fax

Australia 03 9879 5166 03 9879 6277
Austria 0662 45 79 90 0 0662 45 79 90 19
Belgium 02 757 00 20 02 757 03 11
Brazil 011 288 3336 011 288 8528
Canada (Ontario) 905 785 0085 905 785 0086
Canada (Quebec) 514 694 8521 514 694 4399
Denmark 45 76 26 00 45 76 26 02
Finland 09 725 725 11 09 725 725 55
France 01 48 14 24 24 01 48 14 24 14
Germany 089 741 31 30 089 714 60 35
Hong Kong 2645 3186 2686 8505
Israel 03 6120092 03 6120095
Italy 02 413091 02 41309215
Japan 03 5472 2970 03 5472 2977
Korea 02 596 7456 02 596 7455
Mexico 5 520 2635 5 520 3282
Netherlands 0348 433466 0348 430673
Norway 32 84 84 00 32 84 86 00
Singapore 2265886 2265887
Spain 91 640 0085 91 640 0533
Sweden 08 730 49 70 08 730 43 70
Switzerland 056 200 51 51 056 200 51 55
Taiwan 02 377 1200 02 737 4644
United Kingdom 01635 523545 01635 523154
United States 512 795 8248 512 794 5678

LabVIEW Code Interface Reference Manual B-2 © National Instruments Corporation

Technical Support Form
Photocopy this form and update it each time you make changes to your software or hardware, and use
the completed copy of this form as a reference for your current configuration. Completing this form
accurately before contacting National Instruments for technical support helps our applications
engineers answer your questions more efficiently.

If you are using any National Instruments hardware or software products related to this problem,
include the configuration forms from their user manuals. Include additional pages if necessary.
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Company _______________________________________________________________________
Address ________________________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________________________
Fax ( ___ ) ________________Phone ( ___ ) __________________________________________
Computer brand____________ Model ___________________ Processor_____________________
Operating system (include version number) ____________________________________________
Clock speed ______MHz RAM _____MB Display adapter __________________________
Mouse ___yes ___no Other adapters installed _______________________________________
Hard disk capacity _____MB Brand_________________________________________________
Instruments used _________________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________________________
National Instruments hardware product model _____________ Revision ____________________
Configuration ___________________________________________________________________
National Instruments software product ___________________ Version _____________________
Configuration ___________________________________________________________________
The problem is: __________________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________________________
List any error messages: ___________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________________________
The following steps reproduce the problem: ___________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________________________
Documentation Comment Form
National Instruments encourages you to comment on the documentation supplied with our products.
This information helps us provide quality products to meet your needs.
Title: LabVIEW™ Code Interface Reference Manual

Edition Date: January 1998

Part Number: 320539D-01

Please comment on the completeness, clarity, and organization of the manual.

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Glossary

Prefix Meanings Value

m- milli- 10 –3
µ- micro- 10 – 6
n- nano- 10 –9

Numbers/Symbols
1D One-dimensional.

2D Two-dimensional.

A
ANSI American National Standards Institute.

application zone See AZ.

array An ordered, indexed set of data elements of the same type.

asynchronous execution Mode in which multiple processes share processor time, one executing
while the others, for example, wait for interrupts, as while performing
device I/O or waiting for a clock tick.

AZ (application zone) Memory allocation section that holds all data in a VI except execution data.

B
block diagram Pictorial description or representation of a program or algorithm. In
LabVIEW, the block diagram, which consists of executable icons called
nodes and wires that carry data between the nodes, is the source code for
the virtual instrument. The block diagram resides in the block diagram of
the VI.

© National Instruments Corporation G-1 LabVIEW Code Interface Reference Manual

Glossary

Boolean controls and Front panel objects used to manipulate and display or input and output
indicators Boolean (True or False) data. Several styles are available, such as switches,
buttons and LEDs.

breakpoint Mode that halts execution when a subVI is called. You set a breakpoint by
clicking on the toolbar and then on a node.

broken VI VI that cannot be compiled or run; signified by a run button with a broken
arrow.

Bundle node Function that creates clusters from various types of elements.

C
C string (CStr) A series of zero or more unsigned characters, terminated by a zero, used in
the C programming language.

Case Structure Conditional branching control structure, which executes one and only one
of its subdiagrams based on its input. It is the combination of the IF THEN
ELSE and CASE statements in control flow languages.

cast To change the type descriptor of a data element without altering the
memory image of the data.

chart See scope chart, strip chart, and sweep chart.

CIN source code Original, uncompiled text code. See object code.

cluster A set of ordered, unindexed data elements of any data type including
numeric, Boolean, string, array, or cluster. The elements must be all
controls or all indicators.

Code Interface Node Special block diagram node through which you can link conventional,
text-based code to a VI.

code resource Resource containing executable machine code. You link code resources to
LabVIEW through a CIN.

compile Process that converts high-level code to machine-executable code.

LabVIEW automatically compiles VIs before they run for the first time
after creation or alteration.

concatenated Pascal A list of Pascal-type strings concatenated into a single block of memory.
string (CPStr)

LabVIEW Code Interface Reference Manual G-2 © National Instruments Corporation

 Glossary

connector Part of the VI or function node containing its input and output terminals,
through which data passes to and from the node.

control Front panel object for entering data to a VI interactively or to a subVI

programmatically.

control flow Programming system in which the sequential order of instructions

determines execution order. Most conventional text-based programming
languages, such as C, Pascal, and BASIC, are control flow languages.

conversion Changing the type of a data element.

CPStr See concatenated Pascal string.

D
data acquisition Process of acquiring data, typically from A/D or digital input plug-in
boards.

data dependency Condition in a dataflow programming language in which a node cannot

execute until it receives data from another node. See also artificial data
dependency.

data flow Programming system consisting of executable nodes in which nodes

execute only when they have received all required input data and produce
output automatically when they have executed. LabVIEW is a dataflow
system.

data space zone See DS zone.

data type descriptor Code that identifies data types, used in data storage and representation.

diagram window VI window containing the VI’s block diagram code.

dimension Size and structure attribute of an array.

DS (data space) zone Memory allocation section that holds VI execution data.

E
empty array Array that has zero elements, but has a defined data type. For example,
an array that has a numeric control in its data display window but has
no defined values for any element is an empty numeric array.

© National Instruments Corporation G-3 LabVIEW Code Interface Reference Manual

Glossary

EOF End-of-file. Character offset of the end of file relative to the beginning of
the file (the EOF is the size of the file).

executable A stand-alone piece of code that will run, or execute.

external routine See shared external routine.

F
flattened data Data of any type that has been converted to a string, usually for writing it
to a file.

Formula Node Node that executes formulas you enter as text. Especially useful for lengthy
formulas too cumbersome to build in block diagram form.

function Built-in execution element, comparable to an operator, function, or

statement in a conventional language.

G
G LabVIEW graphical programming language.

H
handle Pointer to a pointer to a block of memory; handles reference arrays and
strings. An array of strings is a handle to a block of memory containing
handles to strings.

I
icon Graphical representation of a node on a block diagram.

icon pane Region in the upper right-hand corner of the front panel and block diagram
windows that displays the VI icon.

IEEE Institute of Electrical and Electronic Engineers.

indicator Front panel object that displays output.

Inf Digital display value for a floating point representation of infinity.

LabVIEW Code Interface Reference Manual G-4 © National Instruments Corporation

 Glossary

inplace Characteristic of an operation whose input and output data can use the same
memory space.

L
LabVIEW string (LStr) The string data type used by LabVIEW block diagrams.

M
matrix Two-dimensional array.

MB Megabytes of memory.

MPW Macintosh Programmer’s Workshop.

MSB Most significant bit.

N
NaN Digital display value for a floating-point representation of not-a-number,
typically the result of an undefined operation, such as log(–1).

nodes Execution elements of a block diagram consisting of functions, structures,

and subVIs.

O
object Generic term for any item on the front panel or block diagram, including
controls, nodes, wires, and imported pictures.

object code Compiled version of source code. Object code is not stand-alone because
you must load it into LabVIEW to run it.

P
Pascal string (PStr) A series of unsigned characters, with the value of the first character
indicating the length of the string. Used in the Pascal programming
language.

© National Instruments Corporation G-5 LabVIEW Code Interface Reference Manual

Glossary

pointer Variable containing an address. Commonly this address refers to a

dynamically-allocated block of memory.

polymorphism Ability of a node to automatically adjust to data of different representation,

type, or structure.

pop up To call up a special menu by clicking on an object with the right mouse
button (Windows, Sun and HP-UX) or holding down the <command> key
while clicking (Macintosh).

pop-up menus Menus accessed by popping up on an object. Menu options pertain to that
object specifically.

portable Able to compile on any platform that supports LabVIEW.

private data structures Data structures whose exact format is not described and is usually subject
to change.

R
RAM Random Access Memory.

reentrant execution Mode in which calls to multiple instances of a subVI can execute in parallel
with distinct and separate data storage.

reference See pointer.

relocatable Able to be moved by the memory manager to a new memory location.

representation Subtype of the numeric data type, of which there are signed and unsigned
byte, word, and long integers, as well as single-, double-, and
extended-precision floating-point numbers both real and complex.

S
scalar Number capable of being represented by a point on a scale. A single value
as opposed to an array. Scalar Booleans, strings and clusters are explicitly
singular instances of their respective data types.

shared external routine Subroutine that can be shared by several CIN code resources.

LabVIEW Code Interface Reference Manual G-6 © National Instruments Corporation

 Glossary

sink terminal Terminal that absorbs data. Also called a destination terminal.

source code Original, uncompiled text code.

source terminal Terminal that emits data.

subVI VI used in the block diagram of another VI; comparable to a subroutine.

T
terminal Object or region on a node through which data passes.

top-level VI VI at the top of the VI hierarchy. This term is used to distinguish the VI
from its subVIs.

type descriptor See data type descriptor.

V
vector One-dimensional array.

virtual instrument (VI) LabVIEW program; so called because it models the appearance of a
physical instrument.

W
wire Data path between nodes.

© National Instruments Corporation G-7 LabVIEW Code Interface Reference Manual