Lesson 3 Troubleshooting and Debugging VIs

TOPICS
A. B. C. D. E. LabVIEW Help Utilities Correcting Broken VIs Debugging Techniques Undefined or Unexpected Data Error Checking and Error Handling
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A. LabVIEW Help Utilities Context Help

Displays basic information about LabVIEW objects when you move the cursor over each object Select HelpShow Context Help, press <Ctrl-H> or click the Show Context Help Window button on the toolbar

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A. LabVIEW Help Utilities LabVIEW Help

Detailed descriptions of most palettes, menus, tools, VIs, and functions and instructions for using LabVIEW features Accessing the LabVIEW Help:
Select HelpSearch the LabVIEW Help Use the Detailed help link or button in the Context Help window Right-click an object and select Help from the shortcut menu
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A. LabVIEW Help Utilities NI Example Finder

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Exercise 3-1 Concept: Using Help

Become familiar with using the Context Help window, the LabVIEW Help, and the NI Example Finder. GOAL

Exercise 3-1 Concept: Using Help

You are given a VI containing unfamiliar functions. How do you determine the functionality in the block diagram?
DISCUSSION

B. Correcting Broken VIs

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B. Correcting Broken VIs

Common Issues Broken wire
You wired a Boolean control to a String indicator You wired a Numeric control to a Numeric control

A required block diagram terminal is unwired A subVI is broken or you edited its connector pane after you placed its icon on the block diagram of the VI
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C. Debugging Techniques
Your VI isnt broken, but you are getting unexpected data or behavior Any unwired or hidden subVIs? Incorrect default data being used? Undefined data being passed? Numeric representation correct? Node execution order correct?

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C. Debugging Techniques Execution Highlighting

Use execution highlighting to watch the data flow through the block diagram If the VI runs more slowly than expected, confirm that you turned off execution highlighting in subVIs

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C. Debugging Techniques Single Stepping

Single-step through the VI to view each action of the VI on the block diagram Suspend the execution of a subVI to edit values of controls and indicators, to control the number of times it runs, or to go back to the beginning of the execution of the subVI Open subVI and select OperateSuspend When Called from the shortcut menu

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C. Debugging Techniques Probes

Use the Probe tool to observe intermediate data values and to check the error output of VIs and functions, especially those performing I/O Retain the values in the wires so that you can probe wires for data after execution has finished

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C. Debugging Techniques Breakpoints

When you reach a breakpoint during execution, the VI pauses and the Pause button appears red You can take the following actions at a breakpoint:
Single-step through execution using the single-stepping buttons Probe wires to check intermediate values Change values of front panel controls Click the Pause button to continue running to the next breakpoint or until the VI finishes running
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D. Undefined or Unexpected Data

(Inf)
Infinity Divided a number by zero?

NaN
Not a number Produced by invalid operations, such as taking the square root of a negative number

Check for unexpected Inf values or NaN values in your mathematical operations
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E. Error Checking and Error Handling

No matter how confident you are in the VI you create, you cannot predict every problem a user can encounter Without a mechanism to check for errors, you know only that the VI does not work properly Error checking tells you why and where errors occur
Automatic error handling Manual error handling

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E. Error Checking and Error Handling Automatic Error Handling

LabVIEW automatically handles any known error when a VI runs by:
suspending execution, highlighting the subVI or function where the error occurred, and displaying the Error dialog box

Select FileVI Properties and select Execution from the Category pull-down menu to disable automatic error handling for a specific VI

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E. Error Checking and Error Handling Manual Error Handling

To disable automatic error handling for a subVI or function, wire its error out cluster to the error in cluster of another subVI or function or to an error out indicator Use the LabVIEW error handling VIs, functions, and parameters to manage errors

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E. Error Checking and Error Handling Error Clusters

Use the error cluster controls and indicators to create error inputs and outputs in subVIs The error in and error out clusters include the following components of information:
Status Code Source

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Exercise 3-2 Concept: Debugging

Use the debugging tools built into LabVIEW. GOAL

Exercise 3-2 Concept: Debugging

If you have a VI with a broken Run arrow, what should you do first? After you fixed your broken Run arrow, your VI results show unexpected data. What can you do next? DISCUSSION

SummaryQuiz
1. How do you disable automatic error handling? a) Enable execution highlighting b) Wire the error out cluster of a subVI to the error in cluster of another subVI c) Place a checkmark in the Show Warnings checkbox of the Error List dialog box

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SummaryQuiz Answer
1. How do you disable automatic error handling? a) Enable execution highlighting b) Wire the error out cluster of a subVI to the error in cluster of another subVI c) Place a checkmark in the Show Warnings checkbox of the Error List dialog box

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SummaryQuiz
2. Which of the following are the contents of the error cluster? a) Status: Boolean b) Error: String c) Code: 32-bit integer d) Source: String

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SummaryQuiz Answer
2. Which of the following are the contents of the error cluster? a) Status: Boolean b) Error: String c) Code: 32-bit integer d) Source: String

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