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The LabVIEW 8.5 Touch Panel Module features and changes include the NI TPC Service, support for front panel data binding, and expanded support for front panel controls and indicators.

Refer to the LabVIEW 8.5 Features and Changes topic for information about new features in LabVIEW 8.5.

Refer to the LabVIEW Touch Panel Module Readme, available by selecting Start»All Programs»National Instruments»LabVIEW 8.5»Readme and opening readme_TPC.html for last minute information and known issues with version 8.5 of the Touch Panel Module.

General

The LabVIEW 8.5 Touch Panel Module includes the following enhancements and new features:

• NI TPC Service—The Touch Panel Module includes the NI TPC Service, which is an Ethernet-based service that you can use to deploy, run, and debug Touch Panel applications. Use the NI TPC Service instead of ActiveSync if you are using Ethernet and need to deploy a Touch Panel application to multiple Touch Panel targets.

  You must install the NI TPC Service on the Touch Panel target before you can use the NI TPC Service. After you install the NI TPC Service on the Touch Panel target, use the NI TPC Service Manager to configure the service running on the Touch Panel device. Select Start»All Programs»National Instruments»NI TPC Service»NI TPC Service Manager 1.0 to launch the NI TPC Service Manager. The manager checks the status of the NI TPC Service and displays the status information. Tap the Start button to start the NI TPC Service. Tap the Stop button to stop the NI TPC Service.

  To configure a Touch Panel application to use the NI TPC Service, right-click the Touch Panel target in the Project Explorer window and select Properties to display the Touch Panel Target Properties dialog box. On the General page, select NI TPC Service (TCP/IP) from the Connection list. You must enter the IP address of the Touch Panel device in the Touch Panel Device IP Address text box. Click the Test button to confirm that the NI TPC Service is running on the remote device.

• Reading and writing front panel data using data binding—You can use data binding to read or write front panel data for network-published shared variables. You can use data binding with any front panel control or indicator that the Touch Panel Module supports.

  Note  When you use front panel data binding in a Touch Panel subVI, data binding connections are closed when the subVI finishes execution.

  Refer to the Shared Variable Intro - Touch Panel.lvproj in the labview\examples\TouchPanel\shared variable directory for an example of using front panel data binding.
  
   

• Call by Reference Node supports local references—You now can use a local reference with the Call by Reference Node. Select the Source Files category of the Touch Panel Build Specification Properties dialog box to include any VIs that are called locally in the project.
• Expression folding—Expression folding optimizes performance by collapsing groups of nodes into single expressions in the generated code that are easily recognized by C compilers. Place a checkmark in the Expression folding checkbox on the Application Information page of the Touch Panel Build Specification Properties dialog box to enable expression folding. You cannot debug a Touch Panel VI while using expression folding because expression folding eliminates some wires on the block diagram.
• Expression Node supports clusters and arrays—You now can use arrays or clusters as inputs to an Expression Node.
• LabVIEW Aliases File Editor—In previous versions of the Touch Panel Module, you edit the IP address of the shared variable host on the host. You now can use the LabVIEW Aliases File Editor to edit the aliases file on the target.

  Tap LabVIEW Aliases File Editor.exe in the NI\Shared Variables Support 8.5 directory to launch the LabVIEW Aliases File Editor on the target. Tap the browse button to browse to and open an aliases file.

• New VISA examples—The Touch Panel Module includes new VISA examples, which are located in the labview\examples\TouchPanel\comm\VISA directory.

Front Panel Controls and Indicators

• Text justification and underlining text for controls and indicators—You now can set the justification of text and underline text for buttons, enumerated type controls, and string, time stamp, and numeric controls and indicators.

  If you select the Limit to Single Line option from the shortcut menu for the string control, justification is disabled.

• Blinking Boolean controls and indicators—The Touch Panel Module supports blinking for all Boolean controls and indicators except system controls. Use a Property Node with the Blinking property to enable blinking.
• Boolean mechanical action—The Touch Panel Module now supports the six types of mechanical action for Boolean controls, which include Switch when pressed, Switch when released, Switch until released, Latch when pressed, Latch when released, and Latch until released.
• Scroll bar control—The Touch Panel Module supports scroll bar controls, which include vertical and horizontal scroll bars that you can add to any front panel control or indicator with scrollable data. Use a Property Node to associate a scroll bar control with a front panel control or indicator.
• Control labels inside arrays—Labels on front panel controls and indicators that you place inside arrays are now visible in Touch Panel applications. Right-click the control or indicator and select Visible Items»Label from the shortcut menu to display the label.
• Resizing and changing the color of increment and decrement buttons—You now can resize and change the color of the increment and decrement buttons for numeric controls, enumerated type controls, and time stamp controls.
• Events and overlapping controls—When controls overlap each other, the control with the higher tabbing order number no longer receives the event. The topmost control now receives the event.
• Free labels and decorations inside cluster controls and indicators—You now can use free labels and decorations inside cluster controls and indicators.
• Decorations inside tab controls—Decorations on one page of a tab control no longer appear on all the pages of the tab control.
• Decimal values in ring controls—You now can use decimal values for items in a ring control.

Newly Supported VIs and Functions

• Get Special Folder Path—You can use the Get Special Folder Path VI to return the path to the application or directories that are frequently used by applications.
• Inline C Node—You can use the Inline C Node to add inline C code to the block diagram. The Inline C Node is similar to the Formula Node with additional support and functionality for low-level programming and header files without the overhead of a function call. Use the Inline C Node for short blocks of code that you cannot easily implement in VIs.
• PDA Picture to Pixmap—You can use the PDA Picture to Pixmap VI to convert a picture to a cluster of image data you can use to perform certain tasks with the image, such as writing customized pictures to file.
• Run Application—You can use the Run Application VI to run a specified Touch Panel application.
• Show Hide Input Panel—You can use the Show Hide Input Panel VI to display or hide the input panel for Touch Panel devices.
• Static VI Reference—You can use the Static VI Reference function to maintain a static reference to a VI. You can configure the Static VI Reference function to output a generic or strictly typed VI reference. After you place the Static VI Reference function on a block diagram, double-click the function to display a file dialog box where you can select a VI.
• XML functions—The Touch Panel Module now includes the Escape XML, Flatten To XML, Read From XML File, Unescape XML, Unflatten From XML, and Write to XML File VIs and functions. You can use these VIs and functions to manipulate LabVIEW data in XML format.

Newly Supported Properties

• Cluster properties—The Touch Panel Module includes the following new cluster properties that you can use with cluster controls: Cluster Size, Cluster Size:Height, Cluster Size:Width, and Controls[]. You can use a Property Node with these properties to set the size of cluster controls and get references to cluster elements.

  The Touch Panel Module also includes the following new cluster properties that you can use with radio buttons controls: Cluster Size, Cluster Size:Height, Cluster Size:Width, and Color. You can use a Property Node with these properties to set the size and color of radio buttons controls.

• Data binding properties—The Touch Panel Module includes the following new data binding properties: Data Binding:Binding Type, Data Binding:LED Visible, Data Binding:Mode, Data Binding:Path, and Data Binding:Status. You can use a Property Node with these properties to return information about the data connection, configure the mode of the data connection, or show or hide the data binding indicator.
• Text property—You can use the Text property to read from or write to a string control or indicator. You also can use the Text property to read from or write to the labels of controls and indicators.
• Waveform graph cursor properties—You can use the Allow Drag and Cursor Legend Visible properties with waveform graphs. Use a Property Node with the Allow Drag property to allow users to move the cursor in the plot area. Use a Property Node with the Cursor Legend Visible property to display the cursor legend for the waveform graph.