National Instruments Labview can now look back on a 31-year history. During this time, the user interface of the measurement technology software has hardly changed. The multi-platform capability for creating virtual instruments has played a major role in this. Mac, Windows, various Unix derivatives and Linux were supported for creating virtual instruments.

In order to be able to support all platforms natively, the lowest common denominator had to be used. As a result, the user interface looks a little old-fashioned, as the Unix derivatives have remained almost the same and are no longer used in measurement technology. The Mac has also lost a lot of ground in the technical field. Almost all Labview developers use Microsoft Windows as their OS platform, as this is the only platform that offers full functionality. The intensive collaboration with Microsoft as a partner has also opened up groundbreaking options for getting rid of legacy issues once and for all. For these reasons, only Windows remains as a serious development platform. The main goal now is to combine real-time Linux and Xilinx FPGA platforms.

National Instruments has recognized the signs of the times and has retreaded its flagship Labview with the parallel development of the NeXt Generation (NXG) implementation. Labview Communications - a special software for the Software Designed Radio sector - which has been available for some time, has already shown where the journey is heading. The new NXG version differs fundamentally from the traditional platform, which is currently on the market in version 2017. Both product lines are being developed in parallel and sold together - at no extra charge for NXG.

The NXG version lacks a large number of functions compared to Labview 2017. Hardware support also leaves a lot to be desired with NI DAQmx, VISA and NI-XNet. However, a few functions have also been added, including the 'inline' code option, which was only possible via 'Code Interface Node' in the traditional versions. The development agenda shows a milestone plan for the implementation of the functionalities already known from Labview 2017.

For the reasons mentioned, only limited projects can currently be implemented with NXG, which are restricted to data acquisition, measurement device control and, for example, CAN-based communication via NI X-Net. The creation of stand-alone executables is also not yet possible, but is to be implemented in version 2 in the near future.

Modern user interface

Despite these disadvantages, it makes perfect sense to get to grips with NXG. For data acquisition applications, you can already create useful applications in version 1. The great potential that Labview NXG offers the user becomes apparent after a short time. After installation, the user interface appears in the language of the operating system. This applies to English, German, French, Chinese, Japanese or Korean. All other language implementations have to make do with English. The wide range of languages is only possible thanks to the complete support of Unicode. In addition, the language can now be switched within a minute by restarting the application. Gone are the days when the internationalization of applications was time-consuming and sometimes only possible with additional tools.

Vector-oriented icons ensure much clearer source code in block diagrams. Any rectangular terminal shapes are possible.

© Systec

The user interface has also been fundamentally revised and optimized. The outdated and barely maintained GUI has given way to a modern platform with a multiple document interface - based on the Microsoft Windows Presentation Foundation (WPF, codenamed Avalon). Thanks to the implemented vector graphics, this WPF graphics framework enables, among other things, fine-grained zooming - both for the block diagram (which has been a user requirement since the early 1990s!) and for the icons as well as for the front panel. In addition, the texts are now also scaled - a big step forward compared to the traditional versions.

Supports mobile devices

By supporting the megatrends in IT, such as HTML5, National Instruments saves itself some of the platform development effort so that it can concentrate on its own strengths: The integration of hardware and software based on virtual system technology. Flat GUI elements are currently in vogue and are therefore also part of the first NXG version. WPF enables dynamic further development of the user interface elements.

Another advantage is the greatly improved support for mobile devices such as tablets and smartphones. Design breaks will disappear in the foreseeable future and seamless integration will become a reality. A leap in performance can be expected for future 3D presentations: 'WPF Direct3D' is supported and therefore also high-performance graphics cards (GPUs), which are orders of magnitude superior to the latest standard processors such as Intel's Corei7 in this area.

What use is a new development system's potential if you can't fall back on existing code? National Instruments has built a code converter into NXG which, according to initial tests, works surprisingly well if elements that NXG supports are used in the original program. Projects from the latest traditional versions from version 2014 onwards can be converted. Existing Labview code can also be implemented directly using Labview Interop VI. However, there are some restrictions here, as only values can be transferred and the VI (virtual instrument) remains in memory together with the respective runtime environment. This functionality is available for VIs from version Labview 2008.

Interactive recording and analysis options

One of the great strengths of the new version lies in the interactive recording and analysis options, which enable a configuration approach without programming, without neglecting the major applications. In this way, NI aims to combine the best of different worlds. As already mentioned, this is based on developments from partner companies, in particular the Microsoft Corporation from Redmond. This is an understandable decision that could attract even more developers to National Instruments who were previously unable to use this graphical platform. In the embedded sector, Realtime Linux with its large community has already been successfully used for some time.

The programmatic and analytical functions of NXG are already almost fully implemented. Here are some examples of analysis functions (source: NI):

• Curve fitting - Searches for the curve that best represents an input signal or input data set using a specific fitting method.
• Statistics - Performs statistical calculations on a signal.
• Histogram - Displays the discrete histogram of a signal.
• Amplitude measurements - Measures the peak value of a signal.
• FFT spectrum - Calculates the average FFT spectrum of a signal.
• Frequency component measurements - Searches for oscillations with specific amplitude and frequency parameters.
• Pulse and transition measurements - Determines various pulse parameters of periodic signal curves or arrays of periodic signal curves, for example period duration, pulse duration or duty cycle.
• Limit value test - Performs a limit value test on a signal.
• Filter - Applies a low-pass, high-pass, band-pass or notch filter to a signal.
• Scale and convert - Scales a signal using a straight line.
• Resample - Resamples a signal according to certain delays and sample intervals.
• Signal correlation - Calculates the autocorrelation of a signal or correlation of two signals.

Promises for the future

Labview NXG version 1.0 does not support object-oriented programming natively. This is planned for version 2. It remains to be seen how quickly advanced technologies such as the Actor framework will be integrated.

The NXG version is a promise for the future that must be kept step by step. Many functions that characterize traditional implementations are still missing. However, if the NI roadmap is to be believed, it is only a matter of time before the most important gaps are closed. The potential for a powerful and modern development platform is already there. NXG will win many new friends and gradually persuade current Labview developers to make the switch.

Author:
Herbert Pichlik is Managing Director at Systec.