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VEE Pro User's Guide - Agilent Technologies

1. Figure 6 1 The ActiveX Automation Reference Box Creating and Using ActiveX Programs with Agilent VEE VEE includes a data type called Object for ActiveX programs A VEE object with the data type specified as Object is a pointer to something or some data held by the Automation Server For example an Object could point to a worksheet inside MS Excel or to a cell inside that worksheet Technically an Object is a pointer to an Dispatch interface returned by MS Excel or the Server For example if you select Data Variable Declare Variable set the Name to App and set the data type as Object you can use the variable App to point to an ActiveX Automation object such as the Excel Automation Server Figure 6 2 shows an example of a data type Object Chapter 6 251 Creating Reports Easily Using Activex ActiveX Automation in Agilent VEE Name App I Specify Object Type Library Scope Global x R Type OJEE 7 en aa Uing r Num Dims ntg Edit Int32 Real32 Real64 PComplex Complex Waveform Spectrum Coord Text Enum Record Object Figure 6 2 Example of Data Type Object Performing Operations Using ActiveX Statements To communicate with an ActiveX Automation server such as the Excel Automation Server enter ActiveX commands in a VEE Formula object For example Figure 6 3 shows a VEE Formula object that has been named Set Up Excel Worksheet It contains
2. Figure 2 22 Displaying Information about a Line Examining Terminals To examine a terminal double click it in the open view as mentioned in Understanding Pins and Terminals on page 46 If an object is iconized place the mouse pointer over the terminal and VEE automatically pops up the name of the terminal Chapter 2 105 Agilent VEE Programming Techniques Debugging Programs in Agilent VEE Using the Alphanumeric Displays for Debugging You can add the Alphanumeric or Logging Alphanumeric displays at different points in a program to track the flow of data When the program is running correctly delete them AlphaNumeric displays a single data container a Scalar value an Array 1D or Array 2D and Logging AlphaNumeric either a Scalar or Array 1D displays consecutive input as a history of previous values You can also use a Counter to see how many times an object ran Using Breakpoints A breakpoint causes a program to pause before it executes a particular object You can set breakpoints in a program to examine the data When a breakpoint is set on an object the object is highlighted with an orange colored outline When the program runs it will pause before executing that object 1 Set a breakpoint on a single object Double click the title bar of an object to get the Properties dialog box then select Breakpoint Enabled and click OK Then select Debug gt Activate Breakpoints Run the program It wi
3. Library Type Compiled Function 7 Library Name myLibrary installDinexamplesimandalmanualsgai File Name Definition File Function Cosine x Frequency Amplitude Deofset 0 Func Phase deg Jf 0 Time Span 20m Ret Value arraySize Function Name myFune Figure 11 8 A Program Using a DLL MANUAL49 Num Points 256 array Import Before the first call to the compiled function Call Library Function the DLL must be loaded using the Import Library object in the Device menu Call MANUAL49 calls a compiled function called myFunc Function MyFunc requires a C datatype called long which is the same as a VEE Int32 This number specifies the size of an array The second input parameter is a pointer to an array of reals The definition file is located in MANUAL49 H and the source file for the C code is located in MANUAL49 C MyFunc adds 1 to every element of the array Function The Function Generator is used to create a waveform Generator which is output to the array pin on the Call myFunc object 420 Chapter 11 Optimizing Agilent VEE Programs Using Dynamic Link Libraries totSize The tot Size object inthe Math amp Functions box is used to determine the size of the waveform which is output to the arraySize input pinon Call myFunc XY Trace The XY Trace object displays both the original and the new waveforms Formu
4. Phase l ball OK Cancel auer T Figure 3 12 The Function Pop up Menu on fgen 6 Click the field to the right of Frequency 7 Type 100 in the Continuous component FREQUENCY dialog box that appears and click OK Note that the Frequency setting has now changed You can use the same methods to change the instrument settings on any driver If the instrument is configured with an address and Live Mode is ON every change you make in the driver panel is reflected by the instrument Chapter 3 143 Easy Ways to Control Instruments Using a Panel Driver Moving to Other Panels on the Same Driver Most drivers have more than one panel to simplify the user interface To move to a different panel click Main Panel inthe object to get a menu of panels 1 Inthe Panel Driver object click Main Panel and select Sweep in the Discrete Component MENU presented as shown in Figure 3 13 2 Click OK to display the Sweep Panel You can also look at the other panels to see what is available 3 Click OK toreturn to the Main Panel Main Panel Discrete component MENU E3 Main Panel Function E Frequency E A Modulation Pan Amplitude I Syor panel offset fj Status Panel About Panel m OK Cancel Phase Figure 3 13 Sweep Panel in Discrete Component Menu 144 Chapter 3 Note Easy Ways to Control Instruments Using a Panel Driver Adding Inputs and or Outputs to a Panel Driver I
5. Mag 16 Trace Figure A 20 Importing and Deleting Libraries Key Points E Select Function Notice that this selection will configure the proper input and output pins for the function you select E Editing UserFunctions If you import a library of UserFunctions programmatically you will not be able to edit them You can view them and set breakpoints to debug If you want to edit the UserFunctions you import use the Merge Library command E Set Variable Caution Notice th at when you use a global variable in a function you have to remember to create that global when using the function in other programs One of the advantages of explicitly creating inputs and outputs is that they are easier to track 498 Appendix A Additional Lab Exercises Creating Operator Panels and Pop ups Creating Operator Panels and Pop ups Creating Operator Panels and Pop ups Step 1 Create a panel to ask an operator to enter numbers Create a UserObject to interact with an operator Ask the operator for 2 inputs A and B Send both inputs to a display Use a UserObject with Show On Execute checked to display the panel Appendix A 499 Additional Lab Exercises Creating Operator Panels and Pop ups Solution Creating Operator Panels and Pop ups Step 1 Figure A 21 shows a solution in detail view Figure A 22 shows the panel that appears when the program runs 7 45 EE Input A and B Figure
6. WRITE 7 TEXT bd El DEFAULT FORMAT z EOLON OK nor Cancel Figure 3 17 The I O Transaction Dialog Box The down arrow next to WRITE shows a menu of transactions READ WRITE EXECUTE and WAIT To write data to an instrument use the default selection Open the object menu and consult Help to find out about each action 2 Use the default selections WRITE TEXT DEFAULT FORMAT and EOL ON Click the input field labeled a type AM 5 vo including the quotes and click OK You should see the transaction WRITE TEXT AM 5 VO EOL as shown in Figure 3 18 The text in quotation marks is the command that will be sent to the HP3325B when the program runs WRITE TEXT AM 5 YO EOL Double Click to Add Transaction gt Figure 3 18 A Direct I O Transaction In most cases the process will be the same for sending text commands to instruments However there are instruments that specify characters sent at the end of each command or at the end of a group of commands You need to get this information from the instrument documentation then include it in the Direct I O Configuration dialog box Chapter 3 149 Easy Ways to Control Instruments Using Direct I O Sending an Expression List to an Instrument In some cases you may want to send an expression list to an instrument For example you may want to loop through a number of frequencies in the Function Generator To do so using a Direct I O Transaction you woul
7. Then fecere strLen str 0 Else fApp cuit Poe Printout a Figure 6 17 The Complete Program for Report in MS Word The entries in the additional objects are as follows App ActivePrinter Requests the default printer in a string including its port strLen str 0 Makes sure that ActivePrinter has located a configured printer if the string on the input is not null then then outputs a 1 TRUE on the Then pin which pings the Formula object containing the Printout call DocPrintOut 0 Prints the document App Quit 0 Closes the MS Word application 9 Run the program It should look like Figure 6 18 If the colors look strange in the screen dump iconize any open applications so the PC has a full palette of colors to work with Chapter 6 273 Creating Reports Easily Using Activex Using MS Word for Agilent VEE Reports iz Document Microsoft Word olx Ele Edit View Insert Format Tools Table Window Help x OSH 6A Bds o eo a Tracet Time Span Num Points bl m Sm 1m tm 20m Time JEZA z Rl Page 1 Sec 1 iit ter n3 c20 Rec f ExT Pr oe 2 Figure 6 18 The MS Word Document Created by Lab 6 3 For more information about controlling MS Excel and MS Word using ActiveX Automation refer to Microsoft documentation Remember that you can also control other Server applications that support ActiveX Automation sometimes just called Automa
8. Please select the amplitude a for the noisy waveform 0 465 1 TE 0 6 0 4 E Oh Figure 9 12 The noisyWv UserObject Panel 3 Select Device Sequencer and place it left center of Main Add a data input terminal and name it mask 4 Click the transaction bar to get the Sequence Transaction dialog box Change fields as follows FUNCTION Type in noisyWv RANGE Click and select LIMIT from the pop up menu Leave the lt and the LIMIT terminal name field type mask All of the other defaults are fine so click OK test1 will get a result from noisyWv and test it against the limit value at the input terminal named mask If the noisy wave is less than or equal to the mask at all points it will pass Otherwise it will fail 352 Chapter 9 Test Sequencing Passing Data in the Sequencer 5 Select Data Constant Coord and place it above the Sequencer Connect its output to the Sequencer input terminal mask Open the Coord object menu click Properties and set fields as follows Configuration Set to 1D Array Size Type in 2 you only need two pairs of coordinates to specify a straight line Click OK 6 In the Coord object you now see two indices for pairs of coordinates Double click the first index 0000 anda cursor will appear Type in the coordinates separated by a comma and VEE adds the parentheses automatically Type 0 0 6 Tab 20m 0 6 and then click on the work area outside the
9. HP UX The derivative of the UNIX operating system that has been developed by Hewlett Packard Company Hypertext A system of linking topics so that you can jump to a related topic when you want more information In online help systems typically hypertext links are designated with underlined text When you click such text related information is presented Glossary 533 Icon 1 A small graphical representation of a VEE object such as the representation of an instrument a control or a display 2 A small graphical representation of an application file or folder in the Microsoft Windows and HP UX with VUE operating system Main Window A window that contains the primary work area in which you develop a VEE program The work area for this window resides in the work space for the VEE window Maximize Button A button on a UserObject UserFunction or the Main window that makes the UserObject UserFunction or Main window occupy all of the available work space Menu Bar The bar at the top of the VEE window that displays the titles of the pull down menus from which you select commands and objects Minimize Button A button on an object or the VEE window that iconifies the object or the VEE window Object i A graphical representation of an element in a program such as an instrument control display or mathematical operator An object is placed in the work area and connected to other objects to create a program
10. Installing and Distributing VEE Pro 6 0 RunTime in online Help shows how to install and distribute the RunTime version of VEE Pro 6 0 The RunTime version is used to run VEE programs on PCs that do not have the VEE software installed For more information about the runtime environment refer to online Help Select Help Contents and Index and Installing and Distributing Agilent VEE Pro RunTime If desired you can print the information Learning about Agilent VEE To learn more about using VEE you can watch the VEE multimedia tutorials use online help refer to manuals including this one and attend VEE classes E VEE Multimedia Tutorials The VEE Multimedia Tutorials located in the Help Welcome menu of VEE are video presentations that explain many key concepts of VEE They demonstrate how to use VEE menus edit objects and run programs Each presentation takes three or four minutes to complete and you can watch them as many times as you like You can pause the Tutorial run VEE to try what you have learned and then resume the Tutorial E VEE Online Help One way to learn about the new features of VEE is to select Help gt Contents and Index gt What s New in Agilent VEE 6 0 Read Help gt Welcome gt Introduction for an overview of the VEE product Introduction 11 Note Installing and Learning About Agilent VEE There are many other features of online help as well For more information refer to Getting Help
11. _ _ r OptimizerWarn checkKRTS log cluster log datatst c datatst h datatst o datatst sl datatstx h dll time dtvd h Figure 7 4 Listing the Files in a Directory UNIX Listing the Files in a Directory Using a Shell This variation of the last exercise uses a shell dependent feature a pipe to send the output of one operating system command to another The second command will be we which stands for word count The wc command counts lines words and characters in the named files The command we 1 filename counts the number of lines in the specified file This example describes how to count the number of files in a directory then display the number and the files 1 Select I O Execute Program UNIX a Set the She11 field to sh to use the shell features and b Enter the command 1s tmp we 1 1ls tmp in the Shell command field c Add two data output terminals one labeled X and the other labeled Lines 288 Chapter 7 Integrating Programs In Other Languages Using a System Command d Configure the first transaction as READ TEXT Lines INT32 Lines replaces the default variable a e Configure a second transaction as READ TEXT X STR ARRAY Lines Enter Lines in the SIZE field to specify the length of the array 2 Select Display AlphaNumeric and Clone it Connect one AlphaNumeric to the Lines output and another one to the X output pin 3 Run the program I
12. Creating Reports Easily Using Activex Creating an Agilent VEE to MS Excel Template Creating an Agilent VEE to MS Excel Template In this exercise you will create a program to display an array of VEE test data in MS Excel You can use this program as a template for displaying the results of other tests in MS Excel spreadsheets Lab 6 2 Creating an Agilent VEE to MS Excel Template 1 2 Open results_average vee Change the For Range object to loop 10 times Add the input Bto Fill in Cells and change the statement inside to read sheet cells A 1 1 B A 1 Click Device Formula rename it to Array of Test Data and enter the embedded functions randomize ramp 20 4 5 5 5 to create a random array of 20 elements with values from 4 5 to 5 5 Delete the input pin and connect the data output pin to the B input of Fill in Cells Change the range inthe Formula box on the bottom of the screen from A21 to A11 The statement should now read set range sheet range A2 A11 Save the program as report_template vee and run it Compare it to the Excel worksheet as shown in Figure 6 10 and the complete program as shown in Figure 6 11 Chapter 6 263 Creating Reports Easily Using Activex Creating an Agilent VEE to MS Excel Template 264 El Microsoft Excel olx Ble Edt view Insert Format Tools Data window Help DeHaRYy tte e E A 2 i R 2 aa z1 v u Promt gt Al X DC Volts E
13. set window app windows 1 window caption Test System Results Creating Reports Easily Using Activex Sending Agilent VEE Data to MS Excel Asks Excel for a pointer to the entire application and not just the worksheet itself by asking the worksheet for its property Application and setting it to the variable app Sets the app s visible property to true in order to display Excel on screen so that you can see it References the first window Sets the first window s caption to Test System Results For more information about the Application Server libraries refer to the many books available about ActiveX Automation and MS Visual Basic You can probably find information on the World Wide Web about ordering books such as Office 2000 or the Office 97 Visual Basic Programmer s Guide The books will help you with VEE as well since VEE syntax is very similar to MS Visual Basic 9 Create a Formula object under Device Formula Clone the Formula object to create a second Formula object Create a For Range object under Flow Repeat For Range Rename the objects connect them and configure them as shown in Figure 6 7 Be sure to delete the input terminal on the Formula object Fill in Title Chapter 6 259 Creating Reports Easily Using Activex Sending Agilent VEE Data to MS Excel Function Name globals set sheet CreateObject Excel Sheet worksheets 1 set app sheet applicati
14. 4 Result More than 0 5 More than 0 5 J Record 4 35 PM lt Waveform Array 1D gt Figure A 28 Manipulating Records Step 2 Key Points E Using a Conditional Expression VEE supports a conditional expression which provides an efficient way to implement an if then else action The conditional expression in this Formula object is known as a triadic Itis a rand lt 0 5 a rand More than 0 5 Notice that it is all one expression and you can write it with line breaks in the Formula object as shown If there were more than one expression in the Formula object the expressions would be separated with semi colons G The Sub Record Object Notice the Text array of the fields on the Sub Record input pin labeled fields When you configure the Sub Record object to include fields it will output a record that only contains the fields specified Appendix A 511 Additional Lab Exercises Records Manipulating Records Step 3 Replace the integer input for the first field with a For Count object and step through 10 iterations Be certain to ping the random number generator and the time function on each iteration Send the complete record into a To DataSet object In a separate thread retrieve all records from the dataset where the random value is greater than 0 5 Put the resultant records into a record constant Hint You ll need a control pin fora Default Value onthe Record Constant object 512 App
15. First Prev Next Last 0 test4 0 5724 lt Real64 Array 1D gt 1 test0 0 599 lt Real64 Array 1D gt 2 test3 0 6089 lt Real64 Array 1D gt 3 test2 0 735 lt Real64 Array 1D gt 4 test9 0 8029 lt Real64 Array 1D gt Figure 5 20 A Sort Operation on a Record Field Chapter 5 245 Storing and Retrieving Test Results Chapter Checklist Chapter Checklist You should now be able to perform the following tasks Review topics if necessary before proceeding to the next chapter Explain the basic notation for using arrays Create an array using the Collector object Extract elements from an array using the Formula object Send a string time stamp and real array to a file Retrieve a string time stamp and real array from a file Use the function now for a time stamp Format time stamps in a variety of ways for display Build and unbuild a record Get and set fields in a record Store a record to a DataSet Retrieve a record from a DataSet Perform a search operation on a DataSet Perform a sort operation on a Record field Combine VEE tools to create a simple test database 246 Chapter 5 Creating Reports Easily Using ActiveX Creating Reports Easily Using Activex Creating Reports Easily Using ActiveX In this chapter you will learn about E ActiveX Automation in VEE E Using ActiveX for reports with MS Excel E Using ActiveX for reports with MS Word Averag
16. Step fio Delay 0 2 Figure 10 27 Using the ActiveX Control ProgressBar ActiveX Control object menus have both Properties and Control Properties The Properties menu sets the VEE properties of the object The Control Properties are supplied by the Control and can be different for each type of ActiveX Control Examine all the control examples that ship with VEE to get a better understanding of how they work Then look for other controls and displays in the marketplace you might want to add to enhance the user interface capabilities in VEE Figure 10 28 shows another example of VEE incorporating a control from MS Chart After you have selected a control library in the Device ActiveX Controls References dialog box you can use the Function amp Object Browser or the Declare Variable Object to identify a control s properties and methods Chapter 10 397 Using Operator Interfaces Common Tasks In Creating Operator Interfaces Ur lt S Make 12D Array from 2 1D Arrays i 4 A fTwoD a b s i we Mons WES Flipped transpose TwoD i a sText Flipped d WS M a Function Generator UnBuild Waveform MSChart MSChartt B E M MSChart ChartData B data MSChart1 ChartData Result ij Figure 10 28 An ActiveX Control Example Using MSChart Lab 10 5 Creating a Status Panel In this lab you will learn how to use the func
17. VEE Pro User s Guide Notice The information contained in this document is subject to change without notice Agilent Technologies makes no warranty of any kind with regard to this material including but not limited to the implied warranties of merchantability and fitness for a particular purpose Agilent Technologies Inc shall not be liable for errors contained herein or for any direct indirect special incidental or consequential damages in connection with the furnishing performance or use of this material This document contains information which is protected by copyright No part of this manual may be reproduced in any form or by any means including electronic storage and retrieval or translation into another language without prior agreement and written consent from Agilent Technologies Inc as governed by United States and international copyright laws U S Government Restricted Rights The Software and Documentation have been developed entirely at private expense They are delivered and licensed as Commercial computer software as defined in DFAR 252 227 7014 June 1995 as a commercial item as defined in FAR 2 101 a or as Restricted computer software as defined in FAR 52 227 19 June 1987 or any equivalent agency regulation or contract clause whichever is applicable Use duplication or disclosure of Software is subject to Agilent Technologies standard commercial license terms and non DOD De
18. installDirexamplesimanual manual49 h Trace1 Uifetallwivexanipleeimanualteanval a dll Trace2 es l gt Function Frequency Amplitude DeOffset Phase Time Span Num Points 8m 412m 16m 20m 100 pt oa Deg A 0 20m Xname Func arraySize Function Name Ret Value 256 array myFune array Figure 11 10 Program Calling a Compiled Function Notice the following about the program size of the One variable in the C function and correspondingly one array data input terminal in the Ca11 object is used to indicate the size of the array The arraySize variable is used to prevent data from being written beyond the end of the array the Call Since array has been passed by reference VEE Function automatically creates both an input and output pin on object the Call Function object Chapter 11 The arraySize variable has been passed by value so VEE only creates an input terminal However the function s return value is used to return the size of the output array to VEE This technique is useful when you need to return an array that has fewer elements than the input array 425 Optimizing Agilent VEE Programs Compiled Function using C UNIX the C routine order of execution passing variables number of array elements XY Trace 426 The C routine is a function not a procedure The Compiled Funct
19. nmax f n max Figure I 1 The Random Program in ANSI C Figure I 2 shows the same program in VEE Introduction 5 Overview of Agilent VEE Figure l 2 The Same Random Program in VEE In VEE the program is built with program elements called objects Objects are the building blocks of a VEE program They perform various functions such as I O operations analysis and display When you view the objects with all of their connections as shown in Figure I 2 this is called the detail view The detail view is analogous to source code in a textual language In VEE data moves from one object to the next object in a consistent way data input on the left data output on the right and operational sequence pins on the top and bottom The objects are connected together to form a program Follow the program from left to right In the Random program shown in Figure I 2 a random number is added to the Collector Create Array object ten times creating an array Then the program finds the maximum value in the array and displays the Max Value and the Array Values Using VEE with its modular programming approach you can reduce the time it takes to create programs that control instruments create customized data displays and develop operator interfaces This method of test development leads to productivity gains much greater than conventional techniques 6 Introduction Note Note
20. usr bin veetest r filename Managing Multiple Windows in the Workspace Most of the discussion so far has focused on the work area in the Main window However large VEE programs can contain multiple windows inside of the Main window For example a program may contain objects that you define such as a UserObjects and UserFunctions You can think of UserObjects and UserFunctions as subroutines or subprograms to the main program UserObjects and UserFunctions are discussed in more detail in the section Creating a UserObject on page 78 in Chapter 2 Agilent VEE Programming Techniques They are mentioned here to show how VEE helps you manage programs that have multiple windows Figure 1 35 shows a program with four windows Each window has an icon which provides menu commands a title and three buttons minimize maximize and close Maximizing a window makes it occupy the available area in the VEE workspace Minimizing a window makes its icon appear along the bottom of the VEE workspace Closing a window removes it from the workspace VEE highlights the working window title bar Chapter 1 65 Using the Agilent VEE Development Environment Connecting Objects to Make a Program Program Edit View Debug Flow Device 1 0 Data Display Window Help Explorer fr en Se er ei ee ee Unt Main Leena B useronjert UserObject DE open view UserObject icon view UserObject Fle E3 Ready User
21. 0 8084 10 0 2742 0 7794 11 0 3407 0 7445 12 0 4032 0 704 13 0 4612 0 6585 14 0 5144 0 6084 15 0 5624 0 5541 16 0 6049 0 4962 17 0 6415 0 4353 Figure 4 10 MATLAB Script Object in a VEE Program Analyzing and Displaying Test Data Using MATLAB Script in Agilent VEE Figure 4 11 shows the graph that is produced when the program runs Figure No 1 ojx File Edit Tools Window Help JOSS LAA PER Amplitude p t PET S ee Imaginary es Real Figure 4 11 Graph Generated by the Program When you include MATLAB Script objects in a VEE program VEE calls the MATLAB Script Engine to perform the operations in the MATLAB Script objects Information is passed from VEE to MATLAB and back again Some notes about MATLAB E The first MATLAB Script object that executes in a program opens a single MATLAB session All other instances of MATLAB Script objects share the session MATLAB Script objects can therefore share global variables in the MATLAB workspace Chapter 4 189 Analyzing and Displaying Test Data Using MATLAB Script in Agilent VEE E VEE does not perform any syntax checking of MATLAB commands before the MATLAB Script Engine is called Errors and warnings generated by MATLAB are shown in the regular VEE dialog boxes just like any other VEE error or caution E Unlike VEE MATLAB is case sensitive If you name a MATLAB Script object input or output ter
22. 157 PC Plug in Card with ODAS Driver as Formula Object 157 Amplicon Data Acquisition Example eee 159 VEE Using a ComputerBoards 100 KHz Board 160 Importing the ComputerBoards I O Library 160 ME Board Menu in VEE ceeesesseceseeeseceteceseeeneeeees 161 User Panel for Data Acquisition Board ME 3000 162 Function Panel for ME DriverSystem seee 162 Selecting a VXIplug amp play Driver s es 164 Selecting a Function for a VXI plug amp play Drivet 165 The HPE1412 Edit Function Panel eee eeeeeeeeee 166 DC Voltage Function in VXIplug amp play Object 166 Configuration Folder in Edit Function Panel 00 167 Contents 13 Figure 3 36 HPE1412 Driver Ready for a DC Reading 167 Figure 4 1 A VEE Function in the Function amp Object Browser 178 Figure 4 2 A MATLAB Function in the Function amp Object Browser 179 Figure 4 3 Opening Function and Object Browser from fx Icon 180 Figure 4 4 Calculating Standard Deviation 00 0 eee eeeeseeeseeeneeeeeeens 180 Figure 4 5 The Formula Object eee eeeeseceseceteseeeceseceseeeseeeaaeenaeens 181 Figure 4 6 Evaluating an Expression cccesceeeeseeeeeceeseeeeeeseenseeees 183 Figure 4 7 Formula Examples Using VEE Functions 184 Figure 4 8 VEE Functions Using One Formula Object 185 Figure 4 9 On Your Own Solution Ramp and SDEV 0 ee 186 Figure 4 10 MATLAB S
23. Compiled Function using C UNIX oo cee cecceeceecseeeeeeecenaeceeeeeeeeeeeees 424 Agilent VEE Execution Modes ceceescesesseeeeeceseeeeseeeseceseceeeeeeeenes 427 The Agilent VEE Compiler ccc eecesesseeeeeeceeeceseeeeeeeeeeeneeenees 428 Changing the Execution Mode 00 cee eeeeceeseeseceeseceseeeeeeseeeeneeenees 428 Effect of Changing the Execution Mode eeeeeeeseeseeeneeeneees 430 The Agilent VEE Profero aadapisedidetdevias eincediateeatnnetates 435 Chapter Checklist ecann teier e A elites chee a E n 436 12 Platform Specifics and Web Monitoring OVERVIEW nonien E E E E E EA a a a 439 Differences Between PC and HP UX Platforms 0 00 0 eee eeeeeeeeeeeee 440 Prora S ereer lace aoe e reek a EE EE A SE Oe AEA 440 Named Pipes and ActiveX Capabilities 0 0 eee eeeeeeeeeeeneeeneees 440 Rocky Mountain Basic oc sesseeseceseceseeeseeeseceaeceaeeseeeseeeaaeeaaees 440 The Execute Program Objects ceeeeceseesceeseceteeceseeeeeeseeeaeesenees 440 To From Stdout Stderr UNIX ccccccccccccesessssecceececeesessaeeeeees 441 Fonts and Screen Resolutions ceeeeeeesccssceeseceneceseeeeeeeseeeneeenaees 441 Data Piles shige E a a E E E 441 Communicating with Rocky Mountain Basic Programs eeeeeeeee 442 Using the Initialize Rocky Mountain Basic Object eee 442 Using the To From Rocky Mountain Basic Object eee 443 The Callable VEE ActiveX Automation Server ccs cceeeeeeceseeereeeeee 446 Web enablement
24. Creating a Dialog Box for User Input If it is not already open open the program usrobj program3 vee In the Data Dialog Box submenu are six choices for dialog Text Input Int32 Input and Real64 Input as well as Message Box List Box and File Name Selection boxes In each case for text integer and real input a dialog box helps you configure the prompt or label default value value constraints and error message Once you include one of these dialog boxes a pop up input box will appear when the program is run 1 Select Data Dialog Box Int32 Input and place it to the left of the Function Generator Change the Prompt Label field to Enter Frequency Remember to click and drag over the field to highlight it first Change the Default Value to 100 Tip You can also double click an input field to highlight an entry 2 Change the Value Constraints to 1 on the low end and to 193 on the high end Change the error message to reflect these new values as shown in Figure 2 6 Finally iconize the Int32 Input object Prompt Label Enter Frequency Default Value fi oo Value Constraint fi s value AND yalues 193 Error Message ou must enter a number between 1 and 193 Cancel Figure 2 6 The Int32 Input Configuration Box 3 Open the Object Menu for the Function Generator and choose Add Terminal gt Data Input In the dialog box for Select input to add choose Frequency and click OK 4 Connect the top output
25. D data accessing logged data 341 Build Data Record object 301 Constant Record 303 creating data lines 42 data types 175 DataSets and data types 232 delete data lines 42 displaying test data 194 flow 73 From File object add to program 91 getting a Record field 225 input adding 145 logging test data 336 mathematically processing 94 output adding 145 passing in Sequencer 343 pins and objects 46 propagation and flow 68 reading from an instrument 151 Records 222 retrieving with From file object 218 shape definition 174 Show Data Flow 71 storing mixed data types 222 To File object in program 87 type definition 174 types supported with MATLAB 191 using data shapes in program 95 Index 3 using data types in program 94 data input pin 46 data output pin 46 Dataset search and sort operations 237 DataSets to store and retrieve records 232 236 date amp time time stamp format 215 debugging adding Alphanumeric displays 106 breakpoints 106 examine data on line 104 examining terminals 105 line probe 104 programs in VEE 102 Show Data Flow 102 Show Execution Flow 103 step functions 114 default changing preferences 44 delete undoing a delete 36 data lines between objects 42 object 36 Delta markers 198 description dialog boxes 120 deselect objects 39 detail view button on icon bar 367 cannot access if panel view secured 381 definition 6 displaying 93 when it c
26. Figure 10 12 A Pop Up File Selection BOX eee eeeesseceseeeneeeeeeees 375 Figure 10 13 Switches and Alarms Combined cece eeceeeeeseeeneeees 376 Figure 10 14 Configuring Panel Properties 377 Figure 10 15 A Softkey Executing a UserFunction ee eee 377 Figure 10 16 Configuring the Confirm OK Object as a Softkey 378 Figure 10 17 The Default Preferences Dialog Box eee 379 Figure 10 18 Color Selection for Screen Element cece eeeeees 380 Figure 10 19 Creating a Status Panel oe eeeeeeseenseceeeeaeeeneeees 382 Figure 10 20 Early Stage in the Dice Program esc eeeeseeeseceseeees 385 Figure 10 21 The Dice Program Detail View 386 Contents 16 Figure 10 22 The Dice Program Panel View c cccscceesereeereeeees 388 Figure 10 23 The Bitmap Function 0 cee eee eeeeeseeseceseceseceneeeeeeenes 390 Figure 10 24 The UserFunction alarm Detail View ceeeeeeee 392 Figure 10 25 The Warning UserFunction Detail View 0 0 0 0 394 Figure 10 26 The Warning Program eeeeesceseeseceeeceeceeeeneeenes 395 Figure 10 27 Using the ActiveX Control ProgressBar 0 0 0 cee 397 Figure 10 28 An ActiveX Control Example Using MSChart 398 Figure 10 29 Configuring Test 0 0 0 cee ee eee eeeeeseecnseceaecnseceeeeeeeeees 399 Figure 10 30 The UserFunction LogTest Detail eee eee 400 Figure 10 31 The UserFunction LogTest Panel 400 Figure 10 32 Statu
27. L lab program using Records 222 lab programs add a noise generator 68 add an amplitude input 71 alarm 391 creating a dialog box 85 creating a panel view 91 creating an array of test results 207 display waveform 52 generate a random number 116 mathematically processing data 94 Real64 slider 71 search and sort with DataSets 237 setting and getting global variable 117 standard deviation 179 using DataSets 232 view data flow and propagation 68 Label displays 194 learn string 155 libraries Delete Library object 317 DLLs Dynamic Link Libraries 417 Import Library object 317 Merge Library command 309 merging UserFunctions 309 UserFunction 298 UserFunctions 309 316 line breaks in Formula objects 184 line probe 104 lines creating data lines between objects 42 deleting lines between objects 42 Edit gt Clean Up Lines 54 live mode 136 local functions naming 320 logging accessing data 341 To From DataSet objects 360 To From File objects 359 Logging Alphanumeric displays 194 logging enabled Sequencer transaction field 336 M Main window description 24 displaying in VEE 66 managing the work space 65 math Device gt Function amp Object Browser 178 performing math on arrays 408 mathematically processing data 94 MATLAB 187 191 case sensitivity 190 data types supported 191 feature 177 graph 189 in Function amp Object Browser 179 including Script object in
28. Result Figure 8 4 Editing the UserFunction ArrayStats 6 Open the Call ArrayStats object menu and click Configure Pinout This will adjust the number of pins to match the recent edits In order to update the number of pins you must open the object and click Configure Pinout whenever you change the number of inputs or outputs in a UserFunction Or you can manually update the Ca11 object s input and output pins but using Configure Pinout is much simpler You can use Find to find all the Ca11 objects and expressions that call a UserFunction For more information refer to Finding Functions in Large Programs on page 321 Now display a record using the Record Constant object Use the Default Value control input to accept a record from ArrayStats VEE automatically configures the Record Constant to hold the incoming record 302 Chapter 8 Using Agilent VEE Functions Using Functions 7 Select Data Constant Record and place it to the right of the Call Function object a Open the Record object menu and click Add Terminal gt Control Input Select Default Value from the list box presented You can open the Properties menu to Show Terminals if you wish b Now connect the Call Function data output to the control input pin on the Record object Notice that control lines are indicated by dashed lines to differentiate them from data lines 8 Run the program It should look like Figure 8 5
29. Using the Test Sequencer Step 7 Figure A 39 shows a solution to step 7 r Figure A 39 Using the Test Sequencer Step 7 Key Points E The To String object is still being used to format the Real 4 into a time stamp format E Notice the sequence line between the first generate Formula and the second evaluate Formula This ensures the second Formula will not execute until it gets the new string to evaluate Using the Test Sequencer Step 8 Display only the records in which test 1 passed and test 2 failed 526 Appendix A Additional Lab Exercises Test Sequencing Solution Using the Test Sequencer Step 8 Figure A 40 shows a solution to the final step in using the test sequencer From DataSet myFile Get records All Search Specifier eg Rec A 10 rec test pass 1 AND rec test2 pass 0 EOF el eval af test4 timestamp Result Formula eee eee ee Ce CU From fi Thru fa 3 17 19 13 17 22 13 172 19 13 17 22 13 17 19 13 17 22 13 17 19 13 17 22 Figure A 40 Using the Test Sequencer Step 8 Key Points The EOF Pin on the From Data Set Object Second Thread The EOF pin is added in case there are no records that fit the criteria If this happens then the EOF pin will fire instead of VEE halting the program with an error message The Conditional Expression in the From Data Set Object Second Thread The expression is Rec tes
30. and the Real64 object to the data terminal on the Build Record object 7 Run the program Double click on the Record data output terminal to examine the record It should look like Figure 5 9 _testname Output Shape Output Terminal Information r Terminal Information Name Gee Mode Data gt r Container Information Type Record Field name Value Shape Scalar testname Test Data time 63 086 data Real64 Array 1D Figure 5 9 Output Terminal Information on a Record You can see the three fields and their values If you click on the Real64 Array 1D button a list box shows the actual values Notice that the time stamp has been stored as a Real64 Scalar In the next exercise you will convert it to a more readable form Click OK to close the Output Terminal Information dialog box Save the program as records vee 224 Chapter 5 Note Storing and Retrieving Test Results Using Records to Store Mixed Data Types Getting a Field From a Record Use the Get Field object to extract each of the three fields from the record then display the values for each 1 2 Open the records vee program Select Data Access Record Get Field The object appears with rec field for a title The data input labeled rec will take any record regardless of the number and type of fields Rec field is the default selection in the input field but this can edited to r
31. ii A data type used for ActiveX Automation and Controls Object Menu The menu associated with an object that contains features that operate on the object for example moving sizing copying and deleting the object To obtain the object menu click the object menu button at the 534 Glossary upper left corner of the object or click the right mouse button with the pointer over the object Object Menu Button The button at the upper left corner of an open view object which displays the object menu when you click it Open View The representation of a VEE object that shows more detail than the minimized view icon Most object open views have fields that allow you to modify the operation of the object Panel Driver An instrument control object that forces all the function settings in the corresponding physical instrument to match the settings in the control panel displayed in the open view of the object Panel View The view of a VEE program or of a UserObject or UserFunction that shows only those objects needed for the user to run the program and view the resulting data You can use panel views to create an operator interface for your program Pin or Pins An external connection point on an object to which you can attach a line Pointer The graphical image that maps to the movement of the mouse The pointer allows you to make selections and provides you feedback on a particular process underway VEE has pointers of differen
32. number 10 by double clicking then type 4 For Count will output 0 1 2 and 3 about the The Collector receives data values through its Collector Data input terminal When you finish collecting object data you ping the XEQ terminal to tell the Collector to construct the array and output it You can use the For Count sequence output pin to ping the Collector XEQ pin The Collector displays a button that toggles between a 1 Dim Array and n l Dim Array Double click the Collector to get the open view and read through Help in the object menu to understand the object 2 Click n 1 Dim in the Collector to change the selection to 1 Dim Array 3 Connect the For Count data output pin to the Data input pin on the Collector 4 Connect the For Count sequence output pin to the XEQ input pin on the Collector Chapter 5 207 Storing and Retrieving Test Results Using Arrays to Store Test Results The XEQ pin a special trigger pin that exists on several different objects determines when the object executes In this case you want the object to fire after all of the data for the array has been collected 5 Connect the Collector data output pin to the AlphaNumeric data input pin 6 Enlarge AlphaNumeric to accommodate the array by clicking and dragging on any corner of the object You could also have enlarged AlphaNumeric when you first selected it by using click and drag on the object outline 7 Run the program I
33. on page 25 and Using Online Help on page 99 E VEE Manuals The manual set for VEE includes this manual VEE Pro User s Guide and the VEE Pro Advanced Techniques manual E Agilent VEE Classes For information about VEE classes check the Web site http www agilent com comms education The VEE programs for many of the lab exercises and programming examples in this manual are included in VEE under Help Open Example Manual UsersGuide Ordering Free Evaluation Software Free evaluation software is available on a CD or by downloading from the VEE website To order the Agilent Technologies VEE Evaluation Kit CD call 800 829 4444 in the U S or contact Agilent Technologies offices worldwide at http www agilent com tmo 12 Introduction MATLAB Script Overview MATLAB Script Overview MATLAB Script is a subset of the standard full featured MATLAB from The MathWorks It gives users direct access to the core set of MATLAB functionality such as advanced mathematics data analysis and scientific and engineering graphics The MATLAB Script object can be easily included in any Agilent VEE program MATLAB Script includes hundreds of functions for E Data analysis and visualization E Numeric computation including Q Linear algebra and matrix computation Q Fourier and statistical analysis Q Differential equation solving Q Trigonometric and fundamental math operations E Engineering and scientific grap
34. or press the Default Preferences button on the tool bar as shown in Figure 11 12 EnA Default Preferences Button Pad Figure 11 12 Default Preferences Button on Toolbar 2 In the General folder already displayed since it is the first folder under Execution Mode select VEE 6 0 as shown in Figure 11 13 In the same folder make sure that Disable Debug Features is not selected Click OK Default Preferences General Colors Fonts Number Printing Web Server Environment Execution Mode I Auto Line Routing Q VEE 6 adds new Data Types WV Delete Vari lt VEE 5 adds Activex Execution mode lt VEE 4 adds Compiler set to VEE 6 lt VEE3 r Trig Mode Debug Program Development Q Degrees Data Flow Rate 6 7 Alignment Spacing 20 Disable Debug lt Radians Disable Debug Features M Binary RunTime File Format Features turned T Check Instrument Addresses at PreRun OFF not checked 0K save Reset Cancel _Help Figure 11 13 Changing the Execution Mode in Default Preferences Chapter 11 429 Optimizing Agilent VEE Programs Agilent VEE Execution Modes Effect of Changing the Execution Mode The following example demonstrates the increase in speed when a program is updated These example focuses on the program speed without instrument T O 1 Open the chaos vee program in the examples Applications subdirectory This program illustrates explosive population growth
35. time stamp to a file 1 Inthe same To File object double click in the transaction area to display the 1 0 Transaction box 2 Double click the expression list input field to highlight the a and type now The now function sends the current time from the computer clock in a Real format 3 Change the Real format to the Time Stamp Format Click the arrow next to DEFAULT FORMAT to display the drop down menu and select TIME STAMP FORMAT The I O Transaction dialog box now displays additional entries Set the entries as follows Date amp Time Select Time in the drop down menu Chapter 5 215 Storing and Retrieving Test Results Using the To From File Objects HH MM SS Click and toggle to HH MM from the hour minute and second format to the hour minute format 24 HOUR Click and toggle to 12 HOUR from 24 hour format to a m and p m format The I O Transaction dialog box should now look like Figure 5 5 VO Transaction WRITE 7 TEXT 7 fowo TIME STAMP FORMAT 7 DEFAULT FIELD WIDTH Time z HH MM 2 HOUR EOLON OK NOP Cancel Figure 5 5 The TIME STAMP I O Transaction Box 4 Click OK to return to the To File box The second transaction bar should now contain the statement WRITE TEXT now TIME HM H12 EOL Sending a Real Array to a File Create a one dimensional array of four elements using the For Count and Collector objects and append it to myFile 1 Select Flow Repeat For Coun
36. you will learn the easiest way to integrate compiled programs and operating system commands with VEE One of the great advantages of VEE is that it integrates well with other applications and programs Furthermore by using ActiveX you can use components from other programs For more information refer to Chapter 6 Creating Reports Easily Using ActiveX In VEE the Execute Program object specifies programs and parameters and uses operating system commands There is an Execute Program object for the PC and another for HP UX This chapter includes a lab exercise with the Execute Program object for PCs and another with the Execute Program object for HP UX Chapter 7 279 Integrating Programs In Other Languages Understanding the Execute Program Object Understanding the Execute Program Object In addition to ActiveX Automation there are three ways to run programs in other languages from VEE 1 Use the Execute Program object to escape VEE and run another program application or operating system command This method is the most versatile and easy to use 2 Link compiled functions in other languages to VEE either through Shared Libraries in UNIX operating systems or Dynamic Link Libraries on the PC Although this is slightly more difficult to execute it gives you significant performance gains For more information on Shared Libraries refer to Overview of Compiled Functions on page 414 For more information about Dynamic Lin
37. 12 2 shows the To From Rocky Mountain Basic UNIX object located under I O Rocky Mountain Basic UNIX This object facilitates data transfer to and from RMB programs It creates and uses named pipes for interprocess communication For simplicity VEE implements one pipe for READ transactions and another pipe for WRITE transactions In the To From Rocky Mountain Basic UNIX object shown in Figure 12 2 there are two transactions writing an Int 32 integer and reading an Int 32 integer You can use the default pipes or create your own by typing in new paths and filenames for Write Pipe and Read Pipe Transactions are configured the same way as other transaction objects in VEE The Write Pipe and Read Pipe fields can be added to the object as control pins The following items describe more information about communicating with Rocky Mountain Basic defaultnames All To From Rocky Mountain Basic objects for read and contain the same default names for read and write write pipes pipes Therefore be sure to specify the correct pipe to READ or WRITE Make sure that pipes to different programs have unique names In the RMB program be sure to address OUTPUT and ENTER statements to the correct pipe Chapter 12 443 Platform Specifics and Web Monitoring Communicating with Rocky Mountain Basic Programs pipes that are created automatically creating additional pipes opening and closing pipes structuring transactions with pip
38. 2 Select Display AlphaNumeric display place it below the Sequencer increase its width and connect the Sequencer Log output terminal to the Alphanumeric data input 3 Double click the Sequencer transaction bar to get the Sequence Transaction dialog box Set the fields as follows As you edit the fields remember to click on new fields to modify them or use the Tab key to move forward to different fields Use the Shift Tab keys to move the cursor backward Press the Enter key only when you are done editing the dialog box TEST The default name is test1 which you can use This is just the label for the test in the Sequencer It is not the test function itself SPEC Represents the expected test value The default is 5 NOMINAL Change this to 25 and then alter the upper RANGE field on the far right from 1 to 5 Chapter 9 331 Test Sequencing Creating a Test Execution Order FUNCTION The default entry test Func a holds the actual function that performs the test In this case replace the default field with the random function Random will return a Real64 value between 0 and 1 simulating a test result This result will be compared to the test specification The random low high object is located in the Probability amp Statistics category in the Function amp Object Browser box Remember that you can call this math function from any expression field without actually using a Formula object If you do not provid
39. 239 Storing and Retrieving Test Results Customizing a Simple Test Database 4 The program can now execute whenever the operator makes a menu selection so delete the Start object Press the right mouse button over the Start object and select Cut 5 The program should only execute when a menu selection is made so connect the Test Menu data output pin Enum to the For Count sequence input pin The program should look like Figure 5 17 Q test lt testi lt test2 lt test3 lt test4 lt tests lt test lt test lt tests lt test9 Output Shape Scalar Record To DataSet myFile Clear File At PreRun Ordinal From Dataset ___myfile Get records One Search Specifier eg Rec A lt 10 Rec B 0 5 0 in 0 5 Field name Value C Real a aray 1D First Prev Next Last Figure 5 17 Adding the Test Menu object 240 Chapter5 Storing and Retrieving Test Results Customizing a Simple Test Database 6 The output of the Test Menu goes into a Formula object which then sends the correct formula to the From Data Set object Select Device Formula and place the object below Test Menu You may want to rearrange and or resize objects as you add items during the exercise In the new Formula object enter the following expression Rec A n n W A mw n Rec A Rec A sends a Text data type to t
40. 4Channels f Me 3000 A m mesoo S me3oo me3000AISetTiager me3000demoAlSetTimer f mez l mez Board 0 Sofware 20000 Pee a a A mesoo eO O j Single a fooooo me300l dae em cae J me3000AI Create Channellist meS000 Moke ChannelitEntry __ShanneiNumber Range Mode 7 Chanera gl HOV ZI Single_ended gt me3000F requencyToCounter mes rmeS000AIScan Pess cea Rone ME 3000 V j meaoail E E E me300 me3oot Wave 4 Wave 2 _ Wave 3 meso MinpurRa _inputRange Ha mesoo no g so S sov f ov me300i al E I HE mesoo Output S Press F af Ready STO FFF MOD WEB Figure 3 29 User Panel for Data Acquisition Board ME 3000 Finally in the third menu the actual functions are located such as me3000AISingle Figure 3 30 shows the function panel EHP VEE Al Scan Out_In 4Channels vee File Edit View Debug Flow Device 1 0 Data Display Window ME Board Help rue eS d Fa ye Main P A Delete v mes mea A mes MEILHAUS ELECTRONIC Library Type Compiled Function 7 Library Name me3000 instaliDinme3000 dil File Name Definition File instaliDinme3000vee h Figure 3 30 Function Panel for ME DriverSystem 162 Chapter 3 Easy Ways to Control Instruments Using a VXlplug amp play Driver Using a VXIplug amp play Driver VXIplug amp play drivers are issued and supported by the various instrument vendors The
41. 6 Click the Run button on the tool bar and you will see a random number displayed as shown in Figure 2 33 is program Random generates a real umber between 0 and 1 then displays the results Fandorviow high Result 0 5636 Figure 2 33 The Random Program 7 Select File gt Save As type Random VEE and click OK Or save to EVAL VEE if you are using the evaluation kit software This name will appear next to VEE in the title bar when you open it in the future Lab 2 7 Setting and Getting a Global Variable This program gives you more practice in the basic mechanics of building a VEE program and introduces global variables You can use the Set Variable object to create a variable that can be retrieved later in the program using a Get Variable object You can use any VEE data type This example uses a number of type Real 4 For more information about VEE data types see Chapter 4 Analyzing and Displaying Test Data Chapter 2 117 Note Agilent VEE Programming Techniques Practice Programs 1 Select Display Note Pad and place it at the top center of the work area Click on the upper left hand corner of the editing area to get a cursor then enter the following information Set and Get a Global Variable prompts the user to enter a real number The variable num is set to this real number Then num is recalled and displayed Select Data Constant Real 4 and p
42. 97 Note Agilent VEE Programming Techniques General Techniques When you run the program the Formula object takes the waveform input A and the real value B and adds B to the absolute value of A In effect the expression abs A B rectifies the sine wave and adds a dc offset You could have produced the same effect by using the A B and abs x objects but it is easier to read an expression in a Formula object This also saves space Try double clicking the input and output terminals of the Formula object Note that the real scalar on input B is added to each element of the waveform data a one dimensional array on input A and the resulting waveform is output on the Result terminal To augment VEE s extensive math capability there are hundreds more mathematical functions available through MATLAB Script integration Browse through these functions in the Function amp Object Browser For more information about using MATLAB functions refer to Using MATLAB Script in Agilent VEE on page 187 of Chapter 4 Analyzing and Displaying Test Data 98 Chapter 2 Note Agilent VEE Programming Techniques Using Online Help Using Online Help Now that you have created a few simple programs here are some ways to teach yourself more about VEE 1 First run the Multimedia Tutorials located in the Help Welcome menu The tutorials demonstrate many of the main features of VEE They will help bring you up to spe
43. A 21 UserObject to Ask Operator to Input A and B ___EnterB ___ 1 ok Figure A 22 Panel for Operator to Enter A and B 500 Appendix A Additional Lab Exercises Creating Operator Panels and Pop ups Key Points E UserObject Properties In the UserObject Properties dialog box select Pop Up Panel and click to turn on Show Panel On Execute Change the Pop Up Panel Panel Title nameto Enter A or B Creating Operator Panels and Pop ups Step 2 Instead of displaying both A and B ask the operator whether to display A or B if the two numbers are different After asking for the two values if the values A and B are equal display the value If the two values A and B are different ask the operator to pick a value to display Display A or B depending on the operator s choice HINT Add another UserObject with a pop up panel that is set to Show Panel on Execute and ask the operator for the value there Appendix A 501 Additional Lab Exercises Creating Operator Panels and Pop ups Solution Creating Operator Panels and Pop ups Step 2 Figure A 23 shows the UserObject that asks the operator to make a choice when A and B are different numbers Figure A 24 shows the second pop up panel that appears to ask the operator whether to display A or B amp EME Choose A or B Figure A 23 UserObject to Ask Operator Whether to Display A or B Figure A 24 Panel
44. Commands and parameters enable a remote user to monitor and troubleshoot a remote VEE program through the browser The following lists the commands and parameters The commands and parameters that can be used in URLs when a remote user accesses a VEE program on your system are as follows Viewing the entire VEE ViewVEE window For example http hostname ViewVEE Panel view of main VEE ViewMainPanel program Detail view of main VEE program For example http hostname ViewMainPanel ViewMainDetail For example http hostname ViewMainDetail VEE execution window ViewExecWindow during runtime 456 For example http hostname ViewExecWindow Chapter 12 VEE UserFunction in Panel view Detail view of a UserFunction Error window of current program Display list of available command URLs Platform Specifics and Web Monitoring Web Monitoring with Agilent VEE http hostname ViewPanel lt UserFunction Name gt For example if the UserFunction is AddNoise the remote user would enter http hostname ViewPanel AddNoise http hostname ViewDetail UserFunctionName For example if the UserFunction is AddNoise the remote user would enter http hostname ViewPanel AddNoise http hostname ViewError ViewHelp Displaying the Agilent VEE Web Server Page When you install VEE it creates a default index html file in the www directory This file contains the VEE Web Server Home Page
45. Control Instruments Using Direct I O 1 Select I O Instrument Manager Click Add Change the name to dvm Click on Advanced and set Live Mode to OFF Assuming that you do not have an HP3478A connected click OK to return to the Instrument Manager If you do have an HP3478A modify the address and the instrument will track the commands 2 Highlight dvm NOT LIVE andclick Direct I Ounder Create I O Object 3 Double click the lt Double Click to Add Transaction gt bar to display the 1 0 Transaction dialog box 4 Highlight the input field and type T5 then click OK This will write the T command to the instrument T5 is the command for a single trigger to the multimeter 5 Open the object menu and click Add Trans to add another transaction bar or use lt Double Click to Add Transaction gt to add a transaction and display the I O Transaction dialog box 6 Click the down arrow beside WRITE to get a drop down menu then select READ When you select READ new buttons appear in the 1 0 Transaction box 7 Check the ExpressionList input field to verify that it contains an x Press Tab to move to the next field Data returned from an instrument is sent to data output pins In this case data will be read from the instrument and put into a data output named x Names are not case sensitive 8 Leave the REAL64 FORMAT default The multimeter returns single readings as real numbers 9 Leave DEFAULT NUM CHARS as
46. Formula and place it below the display Connect the Formula input pin to the output of the Collector Change the Formula input field to read a test1 result Connect a mean x object to Formula and an AlphaNumeric display to mean x The a refers to the array on the input terminal A Test1 result accesses the proper field All runs will be shown in an array A 0 test1 result would refer to the first run only for example 5 Run the program It should look like Figure 9 15 Chapter 9 357 Test Sequencing Analyzing Data from the Sequencer testi 0 lt 5 lt 1 test2 0 lt 6 lt 1 lt Double Click to Add Transaction gt 0 test1 0 7297 1 test2 0 4031 1 test3 0 2887 1 41 test1 0 2929 1 test2 0 6619 1 test3 0 8156 1 2 test1 0 8552 1 test2 0 8857 1 test3 0 8911 1 pritest result Jmeanca Figure 9 15 Analyzing Several Runs of Sequencer Data Although this exercise accesses a single array the principle is the same for extracting other arrays of data from the Sequencer output Note that you can easily change which fields are saved for each by opening the Logging folder inthe Sequencer Properties dialog box 358 Chapter 9 Test Sequencing Storing and Retrieving Logged Data Storing and Retrieving Logged Data This exercise shows how to use the To From File objects and To From DataSet obj
47. I ArrayStats m 024 1 1024 sdevoo Figure 8 1 The Main and ArrayStats Windows 3 Iconize ArrayStats It appears as an icon at the bottom of the workspace 4 Click Device Call open the object menu and click Select Function as shown in Figure 8 2 Then click ox Notice that VEE renames the object automatically and adds the correct pins Chapter 8 299 Using Agilent VEE Functions Using Functions famp 1024 1 1024 ArrayStats A ok e E Caneel Hep Figure 8 2 Configuring the Pins for Call myFunction 5 Connect the output of Formula to the Call ArrayStats input Select Display AlphaNumeric clone it three times and connect the displays to the Call ArrayStats output pins Rename the displays 6 Run the program It should look like Figure 8 3 Save the program as array_stats Vee Function Name ewe k ArrayStats 512 5 295 7 Figure 8 3 Calling the User Function ArrayStats To use ArrayStats elsewhere in the program you would click on Device Call open the Select Function box from the object menu and choose ArrayStats VEE would automatically rename the object Call ArrayStats and add the necessary input and output terminals 300 Chapter 8 Using Agilent VEE Functions Using Functions Shortcut From the UserFunction object menu select Generate gt Call to bring up the Call ArrayStats object Make
48. Lab 2 7 Setting and Getting a Global Variable eee 117 Documenting Agilent VEE Programs 00 cceeeceseeeeseeeseceeeeeeeeeeees 120 Documenting Objects with Description Dialog Boxes 120 Generating Documentation Automatically cece eeeeeeeeereeereees 121 Chapter Checklist oeroet Piet ssseusde Suebesidecurisdsecces sd EERE EE E ETS 125 3 Easy Ways to Control Instruments OVERVIEW AEA EE A EE E EENE E EE EEA 129 Contents 3 Patel Dri Verseciessscersseicet ec ceiw ies Savas eee ede ie 130 Direct W O Ob ects drente irnn a nite east 130 PC Plug in Boards with ODAS Driver oo eee eeeeeeeereenee senor 131 PC Plug in Boards with I O Library eee cee eeeeeeeeeeeeneeeeees 131 VXIplug amp play Drivers eee ceseeeeseeeeseeceeeeseceseceseeseeeeneseneeenees 132 Configuring an Instrument 0 0 eee eeeeeeeceseceeeeeeeeeeceaeeeaeecaeceaeeees 133 Lab 3 1 Configuring an Instrument without the Instrument Present 133 Selecting an Instrument to Use in a Program 139 Adding the Physical Instrument to the Configuration 0 141 Using a Panel Driver soeren aroei iori oak EEE E A E TARE 142 Lab 3 2 Changing Settings on a Panel Driver 142 Moving to Other Panels on the Same Driver eee eens 144 Adding Inputs and or Outputs to a Panel Driver eee eee 145 Deleting Data Input or Output Terminals 0 0 0 eee eeeeeneeereees 146 On Your Own ao iinit wet ee ie ee ele a E E 146 Using Direct VO ptn iii n
49. Object Undoing a Cut ee eesessecsseceeeeeeeeeeeeeeeaeens 36 Changing the Size of an Object eee eeseceeeeeeeeeeeseneeeseeeaeeeaeees 37 Changing the Name Title of an Object oe eee eseeeeeceteeeneceeees 38 Selecting or Deselecting Objects ee ese ssseeseceseeeeceeeeceeeeeeeeeaes 39 Selecting Several Objects 0 ee sesceseecseceeeceeeeeneeeesecsaeceaeesaeeeseeees 39 Selecting Deselecting All Objects cece ceeesseceseeeeceteceeeeeneeeees 40 Copying Multiple Objects 00 eee ssceeseceseeceeeeeeeeeeecnaeeesecsaeonaeees 40 Editing Objects iiss cracits ese advenidee E a e E E eine ees 41 Creating Data Lines Between Objects eseerncreeeererrererrerreee 42 Deleting Data Lines Between Objects neceeseereeeeerererresrersresses 42 Moving the Entire Work Area eeeseeesssreeresresrereresreresrresrrrresresen 43 Clearing the Work Area i ecnsicnncsecincninenisira inais 44 Changing Default Preferences eee eeceeseceeeeeeeesecnseceeeeseenseeees 44 Understanding Pins and Terminals eee cesceeseeseceseceeeceseeeseeeeneeeaes 46 Adding a Terminal dpe asec eines dae Geena sales 48 Editing Terminal Information 0 esceseceeeeeeeeeeeeseeeeesseeenaeens 49 Deleting sa Terminals oeei ane dae nines 51 Connecting Objects to Make a Program eesseeeeereeresrerrrrresrerrrrreeee 52 Lab 1 1 Display Waveform Program eeseeeeeererererrsrersres 52 Rumming a Programmi i csi cciuiececeascuedbsk dug dae cece dateedscetsckesasaoacdeca
50. Overview of Agilent VEE In Figure I 2 some objects are displayed in detail and some are displayed with only the name showing The objects that are displayed in detail are shown in open view Open view allows you to see the details of the object To save space and increase program execution speed you can iconize objects or reduce them so that only the names are showing For example in Figure I 2 the object labeled Random Number is shown as an icon The object labeled Create Array is shown using an open view The open view is larger and more detailed Object views are discussed in more detail in Changing Object Views on page 31 of Chapter 1 Using the Agilent VEE Development Environment Creating Operator Interfaces in Agilent VEE An additional benefit of programming in VEE is that it only takes a few minutes to create an operator interface Using the Random program from Figure I 2 the objects that the operator needs to see are selected and put into a panel view A panel view shows only the objects the operator needs to run the program and view the resulting data Figure I 3 shows the panel view of the Random program in Figure I 2 The program and its operator interface are different views of the same VEE program You can go back and forth from one view to the other by clicking the detail view and panel view buttons in the window title bar in VEE Any edits or updates that you make to a program detail view a
51. REAL64 FORMAT 7 DEFAULT FIELD WIDTH i 7 STANDARD x ALL SIG DIGITS EOLON Figure 5 6 Storing Data Using the To File Object Chapter 5 217 Note Storing and Retrieving Test Results Using the To From File Objects Retrieving Data with the From File Object To retrieve data using a From File object you must know how the data was stored You can also store and retrieve data using To DataSet or From DataSet which does not require you to know the type of data in the file Datasets are described in the section Using DataSets to Store and Retrieve Records on page 232 In this example the name of a test is stored ina String Format followed by atime stamp in Time Stamp Format and an array of Real6 4 numbers You will create three transactions in From File to read the data back into VEE 1 Select I O From gt File and place it below the To File object 2 Connect the sequence output pin of the To File object to the sequence input pin of the From File object This sequence connection ensures the To File object has completed sending data to myFile before From File begins to extract data 3 Inthe From File object leave the default data file myFile Double click the transaction bar to get the I O Transaction dialog box Click REAL64 FORMAT and change it to STRING FORMAT as shown in Figure 5 7 218 Chapter 5 Storing and Retrieving Test Results Using the To From File Objects VO Transaction REA
52. Report vee from the Top Level ceeeeeeeseceseeeteeeees 310 Figure 8 12 The BuildRecAry UserFunction cc eeeeeeeeeceseeereeeees 311 Figure 8 13 The ReportHeader UserFunction cee eeceeseceeeeeneeees 312 Figure 8 14 The ReportBody UserFunction 0 eeeecceseceneeeseeeees 313 Figure 8 15 The ReportDisplay Detail View 314 Figure 8 16 The ReportDisplay Panel View 0 ccc eeeeeceseceseeeeeeeees 315 Figure 8 17 The RepGen vee Library of UserFunctions 316 Figure 8 18 Selecting a Function from an Imported Library 319 Figure 8 19 Calling a Function from a Library n se 320 Contents 15 Figure 8 20 The Find Dialog Box cee ceseeeeeeseeseeeeeeesecesceeaeenseeees 321 Figure 8 21 The Find Results Dialog BOX oe ee ee eeeesseeeneeeneeeeeees 321 Figure 8 22 Merging the BarChart Program ceeeeeeseeeseeeseeeneeees 324 Figure 9 1 The Sequence Transaction Dialog BOX s es 332 Figure 9 2 Configuring a Test cceeeecccseeeeseeeseceseecnseceeeceaecneeeseeeens 333 Figure 9 3 A Simple Sequencer Example ecceeceeseseeeeseeeneceeeees 340 Figure 9 4 A Logged Record or Records 0 ceeeessceeseeseceneeeeeeeeees 341 Figure 9 5 Accessing Logged Data eee esceesceesecnseceeeceseceeeeeneeees 342 Figure 9 6 The Rand UserFunction ce cecesceseseeseneeeseeeeeeaeenseeens 344 Figure 9 7 Passing Data Using an Input Terminal eee 346 Figure 9 8 The Global UserFunc
53. Select File gt New to clear the work area 2 Adda For Range object by selecting Flow gt Repeat gt For Range Chapter 2 95 From fo Thru fp Step fi Using the Formula Object Agilent VEE Programming Techniques General Techniques 3 Adda Sliding Collector object by selecting Data gt Sliding Collector 4 Adda median x object Select Device Function amp Object Browser Then select Type Built in Functions Category Probability amp Statistics Functions median and click Create Formula Shortcut You can display the Function amp Object Browser by clicking the fx button on the toolbar 5 Add an AlphaNumeric object by selecting Display gt AlphaNumeric Connect the objects as shown in Figure 2 16 Run the program If you have not changed any of the inputs on the objects you should see the result displayed in Figure 2 16 Array Size 10 Trigger Every 10 x Imedianod Result Figure 2 16 Connecting Data Objects VEE provides mathematical operators and functions which are documented in the Reference part of online help Select Help gt Contents and Index Then select Reference and browse the items as desired The predefined operator and function objects are available via Device gt Function amp Object Browser or fx on the toolbar You select them from the Function amp Object Browser by clicking entities in three lists Type Category and Functions Cl
54. Span 20m A B sdev A C rmstA Num Points 256 Figure 4 8 VEE Functions Using One Formula Object On Your Own Complete the following exercises and check the results as shown in Figure 4 9 1 Create an array of numbers from 1 to 2048 using the ramp object in the Generate category of Built in Functions Calculate the standard deviation of this array and display it 2 Do the same exercise described in the previous step using the ramp function in a Formula object instead of the ramp object 3 Do the same exercise described in the previous step by nesting the functions Use only two objects Chapter 4 185 Analyzing and Displaying Test Data Creating Expressions with the Formula Object lc prone 2048 Figure 4 9 On Your Own Solution Ramp and SDEV For the second and third exercises you have to delete the input terminal A on the Formula object to avoid an error message because all data input pins must be connected and have data before an object can operate 186 Chapter 4 Note Analyzing and Displaying Test Data Using MATLAB Script in Agilent VEE Using MATLAB Script in Agilent VEE VEE includes the MATLAB Script object which gives you access to the functionality of MATLAB VEE can pass data to the MATLAB Script Engine and receive data back enabling you to include MATLAB mathematical functions in VEE programs If you already have MATLAB installed
55. Test System Results Pih Sheet1 Ready E a al al Figure 6 10 Excel Worksheet for Array of Test Data et sheet CreateObject Excel Sheet worksheets 1 et app sheet application pp visible 1 et window app windows 1 indow caption Test System Results sheet cells 1 1 DC Volts jee ramp 20 4 5 5 5 sheet cells A 1 1 B A 1 set range sheetrange A2 A1 1 range NumberF ormat 00 00 app worksheetF unction average range Figure 6 11 Program for Array of Test Data Chapter 6 Creating Reports Easily Using Activex Creating an Agilent VEE to MS Excel Template You can re use this program as a template for displaying test results in MS Excel You simply put the test data into arrays and modify the rest of the template to fill in the appropriate cells in the right format To find additional methods and properties in the MS Excel library look at the Function amp Object Browser and choose the ActiveX Objects under Type and Excel under Library You can choose a Class or Member and press Help to get Help provided by the Automation Server author in this case Microsoft For more complete information on these libraries consult Microsoft documentation On Your Own Generate a waveform and strip out the Time Span to get an array Create a VEE object for MS Excel with a worksheet and set it to an Obje
56. There are a few things to note before the next lab exercise E You can use the same techniques in the exercise above to create menus for any program E Radio Buttons could also be used to select a compiled language program by using the Execute Program object with a control pin Command that indicated the program to call If you had imported a library of compiled functions you could also use the Ca11 object to run a function from the library E You could optimize this program by using the File Name data input pin on the Picture object inside a single UserFunction and then sending the appropriate bitmap file to the object If you are using many different bitmaps this is a more efficient way to program E You will usually use Run instead of AutoExecute on more complicated programs You can have the program pause at a data constant or selection control object by using Wait for Input instead of AutoExecute See Help for more information 388 Chapter 10 Using Operator Interfaces Common Tasks In Creating Operator Interfaces Lab 10 2 Importing Bitmaps for Panel Backgrounds Bitmaps are not essential to your programs but they can add clarity and impact to tests For example you might want to import a schematic to better illustrate what is being tested In this exercise you will import bitmaps for panel backgrounds with standard VEE objects placed on top of them Bitmaps can be imported for icons the Picture object or for the pa
57. VEE program 190 object in VEE program 188 overview 13 Signal Processing Toolbox 14 support information 17 uses of MATLAB Script object 187 menu bar 24 object menu 32 pop up 33 selecting 22 menus Device gt Import Library 417 Display gt Indicator 369 Display gt Sequencer 331 File gt Default Preferences color and font selection 369 File gt Merge 323 File gt Merge Library 309 File gt Save As 59 File gt Save Documentation 120 finding locations in online Help 101 Flow gt Confirm OK 381 Function amp Object Browser 178 T O gt Instrument Managert 133 object menu 32 Properties gt Icon 370 Properties Title 38 merge File 323 naming functions 320 UserFunctions 309 VEE programs 323 Merge Library 309 meters 369 Microsoft Windows 22 minimize object 32 mixed data types storing 222 modes Index 7 compatibility 427 execution 427 mouse button 22 move an object 33 data between objects 46 entire work area 43 objects in Panel view 384 N naming changing the name of an object 38 merged functions and local functions 320 nesting function calls 410 Noise Generator adding object 68 displaying a waveform 196 Note Pad displays 194 numbers Real64 slider 71 O object data type 176 object menu selecting 32 selecting when title bar is hidden 383 objects undo or paste a deleted object 36 adding 29 adding to panel 384 alignin
58. VEE will use your installed MATLAB to process MATLAB Script However if you do not have the Signal Processing Toolbox you will not be able to use those functions from VEE unless the MATLAB Script Engine that ships with VEE is registered To register MATLAB change directory CD to lt VEE_installation_dir gt MATLAB bin and execute MATLAB exe regserver Some uses of the MATLAB Script object include E Letting MATLAB operate on VEE generated data E Returning results from the MATLAB Script object and using the results in other parts of the VEE program E Performing sophisticated filter design and implementation in the MATLAB Script object by using MATLAB s Signal Processing Toolbox functionality E Visualizing data using 2 D or 3 D graphs Figure 4 10 shows how the MATLAB Script object appears in a VEE program When the MATLAB Script program executes it generates the data shown in the Alphanumeric object Chapter 4 187 Analyzing and Displaying Test Data Using MATLAB Script in Agilent VEE 1 Size 100 Num Dims 1 7 in Ramp z 1 10 ee Dim exp s t stem3 real y imag y t hold on 188 Chapter 4 fo 1 St plot3 real y imagty t k 00 0 4889 0 7614 01 0 414 0 7964 02 0 337 0 8222 03 0 2586 0 8417 04 0 1795 0 8539 05 0 1003 0 8588 06 21 71m 0 8565 07 55 63m 0 8472 08 60 1311 0 8311 09 0 2042
59. View Debug Flow Device 1 0 Data Display Window Help OSES rnane 8am pasarea eale eS ome MATLAB Script gt P x Agilent VEE onthe Web gt Product Registration afesalsseirslehe Instrument Drivers About VEE Pro Education Training Agilent YEE Home Page Agilent Technologies Home Page Figure l 4 Contacting Product Support in VEE Help Menu E For Complimentary Startup Assistance see phone support information in online help In VEE click Help Contents and Index and choose Agilent VEE Support 16 Introduction Sources of Additional Information for MATLAB Sources of Additional Information for MATLAB For complete detailed information on using the MATLAB Script object refer to the MATLAB Script Help Desk In VEE select Help MATLAB Script Help Desk The MATLAB Help Desk will appear in a Web browser For further information about MATLAB MATLAB Toolboxes and other products from The MathWorks visit www mathworks com or call 508 647 7000 Other sources of information include E Complete MATLAB documentation www mathworks com access helpdesk help helpdesk shtml E MATLAB Upgrade Offer A special offer is available for VEE Pro 6 0 and VEE OneLab 6 0 users To find out more go to www mathworks com veeupgrade E MATLAB Product Information www mathworks com products E MATLAB Technical Assistance www mathworks com support E MathWorks Store www mathworks com store E MathWorks Home Page
60. View Go Communicator Help 2 3 3 2a E 7N Back Forward Reload Home Search Netscape Print Security Stop wf Bookmarks A Go to http Server5 ViewDetaif Confidential Data Requested Please enter your password and name or return to the Agilent VEE home page First Name i COSY Last Name a Password a Submit Query _Reset Agilent VEE Home Page a b Document Done Figure 12 12 An Example of a Password Window Chapter 12 465 Platform Specifics and Web Monitoring Chapter Checklist Chapter Checklist You should now be able to perform the following tasks E Explain the key differences between PC and HP UX platforms and the issues they raise in porting programs E Explain how to call and communicate with a Rocky Mountain Basic program E Explain how to use the Callable VEE ActiveX Automation Server and when you would use it E Explain how you could integrate VEE functionality into other applications or programs E Explain the key concepts in using the web to monitor VEE programs 466 Chapter 12 Additional Lab Exercises Additional Lab Exercises Additional Lab Exercises The following exercises give you a chance to practice the VEE concepts you have learned in this book The exercises are divided into categories To use this appendix develop a solution and then compare it to the answers listed There are many ways to program a given task so you have a valid solution if i
61. Y is the shortcut And in a similar fashion you can copy a transaction with the Copy Trans selection 4 Run the program and note the two records of data from the two tests Save the program as seq1 vee The program should look like Figure 9 3 Chapter 9 339 Test Sequencing Creating a Test Execution Order testi 0 lt 25 lt 5 Return Double Click to Add Transaction test1 0 7833 0 test2 0 8026 0 Figure 9 3 A Simple Sequencer Example The braces indicate a Record data type The Sequencer outputs a Record of Records as shown in the AlphaNumeric display This means you could put the sequencer in a loop and run the same sequence of tests several times yielding an array of Records of Records Accessing Logged Test Data The Sequencer outputs aRecord of Records Each test uses the test name as its field name in the Sequencer record The fields within each test are named according to the logging configuration Using the default configuration with the fields Name Result and Pass you could access the result in test1 with the notation Log Test1 Result as shown in Figure 9 4 340 Chapter 9 Test Sequencing Creating a Test Execution Order Log Testl Result Pass 1 V Resul i aa a Figure 9 4 A Logged Record or Records Log The following steps access test results 1 Open seql vee 2 Select Device Formula and place it below the display Change
62. You can have remote users click choices on this page for displaying your VEE program The default VEE Web Server Home Page is shown in Figure 12 7 You can also edit the page in MS Word for example to suit your needs Chapter 12 457 Note Platform Specifics and Web Monitoring Web Monitoring with Agilent VEE Welcome to the Agilent VEE Web Server Home Page You can remotely view a VEE program element by VEE Pro selecting one of the Monitoring Options below and Better Tests Faster then clicking on View Monitoring Options VEE Workspace snapshot C VEE Workspace with second updates C Execution Window snapshot C Execution Window with second updates Q Last Error Message Main Panel C Main Detail C Panel View of UserFunction C Detail View of UserFunction View Figure 12 7 The Index html Default Page 9 To display this menu on your own system you can refer to your system as localhost For example if you run VEE run the network browser and enter http localhost the browser will display the VEE Web Server Home Page shown in Figure 12 7 This is an easy way for you to check what the remote user will display with different commands When the remote user displays the menu shown in Figure 12 7 he or she can access various parts of a VEE program by making choices in the menu For example the user can click on Main Detail to view the Main VEE program in Detail view Making the choice in t
63. You can modify the program as shown here by using a Timer object to check the results These examples were run using a 300MHz HP Pavillion PC on Windows 95 with two other large applications running concurrently In Figure 11 14 the program execution is timed with the displays open in VEE 3 execution mode 430 Chapter 11 Optimizing Agilent VEE Programs Agilent VEE Execution Modes Timer 4 9 949 Figure 11 14 Chaos vee in VEE 3 Mode with Open Displays In Figure 11 15 the displays are iconized to improve speed without turning on the compiler This cuts execution time about 1 6 Chapter 11 431 Optimizing Agilent VEE Programs Agilent VEE Execution Modes Figure 11 15 Chaos vee in VEE 3 Mode with Closed Displays Finally in Figure 11 16 the compiler is turned on with the debugging features disabled For optimum performance check the Disable Debug Features box in File Default Preferences when the program is fully debugged and ready to use The debugging features enable tools including the Show Execution Flow and Activate Breakpoints When you check Disable Debug Features this makes improvements in the size in memory and speed of the program As you can see the program runs about 12 times faster These three figures show how you can get the best speed results by combining optimization techniques with the compiler 432 Chapter 11 Optimizing Agilent VEE Programs Agilent V
64. and Frequency Create input dialog boxes for the amplitude and frequency and modify the titles to prompt the operator Enter different values for the amplitude and frequency and run the program to see if the settings have changed after operator inputs If an instrument is attached then its settings will change if Live Mode is ON 146 Chapter 3 Easy Ways to Control Instruments Using Direct I O Using Direct I O If there is not a driver available for a particular instrument or you want higher throughput use the Direct I O object Lab 3 3 Using Direct I O In this exercise you will configure the HP 3325B function generator using Direct I O 1 Select I O Instrument Manager 2 Highlight the fgen NOT LIVE entry and select Instrument gt Properties 3 Click on Advanced Select the Direct 1 0 folder as shown in Figure 3 15 Look through the options available then click OK to return to Instrument Properties then OK again to return to the Instrument Manager Advanced Instrument Properties General Direct I O Plug amp play Driver Panel Driver REEL NLM ai Conformance IEEE 488 x Write f EOL Sequence n Binblock None x Multi Field as Data Onty State Learn String Not Config d Array Separator EES Upload String m Array Format Linear END EO on EOL YES Download String i OK Cancel Help Figure 3 15 The Direct I O Configuration Folde
65. and connect 90 Chapter 2 Agilent VEE Programming Techniques General Techniques the objects as shown in Figure 2 12 The sequence line between To File and From File ensures the data is written to the file before it is read 7 Run the program It should similar to Figure 2 12 Save the program as usrobj program vee X 4 gt o 4m 8m 12m 16m 20m Time Figure 2 12 Adding a From File Object Lab 2 4 Creating a Panel View Operator Interface After you develop a program you may want to create an operator interface To do so create a panel view of the program This exercise uses the program you created in Viewing Data Flow and Propagation on page 68 1 Open the program simple program vee The program should look like Figure 2 13 Chapter 2 91 Agilent VEE Programming Techniques General Techniques 0 401 a 1 0 8 Amplitude 0 401 Amplitude Time Span 20m Num Points 256 noise WF Figure 2 13 simple program vee 2 Select the objects that you want to appear in the panel view which acts as the operator interface Press and hold Ctrl while clicking on all the objects you want to select Make sure no object is accidentally selected In this case select the Real64 Slider and Waveform Time objects They will each now have a shadow to indicate they are selected 3 Click the Add to Panel button on the toolbar to add the selected o
66. apply to other ActiveX Controls 1 Click Device ActiveX Control References and select Microsoft Windows Common Controls 6 0 Click OK 2 Click Device gt ActiveX Controls ProgressBar Size the ProgressBar object to be larger Open its Object Menu and notice that the object name is ProgressBar VEE has automatically created a declared variable that refers to the ActiveX control object You can use the name ProgressBar in Formula expressions just like any other variable or data input 3 Click Device gt Formula amp Object Browser and select Activex Objects Library MSComcltLib Class ProgressBar Members Value andclick Create Set Formula Place the object at top center in the Main window 4 To loop from zero to one hundred and show the percent complete you will add a For Range object Select Flow Repeat For Range place the object below the ProgressBar and set it as follows From 0 Thru 100 and Step 10 Connect the For Range output to the ProgressBar input terminal Value 5 To slow down program execution so that you can see the ProgressBar updating select Flow Delay and place the object to the right of the For Range object Set it to 2 Connect the ProgressBar sequence output pin to the Delay object sequence input pin as shown in Figure 10 27 and run the program 396 Chapter 10 Note Using Operator Interfaces Common Tasks In Creating Operator Interfaces From fo Thru foo Peev
67. be edited A field with a white background that has an arrow on its right hand side Clicking the field or its arrow displays a drop down list For example if you click Any or the arrow in the Required Type field you can select another data type from the list by clicking the list as shown in Figure 1 23 49 Using the Agilent VEE Development Environment Understanding Pins and Terminals Input Terminal Information r Terminal Information Name A Required Type Mode Data gt Required Shape Ulnts Inti 6 Int32 r Container Information Real32 Real64 No data on input pin PComplex Complex Waveform OK Cancel Spectrum ed Fi Coord Text Record Object Figure 1 23 Using the Selection Field If you select a data type other than Any for a data input terminal only the specified type of data or data that can be converted to that type will be accepted by the terminal Most of the time it is best to leave the Required Type and Required Shape fields set to Any For more information select Help gt Contents and Index from the VEE menu bar Then browse How Do I Tell Me About or Reference 50 Chapter 1 Using the Agilent VEE Development Environment Understanding Pins and Terminals Deleting a Terminal 1 Open the object menu and select Delete Terminal Input or Delete Terminal gt Output choose the input or output to delete and click OK For example Figure 1 24 shows the dialog box t
68. carefully To create a RunTime version of a VEE program follow these steps 1 Create a panel view for the run time version of the program 2 Save the program so that you have a copy you can edit 380 Chapter 10 Using Operator Interfaces Using Operator Interface Objects 3 Select File Create RunTime Version VEE will automatically use a vxe extension to indicate a run time version Displaying a Pop Up Panel During Execution You can cause a panel to pop up when a UserObject or UserFunction executes in a program To display a pop up panel select Show Panel on Execute under Properties in the object menu To keep the panel on screen until the operator is ready to proceed add a Confirm OK object Otherwise the panel disappears when the UserObject or UserFunction is done executing To keep a pop up panel displayed during multiple calls toa UserFunction use the ShowPanel and HidePanel functions For example you may want to keep the pop up panel displayed as a status panel while the program executes See the next section for an example Chapter 10 381 Using Operator Interfaces Using Operator Interface Objects Creating a Status Panel In VEE you can implement status panels to monitor the results of multiple tests or functions This feature is implemented with the ShowPanel and HidePanel functions as shown in Figure 10 19 For more information refer to Creating a Status Panel on page 398 __show
69. collection of the objects you can use to clarify programs for the operator Chapter 10 371 Using Operator Interfaces Using Operator Interface Objects E check Box i E check Box i Box item1 V N Paddle lt Iitem2 lt Item 3 Cyelic a H Slide o tm W Rocker H Rocker oa Figure 10 6 Controls from Various Data Submenus For each of the objects shown in Figure 10 6 you can also customize the object s look and feel For example see the Real64 Knob Properties dialog box in Figure 10 7 To configure the object choose a folder such as Colors and make selections Note With ActiveX you can also use controls and displays from other applications as shown in the example Using an ActiveX Control on page 396 372 Chapter 10 Using Operator Interfaces Using Operator Interface Objects Knob Properties Colors Fonts Number Icon Title jReal64 Knob Object index M 0 r Open View M Show Title Bar Debug I Breakpoint Enabled I Show Terminals r Layout Scale Execution Initialization Q Horizontal M Show Tic Marks I Waitforinput InitialValue fo lt Vertical I Logarithmic I Auto Execute I Initialize at PreRun M Show Digital Display Label Spacing Every Other Tic I Initialize at Activate Detents f m Figure 10 7 The Properties Dialog Box Displaying a Dialog Box for Operator Input VEE includes built in pop up dialo
70. compiled language such as C and link it to VEE or you can communicate with another software application from VEE Chapter 4 177 Analyzing and Displaying Test Data Using Built In Math Objects Using Built In Math Objects In the VEE Device Function amp Object Browser you can access built in preprogrammed mathematical expressions for both VEE and MATLAB Accessing a Built in Operator or Function To access VEE mathematical operators and functions select Device Function amp Object Browser For example to create a formula that returns a random number in a specified range select Type Built in Functions Category Probability amp Statistics and Functions random as shown in Figure 4 1 Function amp Object Bre Type Category Functions lt All gt Activex Automation Operators MATLAB Functions Local User Functions Imported User Functions Remote User Functions Calculus factorial Compiled Functions Complex Parts gamma Activex Objects Data Filtering logMagDist VEE Objects Generate magDist Instruments Matrix max Panel mean Power median Probability amp Statistics min Real Parts mode Signal Processing perm String System Information randomize Time amp Nate z randamSeed bs description random low high Returns a pseudo random number between low and high of function Create Formula Gr Beteonniula Close Help Help topic for current selection Figure 4 1 A VEE Functi
71. control instruments in several ways E Panel drivers give you a simple user interface or front panel to control an instrument from your computer screen When you change parameters in the VEE panel driver the corresponding state of the instrument is changed Panel drivers are provided by Agilent Technologies with VEE and cover over 450 instruments from different vendors E The Direct I O object allows you to transmit commands and receive data over many supported interfaces This technique is equivalent to using command strings with a textual language like Rocky Mountain Basic E Open Data Acquisition Standard Drivers ODAS drivers use ActiveX Automation technology to control PC Plug in cards PCPI cards An ODAS driver has a standard format and therefore can be supplied by the vendor of the PC Plug in card or another third party E I O libraries can be imported to control PC Plug in boards and then call functions from that library using the Cal1 object These libraries usually shipped as Dynamic Link Libraries DLLs are similar to ODAS drivers but ODAS drivers are standard and easier to use E VXIplug amp play drivers can be used to call C functions to control instruments These are provided by Agilent Technologies and other vendors with their supported instruments This chapter is designed to give you the fundamentals of controlling instruments to cover most situations For more complete information refer to the VE
72. differences in using VEE on a PC and using VEE on HP UX Programs All VEE features can be used in programs on all platforms However if the object is dependent on the operating system it will only execute on that operating system You can allow for these differences when porting programs by using the System Information objects in the Function amp Object Broswer box whichOS or whichPlatform They output the operating system OS or platform so that the program can detect whether to use an OS dependent object The OS dependent objects have PC or UNIX after the object name in the menu Named Pipes and ActiveX Capabilities The To From Named Pipe UNIX object and ActiveX Automation on PCs accomplish the same task of communicating with another program or application on their respective operating systems Rocky Mountain Basic The Initialize Rocky Mountain Basic UNIX and To From Rocky Mountain Basic UNIX are only designed to work with Rocky Mountain Basic on HP UX The Execute Program Objects The Execute Program object has two versions one for HP UX one for the PC Both are used for launching other programs or applications 440 Chapter 12 Platform Specifics and Web Monitoring Differences Between PC and HP UX Platforms To From Stdout Stderr UNIX Although these objects do work on a PC they are implemented with files and are not recommended for general programming You should only use them when porting a V
73. edit expressions in a Formula For example you can drag the mouse to highlight characters use Ctrl C for copying the characters Ctrl V for pasting and Ctrl X for deleting Input field Figure 4 5 The Formula Object Chapter 4 181 Note Note Note Analyzing and Displaying Test Data Creating Expressions with the Formula Object All the functions created from the Devices Function amp Object Browser Built in type are simply Formulas that already have their expressions set appropriately They can be modified to combine functions and add or delete inputs You can also do multiple line entry in the Formula object and assign values to output terminals Evaluating an Expression with the Formula Object In this example you will evaluate the expression 2 A 6 B where A 2 and B 1 Notice the sign for exponentiation The variable names are not case sensitive 1 Select Device Formula Click the Formula input field and type 2 A 6 B 2 Place the mouse pointer over the data input area but not right over the A input and press Ctrl A to add an input pin It will be labeled B by default but you can rename it 3 Select Data gt Constant Int32 clone it by selecting Clone from the object menu and connect the two Int32 objects to the Formula inputs A and B 4 Enter 2 inthe A Int32 input box and 1 in the B Int32 input box 5 Select Display AlphaNumeric and connect it to the output of Formula and run the
74. ee 1 random 1 100 set range sheetrange A2 A21 range NumberF ormat 00 00 app worksheetF unction average range 50 78 Figure 6 8 The Results Average Program Chapter 6 261 Creating Reports Easily Using Activex Sending Agilent VEE Data to MS Excel The entries in the Formula object are as follows set range sheet range A2 A21 range NumberFormat 00 00 app worksheetFunction average range Sets the VEE variable range to reference the range A2 to A21 on the Excel worksheet A refers to the first column in a worksheet Assigns the format to each of those cells with the pound signs allowing for larger numbers if necessary Calls an Excel method average that returns the average value of the designated range of values which is displayed in Results Average 11 Save the program as results _average vee Run the program MS Excel will launch with a worksheet like the one shown in Figure 6 9 9 Microsoft Excel Ele Edit View Insert Format Tools Data Window Help BEE OSE S6RY BOeds gt amp 41 1 G gt a0 Al fad DC Volts Ej Test System Results B 38 21 10 17 68 04 06 57 01 87 91 96 28 31 28 02 59 20 69 43 83 92 72 92 49 01 21 33 74 63 47 38 45 34 94 96 74 70 11 72 Ph Sheet1 Figure 6 9 Excel Worksheet for Results Average Program 262 Chapter 6
75. example uses a program from the VEE Lib directory you could use any program You will create an array with five values from 1 to 5 using the ramp function Instead of displaying the array with one of the internal VEE displays you will merge the BarChart program with the program you are creating 1 Select gt Formula and place it in the left work area 2 Delete the data input terminal 3 Change the default formula to ramp 5 1 5 The first parameter is the number of elements desired in the ramp array The second parameter is the starting number and the third is the last number For more information on this function select Help in the Formula object menu now that it has the ramp call in it Or try Help gt Contents amp Index then use the Search feature in the Index folder 4 Click on File Merge to getthe Merge File list box Select BarChart vee and place it to the right of the Formula object Connect the two objects 5 Run the program It should look like Figure 8 22 Chapter 8 323 Using Agilent VEE Functions Merging Agilent VEE Programs fame 5 Result Trace1 Figure 8 22 Merging the BarChart Program Notice that the Bar Chart Display takes a one dimensional array and displays the values as vertical bars It uses the number of bars necessary to display the values in the array To see how the program is created open the detail view of the display You can look at examples in the
76. file for the different examples For the HP UX version of the Save File dialog box see Figure 1 33 Chapter 1 61 Note Using the Agilent VEE Development Environment Connecting Objects to Make a Program ad defaults Xdefaults Xdefaults bak Xdefaults old error appts birthdays cmap cmap p2 colors datebookre db_birthdays db_personal db_work OK Cancel Figure 1 33 The Save File Dialog Box UNIX By default VEE for HP UX saves files to the directory from which you started VEE To save the current program type in a name for example simple program vee and click OK If you would like to save the file in another directory use the Backspace key to delete the characters then type the file name with the complete path and click OK In HP UX you need to add the vee extension Tip A handy way to replace a typed entry in a dialog box is to click and drag the mouse pointer over the entry to highlight it Or you can highlight the entry by double clicking the input field Then you can type the correction and click OK To re save the program to the same file name click the Save button or press Ctrl S at any time File gt Save It is a good idea to save files frequently while you are developing a program To save a program that you have edited to a different file name press Ctrl W or File gt Save As 62 Chapter 1 Using the Agilent VEE Development Environment Connec
77. for Operator to Choose Whether to Display A or B 502 Appendix A Additional Lab Exercises Creating Operator Panels and Pop ups Key Points E Gate The Gate object only sends a value if the two numbers are equal E Junction The JCT object allows multiple inputs to the object Alphanumeric The JCT object is a wired OR object E List Object as a Menu Note the use of the Data Selection Controls List object edited for two choices and formatted for a list This configuration will output a text A or B If you need the ordinal value 0 or 1 then use the List object s ordinal data output instead Creating Operator Panels and Pop ups Step 3 If the operator does not enter numbers generate an error message On the second UserObject which asks the operator to choose whether A or B is displayed when the two numbers are different add an error If the operator does not choose A or B within 10 seconds generate the error Appendix A 503 Additional Lab Exercises Creating Operator Panels and Pop ups Solution Creating Operator Panels and Pop ups Step 3 Figure A 25 shows the UserObject modified to generate an error if the operator does not choose A or B in 10 seconds Bi Choose A or B Code Message Response Time is 10 seconds timing out Figure A 25 Generate an Error if Operator Does Not Enter a Choice Key Points E Exit UserObject If the user responds in under 10 seconds this object w
78. for step 1 Trace3 Ref Value Passed Failed Failures TestValue lt _y RefValue Test Value Figure A 9 The Mask Test Step 1 Using Masks Step 2 Add to the program to calculate and display the percentage of failures Appendix A 481 Additional Lab Exercises General Programming Techniques Solution Using Masks Step 2 Figure A 10 shows a solution for step 2 0 267 f a 0 8 1 Mag 0 6 4 1 Trace Trace2 Trace3 foes nA L Figure A 10 Mask Test Step 2 Key Points E Mask The mask is created using the Data Constant Coord object then configuring it for five array elements You input the coordinate pairs separated by commas and VEE adds the parentheses The x values were chosen knowing that the time span of the waveform was 20 milliseconds Also note that the Waveform Time display will accept a Coord data type as an input You could also use a Data Build Data Arb Waveform object which converts a Coord toa Waveform data type by specifying the number of points in the Waveform E Comparator This object compares a test value against a reference value Once again you can compare a waveform to an array of coordinate pairs The Failures pin gives you an array of the data points that failed which you can send to the display and highlight with a different color or type of line 482 Append
79. hand side of the assignment operator in this case the equal sign to the variable on the left hand side of the expression For example set app sets the application sheet application which has been defined as an Excel worksheet Creates a new instance of the Automation Server in this case MS Excel and creates an empty sheet Excel terminology for a new workbook Each Automation Server has its own terminology but the syntax is the same For example to create a report in MS Word you would enter CreateObject Word Document to run Word and create a blank document If the set keyword is used the right hand side object pointer itself is assigned to the left hand side variable If set is not used then the default property often the name of the right hand side is assigned to the left hand side For more information refer to the VEE Pro Advanced Techniques manual Now that Excel is running with a new workbook in it with CreateObject Excel Sheet you want to address the first worksheet in it Add worksheets 1 to the statement so the entire statement reads setsheet CreateObject Excel Sheet worksheets 1 This sets sheet to Sheet 1 of the report To see an example open MS Excel and select File gt New to create a new workbook You will notice there are several sheets in it labeled Sheet1 Sheet2 and so on You want Sheet1 Chapter 6 Note set app sheet application app visible true
80. installDir www For Windows 95 Windows 98 Windows NT 4 0 and Windows 2000 if VEE Pro 6 0 is installed with the defaults this field will read C Program Files Agilent VEE Pro 6 0 www E Do not put private files in this directory or any of its subdirectories since they can be viewed by any remote user with a Web browser that has access to your system E VEE installs the file index html in the default Web server Root Directory when you install VEE By default the file will be in C Program Files Agilent VEE Pro 6 0 www index html This is the default VEE Web server home page which can be displayed when a remote user accesses your system You can edit the home page for your needs if you like E If you change the root directory for Web files move the index html file to the new directory and do not change its name Chapter 12 HTTP Port Number Server Timeout Log File Save Chapter 12 Platform Specifics and Web Monitoring Web Monitoring with Agilent VEE Specifies the port number for the VEE Web server The default port number is 80 The only time you need to change the default port number is when another Web server such as another instance of VEE is running on the same system or if you want to restrict the remote user access to your VEE Web server E By specifying an HTTP port between 0 and 65535 you can restrict who can access and view data on your system E On HP UX only port numbers greater than 10
81. is The default for the number of characters is 20 If you want to change the number click on DEFAULT NUM CHARS to toggle to MAX NUM CHARS and change the number 20 to the desired number 152 Chapter 3 Easy Ways to Control Instruments Using Direct I O 10 Leave SCALAR as is and click OK You will see the transaction displayed on the bar as READ TEXT X REAL64 Notice that VEE automatically adds a data output named x Note If the instrument is returning an array of values click on the SCALAR menu in the I O Transaction dialog box to get the menu for different dimensions as shown in Figure 3 20 Once you have selected the array dimension you will also need to specify a size for the array VO Transaction READ 7 TEXT 7 k REAL64 FORMAT 7 DEFAULT NUM CHARS SCALAR ARRAY 1D ARRAY 2D ARRAY 3D ARRAY 4D ARRAY 5D ARRAY 6D ARRAY 7D ARRAY 8D ARRAY 9D ARRAY 10D Figure 3 20 Configuring a READ Transaction 11 Add a Display AlphaNumeric to the right and connect its input to the Direct I O output labeled x The two Direct I O transactions should look like Figure 3 21 Chapter 3 153 Easy Ways to Control Instruments Using Direct I O WRITE TEXT TS EOL J READ TEXT x REAL64 Double Click to Add Transaction L Figure 3 21 Direct I O Configured to Read a Measurement The process to configure a transaction is similar regardless of the data format for the READ TEXT
82. language required E More complicated to use More risk in using An out of bounds array error or overwriting memory will cause VEE to crash Chapter 11 423 Note Optimizing Agilent VEE Programs Compiled Function using C UNIX Compiled Function using C UNIX The process of using compiled functions in other languages involves shared libraries on HP UX platforms You can dynamically link a program written in C C Fortran and Pascal with a VEE program on a UNIX workstation Note that Pascal compiled functions are only supported on the HP 9000 Series 700 workstations The program shown in Figure 11 10 imports a library and calls a C function The C function accepts a real array and adds 1 to each element in the array The modified array is returned to VEE on the Array terminal of the call Function object and the size of the array is returned on the Ret Value terminal This example is located in the following VEE directory lt installation directory gt examples manual manual49 vee File extensions are as follows a vee extension indicates a program a c extension indicates a file containing C source code a h or def extension signifies a definition file and a s1 extension indicates a shared library file 424 Chapter 11 Optimizing Agilent VEE Programs Compiled Function using C UNIX Library Name Library Type File Name Definition File Compiled Function bd myLibrary
83. list box 2 Program the four UserFunctions as shown in the following figures Figure 8 12 shows the BuildRecAry UserFunction It includes a Formula object with the triadic expression testing if A lt 5 If the expression evaluates to TRUE then the object outputs PASS Otherwise the object outputs FAIL Note that the parentheses are required I BuildRecAry a Output Shape ereman Result Record Scalar PassFail A lt 5 PASS FAIL Figure 8 12 The BuildRecAry UserFunction Chapter 8 311 Using Agilent VEE Functions Using Libraries With Agilent VEE UserFunctions Figure 8 13 shows the ReportHeader UserFunction E ReportHeader To File report I Clear File At PreRun amp Open WRITE TEXT LIMIT TEST EOL WRITE TEXT Value Limit Result EOL Double Click to Add Transaction Figure 8 13 The ReportHeader UserFunction 312 Chapter 8 Using Agilent VEE Functions Using Libraries With Agilent VEE UserFunctions Figure 8 14 shows the ReportBody UserFunction Note the array of records A B As the Value of B changes from 0 to 1 to 2 you can access the particular field in that Record including Value Limit and PassFail using the lt record gt lt field gt notation Note that the For Count outputs start with zero Note also that the first transaction has EOL off The vertical bar in quotes represents a const
84. lt 1 test 0 lt 5 lt 1 test3 0 lt 5 lt 1 test1 1 284 0 test2 0 8432 1 test3 1 34 0 Figure 9 10 Passing data Using a Global Variable Comparing a Waveform Output with a Mask In this exercise you will create a UserFunction called noisyWv and call it from a single transaction bar in the Sequencer The operator will be able to vary the amplitude of the wave from 0 to 1 This function simulates a test result that returns a noisy waveform You will use the Coord object in the Data gt Constant menu to create a straight line mask at 0 6 which the Sequencer will use to test the noisy waveform 1 Create the UserFunction called noisyWv as shown in Figure 9 11 in the Detail view 350 Chapter 9 Test Sequencing Passing Data in the Sequencer Please select the amplitude a for the noisy waveform P Amplitude 1 Amplitude Time Span 20m Num Points 256 Figure 9 11 The noisyWv UserFunction Detail 2 Press Ctrl and click on the OK button the Real64 Slider and the Note Pad to highlight them for creating a Panel view Select Edit Add To Panel When the Panel view displays rearrange the objects to your taste and size the window Open the object menu click Properties and under Pop up Panel click next to Show Panel on Execute The Panel view should look like Figure 9 12 Chapter 9 351 Test Sequencing Passing Data in the Sequencer E noisy
85. may call a UserFunction Compiled Function or Remote Function Typically the Sequencer is used to perform a series of tests Some of the benefits of using the Sequencer include E Easy development of a test plan E Wide array of branching capabilities between tests E Major component for building a customized test executive E Ability to call tests in VEE and other languages E Automatic logging of test results The Sequencer is one of VEE s most powerful features For more information about the Sequencer refer to online Help The first lab shows you how to configure a test for the Sequencer object to add or insert or delete a test in the test execution flow and to access the test data that has been logged by the Sequencer The lab simulates test results with the random function In the second lab you will learn how to structure data passed to tests using global variables to call UserFunctions from the Sequencer and to log Sequencer data to files Finally you will analyze parts of the data To use a status panel that updates through a sequence of tests see Creating a Status Panel on page 398 In addition to the lab exercises in this chapter you can get more practice in using the Sequencer by completing the exercise in Test Sequencing on page 514 in Appendix A Additional Lab Exercises Chapter 9 329 Test Sequencing Using the Sequencer Object Using the Sequencer Object The Sequencer object execute
86. object The entries are as follows 0 The x axis time axis for the Noise Generator in noisyWv goes from 0 to 20 milliseconds hence the two x values of 0 and 20m Q The two y values are both 0 6 since you want a straight line mask Note You can create any mask waveform by configuring the proper number of coordinate pairs and filling them in The Sequencer comparison mechanism operates just like the Comparator object which accepts the Coord data type to test waveforms Of course you could also compare two Waveform data types Press Tab to move between coordinate pairs and click on the work area when you are done 7 Select an AlphaNumeric display increase its width and connect it to the Log output from the Sequencer 8 Save the program as seqdat3 and run it It should look like Figure 9 13 Chapter 9 353 Test Sequencing Passing Data in the Sequencer cord 0000 0 0 6 0001 0 02 0 6 Return Log test1 lt Waveform Array 1D gt 0 Figure 9 13 Comparing a Waveform to a Mask This completes the exercises about passing data with the Sequencer In the next exercise you will learn how to access and analyze data from several iterations of the Sequencer 354 Chapter 9 Test Sequencing Analyzing Data from the Sequencer Analyzing Data from the Sequencer As mentioned earlier Sequencer data comes out as a record of records In many cases however the Sequencer may run through a
87. of Compiled Functions Overview of Compiled Functions You can use a compiled function in a VEE program such as a DLL Dynamic Link Library To do so you must obtain the compiled function or follow these steps to create it 1 Write functions in C C Fortran or Pascal and compile them 2 Write a definition file for the functions 3 Create a shared library containing the compiled functions Benefits of Using Compiled Functions Using compiled functions in a VEE program offers the following benefits E Faster execution speed E Leveraging current test programs in other languages E Developing data filters in other languages and integrating them into VEE programs E Securing proprietary routines Adding compiled functions adds complexity to the development process Therefore use a compiled function only when the capability or performance that you need is not available with one of the following a VEE UserFunction an Execute Program escape to the operating system or an ActiveX Automation call to another program 414 Chapter 11 Optimizing Agilent VEE Programs Overview of Compiled Functions Design Considerations in Using Compiled Functions If you plan to use compiled functions in a VEE program take the following information into consideration E You can use any facilities available to the operating system including math routines instrument I O and so forth However you cannot access any VEE internals from within the
88. parameters from low to 0 and from high to 1 c Rename the object Random Number and connect its data output to the B terminal of Build Record 5 Connect the Formula sequence output pin to the sequence input pin of Random Number Connecting the sequence pins ensures that each iteration of the program puts a new random number into the B field of the particular record 6 Select Data Constant Real 4 Place the Real64 object below the Formula object a Open the object menu and click Properties Type Real Array for the title under Configuration click 1D Array and change the Size to 3 Click OK b Highlight each entry in the array by double clicking and typing in the numbers 1 2 and 3 c Connect the Real Array data output to the C terminal on Build Record 7 Select I O To DataSet and place the object under Build Record Connect the data output of Build Record to its data input Leave the default file name myfile and check Clear File At PreRun Chapter 5 233 Storing and Retrieving Test Results Using DataSets to Store and Retrieve Records 8 Run the program It should put an array of ten records into the DataSet called myFile as shown in Figure 5 14 Star r A EE Result r 10 T F random 0 1 Result Output Shape Record Scalar olol l To DataSet myFile input mie M Clear File At PreRun Figure 5 14 Storing an Array of Records in a DataSet N
89. program It should display the result 127 as shown in Figure 4 6 182 Chapter 4 Analyzing and Displaying Test Data Creating Expressions with the Formula Object Figure 4 6 Evaluating an Expression Using an Agilent VEE Function in the Formula Object This example generates a cosine wave and calculates the standard deviation and root mean square using the Formula object 1 Select the Function Generator Formula and AlphaNumeric objects and connect them together using their data pins Clone the Formula object by opening the object menu and selecting Clone and place it just below the first one Connect the Function Generator data output pin to the second Formula object Clone another AlphaNumeric display and connect it to the second Formula object Enter sdev A in the first Formula object and rms A in the second Formula object sdev A and rms A are the two math functions from the Device gt Function amp Object Browser dialog box Notice that they can be called as functions or independent objects and they will perform in the same way Run the program The program displays the same answers when these functions are put into the Formula object as it did when they were used as independent objects as shown in Figure 4 7 Chapter 4 183 Note Note Analyzing and Displaying Test Data Creating Expressions with the Formula Object Function Cosine x F
90. program you use the Import Library object which links the library to VEE at run time For a more detailed discussion refer to Chapter 11 Optimizing Agilent VEE Programs Q To call a compiled function you use the Call myFunction object or write an expression within a VEE object 3 Remote Functions Q Similar to UserFunctions except that they run on a remote host computer connected on your network The Differences Between UserObjects and UserFunctions In previous chapters you have already created and used UserObjects The reason that VEE provides both UserObject and UserFunction is because the two have different characteristics and can therefore be used for different purposes Here are the differences between a UserObject anda UserFunction A UserObject located in Device UserObject is an object you define that may be used just like any other object in VEE You program a UserObject like a subprogram but it graphically remains on the screen If you want to use it elsewhere in a program you must clone it and maintain all copies Note that if you clone a UserObject many times it makes the program larger and slower to load If you add a feature to one UserObject you would need to add the same feature to all the other UserObjects if you want them to remain identical With a UserFunction located in Device UserFunction there is just one copy of the subroutine in memory and it is only displayed graphically in the work
91. selecting the File Default Preferences Web Server dialog box settings which are described in more detail below 5 Have the remote user run a Web browser such as Internet Explorer or Netscape Web Server Dialog When you select File gt Default Preferences gt Web Server the Box Web Server dialog box appears as shown in Figure 12 6 m General Colors Fonts Number Printing Web Server Default Preferences pM Enable Server Root Directory CAProgram Files AgilentiVEE Pro 6 0 HTTP Port Number 30 Server Timeout sec fo Log File CwindowsiTEMP http Log ok Save Reset Cancel Help Figure 12 6 The Default Preferences Web Server Dialog Box Chapter 12 451 Platform Specifics and Web Monitoring Web Monitoring with Agilent VEE The fields in the Web Server dialog box are as follows Enable Server Root Directory 452 When checked Enable Server turns on VEE s built in Web server The Web server allows a remote user to view monitor and troubleshoot VEE programs on your system by using a Web browser to display your VEE program VEE s Web server uses the standard HTTP protocol By default Enable Server is OFF not checked Your system must be connected to a network VEE must be running and the remote user must have a Web browser running for the remote user to access the VEE Web server Specifies the location of files that are accessible to a remote user The default is
92. standard keyboard and mouse editing techniques to move the cursor and enter a desired value 7 Click the Frequency field to the right of the value 100 and while holding the mouse button down move the mouse to the left to highlight the last 0 as shown in Figure 1 28 56 Chapter 1 Using the Agilent VEE Development Environment Connecting Objects to Make a Program Function Sine z Frequency 1 of Amplitude 1 DcOffset 0 Func Phase Deg x 0 Time Span 20m Num Points 256 Figure 1 28 Highlighting a Frequency Field Number 8 Press Delete to delete the last 0 changing the Frequency value to 10 Run the program It should look like Figure 1 29 isplay Waveform generates a sine waveform and sends it to a real time display Function Frequency Amplitude DcOffset Phase Num Points sine x 10 ay oo Deg 0 TimeSpan 20m Func 0 Tracet 0 12m Time Figure 1 29 Example Changing the Frequency Field to 10 Hz Chapter 1 57 Using the Agilent VEE Development Environment Connecting Objects to Make a Program The displayed waveform is now a 10 Hz sine wave You may want to try changing a few object parameters as follows E Click Deg or the arrow in the Function Generator object and change the phase units to Rad Next click the Phase value field and enter the value PI Run the program and note the phase shift in the displayed wav
93. sure that the UserFunction is not expanded to the whole workspace when doing this Editing a UserFunction In this exercise edit ArrayStats to deliver a record with four fields giving the array statistics 1 2 Delete the four AlphaNumeric displays Select Edit gt Edit UserFunction and select ArrayStats from the Edit UserFunction list box All of the UserFunctions in the program are displayed Open the ArrayStats object menu click on size and enlarge the editing window If you need to resize objects click and drag any corner of the object Delete the four lines going to the output terminals Press Ctrl Shift and click on the line you want to delete Select Data Build Data Record and place it to the right side of the ArrayStats window a Add two data input terminals b Label the four terminals after the statistical functions max min mean and sdev c Connect the four Formula object outputs to the inputs on Build Record d Rename the Max output terminal x by double clicking Max typing the new name and clicking OK e Delete the other ArrayStats data output terminals Chapter 8 301 Note Using Agilent VEE Functions Using Functions f Connect the Build Record output to the X output terminal on the User Function editing window The program should look like Figure 8 4 Then click the iconize button on the window maxi max Output Shape n Scalar sdev
94. the expression to Log Test 1 Result Remember that VEE is not case sensitive and the capitals in the names are for clarity in documentation Change the input terminal name from A to Log You could leave the default name A The formula would then read A Test1 Result Connect the Sequencer output terminal Log to the Formula input terminal Log 3 Select Display gt AlphaNumeric display and connect it to the Formula output 4 Run the program and it should access the Result field in Test1 Save the program as seq2 vee The program should look like Figure 9 5 Chapter 9 341 Note Test Sequencing Creating a Test Execution Order test 0 lt 25 lt 5 Double Click to Add Transaction gt Figure 9 5 Accessing Logged Data Each test creates a record named with the test name as it executes within the Sequencer This record can be used in subsequent tests For example you could enable test 2 if test1 passed ENABLED IF testl pass 1 If you need to access test data in an expression field while the test is still running test data is stored in the temporary record thistest 5 Change the formula to read Log test1 and run the program again It should retrieve the entire record for test1 which is indicated by the braces around the three values in the display 6 By changing the formula you can access the result pass name and other fields in the test1 and test2 records Select Lo
95. the Properties Box If chosen the object operates whenever its value is changed without needing to press Start or the Run button E Eliminating Gates The expression A gt 50 Ain the If Then Else object evaluates to a 1 A if A gt 50 is true or 0 if false So A is put on the Then pin if the expression is true anda 0 is put on the Else pin if the expression is false Any expression that evaluates to a non zero is considered true and the value is propagated on the Then pin Testing Numbers Step 3 Create a solution using only three objects Hint Use a triadic expression in the Formula object The format is lt expression gt lt if TRUE output value gt lt if FALSE output value gt For example if A lt 10 evaluates to TRUE you want the value of A on the Result pin otherwise you want the string FALSE on the Result pin You would use the following triadic expression A lt 10 A FALSE 474 Appendix A Additional Lab Exercises General Programming Techniques Solution Testing Numbers Step 3 Figure A 5 shows the solution to the Testing Numbers exercise using only three objects A Please enter a number between 50 and 100 Please enter a number between 50 and 100 Figure A 5 Testing Numbers Step 3 Note This could be implemented using a Real64 Input dialog box with its automatic error checking capability However the operator must enter a valid number before the pro
96. the Web Address e g GPIBO 12 INSTR HPE1416 To add new drivers to your system M Perform Identification Query HPE1420 1 Download drivers from the following URL HPE1442 cs P j PM Perform Reset HPE1460 httpviwww agilent com find inst_ drivers Unknown 2 Install drivers to CAVXIPNPWYINGS5 3 Click OK to exit this dialog box 4 RE enter this dialog box to see the revised driver list OK Cancel Heip Figure 3 31 Selecting a VXlplug amp play Driver 4 Select the HPE1412 driver click OK to return to the Instrument Properties dialog box and click OK to return to the Instrument Manager There should now be an entry for Instrument NOT LIVE 5 Highlight Instrument NOT LIVE and under Create I O Object select Plug amp play Driver Click to place the object Note In VEE a VXIplug amp play driver resembles a Direct I O object To make measurements with the instrument you need to configure I O transactions that use C functions in the VXIplug amp play driver The driver provides you with panels to pick the right functions to use 6 Double click on the transaction bar labeled lt Double click to Add Function gt and Select a Function Panel is displayed as shown in Figure 3 32 Figure 3 33 shows the hierarchy of functions in the function panel Notice that Help for the item selected is displayed in the dialog box 164 Chapter 3 Note Easy Ways to Control Instruments Using a VXI
97. the moving average and display it with the numbers Solution Random Number Generator Step 2 Figure A 8 shows a solution for Random Number Generator step two p of 46 F amp F Y name 0 2 0 4 fo 0 932 0 6 Trace Trace2 Figure A 8 Random Number Generator Step 2 Appendix A 479 Additional Lab Exercises General Programming Techniques E MovingAvg x numPts Use this object located in the Function amp Object Browser Data Filtering category to smooth the input data using the average of a specified number of data points preceding the point of interest to calculate the smoothed data point Using Masks Mask Test Step 1 Create a 50 Hz sine wave with an adjustable amount of noise Test the noisy sine wave to be certain that it stays below the following limits 0 0 5 2 2m 1 2 7 2m 1 2 10 2m 0 5 20m 0 5 If the sine wave exceeds the limits mark the failing points with a red diamond Hints You can change the format of the displays from lines to dots to diamonds In Properties choose the Traces tab for each trace input the line type can be solid dashed points only etc Also the Point Type can be just a point a diamond box or other shapes You may find the Comparator object helpful 480 Appendix A Additional Lab Exercises General Programming Techniques Solution Using Masks Step 1 Figure A 9 shows a solution
98. with the Real 4 Slider object removed and the input pin still on the Noise Generator you will get a VEE error message that the input pin Amplitude on the Noise Generator is not connected Remember all input pins must be connected for a VEE program to run 80 Inthe Noise Generator object click the Object Menu button or click the right button over the object to open the object menu Select Delete Terminal gt Input and in the dialog box for Choose an input to delete with Amplitude highlighted click OK Rename the program by choosing File Save As and type in the new name usrobj programl1 vee Then minimize the Noise Generator object and rearrange the objects as shown Figure 2 2 Chapter 2 Agilent VEE Programming Techniques General Techniques Mag Trace A 2m 16m 20m Time Figure 2 2 usrobj program vee at an Early Stage 6 Select the Noise Generator and A B objects using the shortcut Ctrl left mouse button Click Edit gt Create UserObject A dialog box appears labeled Create UserObject You could rename the object by typing in a new name if you wish For now click OK to create the UserObject The UserObject will contain the Noise Generator and A B objects in the UserObject edit window and will be automatically created in the Main window with the appropriate input and output pins and connections as shown in Figure 2 3 Tip Position the icons in the upper left of the Us
99. www mathworks com E Usenet Newsgroup The comp soft sys matlab news group provides a forum for professionals and students who use MATLAB and have questions or comments about it and its associated products Introduction 17 Sources of Additional Information for MATLAB 18 Introduction Using the Agilent VEE Development Environment Using the Agilent VEE Development Environment Using the Agilent VEE Development Environment In this chapter you will learn about Supported systems How to use the Help system Starting VEE The VEE window Working with objects Managing the workspace Selecting menu items Pins and terminals on VEE objects Connecting objects to make programs Creating running printing saving and opening programs How VEE programs work Average time to complete 1 5 hours 20 Chapter 1 Using the Agilent VEE Development Environment Overview Overview In this chapter you will learn how to start VEE how to use menus and how to work with objects You will learn about pins and terminals in VEE You will connect objects together to build a simple VEE program and learn how VEE programs work Chapter 1 21 Note Using the Agilent VEE Development Environment Interacting with Agilent VEE Interacting with Agilent VEE This section explains how to use the VEE graphical programming language including a list of systems supported how the mouse and menus work how to get help how to start V
100. 0 Time Span 20m Num Points 256 Func Figure 1 9 Moving an Object You can also move objects as follows E Click the title area of the open view of an object and drag the object to a new location E Except for buttons entry fields pins terminals or the four corners which resize the object click any part of an open view object and drag the object to a new location E Click any part of an icon view object except near the four corners which resize the object and drag the icon to a new location Object Location Information located on the status bar at the bottom of the VEE window gives the X and Y position in pixels of the upper left corner of the outline relative to the upper left corner of the workspace To view an object s exact location left click on an object to select it and hold the left mouse button down The location is displayed in the status bar Use this information when you need to place an object in an exact position 34 Chapter 1 Using the Agilent VEE Development Environment Working with Objects Duplicating or Cloning an Object The Clone operation creates a duplicate object exactly including any changes you have made such as sizing or renaming Cloning is a shortcut for cutting and pasting 1 Open the object menu and select Clone An outline of the duplicated object appears 2 Move the outline to the desired location and click to place the object The cloned object app
101. 0 make the font size bigger for the name then click OK Connect the Call sequence out pin to the Check Box sequence in pin Chapter 10 393 Using Operator Interfaces Common Tasks In Creating Operator Interfaces This creates an input object that uses a Check Box If the operator clicks the box an X will appear and the object outputs a 1 otherwise the object outputs a 0 The output can be tested with an If Then E1lse object to tell VEE what to do next 16 Select Flow If Then El1se and place it to the right of the Toggle Connect the Toggle data output to the data input A of the If Then Else object Edit the expression in the If Then Else object to a 1 Recall that the symbol for is equal to is not Ifthe terminal A holds a 1 the Then output will fire otherwise the Else output fires Connect the output of Toggle to the input of If Then Else 17 Select Flow Repeat gt Break and connect it to the Then output on the If Then Else object as shown in Figure 10 25 ia warning Function Name alarm Turn off alarm h Figure 10 25 The Warning UserFunction Detail View 18 Select the Check Box object Turn off alarm by clicking on the right side of the object Open the pop up Edit menu and select Add To Panel Size the panel view to surround the Check Box 394 Chapter 10 Using Operator Interfaces Common Tasks In Creating Operator Interfaces 19 Open the warning Us
102. 1 terminals 47 Signal Processing Toolbox MATLAB 14 size resizing an object 37 sizing objects in panel view 367 slider Real64 slider 71 snap to grid 376 softkeys using in Panel view 377 sort operation on a Record field 244 sound in program Beep object 391 Spec Nominal Sequencer transaction field 334 Spectrum displays 195 Spectrum data type 175 speed execution 435 standard deviation lab 179 starting VEE 23 status bar display 24 locating objects exactly 34 Step Into 55 114 Step Out 114 Step Over 114 stop VEE 63 storing data 359 storing mixed data types 222 storing test results 206 209 string download string 155 learn string 155 upload string 155 Strip Chart displays 195 subprograms UserObjects and UserFunctions 296 support Agilent VEE support 16 MATLAB 17 Index 11 supported systems 22 switching view detail 93 systems supported 22 T tanks 369 terminals 46 adding 48 deleting 51 examining 105 obtaining information 49 showing terminal labels 47 test branching instructions 336 logging data 336 sequence transaction field 334 specifying a test to run 335 store retrieve data 359 test results extracting values from array 208 test results storing in arrays 206 209 test sequences 328 text sending text string to file 214 Text data type 176 text command sending to instrument 148 thermometers 369 threads 113 time stamp sending to file 215 titl
103. 1 26 Running a Program eseeesesereerereesrsresreerrssresrsrrssreressresee 54 Figure 1 27 Changing the Function Field to Sine Wave eee 56 Figure 1 28 Highlighting a Frequency Field Numbet 0 ee 57 Figure 1 29 Example Changing the Frequency Field to 10 Hz 57 Figure 1 30 Printing the Screen eee ceecceseceeeeeeeeseceaeeseeeaeenseenes 58 Figure 1 31 Print Screen Dialog BOX oo eee cee cneeeescnscneeteeees 59 Figure 1 32 The Save File Dialog Box PC 0 ceeeeeceeeeeeseeeseeeteeenseees 60 Figure 1 33 The Save File Dialog Box UNIX eee ceseeeeeeeeeeees 62 Contents 11 Figure 1 34 The Run button on the Tool Bar eee eee 64 Figure 1 35 Multiple windows in the Work Area eeeeeeeeeeeeeeeees 66 Figure 1 36 Typical simple program vee Display eeseeeeeeeees 68 Figure 1 37 Example Adding a Noise Generator Object 69 Figure 1 38 Function and Object Browser ceeeeceeeeeseeeeeeeneeeenees 70 Figure 1 39 Example Adding Input Terminals 0 0 eee eee eneees 71 Figure 1 40 Example Adding a Real64 Slider Object ee 72 Figure 1 41 Displaying the Value on an Output Pin eee 73 Figure 2 1 UserObject Window cee eeeeeseeseeerceesecesneceeeeeeeeeeeseneeeaees 79 Figure 2 2 usrobj program vee at an Early Stage 81 Figure 2 3 Creating a UserObject eee eeeessecsseesneceneceeeeeseeeseeeneeeeaes 82 Figure 2 4 UserObject Renamed AddNOise eee cee eee
104. 1 6 Adding a Function Generator Object eee eeseeeeeeeeeeees 31 Figure 1 7 Object in Open View and Icon View ecer 32 Figure 1 8 Selecting an Object Menu ow eee eeeeeseeeeceseceneeeseeeseeees 33 Figure 1 9 Moving an Object 00 ce eee cescesseceseceeeeseeeeseceaeesseesaeenseeees 34 Figure 1 10 Cloning an Object cee cesceeeeeseceeeeeseeesecnaeeeeeeaeenseeees 35 Figure 1 11 Changing the Size of an Object oe ee eee ceseeeneceteeees 37 Figure 1 12 Changing the Title of an Object 38 Figure 1 13 Selected and Deselected Objects eee eeeeeeeeseeeteeenseees 39 Figure 1 14 Multiple Objects during Copying cc eeseeseceseeeteeeeeeees 40 Figure 1 15 Creating Data Lines Between Objects 0 ee eeeeeeeeeeeee 42 Figure 1 16 Scroll Bars in Work Area eeeeeeeeseeesecesecenceeaeenseeees 43 Figure 1 17 Default Preferences Dialog BOX ee eeseeseeseceseeteeenseees 45 Figure 1 18 Data and Sequence Pins ee eee eeseeeseceseceeeeaeenseeees 46 Figure 1 19 Show Terminals on an Object 47 Figure 1 20 Using Show Terminals Checkbox 47 Figure 1 21 Adding a Terminal oc ceceseceeeeereeeeeeeeeeeeeaeeenaeees 48 Figure 1 22 Obtaining Terminal Information 49 Figure 1 23 Using the Selection Field oo ee eeeeeeeeeseceneeeneeeneeeaeees 50 Figure 1 24 Delete Terminal Dialog Box ee eee eeeeseceneeeneeeeeenseees 51 Figure 1 25 Creating a Program essesereeseereerierrsreerresresrrrrssrsrresresene 53 Figure
105. 13 Selected and Deselected Objects The word select is also used to indicate choosing a menu item but the context makes the meaning obvious Selecting Several Objects If you click to select an object only one object is selected If you click again to select another object the previous object is deselected and its shadow disappears To select multiple objects when you want to perform an operation on all of them at once such as Cut follow these steps 1 Press and hold down the Ctrl button as you click on different objects Release the Ctrl button after you have highlighted all the objects you want to select OR Press Ctrl then click and drag a rectangle around the objects to be selected The selected objects become shadowed Chapter 1 39 Note Using the Agilent VEE Development Environment Working with Objects Selecting Deselecting All Objects 1 To select all objects click Edit Select A11 Or press Ctrl A 2 To deselect all objects click on an open area in the window Copying Multiple Objects 1 Copy the selected objects by placing the cursor on an object Press and hold Ctrl while using the left mouse button to drag the multiple objects outlines to a desired location A new instance of each object appears in the desired location OR Or use Edit gt Copy to copy the selected objects to the cut buffer Click Paste in the Edit menu or on the toolbar move the objects outlines to a desired l
106. 2 Platform Specifics and Web Monitoring Web enablement Technologies External Software Components Host Application Scripti Document Objects peat ActiveX Controls HTML Controls VBScript JavaScript Figure 12 5 A Scripting Language Host Model VBScript JavaScript and JScript are scripting languages VBScript is based on MS Visual Basic JavaScript is co created by Sun Java JScript is based on Microsoft s version of JavaScript The scripting languages must reside inside a host application The host application is typically a web browser such as Internet Explorer or Netscape Navigator Within the browser the overall look and feel of the web page is controlled by HTML Microsoft s Component Object Model COM defines compiled software components called ActiveX Controls that encapsulate specifically designed functions Typically an ActiveX Control is used to provide user interface functionality and is designed to run on the client computer ActiveX Controls are optimized software components that used to be called OLE Controls Chapter 12 449 Platform Specifics and Web Monitoring Web Monitoring with Agilent VEE Web Monitoring with Agilent VEE VEE includes a built in Web server that can communicate with other programs via HTTP You can allow remote users to access VEE programs and information that reside on your computer This section describes how you would share VEE data and how
107. 24 are allowed The default port number is 8080 E If you enter a different port number the remote user that views the VEE program must enter the same port number in his or her browser For example if you set this field to port 85 the remote user would type in the URL as http hostname 85 There is more information about the definition of hostname later in this chapter Specifies the maximum time that the VEE Web server will wait for VEE to process commands By default this field is set to 60 seconds If the VEE program takes longer than the specified time to process a command VEE sends a timeout to the Web server Specifies the log file where all incoming HTTP requests processed by the Web server are recorded The default location for this file on a PC is C windows TEMP http log If the log file does not already exist it is created when you make changes in the Default Preferences Web Server dialog Saves the attributes displayed as permanent choices This saves the settings in the vee rc file on Windows or veerc file on HP UX The values will be the default for future VEE Web sessions until you change them again To use the specified values only for the current VEE session click OK 453 Platform Specifics and Web Monitoring Web Monitoring with Agilent VEE How a Remote User Accesses Agilent VEE on Your System To access VEE files on your system from another location the remote user needs to follow these g
108. 3 Figure 10 21 The Dice Program Detail View 386 Chapter 10 Note Note Using Operator Interfaces Common Tasks In Creating Operator Interfaces The Call input terminal requires a Text Scalar so VEE converts the Enum Scalar toaText Scalar Remember the dotted line indicates a control pin When Auto Execute is turned on Radio Buttons executes whenever you make a change to it and sends the selection to Call The control pin on Call Function replaces the function name as soon as the pin receives data The Call object does not call the specified function until its sequence input pin is fired When a program uses Auto Execute and the sequence pins the operator does not have to click the Run button to begin the program Add an operator interface showing only the prompt the menu and the pop up panels showing the selections 11 Select the Radio Buttons object by pressing Ctrl and clicking on the target object Then select Edit Add To Panel 12 Open the object menu select Properties and adjust the colors and fonts if desired 13 Run the program by making a selection Do not use the Run button because it will use the selection that is already made on the menu The program should look like Figure 10 22 when executing Chapter 10 387 Using Operator Interfaces Common Tasks In Creating Operator Interfaces lt diet amp die lt die x Figure 10 22 The Dice Program Panel View
109. 6 Creating Reports Easily Using Activex ActiveX Automation in Agilent VEE When you put a check next to a Type Library in the ActiveX Automation References box the library objects become available for use in a VEE program For example in Figure 6 1 Microsoft Excel 9 0 is checked Automation References Registered Automation Servers Microsoft Agent Server 2 0 OK Ll Microsoft DAO 2 5 3 51 Compatibility Library oa Microsoft DAO 3 6 Object Library Cancel Microsoft Data Formatting Object Library cancel Microsoft Data Source Interfaces Microsoft DT DDS TypeLib 2 Microsoft Excel 9 0 Object Library Browse Microsoft Graph 9 0 Object Library Microsoft HTML Object Library _ Microsoft Internet Controls i C Microsoft Jet and Replication Objects 2 1 Library Microsoft MIMEEDIT Type Library 1 0 Help _ Microsoft NetShow Player Cl Microsoft Office 9 0 Object Library Microsoft Office Euro Converter Object Library Microsoft Office Server Extensions 1 0 Object Library Microsoft Office Web Components Function Library Microsoft Office Web Components Wizards Microsoft OLAP Designer Server Driver Microsoft OLE DB provider for OLAP Services connection d Microsoft OLE DB Service Component 1 0 Type Library Microsoft Outlook 9 0 Obiect Library zi Microsof Excel 9 0 Object Library Location CAProgram Files Microsoft Office Office EXCELS
110. 71 Show Execution Flow 71 starting 23 storing test results 206 work area 24 work space 24 view detail 6 367 icon view of object 32 open view of object 32 panel 93 367 VXI 135 VXIplug amp play driver 163 167 VXIplug amp play drivers 129 W WAIT T O transaction 212 waveform data type 175 display 196 display waveform program 52 display changing color of trace 199 display changing X and Y scales 197 display Delta markers 198 displays 195 displays zooming in 197 Web URLs Agilent VEE 16 MATLAB 17 Welcome menu in online Help 99 window Main 24 work area 24 clearing 44 move all objects 43 moving 44 work space 24 managing it 65 WRITE I O transaction 212 X X vs Y plot displays 195 XY Trace displays 195 Z zooming in on waveform 197 Index 13
111. A 1 5 andA 2 6 The syntax for arrays is as follows colon Used to indicate a range of elements For instance A 0 2 4 5 6 inthe array above asterisk a wildcard to specify all elements from a particular array dimension A returns all elements of array A commas In the subarray syntax commas are used to separate array dimensions If B is a two dimensional array with three elements in each dimension B 1 0 returns the first element in the second row of B The syntax to access elements of an array can be used in the Formula object or any expression field such as those in the To From File object 206 Chapter 5 Storing and Retrieving Test Results Using Arrays to Store Test Results Lab 5 1 Creating an Array for Test Results The easiest way to create an array is to use the Collector object This exercise uses the For Count object to simulate four readings from an instrument The readings are put into an array and the results are printed The principles will be the same regardless of the data type or the size of the array since the Collector will take any data type and create the array size automatically depending on the number of elements sent 1 Select Flow Repeat gt For Count Data gt Collector and Display gt AlphaNumeric about the For Count outputs increasing integer values For Count starting at 0 depending on the number of iterations object you specify in the input field Highlight the default
112. ARRAY 1D or ARRAY 2D Beep Gives an audible tone to highlight a place in your program Complex Plane Displays Complex Polar Complex PComplex or Coord data values on a Real vs Imaginary axis Indicator gt gt Meter Thermometer Fill Bar Tank Color Alarm All of these indicators display numbers with a graphical representation suggested by their names They all have color coded ranges usually three but the meter has five The Color Alarm can simulate an LED with a text message flashing up on the alarm in each range Label An object used to put a text label on the Panel View The colors and fonts may be easily adjusted through Properties in the object menu while in the Panel View Logging Displays values as text or numbers when Alphanumeric repeatedly logged Requires SCALAR or ARRAY 1D Note Pad Uses a text note to clarify a program Picture PC An object used to put a graphic image on the Panel View The formats supported are BMP bitmaps GIF GIF87a and GIF89 ICN X11 bitmap JPEG PNG and WMF Windows Meta File Picture UNIX GIF GIF87a and xwd X11 Window Dump 194 Chapter 4 Analyzing and Displaying Test Data Displaying Test Data Table 4 2 Displays Continued Display Description Polar Plot Graphically displays data on a polar scale when separate information is available for radius and angle data Spe
113. ARRAY ID TO END transaction Chapter 12 Platform Specifics and Web Monitoring Communicating with Rocky Mountain Basic Programs running in If you are running diskless be certain you WRITE and environment READ to or from uniquely named pipes Otherwise without disk several workstations on the same diskless cluster may attempt to access the same named pipe which will cause contention problems Figure 12 3 shows how to set up communications with an RMB program This program is located in manual34 vee in the examples rmb subdirectory on the HP UX platform only Program Jusifibivestestexamplesh Write Pipe fimpito_rmb Read Pipe ftmpifrom_rmb WRITE TEXT a EOL Double Click to Add Transaction Figure 12 3 Communicating with Rocky Mountain Basic Chapter 12 445 Note Note Platform Specifics and Web Monitoring The Callable VEE ActiveX Automation Server The Callable VEE ActiveX Automation Server In VEE on Windows 95 Windows 98 Windows NT 4 0 and Windows 2000 you can integrate VEE objects into other commercial and proprietary test systems written in standard languages such as MS Visual Basic or C The Callable VEE ActiveX Automation Server encapsulates VEE UserFunctions for integration into Automation applications such as MS Excel and MS Visual Basic The Callable VEE ActiveX Automation Server implements an automation interface which is language independent It may be used by any applicat
114. Activex Sending Agilent VEE Data to MS Excel Events are useful for ActiveX Controls where you need a way for the control to communicate back to VEE For more information refer to the VEE Pro Advanced Techniques manual 6 Open the UserFunction globals object menu and click Generate gt Call This generatesa Call globals object configured correctly Place it to the left in the Main window and iconize the globals UserFunction window 7 Click Device Formula and place it in the upper center of the Main window Rename it Set up Excel Worksheet Connect the globals sequence out pin to the Formula sequence in pin Delete the input terminal A from Set Up Excel Worksheet open the Object menu and select Delete Terminal gt Input 8 Inside Set up Excel Worksheet enter the lines shown in Figure 6 6 Notice that semicolons are used for line separators just as in ANSI C Function Name globals set sheet CreateObject Excel Sheet worksheets 1 set app sheet application app visible true set window app windows 1 indow caption Test System Results Figure 6 6 Setting Up the MS Excel Worksheet Chapter 6 257 Creating Reports Easily Using Activex Sending Agilent VEE Data to MS Excel The commands in the Formula object Set Up Excel Worksheet are as follows set sheet CreateObject Excel Sheet worksheets 1 258 The keyword set is used to assign or set whatever is on the right
115. AlphaNumeric Properties Box 9 Run the program and save it as getfield vee The program should look like Figure 5 11 226 Chapter 5 Note Storing and Retrieving Test Results Using Records to Store Mixed Data Types testname Output Shape time Record Scalar data rec e T EN ree z z rec Fri 14 Jan 2000 9 54 AM rec frec data 1 33 2 44 3 55 Figure 5 11 Using the Get Field Object Notice that the second display lists the weekday the date and the time expressed in hours minutes and an a m or p m designation Setting a Field in a Record This exercise shows how to change data in specific fields of a record You can re use the same Record with different tests 1 Open the get field vee program 2 Delete all objects after Build Record by selecting objects and pressing Ctrl X Chapter 5 227 Note Storing and Retrieving Test Results Using Records to Store Mixed Data Types 1 Select Data Access Record Set Field and place it to the right of Build Record Connect the output from Build Record to the rec input of Set Field The title will be rec field b Set Field works by assigning the expression on the right side of the assignment symbol to the left hand side Therefore the specified field of rec is modified to contain the value s from the right hand side The rest of the record is unchanged You connect the incoming record to rec and the incoming new value to b The m
116. Complex A magnitude and phase component in the form mag phase Phase is set by default to degrees but can be set to radians or gradians with the File Default Preferences gt Trig Mode setting Complex A rectangular or Cartesian complex number having a real and imaginary component in the form real imag Each component is Real64 For example the complex number 1 2i is represented as 1 2 Waveform A composite data type of time domain values that contains the Real64 values of evenly spaced linear points and the total time span of the waveform The data shape of a Waveform must be a one dimensional array Array 1D Spectrum A composite data type of frequency domain values that contains the PComplex values of points and the minimum and maximum frequency values The domain data can be mapped as log or linear The data shape of a Spectrum must be a one dimensional array Array 1D Chapter 4 175 Analyzing and Displaying Test Data Agilent VEE Data Shapes and Data Types Table 4 1 Agilent VEE Data Types Continued Data Type Description Coord A composite data type that contains at least two components in the form x y Each component is Real64 The data shape of a coord must be a Scalar or an Array 1D Enum A text string that has an associated integer value You can access the integer value with the ordinal x function Text A string of alphanumeric character
117. CtS eene tation ee nite ei eee ene awk Gels 488 Random Noise UserOb ject eeeeeeescesecsseceseceseceeeseeseeeeaeeenees 488 Agilent VEE UserFunctions aaneren aaea Ea 491 Using UserFunctions 0 0 0 ceccesceseeseeeseeseeeeseeeseceaeceeesaeceeeeneeenees 491 Importing and Deleting Libraries of UserFunctions 497 Creating Operator Panels and Pop upS ceceeseeceeeeeeeseeereeeaeeenaeens 499 Working with Elesin ev gele eee tee he Na eel gece dt none 506 Moving Data To and From Files ce eeceeeseceeceseeceteeeeeeeeeesaeeenees 506 Record Siisti cstren a Eao a itacetes saepstie deboe sets 508 Manipulating Records sssseeseseeseesesressesresreesissreserrresrssesrreseesesseees 508 Test Sequenciti gei n E E E desta La A 514 Glossary Index Contents 10 Figures Figure I 1 The Random Program in ANSI C eee ceeceeseeeeeeeeeenees 5 Figure I 2 The Same Random Program in VEE oseese 6 Figure I 3 Panel View or Operator Interface of VEE Program 8 Figure I 4 Contacting Product Support in VEE Help Menu 16 Figure 1 1 The VEE Development Environment ce ceeeeeeeeeeeees 23 Figure 1 2 The VEE Welcome Screen in Help 0 0 0 eeeeeeeeseeeseeeteeees 26 Figure 1 3 Using the Help Menu cece cesceeeeeneeeseceeeeseesseeeseenes 27 Figure 1 4 VEE Help Contents Taboo cece ceeceeeeeseeeeceneeeneesseenseeees 27 Figure 1 5 Adding Objects to the Work Area ecese 30 Figure
118. D 7 TEXT 7 k DEFAULT NUM CHARS STRINGFORMAT Rd TOKEN FORMAT STRING FORMAT QUOTED STRING FORMAT BYTE FORMAT Cancel INT16 FORMAT INT32 FORMAT OCTAL FORMAT HEX FORMAT REAL32 FORMAT REAL64 FORMAT COMPLEX FORMAT PCOMPLEX FORMAT TIME STAMP FORMAT COORD FORMAT Figure 5 7 Selecting String Format 4 All of the other defaults are correct so click OK to close the I O Transaction box The transaction bar in the From File object should now contain the statement READ TEXT x STR Now add two more transactions to read back the time stamp and the real array 5 Inthe same From File object double click below the first transaction bar The I O Transaction dialog box appears Double click on the expression list input field to highlight x and type y for the second transaction to read data back to pin y If this pin were left as x then the second transaction would overwrite the data that the first transaction put into x instead of appending it Change REAL64 FORMAT to STRING FORMAT then click OK Note To read the time stamp back as a text string use the STRING FORMAT The TIME STAMP FORMAT converts the time stamp data back to a Real number Chapter 5 219 Note Storing and Retrieving Test Results Using the To From File Objects 6 Inthe same From File object double click below the second transaction bar to display to the I O Transaction dialog box Set entries as follows expression fi
119. Driver Figure 3 10 Scope Added to List of Instruments 8 Click Save to close the Instrument Manager box You could also click Panel Driver under Create I O Object to put it in the program immediately and VEE would save the configuration automatically You have now added the HP 54504A oscilloscope named scope to the instrument list You can use this driver while programming even though the actual instrument is not present Selecting an Instrument to Use in a Program 1 Select I O Instrument Manager 2 Highlight the selection scope NOT LIVE then click Panel Driver under Create I O Object Chapter 3 139 Easy Ways to Control Instruments Configuring an Instrument Note Inthe Instrument Manager you can often create different types of objects under Create I O Object depending on the type of instrument configured For example if you had chosen Direct 1I Orather than Panel Driver for this exercise you would get a Direct I O object with the name scope NOT LIVE VEE also provides a Component Driver which uses a subset of the functions provided by a Panel Driver For more information refer to the VEE Pro Advanced Techniques manual 3 Place the outline of the scope panel and click to place it The display should look similar to Figure 3 11 Aut Autoscale Run CEREN Main Panel Timebase Sweep Mode Source Pos Trig Level o cua cx2 BECO E Figu
120. E CBY32 DLL Definition File CACBWWEE CBY H Figure 3 27 Importing the ComputerBoards I O Library 160 Chapter 3 Easy Ways to Control Instruments Using PC Plug in Boards Meilhaus Electronic ME DriverSystem Meilhaus Electronic is one of the leading European designers producers and sales companies for PC based data acquisition and interface technology The ME DriverSystem for Windows on CD ROM is included with all data acquisition boards made by Meilhaus Electronic i e ME series The ME DriverSystem is also integrated into the VEE menu structure After the ME DriverSystem for VEE is installed the driver functions appear in a VEE pull down menu Figure 3 28 shows the ME Board menu in VEE Figure 3 28 ME Board Menu in VEE The second menu level presents functional groups such as Analog Input and Output Digital I O and special functions of certain boards Figure 3 29 shows the user panel for data acquisition board ME 3000 Chapter 3 161 Easy Ways to Control Instruments Using PC Plug in Boards EHP VEE Al Scan Out_In 4Channels vee BAE Hie Edt View Debug Flow Device O Data Display Window ME Board Help OSHS rnad eS C BAAO mae BAe N Scan out mac EEEREN Delete Wra RE meso Ma ME3000 Analog Out In 4 Channels mesoo Ea me300t me3aat mezo ME 3000 A Scan
121. E Pro Advanced Techniques manual Chapter 3 129 Easy Ways to Control Instruments Overview Panel Drivers Agilent VEE includes over 450 panel drivers for different instrument vendors A panel driver works by using a display in the VEE program that controls the settings in the corresponding physical instrument Panel drivers provide maximum ease of use and save the most development time Figure 3 1 shows an example panel driver Main Panel Timebase TRIG Source TRIG Mode TRIG Level MOG SENS Probe Digitize Run CH1 100 m EC o EE Figure 3 1 The HP54600A Scope Panel Driver Direct I O Object VEE s Direct I O object allows you to communicate with any instrument from any vendor over standard interfaces whether or not there is a driver available for the instrument The Direct I O object works by transmitting commands to the instrument and receiving data back from the instrument Using Direct I O generally yields faster execution speeds Choosing the best method of instrument control will depend on driver availability the need for fast test development and the performance requirements Figure 3 2 shows an example using Direct I O to control a function generator 130 Chapter 3 Easy Ways to Control Instruments Overview WRITE TEXT RST EOL Double Click to Add Transaction Figure 3 2 A Function Generator Direct I O Object PC Plug in Boards with ODAS Driver ODAS drivers are supplied by
122. E displays objects either in icon view or open view as shown in Figure 1 7 Chapter 1 31 Note Using the Agilent VEE Development Environment Working with Objects Object Menu Function Cosine x hea Minimize button button Frequency 200 Amplitude 71 DcOffset 0 Func Phase Deg gt o Time Span 20m Num Points 256 Open View Icon View Figure 1 7 Object in Open View and Icon View The iconic view conserves space in the work area and makes programs more readable The open view provides more detail and allows you to edit the properties and settings of an object 1 To switch from an open to iconic view click the Minimize button the box on the right end of the object s title bar 2 To return to an open view double click the object icon view anywhere on the object The object menu also has Minimize and Restore selections To display the object menu click on the Object Menu button on the left end of the title bar or right click anywhere on the object Not all objects have the same structure or parts but you can edit objects in their open views and save space in their icon views Selecting an Object Menu Each VEE object has an object menu that lets you perform actions on the object such as Clone Size Cut Move and Minimize Most objects have similar attributes but there are differences depending on the functionality of the object See online help for the specific object
123. EE and how to work in the VEE window Supported Systems This version of VEE version 6 0 is supported on the following systems E Windows 95 Windows 98 Windows 2000 and Windows NT 4 0 on a PC E HP UX Workstations version 10 20 on Series 700 This version of VEE does not run on HP UX version 11 x or any version before 10 2 The Mouse and the Menus You are probably familiar with the computer s mouse and menu driven interface the pull down menus toolbars and dialog boxes that you control with the mouse and keyboard VEE uses your computer s interface In the instructions about using the mouse to operate menus icons buttons and objects the common techniques are as follows E To click an item place the mouse pointer on the desired item and quickly press and release the left mouse button E To double click an item place the mouse pointer on the desired item and click the left mouse button twice in rapid succession E To drag an item place the mouse pointer on a desired item hold the left mouse button down and move the item to the appropriate location Then release the mouse button The right mouse button is used less frequently You will be advised if you are to click the right mouse button If your mouse has a middle button you will not use it for VEE 22 Chapter 1 Using the Agilent VEE Development Environment Interacting with Agilent VEE Starting Agilent VEE Windows Click Start
124. EE Execution Modes Figure 11 16 Chaos vee in VEE 4 or Higher Mode with Debugging Disabled In Figure 11 17 and Figure 11 18 the VEE speed improvements use the compiler on areas of programs involving iterative scalar math routines The example calculates the square root of a scalar value The result is not kept By using the compiler the speed is approximately 107 times faster than using the VEE 3 execution mode Chapter 11 433 Optimizing Agilent VEE Programs Agilent VEE Execution Modes x feqrteo Result 04994 Figure 11 17 Iterative Math Example in VEE 3 Mode ee SE l 1024 x feqrteg Result Figure 11 18 Iterative Math Example Using VEE 4 or Higher Mode VEE includes the execution modes because there are a few programming choices allowed in older versions of VEE that are not permitted in the current version they now produce error messages Furthermore with some of the advances in the ActiveX Automation and Control capabilities some programs that ran in VEE 4 or VEE 5 modes require minor modifications to run in VEE 6 mode For details about the differences between the Execution Modes refer to the VEE Pro Advanced Techniques manual For all new programs you should begin in VEE 6 mode 434 Chapter 11 Optimizing Agilent VEE Programs The Agilent VEE Profiler The Agilent VEE Profiler The Profiler is a feature in the Professional Development Environment in VEE The Profiler helps yo
125. EE program from an HP UX platform to the PC Fonts and Screen Resolutions VEE on a PC chooses a font size that looks good with the screen resolution Use the File Default Preferences dialog box to change the look and feel of programs Use the Properties selection in the object menus to customize individual objects If necessary VEE will translate the font saved in the program to one available on the destination machine For best results you may want to build the program on a computer with a screen resolution and font set similarly to the destination machine When porting programs make sure the screen resolutions are similar to avoid problems See fonts using in the online Help Index for more information Data Files ASCII data files constructed with the To File object should be readable with the From File object on either the HP UX or the Windows platform No binary files will work across platforms since the byte ordering is reversed between HP UX and Windows Chapter 12 441 Note Platform Specifics and Web Monitoring Communicating with Rocky Mountain Basic Programs Communicating with Rocky Mountain Basic Programs VEE includes objects to facilitate communication between VEE and Rocky Mountain Basic on HP UX For Series 700 workstations HP UX 10 20 you can use VEE 6 0 For Series 300 and 400 workstations HP UX 9 0 you must use HP VEE 3 1 Using the Initialize Rocky Mountain Basic Object The Initialize Rocky Mountain Ba
126. FR A HZ EOL Thru fom Double Click to Add Transaction gt Step 0k Figure 3 19 Direct I O Setup Using an Input Variable 6 Optional Connect an HP3325B to your computer if you have one and edit the configuration of this Direct I O object to include the address of the instrument Run the program and you will see the instrument generating these frequencies Reading Data From an Instrument Instruments send data to a computer in many different formats To read data from an instrument you must know the datatype you want to read and whether the data is returned as a single value scalar or an array You must also know if the instrument returns data as text ASCID or binary You can find this information in the instrument documentation or you can use the VEE Bus I O Monitor in the I O menu to examine the data being returned This information determines how to configure the I O transaction In this example an HP3478A Multimeter is connected to the HP3325B Function Generator described in the last exercise When the generator sends out a certain frequency the multimeter triggers a reading and sends the results back to VEE The following steps describe how to configure the transactions for the multimeter This example describes a READ TEXT transaction Other choices for READ include BINARY BINBLOCK and CONTAINER which are discussed in detail in the VEE Pro Advanced Techniques manual Chapter 3 151 Note Easy Ways to
127. Field name Value Lac from Function Name ArrayStats Default Value farroctoze 0 Figure 8 5 After Editing ArrayStats Output to a Record Calling a UserFunction from an Expression In this exercise you will learn how to call ArrayStats from an expression in the Formula object 1 Select Device Formula and replace the default formula with ArrayStats A Click Replace inthe Call ArrayStats object menu Chapter 8 303 Using Agilent VEE Functions Using Functions The Status Bar at the bottom of the VEE screen prompts you to select the replacement object Click on the Formula object that calls the ArrayStats function VEE automatically replaces the Call ArrayStats object with the new Formula object and retains the wiring of the data lines The Formula object takes the input at terminal A and sends it to the UserFunction ArrayStats ArrayStats delivers the record of Statistics to its terminal X The first output value from the UserFunction X is returned to the Formula object and delivered to its Result output Run the program It should look like Figure 8 6 Field name Value max ma Note p 024 1 1024 min mean 512 5 sdev 295 7 Figure 8 6 Calling the ArrayStats User Function Notice that the functionality of ArrayStats in the Formula object is exactly the same as it was in the Call ArrayStats object This example uses a F
128. From DataSet Objects with Logged Data 360 Chapter Checklist einn iat isco A AAT TEN oes 362 10 Using Operator Interfaces Overview ieron na aa e a A a n e eid 365 Key Points Concerning Operator Interfaces 366 Creating an Operator Interface 0 0 0 eee eceeeseceeceeeceseeeeeeeneeeneeenees 366 Moving Between Panel View and Detail View eeens 367 Customizing an Operator Interface eels eeceeceeneeeeeeeeeeneeeneees 367 Using Operator Interface Objects 0 eee eeeceseceteeeeeeeseeeseeeeeeaaesnaeens 369 Colors Fonts and Indicators cccccccccccccccececccesccesesesesescsesesesenes 369 Graphic Image Suessi o e e a a ee esse 369 Displaying a Control for Operator Input eeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeesesreee 371 Displaying a Dialog Box for Operator Input seeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee 373 Displaying a Toggle Control for the Operator 00 0 ee eeeeee eens 375 Aligning Objects in the Operator Interface eee eeeeeeeeneeeeeee 376 Creating an Operator Interface for the Keyboard Onlly 0 0 377 Selecting Screen Colors ic cscs cessaceccetaee dee n iniae 379 Securing a Program Creating a RunTime Version ee 380 Displaying a Pop Up Panel During Execution 000 000 eee eeeeeees 381 Creating a Status Panel ic cisssccsecttcePecsduvcsoded sues cccuueesscenteeseoctessseiee 382 Common Tasks In Creating Operator Interfaces 383 Lab 10 1 Using Men s edente eiid a aii 383 Lab 10 2 Importing Bitma
129. I O Transaction box a Change REAL64 FORMAT to STRING FORMAT b Change SCALAR to ARRAY 1D c Click on the SIZE 10 field to toggle it to TO END then click OK The transaction bar should now read READ TEXT x STR ARRAY This transaction will read the contents of the bob file 4 Select Display Logging AlphaNumeric and connect its data input pin to the From File data output 5 Run the program It should look like Figure 7 3 Run Style Normal x Wait for prog exit Yes Prog with params Jcommand com ic dir gt cAbob Working directory fen Volume in drive C has no label Volume Serial Number is 07CF 0B0F Directory of C From File cAbob SUHDLOG DAT 7 798 05 14 99 1 READ TEXT x STR ARRAY FRUNLOG TXT 2 665 11 15 99 lt Double Click to Add Transaction COMMAND COM 93 890 04 23 99 1 WINDOWS lt DIR gt 11 15 99 1 Figure 7 3 Listing the Files in a Directory PC 286 lt DIR gt 129 078 5 99 09 07 99 Chapter 7 Integrating Programs In Other Languages Using a System Command Lab 7 2 Listing the Files in a Directory UNIX In this exercise you will use the operating system command 1s which lists the filenames in a directory Since this is not a shell dependent command you can set Shell to none Then you will program a variation of this exercise using a shell dependent feature the pipe To list the files in an HP UX program use the 1s command as
130. INAL 344 Chapter 9 Test Sequencing Passing Data in the Sequencer Make sure the transaction is highlighted place the cursor on the transaction bar press Ctrl K to cut the test then press Ctrl Y three times to paste the test back into the Sequencer You could also cut and paste using the object menus The default test names will be test 1x2 test1x1 and test1 Open the three Sequence Transaction dialog boxes and change these names to test1 test2 and test3 for clarity 1 Select Data Continuous Real64 Slider and place it to the left of the Sequencer Change the name to the prompt Select Num size the object to be smaller and connect it to the Sequencer input terminal Tip You can size an object as you place it by clicking and dragging the object corners using the left mouse button 2 Select an AlphaNumeric display place it below the Sequencer enlarge it to be wider and connect it to the Log output terminal on the Sequencer 3 Save the program again as seqdat1 Select a number on the Real64 Slider object and run seqdat1 It should look like Figure 9 7 Chapter 9 345 Test Sequencing Passing Data in the Sequencer B Main test2 0 lt 5 lt 1 test3 0 lt 5 lt 1 Double Click to Add Transaction gt test1 0 2887 1 test2 0 2929 1 test3 0 6619 1 VEE 6 PRCT MGM WES 7 Figure 9 7 Passing Data Using an Input Terminal As the number of tests increases
131. Iconize Text Constant Select Device gt Function amp Object Browser Click Built in Functions under Type Time amp Date under Category select now under Functions and click Create Formula Place the object below Text Constant Select Data Constant Real 4 and place it below now You can turn this Scalar Real 4 into an Array 1D by clicking Properties inthe Real 4 object menu and choosing 1D Array Open the Constant Properties box by double clicking on the Real 4 title bar Select 1D Array under Configuration change the Size to 4 then click OK Enter four values into this array by double clicking next to element 0000 to highlight the first entry then input the values 2 2 3 3 4 4 5 5 using the Tab key between each entry Iconize Real64 Select Data Build Data Record and place it to the right of the three other objects Add a third data input terminal so you can input three fields Open each terminal by double clicking over the terminal and rename the three input terminals to testname time and data The Output Shape on the Build Record object toggles between Scalar and Array The Scalar default will be the correct choice for the majority of situations For more information see the VEE Pro Advanced Techniques manual Chapter 5 223 Storing and Retrieving Test Results Using Records to Store Mixed Data Types 6 Connect the Text Constant object to the testname terminal the now object to the time terminal
132. Message using the Browser Notice that the VEE error message specifies the UserFunction makeAMove 6 The remote user goes back to the VEE Web Server Home Page once again and clicks on Detail View of UserFunction and types in the UserFunction name makeAMove The browser displays the UserFunction makeAMove as shown in Figure 12 10 Chapter 12 461 Platform Specifics and Web Monitoring Web Monitoring with Agilent VEE JPEG image 844x901 pixels Netscape File Edit View Go Communicator Help tf 2 2taeo s Back Foward Reload Home Search Netscape Print Security Stop A 7 Bookmarks A Go to http Server5 viewdetail makeAMovel play for auto play or Jcontinuous play If no Move is possible then noMoreMoves is fired If the game is finished then GameOver is fired noMoreMoves eet ly Document Done ES Se sel wm tA FZ Figure 12 10 Detail View of a UserFunction Displayed in the Browser The remote user is able to see the error in the VEE program There is an input pin not connected on the JCT object shown in Figure 12 10 The remote user could now help you troubleshoot Solitaire vee and resolve the error Using a similar process of working together over the Web you could collaborate with remote users or develop programs together Restricting Access to Programs Viewed over the Web When you make a VEE program available on the Web you may sti
133. NoiseGen that accepts an amplitude value 0 1 from a slider and returns a noisy waveform Do Not Use Virtual Source For Count For Range Do Use Formula Ramp Build Waveform Hint Use randomize array a a where the array must be 256 points and a is the amplitude Build a simple main program that calls this function to be certain the function works correctly Appendix A 491 NoiseGen Additional Lab Exercises Agilent VEE UserFunctions Solution UserFunctions Step 1 Figure A 16 shows a solution for step 1 Function Name NoiseGen 0 2 Trace randomize ramp 256 0 0 A A Figure A 16 User Functions Step 1 Key Points E Ramp Notice that the ramp function is used to generate an array of 256 points within the parameter list for randomize E Build Waveform Notice that the default time span is 20 milliseconds so that you only need to send an array to this object to build a waveform 492 Appendix A Additional Lab Exercises Agilent VEE UserFunctions UserFunctions Step 2 In the same program create another function called AddNoise that calls the first function NoiseGen AddNoise should add the noisy waveform from the NoiseGen function to a sine wave AddNoise should have two inputs one for the NoiseGen amplitude and one for the sine wave It should have one output for the result Build a simple main program with a slider for the nois
134. O transaction 212 execution data flow in VEE program 70 displaying pop up panels 381 Execute Program object 423 modes 427 order in program 113 Show Data flow 71 Show Execution Flow 71 execution modes optimizing programs 409 exiting VEE 63 expression field calling DLLs 419 expressions calling UserFunctions 303 Formula object 184 send expression list to instrument 150 F field getting a field from a Record 225 file sending real array to 216 sending time stamp to 215 To From file objects 210 file extensions 424 File menu Default Preferences 369 Merge 323 merge Library 309 Save As 59 Save Documentation 120 files program 59 fill bars 369 Find feature 321 flow Show Data Flow 71 Show Execution Flow 71 Flow gt Confirm OK 381 flow data 73 fonts saving with program 61 format I O transaction 212 Formula object 96 98 181 creating expressions 181 evaluate expression 182 evaluate simple expression 182 multiple expressions 184 using predefined functions 96 Formula objects line breaks 184 frequency displays 195 From File adding object to program 91 From File Object 220 Function compiled function 297 414 menu 143 remote functions 297 same names 320 Select Function in Device Call 299 Sequencer transaction field 335 Function amp Object Browser 178 function keys using in programs 377 G gateway 135 Get field object 225 Get Variable ob
135. Object minimized Figure 1 35 Multiple windows in the Work Area As Figure 1 35 shows the Program Explorer lists the hierarchy of the program This built in modular structure allows easy access to all parts of the program If the Program Explorer is not displayed click View gt Program Explorer The default is for Program Explorer to appear If you remove the check and click the Save button in File gt Default Preferences the Program Explorer will not appear the next time you start VEE To bring the Main window forward at any time click on it or double click its icon in the Program Explorer Note If you close the Main window in VEE you can display the Main window again by selecting View Main 66 Chapter 1 Note Using the Agilent VEE Development Environment How Agilent VEE Programs Work How Agilent VEE Programs Work In VEE the general flow of execution through a program is called propagation Propagation through a program is not determined by the geographic locations of the objects in the program but rather by the way the objects are connected Propagation is primarily determined by data flow which in turn is determined by how the data input and output pins of the objects are connected In other programming languages such as C BASIC or Pascal the order in which program statements execute is determined by a set of sequence and selection rules Generally statements execute in their order of appearance in the progra
136. Panel UFName x y width height a showPanel logTest 420 180 Result J Sequencer E Return 1 Test1 0 1933 1 Test2 0 lt 5 lt 1 Test2 0 8087 1 lt Double Click to Add Transaction gt Log 1 logT est Shown UserFunction I a Edit UserFunction Go To ShowPanel Call OK hidePanel UFName iz hidePanel logTest Result 1 Figure 10 19 Creating a Status Panel 382 Chapter 10 Note Using Operator Interfaces Common Tasks In Creating Operator Interfaces Common Tasks In Creating Operator Interfaces In the following exercises you will learn how to implement many operator interface features Specifically you will learn how create menus create warnings create a status panel and import bitmaps to add more visual impact to programs All of the labs will give you a chance to customize the interfaces Lab 10 1 Using Menus In this exercise you will create an operator interface that includes a menu with three choices die1 die2 and die3 When the operator selects a choice a function by the same name will be called that displays a die with one two or three dots on its top face This program simulates a situation where the operator must choose a test to run from a menu You will also learn how to import a bitmap to change the appearance of an icon This will be called the Dice Program Begin by creating the three UserFunctions 1 Select Device gt UserFu
137. Technologies 20 0 0 ceeeeeseceseceseseeeeeseceseeeseeeaeensaeens 447 Overview of Web Technologies cc ceecesceseeeeeeeeceeeeeeeasensaeens 447 Web Monitoring with Agilent VEE ee cesceseeeseceseceeeeneeeseeenaeens 450 Contents 9 General Guidelines and Tips 0 ee eee esceeseesseceeceseeeeeeeeeeeeneeaaeenaees 450 Providing Agilent VEE Data to a Remote User 450 Web Server Dialog BOX ceceeceesceeneeseseceseceseeeeeesneeeneeenees 451 How a Remote User Accesses Agilent VEE on Your System 454 Displaying the Agilent VEE Web Server Page 457 Lab 12 1 Practice Session with Agilent VEE Web Browset 459 Restricting Access to Programs Viewed over the Web 0 462 Chapter CHECKIISE cicsccstescheseueeshitsteesseeitbssetetel isacesbianacttlc tat hessnsuetesocedes 466 A Additional Lab Exercises General Programming Techniques eeeesceeeeeeseeensecneeceseceeeeeeeeees 469 Apple Bagger pinine nn entice anand AEE as 469 Testing N MDETS es esnea ea ee E A A E ERR aE 472 Collecting Random Numbers eseseeesseeeeereesessessrreresessesrrssessessrees 476 Random Number Generator ceecceesessecsseceeeceseceneeeeeeeneeaaeseaees 478 Using Masks iit scsniec oi iek eens aed eset ne ae 480 Using Strings and Globals s cncccincniscicinseninecie 484 Manipulating Strings and Globals cece ceeeeeseceeeeereeeeeeeeeeaee 484 Optimizing Techniques ins eiin reie i EA RE E 486 WSCrODJE
138. Testi EOL Aphan 1 WRITE TEXT now TIME HM H12 Et WRITE TEXT a REAL64 STD EOL Double Click to Add Transaction 7 3 09 AM READ TEXT x STR READ TEXT y STR READ TEXT z REAL64 ARRAY 4 Double Click to Add Transaction gt Figure 5 8 Retrieving Data Using the From File Object Notice that the first Alphanumeric displays the title the second displays the time of the test and the third lists the numbers in the array Chapter 5 221 Storing and Retrieving Test Results Using Records to Store Mixed Data Types Using Records to Store Mixed Data Types The Record data type can store different data types in a single data container Record can include any VEE data type The data can be in the shape of a Scalar or an Array You can store a test name a time stamp and a real array in a single data structure The individual elements in a Record are stored as fields and are accessed using a dot notation For example Rec Name accesses the field called Name within a Record called Rec In an array of records Rec 2 Name signifies the Name field in the third record in the array All arrays start indexing at Zero There are several benefits to structuring test data using the Record data type E You can create logical groupings of mixed data types in a single container which makes a program easier to develop and maintain For example you might use the following fields for a record storing test data test name valu
139. URL with the option ViewMainDetail the browser does not display the main VEE program in detail view Instead the browser accesses the ViewMainDetail html file in the www directory and displays the file you created Figure 12 11 shows an example of what you could display to a remote user Note Make sure the file name is the file name of a VEE web command and that it is located in the Root Directory specified in Web Server Chapter 12 463 Platform Specifics and Web Monitoring Web Monitoring with Agilent VEE 3 VEE program cannot be seen in this view Netscape File Edit View Go Communicator Help 2 3 3 a a s F Beck Foward Reload Home Search Netscape Print Security Stop j a Bookmarks A Go to http Server5 homepage htm X E what s Related Program not available in this view We re not making this program available on the Web for anyone to see the details You can go back to the VEE Web Server Home Page and select another view or contact one of us if you really need to see this T D PDocument Done A Figure 12 11 Example of Displaying HTML Message Instead of VEE Program You could also use a htm1 file for other purposes such as putting password protection on a VEE program so that only users with the password can view the program Figure 12 12 shows an example of password protection 464 Chapter 12 Platform Specifics and Web Monitoring Web Monitoring with Agilent VEE Netscape olx File Edit
140. Y display Use the Timer object to clock how long the program takes Set your default preferences for Trig Mode to Radians Solution Optimizing Techniques Step 1 Figure A 12 shows a solution to step 1 il 51 44m Y name 0 6 0 2 Result 0 2 YData1 0 6 cost Result H 1 x name Figure A 12 Optimizing VEE Programs Step 1 Optimizing Techniques Step 2 Clone all of the objects from the first program Modify the new set to collect the range into an array Now the sine and cosine functions are run against an array of points and only plotted one time Note the time savings 486 Appendix A Additional Lab Exercises Optimizing Techniques Solution Optimizing Techniques Step 2 Figure A 13 shows a solution to step 2 From fo Thru fri0 Step fio YData1 Figure A 13 Optimizing VEE Programs Step 2 Key Points E Optimizing with Arrays Note the increase in performance between step 1 and step 2 that comes from using arrays Whenever possible perform analysis or display results using arrays rather than scalar values E X vs Y Display This example uses this display instead of the Waveform or XY displays because there is separate data for the X and Y data Appendix A 487 Additional Lab Exercises UserObjects UserObjects Random Noise UserObject Random Noise UserObject Step 1 Create aUserObject that generates arandom noise wavefo
141. a list of commands to set up an Excel worksheet to display the results of a test set sheet CreateObject Excel Sheet worksheets 1 set app sheet application lapp visible TRUE set window app windows 1 indow caption Test System Results Figure 6 3 Commands to Set Up Excel Worksheet to Display Test Results 252 Chapter 6 Note Creating Reports Easily Using Activex ActiveX Automation in Agilent VEE VEE uses standard Microsoft Visual Basic syntax to create the commands or statements like those shown in Figure 6 3 The commands or statements perform three types of operations get properties set properties or call methods E Get property statements usually refer to getting some type of data The syntax is lt object gt lt property gt For example sheet application gets the application property of the sheet object E Set property statements usually refer to setting some type of data equal to something The syntax is lt object gt lt property gt lt property type gt For example object property MaxSize sets a property E Call methods calla method A method requests the object to perform an action Methods have parameters that allow data to be passed in and returned The syntax is lt object gt lt method gt parameters The syntax for data type Objects looks similar to the VEE syntax for getting a Record field rec field and calling a UserFunction myLib func so it is important
142. a mouse For example you can configure the OK object to act as a softkey Typically you configure it so that it is attached to one of the F keys The operator can then press F keys to control the program as shown in Figure 10 15 F4 Run Program 1 Jig F2 Run Program 2 BE F3 Run Program 3 Figure 10 15 A Softkey Executing a UserFunction Figure 10 16 shows how to configure an OK object using the Properties dialog box to connect to a function key Enter or Esc keys Chapter 10 377 Using Operator Interfaces Using Operator Interface Objects OK Properties General Colors Fonts Icon Title fok Object index M 6 Open View I Show Title Bar I Show Terminals Debug Breakpoint Enabled Panel View Operation I Assign to Enter Key M Assign to Esc Key r Function Keys I Assign to Function Key F1 iM Figure 10 16 Configuring the Confirm OK Object as a Softkey Furthermore the program can be controlled with the keyboard in panel view VEE automatically highlights a button for the panel with a dotted outline If the operator presses Enter that button will be pressed If the operator is editing a text input area pressing the Enter key accepts the edit and pressing the Esc aborts the edit The Tab key moves forward through the various input object selections and shows the active object The Shift Tab keys move backward Use the following
143. a remote user would access the data General Guidelines and Tips E The VEE program running on your system is the VEE program that the remote user will access E Your system must be running VEE The remote user does not need to have VEE installed in order to access a VEE program on your system E When the remote user sends a request from their network browser to VEE VEE creates a picture to display in the remote user s browser window This picture is a snapshot of the VEE program It cannot be edited E By making choices in the VEE Web Server Home Page or by specifying command line options in the browser URL a remote user can view different parts of your VEE program have the VEE program refresh the browser display at regular intervals to monitor the program s progress and display error message information Providing Agilent VEE Data to a Remote User To set up the VEE Web server so that a remote user can access data on your system follow these general steps 1 Make sure your system is connected to a network 2 Provide information to the remote user about the URL he or she will enter in the browser to access your system which is described in more detail below 450 Chapter 12 Platform Specifics and Web Monitoring Web Monitoring with Agilent VEE 3 Start VEE and open the program that you want the remote user to access and or create any files you want the remote user to access 4 Enable the Web Server by
144. aSet objects 360 To From File objects 359 UnBuild Record 230 UserFunction 296 ODAS driver 131 ODAS drivers 156 online Tutorials 99 online help 22 26 open VEE 64 view of object 32 Operator interface create Panel view 91 operator interface creating 91 Operator interfaces color alarms 369 controls toggles 375 displaying pop up panels 381 fill bars 369 for a search operation 238 importing bitmaps 370 meters 369 panel view of program 366 radio buttons 385 selecting colors and fonts 369 slider Real64 71 softkeys and function keys 377 tanks 369 thermometers 369 operators built in 178 optimizing programs 408 P Panel driver 129 140 142 146 Panel view adding object to 366 adding objects 384 aligning objects 376 Beep object 391 button on icon bar 367 create operator interface 91 displaying 93 moving objects 384 radio buttons 385 securing 381 snap to grid 376 softkeys and function keys 377 switching to Detail view 93 panel view creating 91 parameters changing 55 58 parentheses in Call object 311 pass Sequencer 336 pasting an object 36 Pause 55 PC plug in boards 131 156 160 PComplex data type 175 physical instrument adding to configuration 141 Pictures displays 194 pins adding terminals 48 control pins 112 deleting a terminal 51 editing a terminal 49 input and output 46 order of operation in o
145. able Doc Note In the Excel example Excel was started with a blank worksheet using CreateObject Excel Sheet In this example Word is started and the method Add adds an empty Document to it Either application can be created either way Activates the Document above Takes the document in the active window and assigns it to the Object variable Wnd Puts focus selection into the document and assigns this to the Object variable Sel This allows you to insert text Specifies the type of window for displaying the document The 3 indicates a normal window size A 1 would iconize the window Note The 3 is used here instead of the constant wdPage View because the constant is missing from the Office 2000 Type Library Puts the title Test Results inthe document and issue a carriage return line feed Puts the panel bmp bitmap into the document and assigns this callin the Shapes Class to the Object variable Bmp Puts a time stamp in the document 8 Add three more Formula objects and one If Then E1se object configure and connect them as shown in Figure 6 17 272 Chapter 6 Creating Reports Easily Using Activex Using MS Word for Agilent VEE Reports Set Wind App ActiveWindow Set Sel App Selection Wind View Type 3 Sel TypeText Test Results Sel TypeParagraph Set Bmp Doc Shapes AddPicture FileName Sel TypeParagraph Sel lnsertDateTime Midi h mm ss amipm 0 FileName
146. ain Panel View Button Detail View Button Figure 10 1 Panel View Button and Detail View Button in Title Bar Customizing an Operator Interface In the Panel view of a VEE program you can change the size of objects rearrange objects and change the way the objects are displayed without affecting the same objects in the detail view For example you could remove the title bar and the scales from the Panel view of a waveform Time display without affecting the detail view of the same Waveform Time display However if you delete an object in the detail view it will also be deleted in the panel view Chapter 10 367 Using Operator Interfaces Key Points Concerning Operator Interfaces In panel view you can choose different colors and fonts to add emphasis and scalable bitmaps to add clarity You can also document the panel view for the operator by editing title bars using the Note Pad and Label objects and using the Description option in the object menus Figure 10 2 shows some of the VEE indicators available Create Labels choose colors and fonts EE o P fos fa me Jab lb em et sn sl Jl ul co a oO NR Oo Figure 10 2 A Selection of VEE Indicators 368 Chapter 10 Using Operator Interfaces Using Operator Interface Objects Using Operator Interface Objects This section introduces the operator interface objects and o
147. al Lab Exercises General Programming Techniques Testing Numbers Testing Numbers Step 1 Create a program that allows a user to enter a number between 0 and 100 If the number is greater than or equal to 50 display the number If it is less than 50 display a pop up box with the message Please enter a number between 50 and 100 Suggestions This program can be created with 5 or fewer objects Choose from the following objects Start Int32 Slider Real64 If Then Else Formula Gate Text Junction Alphanumeric Message Box 472 AppendixA Additional Lab Exercises General Programming Techniques Solution Testing Numbers Step 1 Figure A 3 shows a solution to the Testing Numbers exercise using five objects AP 50 A Else Message Box G Please enter a number between 50 and 100 Figure A 3 Testing Numbers pop up shown Testing Numbers Step 2 After the model is working with five objects the Message Box produces the pop up try programming it with four objects without using the Gate object Appendix A 473 Additional Lab Exercises General Programming Techniques Solution Testing Numbers Step 2 Figure A 4 shows the solution to the Testing Numbers exercise with four objects a s0y a Else Figure A 4 Testing Numbers Step 2 Key Points E Auto Execute All input objects such as the Int32 Slider have an Auto Execute selection in
148. an t be edited 390 development environment components 23 Device Call Function 299 Import Library 309 Device gt Import Library 417 dialog box 22 create for user input 85 dimensions of array 153 Direct I O 147 155 configured to read instrument 153 Index 4 object 129 148 transaction 149 display a record with Record Constant 302 Detail view 93 noise generator 196 Panel view 93 program connections detail view 6 waveform 196 Display menu Indicator 369 displaying test data 194 DLLs Dynamic Link Libraries 417 calling from expression field 419 PC plug in boards 131 document description dialog boxes 120 program using Save Documentation 120 double click 22 download instrument state 154 download string 155 drag 22 dragging an object 33 drivers ODAS 131 156 panel 129 VXIplug amp play 129 duplicating an object 35 Dynamic Link Libraries DLLs 417 Dynamic Link Library calling from expression field 419 E edit Clean Up Lines 54 Edit menu 41 objects 41 UserFunction 296 Edit menu Find 321 elements extracting array 209 enable Sequencer transaction field 334 end task quitting VEE 63 Enum data type 176 EOF avoiding errors in From DataSet 236 error input pins not connected 80 errors adding error output pins 112 debugging programs 102 Go To 108 View gt Last Error 108 view Call Stack 109 evaluating expressions in Formula object 182 EXECUTE I
149. an be trapped with the Error output pin on the Sequencer No other output pins will send data E THEN EVALUATE Calls the specified UserFunction which must return a string that states a branching menu option Valid string results from the UserFunction are Continue Return lt expr gt Goto lt name gt Repeat lt expr gt Error lt expr gt where lt expr gt is any valid VEE expression and lt name gt is the name of a test in the sequence This option allows you to ask the user what to do next ld Chapter 9 337 Test Sequencing Creating a Test Execution Order Table 9 1 Sequence Transaction Dialog Box Continued Sequence Transaction Field Explanation IF FAIL Branching instructions If the test fails VEE goes to this line for branching instructions IF FAIL toggles to IF FAIL CALL Options are the same as for IF PASS DESCRIPTION Text comments on the test They will show on the Sequencer transaction bar and can be stored with the test record by using the Logging folder in the Properties dialog box Adding or Inserting or Deleting a Test In this section you add another test transaction to the Sequencer object You can use the same random function to simulate a test result but this time you will compare the result to a limit instead of a range of values 1 Double click below the first Sequencer transaction bar to get the Sequence Transaction dialo
150. ansaction Encoding Encoding Explanations TEXT Reads or writes all data types in a human readable form ASCII that can easily be edited or ported to other software applications VEE numeric data is automatically converted to text BYTE Converts numeric data to binary integer and sends or receives the least significant byte CASE Maps an enumerated value or an integer to a string and reads writes that string For example you could use CASE to accept error numbers and write error messages BINARY Handles all data types in a machine specific binary format BINBLOCK Uses IEEE488 2 definite length block headers with all VEE data types in binary files CONTAINER Uses VEE specific text format with all data types In a write transaction an expression list is simply a comma separated list of expressions that need to be evaluated to yield the data sent The expression may be composed of a mathematical expression a data input terminal name a string constant a VEE function a UserFunction ora global variable In a read transaction the expression list should consist of a comma separated list of output terminal names that indicate where to store the data when it is read In conjunction with reading data from instruments data formats are described in Chapter 3 Easy Ways to Control Instruments on page 127 Most of these formats apply to all I O transactions EOL end of line sequence of
151. ant string character for a vertical bar FW 5 stands for a string field width of 5 RJ stands for right justified E ReportBody To File report be IV Clear File At PreRun amp Open WRITE TEXT A B Value l A B Limit REAL64 FIX 4 WRITE TEXT A B PassFail STR FW 5 RJ EOL lt Double Click to Add Transaction A Figure 8 14 The ReportBody UserFunction Chapter 8 313 Using Agilent VEE Functions Using Libraries With Agilent VEE UserFunctions Figure 8 15 shows the ReportDisplay UserFunction in detail view Note that it reads a string array to the end of the file specified by the asterisk sign after the STR ARRAY format amp ELE ReportDisplay LIMIT TEST From File report tt sssssssssss READ TEXT x STR ARRAY s lt Double Click to Add Transaction gt Value Limit Result 0 7105 5 0000 Pass 0 513515 0000 PASS 0 3040 5 0000 PASS Figure 8 15 The ReportDisplay Detail View Figure 8 16 shows the panel view of the ReportDisplay UserFunction with Show Panel on Execute selected in the Properties box In the Properties box the Pop up Panel Title has also been changed to ReportDisplay To create the panel select the Confirm OK and Logging AlphaNumeric objects and click Edit Add to Panel Note that the Logging AlphaNumeric display has Show Title Bar deselected Note also that Confirm OK button has been renamed DONE The Confirm OK button is
152. apter 1 Using the Agilent VEE Development Environment Interacting with Agilent VEE EYEE Pro EROA MoD Figure 1 3 Using the Help Menu Select Contents and Index to start VEE Help as shown in Figure 1 4 The HP UX screens are slightly different Help Topics Agilent YEE Pro Help 2a What s New in Agilent VEE 6 0 Guide to Agilent VEE Example Programs Reference About Agilent VEE Support Installing and Distributing Agilent VEE Pro RunTime Figure 1 4 VEE Help Contents Tab Chapter 1 27 Note Using the Agilent VEE Development Environment Interacting with Agilent VEE The Help Contents tab contains the following topics What s New in Agilent Explains new features VEE 6 0 How Dol Provides how to information for common tasks Tell Me About Explains VEE concepts Guide to Agilent VEE Summarizes example programs shipped with Example Programs VEE Reference Provides reference information for all functions and objects About Agilent VEE Provides information about getting support Support for VEE Installing and Explains how to distribute the VEE Pro Distributing Agilent VEE RunTime environment Pro RunTime As a shortcut to get help on a selected object and on dialog boxes press F1 on your keyboard In addition Click Help in an object menu to get specific information on that object For more information about using specific online Help features as you
153. as a parameter in the Excel SaveAs method call The Confirm OK button has been used to signal when you want to close Excel The quit method is called to tell MS Excel to exit 267 Creating Reports Easily Using Activex Using MS Word for Agilent VEE Reports Using MS Word for Agilent VEE Reports This lab describes how to display VEE test information in an MS Word document including text a time stamp and a screen dump of a VEE pop up panel with an XY Display Consult Microsoft documentation to find out more elaborate ways of controlling MS Word from other applications using ActiveX Automation Lab 6 3 Using MS Word for Agilent VEE Reports To begin follow the steps to declare five variables as type Object 1 Click Device ActiveX Automation References and select Microsoft Word 9 0 Object Library 2 Click Data Variable Declare Variable a Change the Type field to Object Clone it four times b Name the five object variables App Doc Wnd Sel and Bmp c Select Specify Object Type on all of them The advantages of declaring the particular Class within a Library are as follows VEE can do type checking for program errors and you can catch events from the Automation Server d Then click the Edit button and select Word for Library in each case Select the following Classes App will use Application Sel willuse Selection Wnd will use Window Doc will use Document Bmp will use Shape e Select E
154. ata Displays Mag 0 4 Trace 0 6 0 8 o 4m 8m 12m 16m 20m Time o x1625m y 0 3689 Eaton yi 0 1174 VA x 1 25m y 0 4863 Figure 4 15 Delta Markers on a Waveform Display VEE will automatically interpolate between waveform data points Open the object menu select Properties then under Markers click Interpolate Changing the Color of the Trace 1 Double click the title bar to get to Properties then click the Traces folder tab You can select the color line type and point type for the Trace selected in this folder You can also change these values at run time by using the Traces or Scales control inputs For more information see the VEE Pro Advanced Techniques manual 2 Click OK for the selected color Then click OK to exit the Properties box Chapter 4 199 Analyzing and Displaying Test Data Customizing Test Data Displays The trace will now be displayed in the new color Other display characteristics such as Panel Layout Grid Type Clear Control and Add Right Scale may be customized in a similar fashion as the features in the exercise above Note VEE also includes Plot in the display object menus which allows you to plot test results on the display without printing out the rest of the program For Additional Practice To learn about other VEE objects and gain more practice do the exercises in Appendix A Additional Lab Exercises on page 467 Solutions are pro
155. ate the status panel 4 Select Device Function amp Object Browser gt Built in Functions Panel showPanel and place it above the Sequencer Delete the input pins then edit the parameters to logTest 420 180 leaving out the last two parameters Connect the Result output pin from showPanel to the Sequencer sequence input pin ShowPanel outputs a 1 if it succeeded LogTest is the name of the UserFunction The other two parameters are X and Y coordinates on your screen starting from the upper left corner This tells VEE where to place the UserFunction panel when it is shown The panel dimensions are not included in this example Chapter 10 399 Using Operator Interfaces Common Tasks In Creating Operator Interfaces 5 Create the UserFunction named logTest as shown below Add an input pin The logging Record will be the input Put the Logging AlphaNumeric on the panel and connect it to the input pin Select Logging AlphaNumeric and click Edit Add to Panel Inthe panel view adjust the sizing and placement as desired Deselect the display and panel title bars amp EIE logTest Figure 10 30 The UserFunction LogTest Detail Figure 10 31 shows the panel view after running the program It will give you an idea of how the data will be displayed test2 0 4799 1 Figure 10 31 The UserFunction LogTest Panel 6 Select hidePanel fromthe Function amp Object Browser box and Flow Confirm OK Cha
156. ause button on the tool bar next to the Run button 2 Press the Call Stack button on the error dialog box or select View gt Call Stack Call Stack lists the hierarchy of the execution of the program Chapter 2 109 Agilent VEE Programming Techniques Debugging Programs in Agilent VEE fan VEE Pro WheelVEE6 vee Ele Edit View Debug Flow Device 1 0 Data Display Window Help OSES Jer sk eS VBA O Man EMAL Sel EES im Da Wheel Next Object Until Break 5 AMovie_Wait_Until_Finished 4 AMovie_Play_Sound_Sync sound volume rate 3 Display Puzzle 2 Show New Puzzle 1 Next Puzzle Ready VEE 6 PROF MOD WEB 7 Figure 2 28 Using the Call Stack in Wheel exe The Call Stack shows the hierarchy of the execution of the program Figure 2 28 shows an example program that is shipped with VEE the Wheel exe program in Examples Games In Figure 2 28 the program is currently executing AMovie Wait _Until_Finished user function which was called by AMovie_Play_Sound_Sync which was called by Next_ Puzzle in Main You can double click on any of the items in the Call Stack listing to have VEE locate and show the function Following the Order of Events Inside an Object Figure 2 29 shows the order of events inside an object 110 Chapter 2 Agilent VEE Programming Techniques Debugging Programs in Agilent VEE 1 if connected Figure 2 29 The Order of Events in an Object In Figure 2 29 the p
157. ays to control PC plug in boards or cards 1 ODAS drivers supplied by the PC Plug in card vendor 2 Data Translation s Visual Programming Interface Order the VPI application directly through Data Translation 3 Dynamic link libraries supplied by the PC board manufacturer such as ComputerBoards or Meilhaus See Using Dynamic Link Libraries on page 417 for information on using dynamic link libraries Using ODAS Drivers Follow the manufacturer s instructions to install the PC Plug in board install the ODAS driver software and run the ODAS configuration utility Then configure the driver in VEE 1 Select I O Instrument Manager Select Find Instruments The Instrument Manager displays entries similar to those shown in Figure 3 23 156 Chapter 3 Easy Ways to Control Instruments Using PC Plug in Boards Instrument List Auto Discovery My Configuration d usersttonyywee io Find Instruments L PCPIAGDevice00 AGPCP100 LEE RobotarmR RobotArmR eee Em Thermistor0 Thermistor0 Settings PCPIAGDevice01 AGPCPIO1 LEE RobotarmL RobotArmL postument LEE Therrnistor1 Thermistor Add Remove Properties r Create KO Object PCPI Driver Figure 3 23 ODAS Driver Entries in Instrument Manager 2 Select one of the sub entries such as Thermistoro and under Create I O Object select PCPI Dri
158. be larger so you can see the results when you run the program The record received will become the default value In this case Record will receive an array of records from the From Data Set object and it will format itself to display that array of records 11 Connect the From Data Set output pin Rec to the Default Value pin on Record If you would like to see this terminal open the object menu and select Properties then Show Terminals then OK A dotted line appears between From Data Set and Record Note A dotted line between two objects indicates a control line 12 Run the program and save it as dataset1 vee The program should look like Figure 5 15 Chapter 5 235 Storing and Retrieving Test Results Using DataSets to Store and Retrieve Records Output Shape Scalar To DataSet _myFile_ W Clear File At PreRun From DataSet myFile Get records All Search Specifier eg Rec A 10 ee oo in 0 9 Field name Value B 0 1662 C Real 4 anay1D_ First Prev Next Last Figure 5 15 Storing and Retrieving Data Using DataSets Note A From Data Set object must include at least one record that meets the criterion or VEE issues an error message To avoid an error add an EOF end of file output pin to the object which activates if no records meet the criterion You can then add actions to the program when the EOF results 236 Chapter5 Note Storin
159. ber 1 Document the program a Select Display Note Pad and place it at the top center of the work area Click on the editing area to get a cursor then enter This program Random generates a real number between 0 and 1 then displays the results 2 Select Device Function amp Object Browser Select Type gt Built in function Category All and Functions gt random Click Create Formula Place the object in the work area and click to place the object 3 Click Data Constant Int32 and place it to the left of random Open the Int 32 object menu click Clone and put this below the other Int32 object Double click the 0 to get a cursor then enter 1 Connect the constant object with 0 to the low input pin of random and connect the constant 1 to the high input pin 4 Select Display AlphaNumeric and place it to the right of the random object Open the object menus and select Help to understand the objects better 5 Connect the random object output pin to the AlphaNumeric input pin A data line appears connecting the two objects Note As you move the mouse pointer with the line attached near the target pin a box highlights the pin Then you click again to complete the connection 116 Chapter 2 Note Agilent VEE Programming Techniques Practice Programs If for some reason you want to terminate the line connecting operation before you have completed the link double click the mouse and the line will disappear
160. bitmaps to add clarity E Securing test programs E Operator interface features E Using ActiveX Controls to extend capabilities of VEE Average Time To Complete 2 hours 364 Chapter 10 Using Operator Interfaces Overview Overview In this chapter you will learn more about operator interfaces including adding menus customizing interfaces adding warning signals and importing bitmaps This chapter expands on the exercises in previous chapters where you created operator interfaces and pop up panels Some benefits of using VEE operator interface features are E Maximum ease of use for the operator E Improved program performance E Security from unauthorized changes E Clarity through visual aids Chapter 10 365 Using Operator Interfaces Key Points Concerning Operator Interfaces Key Points Concerning Operator Interfaces This section is an overview of how to create an operator interface in VEE Creating an Operator Interface VEE includes a wide range of selection controls pop up dialog boxes indicators and displays to create operator interfaces Selection controls include items such as buttons switches check boxes drop down menus and list boxes Indicators include items such as tanks thermometers fill bars vu meters and color alarms In addition to the operator interface elements provided within VEE you can add elements from other sources There are thousands of operator interface elements that can be downl
161. bject 111 pixels locating objects exactly 34 placement moving objects in panel view 367 Polar Plot displays 195 pop up menu 33 Index 9 pop up menus Edit 41 pop up panels 381 preferences changing 44 printers using with VEE 58 printing the screen 58 product support information 16 Profiler 435 Program Explorer 24 307 displaying UserFunctions 307 viewing Program Explorer 66 programs alarm lab 391 creating 52 54 data flow 70 debugging 102 displaying pop up panels 381 execution speed 435 exiting VEE 63 files 59 Go To 108 hierarchy 109 icon view of objects 32 including sound with Beep object 391 open view of objects 32 propagation and data flow 68 running 54 save colors and fonts 61 save I O configuration 61 saving 59 securing 380 selecting instruments to use 139 start VEE 64 stepping through 114 storing test results 206 subprograms 296 UserFunctions 316 using breakpoints 106 VEE 73 propagation and data flow 68 properties changing 47 Properties menu Icon 370 Index 10 Q quitting VEE 63 R radio buttons 385 random number generating in lab exercise 116 Range Sequencer transaction field 335 READ I O transaction 212 reading data from instrument 151 real array sending to file 216 Real32 datat type 175 Real64 data type 175 Real64 slider 71 Record avoiding match errors with EOF 236 building 223 getting a field 225 set field 227 sort operation
162. bject and all connections to it Pasting an Object Undoing a Cut To paste a copied or deleted cut object back into the work area follow these steps 1 After an object has been copied or deleted click Edit Paste An outline of the object appears Place the object and click to release it OR Press Ctrl V If the object had lines attached these connections will be maintained This action operates like an undo in other programs It s not called undo because it doesn t apply to all VEE programming actions It also works on groups of objects that have been deleted 36 Chapter 1 Using the Agilent VEE Development Environment Working with Objects Changing the Size of an Object 1 Place the mouse pointer over any of the four corners of the object until you see a sizing arrow then click and drag to the desired size Release to resize Figure 1 11 shows an object being resized with the sizing arrow OR Open the object menu and click Size The mouse pointer becomes a bottom right corner bracket Move the bracket to the desired position of the lower right corner and click to resize B amp Main Function Cosine m Frequency Amplitude DcOffset Func Phase Deg gt o Time Span 20m Num Points 256 Figure 1 11 Changing the Size of an Object Chapter 1 37 Using the Agilent VEE Development Environment Working with Objects Changing the Name Title of an Object 1 Op
163. bjects to the panel or use Edit gt Add To Panel A panel view appears showing the two objects that you added to the panel You can size and move the objects in the panel view to appropriate locations to create a panel similar to the one shown Figure 2 14 92 Chapter 2 4 5 Agilent VEE Programming Techniques General Techniques B Main 0 8 Mag 0 6 0 401 0 4 0 2 0 2 0 4 Tracet 0 8 0 6 0 4 08 A 0 2 0 4m 8m 12m 16m 20m Time Figure 2 14 Example Creating a Panel View Press the To Detail button in the upper left Main window title bar to go to the detail view Click the To Panel button to return to the panel view The detail view is the normal window in which you edit a program You can move resize or delete objects in the panel view independently from the detail view The detail view is used to develop a program and the panel view is used to provide an operator interface Save the program as simple program_with_panel vee You can practice making some changes to the panel view as follows To change colors on the panel select Properties from the Main window object menu in panel view Then choose Colors click the Panel View gt Background button and select the color you want To change colors or fonts on any object just double click its title bar to get the Properties box Then click either the Colors or Fonts tab and make the changes you want Chapte
164. button as desired Iconize the Bitmap UserFunction 8 Go to the Main window Click Device Call then click Select Function in the object menu and choose Bitmap Run the program The pop up box should look like Figure 10 23 Bitmap Function nction g Better Tests Faster Figure 10 23 The Bitmap Function 390 Chapter 10 Using Operator Interfaces Common Tasks In Creating Operator Interfaces Lab 10 3 Creating a High Impact Warning This exercise includes several UserFunctions that are nested The first UserFunction is the alarm itself which displays a red square and beeps The second UserFunction calls the alarm repeatedly creating a blinking light effect and a pulsing sound until the operator turns the alarm off Begin by programming the alarm function 1 Select Device UserFunction Change the name to alarm 2 Select Display Beep and place it in the upper left of the UserFunction Adjust the settings so there is a loud beep that lasts a second Change the Duration sec field to 1 Change the Volume 0 100 field to 100 Note These instructions assume your computer has the hardware to support a beep Some Windows 95 Windows 98 Windows 2000 and Windows NT 4 0 systems have modified the Default System configuration for the Default System Beep Note You do not need to connect the Beep object to anything It activates when the function executes 3 Click Display Indicator Color Alarm and place it
165. ce 2000 and the MS Excel 9 0 Object Library and should also work with MS Office 97 and the MS Excel 8 0 Object Library After referencing the right Automation Type Library you will declare some global variables of the Object type and put them in a UserFunction called globals The global variables simplify the program and make it easier to understand The VEE programs for many of the lab exercises and programming examples in this manual are included in VEE under Help Open Example Manual gt UsersGuide 1 Reference the Automation Library Click Device ActiveX Automation References selectMicrosoft Excel 9 0 Object Library and click OK 2 Create a UserFunction to store the global variables Click Device gt UserFunction Rename it globals For more information about UserFunctions refer to Chapter 8 Using Agilent VEE Functions on page 293 3 Click Data Variable Declare Variable and place it to the left inside globals Change the Name to sheet Change the Type to Object Other items appear in the dialog box For this exercise you do not need to specify the Object Type and Class The Type and Class are specified in another example in this chapter 4 Clone this object three times and rename the other objects as follows app range and window Size and move the globals UserFunction below Main It should look like Figure 6 5 Chapter 6 255 globals Creating Reports Easily Using Activex Sending Agile
166. ce with an actual value The gt is used in a shorthand notation to show the location of Agilent VEE features in the menu For example File Open means to select the File menu and then select Open Choices in computer font separated with bars indicate that you should choose one of the options In this context bold represents a key to press on the keyboard Represents a combination of keys on the keyboard that you should press at the same time Contents Introduction Overview of Agilent VEE jcciccccsetiisseseceiceseuedscaecebaiocusoaunacotisasedeetecstvsceess 3 Advantages of Using Agilent VEE for Test Development 3 Creating Programs in Agilent VEE ou cece esceseceseeeeeeeeeeeseeeeeeneees 4 Creating Operator Interfaces in Agilent VEE 0 eee eeeeeeeeseeeneees 7 Leveraging Existing Test Programs with Agilent VEE ssec 9 Controlling Instruments with Agilent VEE eee eeteceteceeeee 9 Improving Test Capabilities with Agilent VEE oe eee 10 Installing and Learning About Agilent VEE esseere 11 Installing Agilent VEE and I O Libraries 11 Learning about Agilent VEE ssssseseseeeerereerisresreeressrsresrrssrsresrresese 11 Ordering Free Evaluation Software eeseeeeseeeeeeeeseeresreererresresreees 12 MATLAB Script Overview 00 0 ceeceeeeseeesceseceeceeeeseeeeseeeaeesaaeeaeenseenes 13 Signal Processing Toolbox 0 00 ee ee eseeeeeeseecnseesecesaeceeeeseeeeeeenaeenaees 14 Abo
167. ch field holds a record containing the different pieces of data for that particular test When the Sequencer runs several times each Record of Records can be added to an array which can then be investigated If you use the lt record gt lt record gt lt field gt format in the Appendix A 519 Additional Lab Exercises Test Sequencing Formula object you will get an array of data In this case you get an array of real values giving the test results for five runs of test2 You can then calculate the minimum maximum mean and standard deviation from this array You could specify a single run of test2 by indicating a particular element in the array of records of records For example to get the first run result of test2 you would use the expression A 0 test2 result Using the Test Sequencer Step 4 Add a timestamp field to the logging record Add a delay so that each step runs one second apart In a separate thread get all the results of test 2 and send them to a record constant Hints E The Delay Object First Thread This object holds execution flow for the specified number of seconds Here it is used to ensure the time stamp values vary between each run of the Sequencer E Adding a Time Stamp To add a time stamp open the Sequencer object menu and select Properties Logging tab to check Record Fields to Log gt Time Stamp Figure A 34 shows the Properties gt Logging tab dialog 520 Appendix A Additional Lab Exe
168. characters may be turned on or off and you can specify the EOL sequence by opening the object menu of most of the I O To objects and selecting Properties then select Data Format and make the changes under Separator Sequence Chapter 5 213 Storing and Retrieving Test Results Using the To From File Objects Lab 5 3 Using the To From File Objects This lab exercise describes the process of getting test data to and from files In this exercise you will store and retrieve three common test result items a test name a time stamp and a one dimensional array of Real values The same process will apply to all VEE data types Sending a Text String to a File 1 Select 1 0 gt To gt File Set the entries as follows filename Use the default file myFile The default file can be changed by clicking the To File input field to get a list box of files in the home directory Clear File At Check this box By default VEE appends new PreRun amp Open data to the end of an existing file Checking the box clears the file before new data is written 2 Double click in the transaction area to display the I O Transaction dialog box Refer to Figure 5 3 and Figure 5 4 if necessary WRITE TEXT a EOL is the default transaction It writes the data on pina using TEXT encoding and a specified end of line sequence VEE is not case sensitive You can use lower case or upper case strings for data input and data output terminal names Set th
169. combinations for controlling program execution Ctrl G Run or Continue Resume Ctrl P Pause Ctrl T Step 378 Chapter 10 Using Operator Interfaces Using Operator Interface Objects Selecting Screen Colors To select screen colors use the File Default Preferences dialog box Set the VEE environment as desired and save the changes Figure 10 17 and Figure 10 18 show how to change particular screen elements to the desired color Default Preferences E Figure 10 17 The Default Preferences Dialog Box Chapter 10 379 Note Using Operator Interfaces Using Operator Interface Objects Default Preferences E General Colors Fonts Number E Select Color r Colors Preview Screen Element EEEE Color Value EZ T ole ae EEN TTT k _save White OK Cancel Figure 10 18 Color Selection for Screen Elements Securing a Program Creating a RunTime Version To prevent an operator from accidentally altering a program or to prevent others from seeing how a program works by displaying it in Detail view you can create a run time version of a VEE program Save the original program and the run time version in separate files When you create a run time version of a VEE program the run time version cannot be edited You cannot display the Detail view Therefore make copies of the original program before you begin this process and follow the instructions
170. connect VEE objects are connected between object pins Each object has several pins as shown in Figure 1 18 Figure 1 18 uses the Formula object as an example You can use any object Sequence Input Pin l l v Data Input Pin iFormula f Data Output Pin A l Sequence Output Pin Figure 1 18 Data and Sequence Pins Data Input Pin The pin or pins on the left hand side of an object Data Output Pin The pin or pins on the right hand side of an object Sequence The pin on the top of an object Input Pin Sequence The pin on the bottom of an object Output Pin Connect the data input and output pins to carry data between objects By default the pins execute from top to bottom The sequence pin connections are optional If connected they will dictate an execution order For more information refer to Following the Order of Events Inside an Object on page 110 46 Chapter 1 Using the Agilent VEE Development Environment Understanding Pins and Terminals In an object s open view the data input and output pins appear as input and output terminals If the object is in icon view double click it to switch to open view The terminals carry detailed information such as the name of the terminal and the type and value of the data being transmitted The terminal labels are visible only in the open view and only if the Show Terminals option is turned on for that object see Properties in the object s menu Fo
171. create a report generation program that includes a VEE library of UserFunctions Then you will create a new program that merges the library of UserFunctions Creating a Library of UserFunctions 1 Create the top level program without programming the details of the UserFunctions a Create four UserFunctions BuildRecAry with one output pin ReportHeader ReportBody with one input pin and ReportDisplay Iconize all the UserFunctions b In Main create four Device Call objects configured and connected as shown in Figure 8 11 Save the program as Report vee fal VEE Pro Fig8_10 vee ol x File Edit View Debug Flow Device 1 0 Data Display Window Help OSES ris kee BAS manl Smelt Del eS Function Name ReportHeader Function Name i Function Name x A I BuildRecAry ReportBody Function Name ReportDisplay E Reportbis File Ea Reportpody File E3 aE a File saved VEE 6 FROH MOD WEB TA Figure 8 11 Report vee from the Top Level 310 Chapter 8 Using Agilent VEE Functions Using Libraries With Agilent VEE UserFunctions Note The Call object does not require parentheses when referring to a UserFunction If you were calling the function from a Formula object you would need to include parentheses whether or not the function used parameters The four UserFunctions are a library You can see them listed by clicking Edit gt Edit UserFunction Click Cancel to close the
172. cript Object in a VEE Program 188 Figure 4 11 Graph Generated by the Program ecserin 189 Figure 4 12 Adding Predefined MATLAB Objects to a VEE Program 191 Figure 4 13 Changing Input Terminal Data Type 193 Figure 4 14 Displaying a Waveform eee eeseesecenceceeceeseceeeeeeeeees 197 Figure 4 15 Delta Markers on a Waveform Display ceeeeeee 199 Figure 5 1 The Collector Creating an Array 0 ec eeeeseeseeeseeeneeenseees 208 Figure 5 2 Extracting Array Elements with Expressions 209 Figure 5 3 The To File Object eeceesecesecsseeeeeesseceseeeseeeaeenseeees 211 Figure 5 4 An I O Transaction Dialog BOX eee eeesseeeseeeneeeeeeees 211 Figure 5 5 The TIME STAMP I O Transaction BOX 0 0 0 eeeeeeeeees 216 Figure 5 6 Storing Data Using the To File Object 0 ee eeeeees 217 Figure 5 7 Selecting String Format cece cesseeeeeseceneeeeeeneensaeens 219 Figure 5 8 Retrieving Data Using the From File Object 221 Figure 5 9 Output Terminal Information on a Record eee 224 Figure 5 10 The AlphaNumeric Properties BOX seeren 226 Figure 5 11 Using the Get Field Object eee eeeesecsseceteceeeeeeeees 227 Figure 5 12 Using the Set Field Object 0 0 eee ceeseceeceeeeceeeeeeeeees 229 Figure 5 13 Using the UnBuild Record Object eee eeeeeeeeeees 231 Figure 5 14 Storing an Array of Records in a DataSet 0 0 eee 234 Figure 5 15 Storing and Retrievin
173. ct Data Variable Set Variable and place it to the right of the Real64 Slider Change the global variable name from globalA to a Connect the Real64 Slider tothe Set Variable object To display the function on the screen for an operator to select a number add a pop up panel view Include a Confirm OK button so that the panel remains on the screen until the operator has made a selection It is also possible to do these tasks with a Real Input Dialog Box inside the global UserFunction 5 Select Flow Confirm OK and place it above the Real6 4 Slider object Connect the OK data output pin to the Real6 4 Slider sequence input pin If you place the OK button below the Set Variable object it causes a logic error That is because VEE sends the old value on the Slider to the Set Variable object and pauses until the OK button is pressed Any new value you entered on the pop up panel is ignored When OK is connected above the Real64 Slider VEE waits to set the global variable until after the OK is pressed and therefore uses the new Slider value You can turn on Show Data Flow to watch the execution order Chapter 9 347 Test Sequencing Passing Data in the Sequencer 6 Select Display Note Pad and place it to the right of the OK button Enter the following user prompt in the Note Pad Please select a number for this run of tests 1 2 and 3 7 Select the Note Pad the Real64 Slider and the OK button by pressing Ctrl and c
174. ct by selecting Configure Pinout in the object menu 418 Chapter 11 Note Optimizing Agilent VEE Programs Using Dynamic Link Libraries You can also call a DLL function from an expression field provided the library has been loaded When used in this way you must enclose the parameters in parentheses after the function name and the function only sends back its return value Any parameters passed by reference can only be retrieved by using the Call object For example you might use the following expression in a Formula object 2 yourFunc a b The a and the b would refer to two input pins on the Formula object and the return value of yourFunc would be multiplied by 2 and placed on the output pin 3 Optional Click Device Delete Library While developing the program you can also select Delete Lib from the object menu to delete the library programmatically Deleting the library after it has been used in the program reduces load time and conserves memory An Example Using a DLL In this exercise you will import a DLL and call a function from the DLL The DLL used is included with the VEE product on Windows The same program is designed to work on all platforms Open the manual49 vee file It is located under lt installation directory gt EXAMPLES MANUAL MANUAL49 Examine this example closely It should look like Figure 11 8 Chapter 11 419 Optimizing Agilent VEE Programs Using Dynamic Link Libraries
175. ct variable Make the application visible Then put the 256 point array into the worksheet range Al A256 in one step instead of one cell at a time HINTS Use an Unbuild Waveform object Use the a build array syntax to create a 2D array from a 1D array Then call the function transpose to make it a 256 x 1 array instead of a 1 x 256 array for Excel to accept it in one step as shown in Figure 6 12 Real Ary Time Span set xl createobject excel sheet worksheets 1 application visible 1 Ranget A1 A256 transpose al Figure 6 12 Program for On Your Own Exercise Chapter 6 265 Creating Reports Easily Using Activex Creating an Agilent VEE to MS Excel Template Extending Capabilities With MS Excel Figure 6 13 shows a more elaborate example of a program to display test results in MS Excel You can see how knowledge of a few more calls in the MS Excel library can expand the template for displaying VEE data in MS Excel xMadmized Set sheet CreateObject Excel Sheet worksheets 1 iset app sheet application lapp visible 1 set window app windows 1 indow caption Test System Results indow windowState wndState memTotal app memoryTotal ImemUsed app memoryUsed sheet cells 1 1 Voltage AC RMS i 1 random 1 100 e set range sheet range A2 A21 range NumberF ormat 00 00 60 33 lapp worksheetF unction average range on isheet SaveAs fi
176. ctrum Freq A menu that contains frequency domain displays Magnitude Spectrum Phase Spectrum Magnitude vs Phase Polar and Magnitude vs Phase Smith Inputs must be Waveform Spectrum or an array of Coords Waveform inputs are automatically changed to the frequency domain with a Fast Fourier Transform fft Strip Chart Graphically displays the recent history of data that is continuously generated while the program runs For each y input value the x value is incremented by a specified Step size When new data runs off the right side of the display the display automatically scrolls to show you the latest data Waveform Time Graphically displays Waveforms or Spectrums in the real time domain Spectrums are automatically converted to the time domain using an Inverse Fast Fourier Transform ifft The x axis is the sampling units of the input waveform X vs Y Plot Graphically displays values when separate data information is available for X and Y data XY Trace Graphically displays mapped arrays or a set of values when y data is generated with evenly spaced x values The x value that is automatically generated depends on the data type of the trace data For example a Real trace would generate evenly spaced Real x values whereas a Waveform trace would generate x values for time Chapter 4 195 Analyzing and Displaying Test Data Customizing Test Data Displays Customizing Test Data Displays Di
177. cts you can shorten the program load time and conserve memory by importing and deleting them when the program has finished calling them 416 Chapter 11 Note Optimizing Agilent VEE Programs Using Dynamic Link Libraries Using Dynamic Link Libraries On PCs you can use the compiled functions from Dynamic Link Libraries DLLs as a part of a VEE program DLLs may be compiled functions that you have written yourself contact Microsoft for documentation about writing DLLs or DLLs that you have purchased or downloaded from the Web VEE supports both the _cdec1 and _stdcal1 calling conventions Most customer written DLLs use the _cdec1 calling convention Most Win32 API calls use __stdcall VEE supports both naming conventions so you can use most off the shelf DLLs as well as your own Integrating a DLL into an Agilent VEE Program This section describes how to import a DLL into a VEE program Write or obtain the DLL as described above then follow these steps to use the DLL 1 Select Device Import Library The Library Type includes three choices UserFunction Compiled Function and Remote Function Change the Library Type field to Compiled Function the default is UserFunction Fora Compiled Function the Import Library object includes a field for the Definition File as shown in Figure 11 6 ImportLibrary 4 Library Type Compiled Function x Library Name o mib File Name myFile Definition File myFi
178. d use a variable for the frequency in an expression list and add a data input for that variable to the Direct I O object The following steps describe how to send an expression list to an instrument 1 Place a second Direct I O object for the HP3325B in the Main window Double click in the transaction area to get the 1 0 Transaction dialog box You can use all of the defaults except for the command string In this case use the format FR lt frequency gt HZ This is an Expression List each expression being separated by commas The frequency is represented by variable A which will be a data input to the Direct I O object Click on the input field for command strings and type FR A HZ For example if A were 100 VEE would send the string FR100HZ Click ox Notice that VEE automatically adds a data input pin labeled A Select Flow Repeat For Range and place it to the left of the Direct I O object Connect the For Range data output pin to the Direct I O data input pin Edit the fields in For Range to From 10 Thru 1 8M and Step 50k For Range will now send out numbers ranging from 10 to 1 8 million in steps of 50 000 As the numbers are received by the Direct I O object the command string causes the function generator to output the frequencies The Direct I O setup should look like Figure 3 19 150 Chapter 3 Note Easy Ways to Control Instruments Using Direct I O From 10 WRITE TEXT
179. d enter the statements shown in Figure 6 16 which are also described below Rename input terminal A to FileName Connect the data input and sequence input pins as shown in Figure 6 16 App Visible 1 Set Doc App Documents Add Doc Activate Set Wnd App ActiveWindow Set Sel App Selection Wind View Type 3 Sel TypeText Test Results Sel TypeParagraph Set Bmp Doc Shapes AdadPicture FileName Sel TypeParagraph Sel lnsenDateTime Midiy h mm ss amipm 0 FileName Figure 6 16 Adding the ActiveX Statements In Figure 6 16 notice that you can nest property and method calls together with the Object s dot notation Refer to ActiveX documentation to find the right properties in the target applications You can use the properties and methods described in this chapter to begin generating test and measurement reports The entries in the Formula object are as follows App Visible 1 Makes MS Word visible on the screen Chapter 6 271 Creating Reports Easily Using Activex Using MS Word for Agilent VEE Reports Set Doc App Documents Add Doc Activate Set Wnd App Active Window Set Sel App Selection Wnd View Type 3 Sel TypeText Test Results Sel TypeParagraph Set Bmp Doc Shapes AddPicture FileName Sel TypeParagraph Sel InsertDateTime M d yy h mm ss am pm 0 Adds a Document in MS Word and assigns it to the Object vari
180. d in Data Dialog Box are similar to the Real64 Input In addition the Data gt Dialog Box menu includes choices for Message Box List Box and File Name Selection Figure 10 10 shows a dialog box that pops up to display a message G Click OK to continue or Cancel to stop the program Figure 10 10 A Pop Up Message Box 374 Chapter 10 Using Operator Interfaces Using Operator Interface Objects Figure 10 11 shows a dialog box that pops up for an operator to enter a list List Box item 1 litem 2 litem 3 Figure 10 11 The List Selection Box Figure 10 12 shows a dialog box that pops up for an operator to select a file name Look in avec Programs Sl Al cl a addnoise2 bak AJ datain vee a evalexpr bak puls addnoise2 vee a datatype bak a evalexpr vee a Ran A addnoise3 vee a datatype vee ja formula vee Ran a Agvee bak a datshape bak 7 global vee A Ran a gvee vee w datshape bmp a myFile a reac lA ctrlline vee a dispwave vee pulsprog txt real 4 gt File name ec Filesottype fairies sw Caneel F A Figure 10 12 A Pop Up File Selection Box Displaying a Toggle Control for the Operator VEE includes built in toggle controls that can be used to sent out a 0 or a 1 To use a toggle control set the initial state and execute a subprogram when the toggle is activated You can also put custom bitmaps on a Toggle For example if you ha
181. d name Value Came fest Result s456 Pass i Timestamp js OK Cancel Figure A 36 Checking a Record Using the Test Sequencer Step 5 Print the time stamp fields from the records on a Logging Alphanumeric display Hint Use four Formula objects one for each test To show all four Formula results in one Logging Alphanumeric display add a Junction object Use a To String to format the 63G time stamp value into a more readable string Appendix A 523 Additional Lab Exercises Test Sequencing Solution Using the Test Sequencer Step 5 Figure A 37 shows the program thread to print the time stamps to a display step 5 of using the test sequencer WRITE TEXT a TIME HMS H24 EOL z Double Click to Add Transaction result Data ojoo r 12 58 09 12 58 10 12 58 11 12 58 12 12 58 09 12 58 10 12 58 11 12 58 12 12 58 09 12 58 10 12 58 11 12 58 12 12 58 09 12 58 10 12 58 11 12 58 12 a test4 timestamp Result Figure A 37 Using the Test Sequencer Step 5 Key Points E Converting Time Stamp Formats The To String object before Logging AlphaNumeric converts the time stamps from a Real format toa Time Stamp format for more clarity 524 Appendix A Additional Lab Exercises Test Sequencing Using the Test Sequencer Step 6 If the Sequencer includes many tests it can become cumbersome to use many individual Formula objects connected to a Junction Ins
182. data or putting test results into a database for future use E Increase throughput build larger programs with ease and become more flexible in instrument management VEE has a compiler a professional development environment suited for large complex programs and advanced instrument management capabilities E Leverage your investment in textual languages such as C C Visual Basic Pascal Fortran and Rocky Mountain Basic Introduction 3 Overview of Agilent VEE Creating Programs in Agilent VEE VEE programs are created by selecting objects from menus and connecting them together The result in VEE resembles a data flow diagram which is easier to use and understand than traditional lines of code There is no laborious edit compile link execute cycle using VEE The following two figures compare a simple function programmed first in a textual language ANSI C and then in VEE In both cases the function creates an array of 10 random numbers finds the maximum value and displays the array and maximum value Figure I 1 shows the program called Random in the ANSI C textual language 4 Introduction Overview of Agilent VEE Program to find maximum element in array include lt math h gt main double num 10 max int i for i 0 i lt 10 i num i double rand pow 2 0 15 0 printf f n num i max num 0 for i 1 i lt 10 i if num i gt max max num i printf
183. develop programs refer to Using the Help Facility on page 100 28 Chapter 1 Note Note Using the Agilent VEE Development Environment Working with Objects Working with Objects A VEE program consists of connected objects To create a program select objects from VEE menus such as Flow Data and Display Connect the objects via lines that attach to the object pins For more information about pins refer to Understanding Pins and Terminals on page 46 Create a program with a group of connected objects This section describes how to select and use objects in a program 1 Start VEE Click Start Programs Agilent VEE Pro 6 0 in Windows or type veetest and press Return from a shell prompt in HP VUE or X11 window in HP UX the PATH variable must include usr bin 2 Follow the instructions in this section to experiment with objects Subsequent exercises assume you have started the VEE software Refer back to this page or to the section called Starting Agilent VEE on page 23 for instructions on starting VEE Adding Objects to the Work Area Pull down an appropriate menu click the desired object drag the object to an appropriate location in the work area and click the outline will disappear and the object will appear 1 For example to add a Function Generator object to the work area select Device Virtual Source gt Function Generator inthe menu bar as shown in Figure 1 5 The arrow to the rig
184. dismissing menu items Using toolbars Understanding title bars and status bars Clicking icons and buttons Working with dialog boxes Working with various types of windows Using online help To begin you may want to start with the Help Welcome screen where you can access the VEE Multimedia Tutorials The Welcome screen is shown in Figure 1 2 Chapter 1 25 Using the Agilent VEE Development Environment Interacting with Agilent VEE Welcome to p a VE E Pro CA Agilent Technologies Introduction Tip of the Day What s New We have a lot of great tips for getting the most out of VEE so leave the Welcome window Tutorials turned on for a while Ifyou turn off the MATLAB Demo Welcome window itis available from the Help menu Example Programs I Show this screen at startup Next Tip Close Figure 1 2 The VEE Welcome Screen in Help VEE online Help is designed for your operating system Click Help and the menu shown in Figure 1 3 appears Help includes contents and index the Welcome menu where the Tutorials are located instrument drivers Web site information examples and version number Although you will not need to use VEE documentation to complete this self paced training consult the product documentation for more detailed information on any particular feature or concept Use the Help system to search for VEE topics you need to locate The Help system can jump to related topics 26 Ch
185. e bar 24 changing title of object 38 To File object 217 add to program 87 To From DataSet objects 360 To From File objects 359 To From file objects 210 221 toggle switches 375 toolbar 22 24 displaying tooltips 24 transaction Direct I O 149 triadic operator 413 Index 12 U UInt8 data type 175 unbuild Record 230 undo deleted object 36 upload instrument state 154 upload string 155 URLs Web addresses for MATLAB 17 Web addresses for VEE 16 user input create dialog box 85 user interface 22 create panel view 91 UserFunction ArrayStats 304 create call edit transfer 296 UserFunctions calling from expression 303 differences from UserObjects 297 editing 318 Import and Delete Library objects 317 Import Library 309 libraries of re using 309 locating with Find 321 Merge Library 309 Merge Library command 309 merging 324 modifying 309 Profiler 435 saving as program 316 UserObject creating 78 84 differences from UserFunction 297 icon view 65 locating with Find 321 merging 324 minimized 65 open view 65 Profiler 435 using ODAS drivers 156 Vv Variant data type 176 VEE compiler 427 debugging 102 error messages in programs 102 Go To 108 input pin connections 80 interacting with 22 online Help 28 printing 58 Profiler 435 Program Explorer 24 programming with 73 running programs 54 save I O configuration 61 saving colors and fonts 61 Show Data Flow
186. e instead of comparing a test result to the UpLimit variable you can type the function name UpperLimit in the expression field where the variable would go Appendix A 517 Additional Lab Exercises Test Sequencing Using the Test Sequencer Step 3 Edit the test2 Sequencer transaction that calls the VEE function random 0 1 Compare the result against a limit less than 0 5 Cut and paste the test1 transaction until you have a total of four tests Build a program to run the Sequencer five times Record the data in a data set of records and collect the data in an array Using the array find the minimum maximum mean and standard deviation of the results of the second test 518 Appendix A Additional Lab Exercises Test Sequencing Solution Using the Test Sequencer Step 3 Figure A 33 shows a solution to Step 3 To DataSet miyFile input mie IV Clear File At PreRun test2 5 lt 0 5 test3 5 lt 0 5 test4 5 lt 0 5 Double Click to Add Transaction F F A Aritest2 resutt x mingd r Result x Imax Result x meando Result 0 6959 A lr x fsdevod Result Figure A 33 Using the Test Sequencer Step 3 Key Points E The Data Format for Several Runs of the Sequencer First Thread When the Sequencer executes once it outputs a Record of Records The first record has field names that match the test names then ea
187. e A 8 Random Number Generator Step 2 0 0 eeeeseceseeeseeees 479 Figure A 9 The Mask Test Step 1 oe eecceseeeeeeeeeneeeeseeeneenaeeees 481 Figure A 10 Mask Test Step 2 00 cece cesessecsseceteeseeeeseceseeeaeecaeenaeenes 482 Figure A 11 Manipulating Strings and Global Variables 484 Figure A 12 Optimizing VEE Programs Step 1 oo eee eseeeeeeeee 486 Figure A 13 Optimizing VEE Programs Step 2 00 eee eeseeseceteeees 487 Figure A 14 A Random Noise UserObject s 489 Figure A 15 The NoiseGen UserObject ec eeeeceeeeeseeeeeeneeenaeees 490 Figure A 16 User Functions Step 1 oo ceeescsseeeneeeseceseeeneeeeeeeees 492 Figure A 17 User Functions Step 2 0 0 cecceceesceseeeseeeseceneeeneeeeeeees 494 Figure A 18 User Functions Step 3 0 0 ceieeceesceseeeneeeeceneeeneeeeeeaes 495 Figure A 19 User Functions Step 4 0 0 ceieecsesceseseseeeeceneeeneceeeeees 496 Figure A 20 Importing and Deleting Libraries 2 00 00 eee cence 498 Figure A 21 UserObject to Ask Operator to Input A and B 500 Figure A 22 Panel for Operator to Enter A and B 500 Figure A 23 UserObject to Ask Operator Whether to Display A or B 502 Figure A 24 Panel for Operator to Choose Whether to Display A or B 502 Figure A 25 Generate an Error if Operator Does Not Enter a Choice 504 Figure A 26 Moving Data To and From Files eee eeseceeeeeeeeeee 506 Figure A 27 Manipulating Records Step Lo eee eeeesseeeseees
188. e Logging display is an array without index values the AlphaNumeric display is the same array with optional index numbers and values Appendix A 477 Additional Lab Exercises General Programming Techniques E Timing Pins The Do object controls which object executes first The end of the program is timed from the sequence out pin of the For Count object because that pin does not fire until all objects inside the loop have executed Random Number Generator Random Number Generator Step 1 Create a random number generator that requires external inputs Display the numbers on a strip chart Inputs should be allowed for Maximum random number Minimum random number Number of random numbers generated Solution Random Number Generator Step 1 Figure A 7 shows a solution for the first step of the Random Number Generator exercise o Trace1 03 l o ma ee 02 04s O68 08 Xname Pot jH Figure A 7 Random Number Generator Step 1 478 Appendix A Additional Lab Exercises General Programming Techniques Key Points E Layout of Slider Objects You can select either a vertical or horizontal format for the screen image of the slider objects by clicking on Horizontal under Layout in the Properties box E XY Trace Use an XY Trace to display the recent history of data that is continuously generated Random Number Generator Step 2 Collect the random numbers into an array Find
189. e amplitude and the Virtual Source gt Function Generator sine wave Freq 100 Hz for the good waveform to add to the noise Display the resultant waveform Appendix A 493 Additional Lab Exercises Agilent VEE UserFunctions Solution UserFunctions Step 2 Figure A 17 shows a solution for step 2 A Function Name Bf AddNoise Tracel Figure A 17 User Functions Step 2 UserFunctions Step 3 In the same program call the AddNoise function again this time from a Formula object taking the absolute value of the result Display the absolute value waveform on the same display Next prepare to edit the AddNoise function Turn on Debug Show Data Flow Leave the AddNoise window open and run the program Notice how useful this capability is for debugging 494 Appendix A Additional Lab Exercises Agilent VEE UserFunctions Solution UserFunctions Step 3 Figure A 18 shows a solution for step 3 Trace Trace2 E AddNoise mes A B Function Name NoiseGen Figure A 18 User Functions Step 3 UserFunctions Step 4 Now change the program so that the slider sets a global variable called Amplitude Have the NoiseGen function use that global so NoiseGen will no longer require an input pin Make the program run correctly Save this file as uflab vee Appendix A 495 Additional Lab Exercises Agilent VEE UserFunctions Sol
190. e entries as follows a The expression list field is highlighted and expression field contains the default a Type Test1 then click OK You need the quotation marks to indicate a Text string If you typed Test1 without the quotation marks VEE would interpret this as a terminal name or global variable name WRITE Use the default WRITE 214 Chapter 5 Storing and Retrieving Test Results Using the To From File Objects TEXT Use the default TEXT The encoding TEXT will send the data using ASCII characters DEFAULT Use DEFAULT FORMAT The DEFAULT FORMAT FORMAT will choose an appropriate VEE format such as STRING EOL ON Use the default The default EOL sequence is the escape character for a new line n 3 Click OK to return to the To File object The transaction bar should now contain the statement WRITE TEXT Testi EOL This transaction sends the string Test1 to the specified file Sending a Time Stamp to a File The function now inthe Device Function amp Object Browser Time amp Date category gives the current time expressed as a Real64 Scalar The value of the Real is the number of seconds since 00 00 hours on Jan 1 0001 AD Therefore now returns a value about 63G VEE provides this format because it is easier to manipulate mathematically and conserves storage space If you want to store the time stamp in a more readable format use the TIME STAMP FORMAT in the To File object Follow these steps to send a
191. e following tasks Review if necessary before going on to the next chapter E Summarize the key points concerning operator interfaces E Use a menu to select tests on an operator interface E Import a bitmap for an operator interface E Create a status panel E List some of the operator interface features that VEE provides E Secure a program E Create a high impact warning E Create an ActiveX Control and find its properties and methods in the Function amp Object Browser Chapter 10 403 Using Operator Interfaces Chapter Checklist 404 Chapter 10 11 Optimizing Agilent VEE Programs Optimizing Agilent VEE Programs Optimizing Agilent VEE Programs In this chapter you will learn about Basic techniques for optimizing programs Using Dynamic Link Libraries DLLs on a PC Optimizing with compiled functions Using compiled functions in other languages on UNIX platforms Using the VEE Compiler Using the VEE Profiler Average Time To Complete 2 hours 406 Chapter 11 Note Optimizing Agilent VEE Programs Overview Overview In this chapter you will learn how to improve the execution speed of VEE programs There are three basic components in test program performance the speed of taking the measurement the rate at which the data is transferred to the computer and the speed at which the program processes the data By optimizing the VEE program you can increase its processing speed In the first sectio
192. e new UserFunctions appear automatically as die2 and die3 Change the picture objects to die2 gif and die3 gif respectively Check all the settings of the new functions to make sure they match die1 except for the names and bitmaps The program should look like Figure 10 20 Iconize the function windows 384 Chapter 10 Using Operator Interfaces Common Tasks In Creating Operator Interfaces Ale ater aaa Ae afke a A die3 BEI Figure 10 20 Early Stage in the Dice Program Create a menu to select one of these three functions to call 7 Select Data Selection Control gt Radio Buttons Radio Buttons is an object that outputs an enumerated value the Enum data type a text string with an ordinal number associated to it from a user defined list on its upper output pin For example if you define the list as Monday Tuesday Wednesday Thursday and Friday the operator could select the day from a menu and Radio Buttons would then output the day The first item in the list is assigned the ordinal position 0 the nth item in the list is assigned ordinal position n 1 For instance Monday in the list above has an ordinal position of 0 and Friday has an ordinal position of 4 The ordinal position appears on the lower output pin Read the Help entry in the object menu for a more detailed explanation Chapter 10 385 Note Using Operator Interfaces Common Tasks In Creating Operator Interfaces 8 Open the Radio But
193. e returned pass or fail indicator time stamp nominal value expected upper pass limit lower pass limit and a description of the test E You can manipulate a single data container rather than eight separate data containers This makes the program simpler and more readable E You can store and retrieve Records from DataSets in VEE A DataSet is a special file created to store records When you retrieve records from a DataSet you do not have to know the data types VEE provides objects to retrieve sort and search the information stored in DataSets Lab 5 4 Using Records This exercise describes how to use the Record datatype You will learn how to build a record how to retrieve a particular field in that record how to set a chosen field and how to unbuild the entire record in a single step This exercise also uses the time stamp function now in a different way 222 Chapter 5 Storing and Retrieving Test Results Using Records to Store Mixed Data Types Building a Record Build a Record with three fields the name of a test stored as a String a time stamp stored as a Real Scalar and simulated test results stored as a four element Array of Reals When you retrieve these fields in the next exercise you will see that you can convert the time stamp into a number of different formats for display 1 Create the test name by selecting Data Constant Text and entering Test1 in the input field Rename the object Text Constant
194. e the parameters low and high as shown in this example the function will use the default parameters 0 and 1 You may leave the other defaults This configuration will lead to a PASS result in approximately half of the runs The dialog box should look like Figure 9 1 Test fest ENABLED SPEC NOMINAL 25 RANGE A po lej j FUNCTION fandom LOGGING ENABLED IFPASS THEN CONTINUE X IFFAIL THEN CONTINUE DESCRIPTION Figure 9 1 The Sequence Transaction Dialog Box Click OK to close the dialog box You will see the transaction testl 0 lt 25 lt 5 on the first transaction bar This means that test1 will pass if the returned value is in the range from 0 to 5 with the end points included The expected result is about 25 332 Chapter 9 Test Sequencing Creating a Test Execution Order 4 Run the program It should display the name of the test the test result and the pass fail indicator 1 for PASS 0 for FAIL in the display as shown in Figure 9 2 Double Click to Add Transaction Return test1 0 4457 1 Figure 9 2 Configuring a Test Before proceeding study Table 9 1 to understand the various choices in the Sequence Transaction dialog box Open the dialog box again by double clicking on the transaction bar Open the various menus and make read about the different options Chapter 9 333 Test Sequencing Creating a Test Execution Ord
195. e time to complete 1 5 hours 248 Chapter 6 Note Creating Reports Easily Using Activex Overview Overview In this chapter you will learn how to generate reports in other applications such as MS Excel by sending data from the VEE program to the MS Excel program VEE uses ActiveX Automation to control other applications which provides a fast process for creating detailed and effective reports The first lab exercise describes how to send data to an MS Excel spreadsheet automatically using ActiveX Automation The second exercise describes generic template for generating reports and how to expand on the functionality of the basic template The final exercise uses ActiveX in VEE to send a screen dump and test data to an MS Word document The principles are the same for other spreadsheet and word processing programs that support ActiveX Automation ActiveX replaces the use of DDE in VEE However DDE is still supported in VEE To use DDE in legacy applications refer to the second edition of Visual Programming with HP VEE Chapter 6 249 Note Note Creating Reports Easily Using Activex ActiveX Automation in Agilent VEE ActiveX Automation in Agilent VEE In this chapter the term ActiveX Automation refers to VEE s ability to act as an Automation Controller of Automation Server applications such as MS Excel MS Word and MS Access The exercises focus on the practical application of Microsoft s ActiveX technology to gen
196. ears while the original object remains In Figure 1 10 the Function Generator has already been cloned once and the object menu has the command selected to clone it again Function Cosine x Frequency Amplitude DcOffset Phase Dea 0 Time Span 20m Properties Description AddTerminal gt Delete Terminal r Num Points 256 Cut Figure 1 10 Cloning an Object Copying an Object This action copies an object to the clipboard so you could Paste it to VEE or another application such as MS Paint or MS Word 1 Click on an object to highlight it then click Edit Copy OR Click on an object to highlight it then press Ctrl C Chapter 1 35 Note Note Using the Agilent VEE Development Environment Working with Objects Deleting Cutting an Object To delete or Cut an object from the work area go to the object menu for the object you want to delete and click Cut For example go to the object menu for the Function Generator and click Cut The object disappears from the work area but it is saved in the cut buffer 1 Open the object menu and select Cut OR Select the object click on it and press Ctrl X OR Place the mouse cursor over the object menu and double click Be careful as it is easy to accidentally delete an object by double clicking its object menu button If you do delete an object by accident use the Paste toolbar button or Edit Paste to recover the o
197. ects Lab 9 4 Using the To From File Objects with Logged Data 1 Open the seqdat2 file and delete the data line to the display 2 Select Flow Repeat For Count and place it to the left of the Sequencer Change the For Count number to 3 and connect its data output pin to the sequence input pin on the Sequencer 3 Enlarge the work area vertically and place the AlphaNumeric display near the bottom Select Data Collector and place it in the left work area Connect the Sequencer Log pin to the Collector data input pin Connect the For Count sequence output pin to the Collector XEQ pin The Collector will create an array of records of records from the Sequencer Using the WRITE CONTAINER transaction inthe To File object you can write any VEE data container to a file quite easily 4 SelectI O To gt File and place it to the right of the Collector Select I O From gt File and place it below the To File object Add an input terminal to the To File object and connect the Collector output to it Connect the To File sequence output to the From File sequence input pin Connect the From File data output to the display Check Clear File At PreRun amp OpeninTo File and configure a WRITE CONTAINER a transaction Configure a transaction in the From File object like the following READ CONTAINER x You can use the default data file for storage 5 Run the program It should look like Figure 9 16 Chapter 9 359 Test Sequencin
198. ed quickly The tutorials display screen demonstrations of VEE programs being built and run and describe what you are seeing The tutorials also introduce key concepts for using VEE effectively Once you become familiar with VEE look for more information in the Help entries in the object menus You can experiment with the objects until you understand how they work If you need to know more about an object the object menus give you the most specific information Consult them first To use the Help contents index or search capabilities open Help on the main VEE menu bar To review how to open the main Help facility and a listing of the Help contents refer to Getting Help on page 25 of Chapter 1 Using the Agilent VEE Development Environment Chapter 2 99 Note Agilent VEE Programming Techniques Using Online Help Using the Help Facility Online Help provides information on the following topics E All menu items as well as shortcuts for most of them E Instrument driver information E Frequently performed tasks and many example programs E Definition of VEE terms E Using the help facility E VEE version You can browse use the keyword index use hyperlinks to related topics or even do a search There are many Help features available in VEE that you can use as you develop programs VEE also includes other helpful features for developing and debugging programs such as line probe For more information refe
199. ed with control pins Control lines to an object are shown in VEE programs as dashed lines For example Figure 2 30 shows a control line that sets a custom title for the waveform display Note that the object is not required to have data on a control pin to perform this action The object does not execute only the action such as setting the title is performed You can click Show Data Flow to see how the control line to the Title control input will carry data first _ Noiseamnttude ToFile __wavedata_ 0 366 W Clear File At PreRun amp Open 1 Double Click to Add Transaction gt 0 8 C 04 MyWaveform 4 0 2 Mag 28 os 0 0 4 T 0 4 My Waveform L Tracet 4 08 S 1 Time Figure 2 30 Control Line Used to Execute Custom Title 112 Chapter 2 Agilent VEE Programming Techniques Debugging Programs in Agilent VEE Following the Execution Order of Objects in a Program As a VEE program runs the objects execute in the following order 1 Start objects operate first Figure 2 31 shows a VEE program with two threads which are sets of objects connected by solid lines ina VEE program The Start objects located under Flow Start are used to operate the individual threads in a program If a program includes Start object s they execute first fantomo 16 Res it 4 20 02m Figure 2 31 Start Objects Executing Separate Threads 2 Objec
200. ee trees 179 Creating Expressions with the Formula Object eeeseeseeeeeeees 181 Evaluating an Expression with the Formula Object 182 Using an Agilent VEE Function in the Formula Object 0 183 On YoUr OWN saiaren aa e E a a e aeea e a Aee 185 Using MATLAB Script in Agilent VEE seeceeeeseersresresrrereereres 187 Including a MATLAB Script Object in Agilent VEE 190 Working with Data Types 00 eee ceceeeseeseecreeceecesecesaeeseeeeeeeaaeenaees 191 Displaying Test Data siinne eanna a a a a 194 Customizing Test Data Displays eeeeeeeeeeereeseeersressessrssesrrssresesresss 196 Displaying a Waveform eessssessessreeresresresrrssrssesrissesserrresesreseress 196 Changing the X and Y Scales wo eeceseesceseecnseceseeeeeeeeeeeneeenees 197 Zooming in on Part of the Waveform cece eeceeeeseeeeeeeneeeneees 197 Adding Delta Markers to the Display eels eeeeeeeeseeereeeneeeeeees 198 Changing the Color of the Trace oo eeceeeeesceeseceseceeeeeeeeneeeneeenees 199 For Additional Practice cece cesceecceseceseeeseeeecesaeceseeseeeseeeaeeenaees 200 Chapter Checklists siete ce satieieds Cots atin E alee ctec E E E a 201 5 Storing and Retrieving Test Results OVEV E Waosen coset iesctinnacic TN E onde GU ae Ree Sitio bat ae 205 Using Arrays to Store Test Results 00 0 cee eeeeeceeseeesneeeseceseceseeeeeaes 206 Lab 5 1 Creating an Array for Test Results eeeeeeereees 207 Lab 5 2 Extracting Values from an Array ec
201. eeding to the next chapter E Create a UserObject and explain how UserObjects give programs structure and save space on screen E Create pop up dialog boxes and sliders or knobs for user input E Use data files to save data to a file and load data from a file E Create an operator interface using a Panel view of the program E Use different data types and data shapes E Use mathematical operators and functions E Use online Help E Show the data flow and the execution flow in a program E Debug programs by examining data on a line terminals and alphanumeric displays E Use breakpoints E Resolve errors with the GoTo command E Resolve errors using the Call Stack E Use Step Into Step Over and Step Out to trace and debug a program E Use the Find feature E Document objects with description dialog boxes E Generate a documentation file Chapter 2 125 Agilent VEE Programming Techniques Chapter Checklist 126 Chapter 2 Easy Ways to Control Instruments Easy Ways to Control Instruments Easy Ways To Control Instruments In this chapter you will learn about E Configuring an instrument E Using a panel driver Using the Direct I O object Controlling PC plug in boards E Using a VXIplug amp play driver Average time to complete I hour 128 Chapter 3 Easy Ways to Control Instruments Overview Overview In this chapter you will learn how to use VEE to control instruments With VEE you can
202. eeeeeaeeenaees 96 Using Online Help 5 0i seen aul es este ei 99 Using the Help Facility ce ecescssceseeeneeeeceecesaeeseeeseeeaeeenaees 100 Displaying Help about an Object 0 eee ceseceseeeeeeeeeeeseeeeeees 100 Finding the Menu Location for an Object eee eeeeeeeereereeeneees 101 Other Practice Exercises Using the Help Facility 0 101 Debugging Programs in Agilent VEE wee eeeeseenecneceseeceneeeneeenes 102 Showing Data FLOW ninmi died oh amg eA aa aie ti eee 102 Showing Execution FLOW 0 cee eeceseeseeeseceeccsseeeeceseceseesaeeesaeenaeens 103 Examining Data on a Line eeeeeceseeeneeeeceseeceseeeeeeseeeaeeenaees 104 Examining Terminals csias eeneioe eaa i eias 105 Using the Alphanumeric Displays for Debugging 0 0 eee 106 Using Breakpoint eens neesu a i R 106 Resolving Errors 22 3c5cccsacthadicicpehestivsiecoastestecitbsstecbeetacctecnpaeveizearess 108 Using the Go To Button to Locate an Error 0 ee eeeeeeeeseeteeeneees 108 Using the Call Stack tic sca cece ick ie cee heb i A ER 109 Following the Order of Events Inside an Object cesses 110 Following the Execution Order of Objects in a Program 113 Stepping Through a Program eeeeesesseceseceseeseeceeeceseesaeeeaaeenaeens 114 Finding an Object in a Complex Program ice eeeeeeeeseeneeeeees 115 Practice Programs 3 0 seis ae eek aude E E A a eee 116 Lab 2 6 Generate a Random Numbet ceceesceseeeeeereeeneeeeees 116
203. eeeeeeeeeneeeenees 83 Figure 2 5 Noisy Cosine Wave ceeeseescesseeesceeseceeeceeeeseeeseeeneeenaees 84 Figure 2 6 The Int32 Input Configuration BOX ceeeeeeseeeeeeneeeeeees 85 Figure 2 7 Int32 Input Added to usrobj program vee eee 86 Figure 2 8 Runtime Pop Up Input Box ee eeceeeeeeeereeeeeeeneeenaees 87 Figure 2 9 Adding a Data File cece eesessecseeseceseceeeeeseeeeeeeneeenaees 88 Figure 2 10 Choosing an I O Transaction cecceeceeceseeeeeeeeeeeneeeesees 89 Figure 2 11 Adding a To File Object 0 0 ee eeceseeceeeeeeeeeeeseeeeeaees 90 Figure 2 12 Adding a From File Object cescesceeeceseeeneeeeeeeeees 91 Figure 2 13 simple program Vee 0 ceeseesceeseeseeseecnseceeceeeeceeeeeneeenees 92 Figure 2 14 Example Creating a Panel View neneeese 93 Figure 2 15 Using Data Types 00 0 0 cee eeeeeeeeeseeneeseeceseceeeeseeeseeseneeeaees 95 Figure 2 16 Connecting Data Objects ce cee ceeceseceneeeeeeeeeeeeeeeenees 96 Figure 2 17 Creating a Formula Object Program eee eeeeeeeeeees 97 Figure 2 18 Show Data FLOW 0 eeeeceesessecsseceteeeeeceseceseeeseeeaeensaeens 102 Figure 2 19 Data Flow in simple program Vee 0 0 scceeseeeseeseceneeees 103 Figure 2 20 Show Execution FlOW cc cescesecsseseeeeeseceseeeseeeseeeaeens 103 Figure 2 21 Displaying the Value on an Output Pin eee 104 Figure 2 22 Displaying Information about a Line 105 Figure 2 23 Set Breakpoint S 00 0 eeeeee
204. eeenseees 509 Figure A 28 Manipulating Records Step 20 0 eeeeesesseeeseeeneeenseees 511 Figure A 29 Manipulating Records Step 3 eeeeeeeeeeeesererreresrere 513 Figure A 30 Using the Sequencer Step 1 oo ee eeeeeeeeseeceeceeeeeeeeees 515 Figure A 31 Disable the First Test in the Sequence eee 516 Figure A 32 Using the Sequencer Step 2 0 0 ee eeesseeseeceeceeeeeeeees 517 Figure A 33 Using the Test Sequencer Step 3 eeeceeerrreerereen 519 Figure A 34 Add a Time Stamp to the Logging Record 521 Figure A 35 Using the Test Sequencer Step 4 oie eeeeeeeeeeneeees 522 Contents 18 Figure A 36 Checking a Record 0 cece ceeseeeeeeeeeesceeeeeesecesecnseeeeeeees 523 Figure A 37 Using the Test Sequencer Step 5 0 00 ceeeeeeeeeereeeeees 524 Figure A 38 Using the Test Sequencer Step 6 cceeeeeeeeeeesreeeees 525 Figure A 39 Using the Test Sequencer Step 7 0 cece eeeeeeeeeeereeeeee 526 Figure A 40 Using the Test Sequencer Step 8 0 00 ceeeeeeeeeeereeeeees 527 Contents 19 Contents 20 Tables Table 4 1 Agilent VEE Data Types ee eeeecceseeeereeeeceseceeeeneeeees 175 Table 4 2 Displays enen i ctvsatetets chee leet ibeee ty beied eit a i 194 Table 5 1 Types of I O Transactions 00 ee eeeesecesecneceeeeeeeeeeneeenes 212 Table 5 2 I O Transaction Encoding eee eeeeeeseeeseeceseceeceeeeeeeeees 213 Table 9 1 Sequence Transaction Dialog BOX eee ceeeeeeeeeeeereeeeeee 334 Cont
205. eeesessecereceneeeeeees 208 Using the To From File Objects 0 cece eee eseeseeeseeensecneeeeeecseeeneeenes 210 Understanding I O Transactions ccccsceeescecenceceetecenaeceeaeeeeeeeeeas 211 VO Transaction Format 00 ec niitis entiteit 212 Lab 5 3 Using the To From File Objects 00 0 0 ee eeeeeeeeeeeneeereees 214 Sending a Text String to a File oo ceseeeeeeeeeeeeeeseeeaeenaeees 214 Sending a Time Stamp to a File eee eeceecscesseecceeeceeeeeeseeeeens 215 Sending a Real Array to a File oo ceecceseeeeeeeeeeseeeeseeeaeeeaeees 216 Retrieving Data with the From File Object eee eeeeeeeeeees 218 Using Records to Store Mixed Data Types 0 eee ee ceeceeceeeeeeeeeeeenes 222 Lab 5 4 Using Recordsen e eiai teh ae RE 222 Building a Record ehee oe cede isle oi aiieeease 223 Getting a Field From a Record 0 ce ceeceeeeseseeecneeceseeeeeeeneseneeenees 225 Contents 5 Setting a Field in a Record eee eeseeseceeeeeeeceseeeeeeeseeaeeeaeenaeenaeees 227 Unbuilding a Record in a Single Step eee eeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeneeeneees 230 Using DataSets to Store and Retrieve Records n 232 Lab 5 5 Using DataSets esis icaccccsstesccdatsenitegiieet aniria aii 232 Storing and Retrieving a Record from a DataSet eee 232 Customizing a Simple Test Database cece ceeeeeeeeeecereeereeeneceneeees 237 Lab 5 6 Using Search and Sort Operations with DataSets 237 Performing a Search Operation With DataSets eee eres 237 C
206. efault to MSB order Enter any description here For example if you want the instrument number on the title bar enter the number 4 Toggle Live Mode to OFF Then click the Panel Driver folder and the dialog box appears as shown in Figure 3 9 136 Chapter 3 Note Easy Ways to Control Instruments Configuring an Instrument Instrument Properties Name scope Interface GPIB 7 Address eg 714 714 Gateway This host Advanced OK Cancel Help Advanced Instrument Properties General Direct I O Plug amp play Driver Panel Driver ID Filename Sub Address is Error Checking ON Incremental Mode ON Figure 3 9 The Panel Driver Folder 5 Click the field to the right of ID Filename to obtain a list box entitled Read from what Instrument Driver This list includes all of the panel driver files loaded with your revision of VEE in the directory specified You will need to have installed the panel drivers from the VEE CD ROM in order to complete the example The cid files signify the compiled instrument driver files 6 Scroll down the list to highlight hp54504a cid then click Open Figure 3 9 shows this instrument already selected You can also double click on a highlighted file to select it Chapter 3 137 Easy Ways to Control Instruments Configuring an Instrument The other entries in the Panel Driver folder are as follows Sub Address Leave this field blank Sub Address is
207. eform Then change the Phase value back to 0 and the units back to Deg E The y axis limits of the Waveform Time object are preset to 1 through 1 Click the y axis name Mag to open a dialog that lets you change the settings Click the fields for Maximum and Minimum to change the limits to 2 and 2 You will see the waveform displayed within the new limits To change similar parameters for the x axis scale click Time Printing the Screen 9 Continuing with the same example to print the screen select File gt Print Screen On Windows the dialog box in Figure 1 30 appears Print ES m Printer Name Properties Status Default printer Ready Type HP LaserJet 4Si Where SHPXXX idsixxx Comment Lasenet 45i in XXX Test Area Print range Copies All Number of copies fi ete E Selection all ate cnca Figure 1 30 Printing the Screen 58 Chapter 1 Using the Agilent VEE Development Environment Connecting Objects to Make a Program When you click OK VEE prints the screen on the default printer named in the dialog box You can select another printer change the print range and enter the number of copies Click the Properties button for more selections Different print drivers may use different dialog boxes For further information about using Windows dialog boxes see Microsoft Windows Help On HP UX the dialog box in Figure 1 31 appears i Default Text Printer Default P
208. egration with conventional languages like C C Visual Basic Pascal Fortran and RMB E Convenient and flexible operator interface capabilities E Support for most popular test platforms E Use of ActiveX Automation and Controls E Agilent Technologies excellent array of support options E Easy and powerful documentation tools E Ease of porting test data to standard spreadsheets and word processors for reports E Interprocess communication tools to link with other applications such as relational databases or statistical analysis packages VEE Pro 6 0 only E Debugging tools that make the development and maintenance of large complex programs efficient VEE Pro 6 0 only E Powerful test executive tools included with the product VEE Pro 6 0 only E Remote test capabilities with VEE s Web monitoring features VEE Pro 6 0 only E Unlimited runtime for distribution of your programs VEE Pro 6 0 only E Low cost site licenses VEE Pro 6 0 only 10 Introduction Installing and Learning About Agilent VEE Installing and Learning About Agilent VEE This section gives guidelines to install and learn about VEE including installing VEE learning about VEE using VEE and obtaining VEE support Installing Agilent VEE and I O Libraries For information on installing VEE Pro 6 0 and I O Libraries refer to the installation materials you received with VEE The I O Libraries are used by VEE to communicate with instruments
209. eld Edit x to z so that the Real array is read back to the Z output terminal SCALAR Change SCALAR to ARRAY 1D SIZE Now the I O Transaction box addsa SIZE button In this case the array has four elements Replace 10 with 4 and click OK If you do not know the size of an array you may toggle SIZE to TO END This will read data to the end of the file without VEE knowing its exact size For example you could use this feature to read the entire contents of a file as a string array to examine the file contents The transaction bar in the From File object should now contain the statements READ TEXT y STR and READ TEXT z REAL64 ARRAY 4 Notice that VEE automatically adds the data output terminals for x y and z You can also manually add or delete input and output terminals under object menu gt Add Terminal Delete Terminal or using the shortcuts Ctrl A and Ctrl D 7 Select Display AlphaNumeric and clone it twice to get three displays Connect the AlphaNumeric objects to the three data output pins on From File Enlarge the array display by clicking and dragging the object by any corner Tip You can also size the AlphaNumeric displays by clicking and dragging the object outlines when you first select them from the menu 8 Run the program It should look like Figure 5 8 220 Chapter 5 Storing and Retrieving Test Results Using the To From File Objects To File myFile I Clear File At PreRun amp Open WRITE TEXT
210. ematically processing data Communicating with instruments Documenting a program Using debugging tools Average time to complete 2 hours 76 Chapter 2 Agilent VEE Programming Techniques Overview Overview In this chapter you will learn selected VEE programming techniques to help you build your own programs For example VEE allows you to create customized objects called UserObjects You can also create interfaces for operators to use that show only the necessary parts of the program These are displayed in the Panel view of the program You can write data from VEE to a file and read data from a file into VEE Data files and their associated I O transactions can be used for many purposes including communicating with instruments files strings the operating system interfaces other programs Rocky Mountain Basic and printers VEE supports many data types and provides extensive mathematical processing capabilities There are multiple ways for you to use VEE to communicate with instruments VEE also provides powerful debugging tools to debug any problems in programs Chapter 2 77 Agilent VEE Programming Techniques General Techniques General Techniques Inside the Main VEE program you can create logical groups of objects called UserObjects A UserObject object called UserObject hereafter is created by placing a logical group of objects in a UserObject window Inside the UserObj ect window you connect inputs and outpu
211. en the object menu and select Properties A Properties dialog box appears with the current title highlighted as shown in Figure 1 12 2 Type the new title and click OK The new title appears in the title area If you minimize the object the new title appears in the icon OR 1 Double click the object title bar to go directly to the Properties dialog box 2 Type in the new title and click OK Note You can save time by using standard keyboard and mouse editing techniques For example in the Properties dialog box Title field if you click at the extreme left edge of the edit area the cursor will appear there You can then add new text without deleting the existing title Function Generator Properties General Colors Fonts Icon Title ETT or Object index M 6 r Debug lV Show Title Bar I Breakpoint Enabled Open View Show Terminals Error Checking l I Error On Aliasing Figure 1 12 Changing the Title of an Object 38 Chapter 1 Note Using the Agilent VEE Development Environment Working with Objects Selecting or Deselecting Objects 1 To select an object click on the object and a shadow appears behind it For example in Figure 1 13 the For Count object is selected 2 To deselect an object move the mouse pointer over any open area and click The shadow disappears For example in Figure 1 13 the Formula object is not selected A 27A 3 Result Figure 1
212. endix A Additional Lab Exercises Records Solution Manipulating Records Step 3 Figure A 29 shows a solution for manipulating records step 3 To DataSet myFile I Clear File At PreRun o in 0 0 Field name Value wmo dayime 314PM rarry Real Array 1D From DataSet myFile rand pass Get records A wave Waveform Array 1D Search Specifier eg Rec A 10 g Figure A 29 Manipulating Records Step 3 Key Points E The To DataSet Object The Clear File at PreRun option only clears the file before data is sent the first time Notice that the program sends 10 different records to the same file sequentially and they are appended to the file E The From DataSet Object This object is configured to retrieve all records where the rand field is greater than 0 5 In this case five out of ten records meet that criterion and the first record is shown with an index number of 0 Appendix A 513 Additional Lab Exercises Test Sequencing Test Sequencing Using the Test Sequencer Step 1 Create a simple UserFunction called UpperLimit that is a pop up panel with aReal64 Slider andaConfirm OK object Send the output of the slider to a global variable called UpLimit and also to an output terminal Create a Sequencer object and configure test1 in the Sequencer as an EXEC transaction that calls UpperLimit Create another function called AddRand that simulate
213. eneral steps 1 The remote user s system must be connected to a network 2 The remote user must be running a network browser such as Netscape or Internet Explorer 3 The remote user must enter a URL address for your system You provide the address to the remote user which is explained in more detail below Note The remote user does not have to be running VEE or even have VEE installed in order to access VEE programs on your system The remote user connects to the network and runs the browser and enters a URL You will tell the remote user the URL to enter based on the following information The formats you can have the remote user enter are as follows http hostname port Displays your VEE Web Server Home Page where the remote user can enter choices about how to view your VEE program 454 Chapter 12 Note Platform Specifics and Web Monitoring Web Monitoring with Agilent VEE http hostname port command parameter Specifies a view or UserFunction for the remote user to view in the VEE program For example http hostname ViewMainDetail displays the Detail view of your main VEE program http hostname port file Specifies a file that you have saved such as a jpeg or html file that you want the remote user to view The fields in wavy parentheses are optional fields The fields in the URL addresses are as follows Hostname Port Chapter 12 Required Identifies your syste
214. ent VEE Programming Techniques General Techniques To File wavedata I Clear File At PreRun amp Open Double Click to Add Transaction gt VO Transaction WRITE 7 CONTAI OK nop Cancel Figure 2 10 Choosing an I O Transaction 4 Connect the data output pin of the AddNoise UserObject to the data input pin of To File The program should now look like Figure 2 11 Note You can connect one data output pin to several data input pins Chapter 2 89 Agilent VEE Programming Techniques General Techniques Bi Main olx ToFie ___wavedata I Clear File At PreRun amp Open Double Click to Add Transaction gt 4 Tracet l2 8m 12m 16m 20m Time Figure 2 11 Adding a To File Object 5 Click the Run button on the tool bar again to test the program The program now displays the noisy cosine wave output by the AddNoise UserObject and writes a container of waveform data to the file wavedata Double click the To File object to get the open view then double click the input terminal a to examine its contents You should see an array of 256 points Add a From File object to the program to read the data back 6 Select I O From File and place it in the Main work area Add a read transaction to READ CONTAINER x and change the file name to wavedata the procedure is the same as for To File Then delete the line between AddNoise and the Waveform Time object
215. ents 21 Contents 22 Introduction Introduction This chapter introduces Agilent VEE and its major features You will also learn how to install and learn about VEE and how to obtain VEE support 2 Introduction Overview of Agilent VEE Overview of Agilent VEE Agilent VEE is a graphical programming language optimized for building test and measurement applications and programs with operator interfaces This release of the Agilent VEE product family includes VEE Pro 6 0 for groups of engineers that need to create complex test and measurement systems and VEE OneLab 6 0 for individual engineers and scientists responsible for design and data acquisition Advantages of Using Agilent VEE for Test Development VEE offers many advantages in test development E Increase your productivity dramatically Customers report reducing their program development time up to 80 E Use VEE in a wide range of applications including functional test design verification calibration and data acquisition and control E Gain instrument I O flexibility controlling GPIB VXI Serial GPIO PC Plug in cards and LAN instruments Use panel drivers VXIplug amp play drivers ODAS drivers direct I O over standard interfaces or imported libraries from multiple vendors E Use ActiveX Automation and Controls on PCs to control other applications such as MS Word Excel and Access that assist with generating reports displaying and analyzing
216. er Table 9 1 Sequence Transaction Dialog Box Sequence Transaction Field Explanation TEST Unique name used to reference the test in the Sequencer The default names start with test1 and increment with each test Choosing TEST means that a test result will be compared to specifications and branching will occur to the next test based on the configuration The TEST button toggles to EXEC If you toggle TEST to EXEC the test will execute without a comparison between a test result and specifications For example you might choose EXEC when the UserFunction is setting up global variables Selecting EXEC will also disable logging for the test ENABLED Determines when to execute a test This menu displays four menu choices E ENABLED executes the test under all conditions E ENABLED IF executes the test if the stated expression evaluates to TRUE For example the test might be enabled if the input pin A holds the value 1 A 1 You can use ENABLED IF for audit test control You might want a particular test to execute every ten runs for instance E DISABLED is the opposite of ENABLED E DISABLED IF is the opposite of ENABLED LBs 5 SPEC NOMINAL Expected value from the test 334 Chapter 9 Test Sequencing Creating a Test Execution Order Table 9 1 Sequence Transaction Dialog Box Continued Sequence Transaction Field Explanation RANGE Specifies t
217. er to change the Get records field in From DataSet from One to All testi 0 lt 5 lt 1 test 0 lt 5 lt 1 test3 0 lt 5 lt 1 To DataSet _myFile WM Clear File At PreRun From DataSet _ myFile Get records All Search Specifier eg Rec A 10 A 0 test1 1 538 0 test2 1 691 0 test3 1 694 0 1 testi 1 305 0 test2 1 086 0 test3 0 9602 1 2 testi 0 9913 1 test2 1 534 0 test 0 7177 1 Figure 9 17 Storing Logged Data with To From DataSet Chapter 9 361 Test Sequencing Chapter Checklist Chapter Checklist Use the following checklist to determine whether there are topics you need to review before going on to the next chapter Describe the Sequencer object conceptually Configure a test for the Sequencer Add insert and delete operations for a Sequencer test Access logged data from the Sequencer Use Sequencer input terminals to pass data to tests Use Global variables to pass data to tests Compare a waveform output to a mask Analyze several runs of data from the Sequencer Store data using the To From File objects Store data using the To From DataSet objects 362 Chapter 9 10 Using Operator Interfaces Using Operator Interfaces Using Operator Interfaces In this chapter you will learn about E Building operator interfaces E Using menus for an operator E Importing
218. erFunction Properties box select Show Panel on Execute deselect Show Title since the title serves no purpose to the operator Click OK 20 Go to Main and click Device Call open its object menu click Select Function then select warning Move the Call object to the top center of the screen Iconize the Main window 21 By default VEE displays both the alarm and the warning panels in the center of the screen so the alarm will blink on top of the check box that will stop the alarm Since both of these screen positions are not locked you can reposition them on the screen by clicking and dragging the pop up panels to new locations However with the alarm panel blinking this is somewhat difficult Instead click and drag the edge of the panel If needed stop the program using the stop button on the tool bar Run the program When you have the two panels positioned as shown in Figure 10 26 you can stop the program by clicking the box next to the Turn off alarm prompt Turn Off Instruments Figure 10 26 The Warning Program Chapter 10 395 Using Operator Interfaces Common Tasks In Creating Operator Interfaces Lab 10 4 Using an ActiveX Control This lab shows how to use an ActiveX Control within VEE You can incorporate ActiveX Controls from other applications into VEE programs In this case you will incorporate a ProgressBar control and use a loop to show the progress bar 0 to 100 complete The same general principles
219. erObject by simply pressing the Home button on the keyboard Chapter 2 81 Note Note Agilent VEE Programming Techniques General Techniques 0 Trace o UserObject Of x LA Result Figure 2 3 Creating a UserObject Rearranging the positions of the objects before executing Create UserObject is one of convenience If you do not collect the objects to be included into one area the UserObject will size itself to encompass all the selected objects You can then rearrange and resize the work area of the UserObject and move the UserObject to an appropriate place in the work area However the cleanup is easier if you place the objects logically beforehand You can use Edit Clean Up Lines to clean up the line routing within a program This command is context dependent To clean up the lines for the UserObject it must be the active window Click the UserObject window then use Edit Clean Up Lines 82 Chapter 2 Agilent VEE Programming Techniques General Techniques Tip Creating a UserObject in its edit window and then using the icon view of the UserObject lets you save screen space 7 To help you keep track of the UserObject change the title from UserObject to AddNoise Double click the title bar and enter the new title in the properties dialog box Figure 2 4 shows how this makes the program easier to follow Tip To get to any object s Properties dialog box quickly just double c
220. erate test and measurement program reports There are also other related lab exercises in this manual Using an ActiveX Control on page 396 and The Callable VEE ActiveX Automation Server on page 446 For more detailed information about Automation terminology and concepts refer to the VEE Pro Advanced Techniques manual Listing ActiveX Automation Type Libraries To find the automation objects installed on your computer click Devices gt ActiveX Automation References For information about ActiveX Control References refer to Chapter 10 Using Operator Interfaces Refer also to Chapter 12 Platform Specifics and Web Monitoring Devices gt ActiveX Automation References lists the Type Libraries that are installed on your PC Each application and ActiveX Component that can be an Automation Server registers a Type Library VEE displays what is available on your PC These libraries include information about the functionality of the application or component that is exposed to ActiveX clients Type libraries typically consist of a set of classes Some classes can be created by the programmer Other classes are always created by the application or component Classes consist of properties methods and events although not all have to be present The Type Library provides both the programmer and the VEE environment with information necessary to utilize the application or component using ActiveX interfaces 250 Chapter
221. erator object Device gt Virtual Source gt Noise Generator 4 Add the A B object using Device gt Function amp Object Browser The Function amp Object Browser is shown in Figure 1 38 For Type select Operators For Category select Arithmetic For Operators select Click Create Formula and place the object in the work area between the Function Generator and the Waveform Time object Minimize the A B object Chapter 1 69 Using the Agilent VEE Development Environment How Agilent VEE Programs Work Function amp Object Browser Type Category Operators Built in Functions MATLAB Functions Assignment Local User Functions Comparison Imported User Functions Logical s Remote User Functions Miscellaneous DIY Compiled Functions MOD ActiveX Objects VEE Objects Instruments A B Adds two numbers Create Formula Greate Set rormula Close Help Figure 1 38 Function and Object Browser 5 Connect the input and output pins as shown in Figure 1 37 6 Run the program Notice that the A B object does not execute until the Function Generator and the Noise Generator objects execute However it does not matter whether the Function Generator or the Noise Generator executes first because the result is the same Once both of the A B input data pins receive data the A B object executes summing the two signals and outputting the result to the Waveform Time object Note The data flow in a VEE progra
222. es Environment p Execution Mode Vv Q VEE 6 adds new Data Types WV Delete Variables at PreRun lt VEE 5 adds Activex lt VEE 4 adds Compiler lt VEE3 Trig Mode Debug Program Development Degrees DataFlowRate 6 x Alignment Spacing 20 lt Radians I Disable Debug Features M Binary RunTime File Format lt Gradians I Check Instrument Addresses at PreRun Figure 1 17 Default Preferences Dialog Box This dialog box has tabs that let you select options to edit General Colors Fonts Number Printing Web Server The default tab when the Default Preferences dialog box appears shown previously You can change the values of the displayed parameters for example Environment and Execution Mode Lets you customize the colors in the VEE environment Lets you customize the fonts in the VEE environment Lets you change the default number format Lets you set the values of the parameters for a printer Lets you enable the built in Web server to monitor and troubleshoot a program from a remote Web browser For more information select Help Contents and Index from the VEE menu bar Then browse How Do T Tell Me About or Reference Chapter 1 45 Note Using the Agilent VEE Development Environment Understanding Pins and Terminals Understanding Pins and Terminals A VEE program consists of the objects in the work area and the lines that connect them The lines that
223. es using DATA READY transaction 444 If pipes do not exist before To From Rocky Mountain Basic operates the following pipes are created automatically tmp to_rmb tmp from_rmb Note however that if the pipes exist beforehand the program runs more quickly To create additional pipes use the operating system command mknod Rocky Mountain Basic pipes which are simply named pipes are opened when the first READ or WRITE transaction to that pipe operates after PreRun All named pipes are closed at Post Run For more information about PreRun and PostRun refer to the VEE Pro Advanced Techniques manual The EXECUTE CLOSE READ PIPE and EXECUTE CLOSE WRITE PIPE transactions enable you to close pipes at any time Because of the behavior of named pipes it is easiest to structure transactions to transmit known or easily parsed data blocks For example if you are transmitting strings determine the maximum length block you wish to transmit and pad shorter strings with blanks This avoids the problems of trying to read more data from a pipe than is available and of leaving unwanted data in a pipe To help prevent a READ transaction from hanging until data is available use a READ IOSTATUS DATA READY transaction in a separate To From Rocky Mountain Basic object The transaction returns a 1 if there is at least one byte to read and a 0 if there are no bytes to read To read all the data available on the read pipe use a READ
224. es Debugging Programs in Agilent VEE When stepping VEE puts the Panel View behind the Detail View to show you the order of objects as they execute Within Main the input boxes have no input pins connected so they execute first in no defined order If you wanted them to execute in a particular order you could control this by connecting their sequence pins Data flows left to right so you see the data generators executing next in no particular order The addition A B object cannot execute until both inputs are satisfied Then the Waveform Time object executes Again you could mandate execution order anywhere in the program by using the sequence pins or the Flow Do object To learn more about the Do object consult Help For more information about the step functions refer to online Help For more information about UserFunctions refer to Chapter 8 Using Agilent VEE Functions on page 293 Finding an Object in a Complex Program To find a particular object especially in a large program select Edit gt Find Type in the object or function name in the pop up dialog box and VEE displays all instances and locations of that object or function in the program See Finding Functions in Large Programs on page 321 for more details Chapter 2 115 Agilent VEE Programming Techniques Practice Programs Practice Programs The practice programs in this section illustrate more VEE features Lab 2 6 Generate a Random Num
225. es an array of 1024 elements and calculates the square root of the array yielding an array of square roots Although the two programs both yield the same results the program in Figure 11 2 executes about 6 times faster than the one in Figure 11 1 This example uses a 300 MHz HP Pavilion PC 408 Chapter 11 Note Optimizing Agilent VEE Programs Basic Techniques for Optimizing Programs sqrted i 024 0 1023 Figure 11 2 Calculating Square Roots using Math Array The difference in the execution speeds of the two programs is due to the time required for an object to execute There is a fixed amount of overhead when an object executes Therefore when you reduce the number of times an object executes by using arrays rather than scalar values the program runs faster Using the Do object is a good idea when timing to make sure the timer triggers first in both programs The ramp function generates an array with 1024 elements starting at 0 and ending at 1023 To ensure faster execution always make sure you are using the most recent execution mode in VEE To do this click File Default Preferences or use the button on the tool bar Select VEE6 under Execution Mode and click Save In the status bar at the bottom of the VEE window you should see VEE6 listed Make Objects into Icons Whenever Possible The more information VEE has to maintain on the screen the more time it will take the program to run To optimize the pro
226. etion Generator 06 Function Sine z 04 Frequency 100 0 2 Amplitude 1 g 0 2 Dcofiset 0 Funt a Phase Deg x 0 Tracet ae TimeSpan 2mm 08 Num Points 256 4 4m 8m 12m 16m 20m Time Figure 1 36 Typical simple program vee Display The data output pin of the Function Generator object is connected to the data input pin of the Waveform Time object When you run the program the Waveform Time object will not execute until it receives data from the Function Generator object This is a simple example of data flow Lab 1 3 Adding a Noise Generator Add a noisy sine wave by adding a Noise Generator object to simple program vee as shown in Figure 1 37 68 Chapter 1 Using the Agilent VEE Development Environment How Agilent VEE Programs Work Trace1 Amplitude 1 Time Span 20m Num Points 256 noise WF Figure 1 37 Example Adding a Noise Generator Object Note The VEE programs for many of the lab exercises and programming examples in this manual are included in VEE under Help Open Example Manual UsersGuide 1 Delete the line connecting the Function Generator and Waveform Time objects in the original program Click the Delete Line button on the toolbar and then click the line Or press and hold Shift Ctrl and click the line 2 Minimize the Function Generator to its icon 3 Add the Noise Gen
227. etrieve any field Rec refers to the record at the data input terminal by the same name Remember that VEE is not case sensitive The Get Field object is a Formula configured with inputs and an expression like the formulas in the Function amp Object Browser Clone rec field twice and place the objects to the right of Build Record Connect Build Record data output to all three rec field objects Since the three fields are stored as testname time and data you will have to edit the rec field objects to get the appropriate field Edit the three rec field object expression fields to rec testname rec time and rec data Select Display AlphaNumeric and clone it twice Connect the three displays to the three rec field objects Resize the third display to accommodate the real array about three times longer than the other objects Open the second AlphaNumeric display object menu and select Properties then select the Number folder Click to the left of Global Format to remove the check mark Chapter 5 225 Storing and Retrieving Test Results Using Records to Store Mixed Data Types Set the display format Open the Standard menu in the Real section Select Time Stamp and click OK 8 Click HH MM SS to toggle to HH MM Click 24 HOUR to toggle to 12 HOUR See Figure 5 10 AlphaNumeric Properties Decimal m Time Stamp Z Date amp Timex Weekday DDiMonthiYYYy _ HH MM Z HOUR Figure 5 10 The
228. execution speed 283 Integrating Programs In Other Languages Understanding the Execute Program Object Wait for progexit The Wait for prog exit field toggles between field Yes and No Regardless of the setting VEE spawns a child process if one is not already active All transactions specified in the Execute Program object are completed E If set to Yes the child process must terminate before the data output pins are fired E If set to No the child process fires the data output pins and remains active The performance of your program is greater with this setting Prog with params The name of an executable program file and command line parameters OR a command that will be sent to a shell for interpretation You may add input or output terminals to the Execute Program object Data is received from a VEE program on an input pin and then you perform aWRITE TEXT transaction to send the data to the child process A READ TEXT transaction reads data from the child process and places it on a data output pin for use by the VEE program You may also send the name of the program or shell command to the Execute Program object by adding the data input terminal labeled Command which is available by adding data inputs 284 Chapter 7 Note Integrating Programs In Other Languages Using a System Command Using a System Command To call a compiled program in another language you can type in the executable file and any parameter
229. figure the board using a program supplied by the manufacturer Follow the instructions to connect the board to the device In VEE import the library and you are ready to call the measurement functions in the ComputerBoards I O library See the figures below from a demonstration program supplied by the manufacturer Chapter 3 159 Easy Ways to Control Instruments Using PC Plug in Boards File Edit View Debug Flow Device O Data Display Window Help ales ll lalele olslropse e als gle cfele obey Ble B ES Main CE El Program info Bete J ComputerBoards Inc fs 5 DAO Data FA BN a 2395 4095 Ch0 A D Data 0 8437 _ D A CHO Volts 38297 oe ZGH AD Data 52 a 38297 ia d A D RATE 4 a4 of SE 12 Bit D A s manually ai 3 16 bit raw A D datal B Gnd ERRCHK EEA converted to volts 3 3392 I 4095 CH1 A D Data A D ERR CHK Aa ann j 54235 peram Acquisition status D A CH1 Volts SAA z 54236 ga les Ja Sample size Sia i Real Time input 55 3 276 Ready VEE 3 PROF MOD Figure 3 26 VEE Using a ComputerBoards 100 KHz Board Figure 3 26 shows the panel view of the demonstration program using this 100 KHz A D board Figure 3 27 shows VEE importing the ComputerBoards I O library that made these data acquisition function calls possible Library Type Compiled Function _ Library Name CBI_UL File Name CACBWE
230. figuring an Instrument If you have any instruments connected and powered on VEE can find the instruments and automatically find the drivers for them For more information about automatically finding and configuring instruments refer to the online Tutorials under Help Welcome gt Tutorials in the main VEE screen By default there are no instruments configured and this example assumes that no instruments appear in the Instrument Manager list 2 Inthe Instrument Manager dialog box make sure My Configuration is highlighted and click Add under Instrument The Instrument Properties dialog appears as shown in Figure 3 7 Instrument Properties Name Inewinstrument ill Interface GPIB x Address eg 714 714 Gateway This host Advanced OK Cancel Help Figure 3 7 Instrument Properties Dialog Box 134 Chapter 3 Easy Ways to Control Instruments Configuring an Instrument The entries in the Instrument Properties dialog box are as follows Name Interface Address Gateway The name the instrument will be called in the program Choose a name that follows these syntax guidelines E Instrument names must start with an alphabetic character followed by alphanumeric characters or underscore characters E You cannot use embedded blanks in instrument names Type of interface Choose from GPIB Serial GPIO or VXI The logical unit of the interface GPIB is usually 7 plus the local bu
231. follows 1 Select I O Execute Program UNIX and place it in the upper left work area 2 Make sure the She11 field is set to none and the Wait for prog exit field is set to Yes This ensures the 1s command terminates before VEE continues with the program 3 Click the Prog with params field and enter 1s tmp You could specify any directory 4 Add a data output terminal The default will be named x There is no exit code from the program so disregard the terminal labeled Exit code 5 Double click the transaction bar to get the I O Transaction box Edit the default variable a to an X since data from the program will be read into that output terminal a Change WRITE to READ to specify a READ TEXT transaction b Change REAL64 FORMAT to STRING FORMAT c Change the shape of the data from SCALAR to ARRAY 1D to specify a one dimensional array d Toggle the SIZE buttonto TO END since you do not know how many files are in the directory Click OK The transaction bar should now read READ TEXT X STR ARRAY 6 Select Display Logging AlphaNumeric and connect its data input pin to the X terminal on the Execute Program object Chapter 7 287 Integrating Programs In Other Languages Using a System Command 7 Run the program It should look like Figure 7 4 Shell none x Wait for prog exit Yes Exitcode Prog with params fis tmp READ TEXT x STR ARRAY Double Click to Add Transaction
232. from the object menu 32 Chapter 1 Using the Agilent VEE Development Environment Working with Objects 1 To select the object menu click once on the object menu button All object menus open the same way The object menu appears as shown in Figure 1 8 Do not double click the object menu button That is the shortcut for deleting the object 2 Now you can click one of the object menu choices to perform the action you desire Or to dismiss the menu click an empty area outside the menu Object Menu Button E Restore Move Size Minimize Object Menu Come Replace Help Properties Description AddTerminal gt Delete Teminal r Cut Figure 1 8 Selecting an Object Menu Shortcut You can also select the object menu by placing the mouse pointer anywhere on the object body and clicking the right mouse button This works for both the open and icon views Moving an Object 1 To move the Function Generator object click Move in the object menu then click and hold the left mouse button An outline of the object appears 2 Move the outline to the new location while continuing to hold the mouse button down as shown in Figure 1 9 Release the mouse button and the object moves to the new location Chapter 1 33 Note Using the Agilent VEE Development Environment Working with Objects Function Cosine x Frequency 200 Amplitude 1 DeOfset OF Phase Deg
233. g Storing and Retrieving Logged Data 3 test 0 lt 5 lt 1 test2 0 lt 5 lt 1 test3 0 lt 5 lt 1 v Log To File myFile Clear File At PreRun amp Open Double Click to Add Transaction From File o mie Double Click to Add Transaction gt F f test1 0 8121 1 test2 0 517 1 test3 1 068 0 1 testt 1 477 0 test2 1 497 0 test3 1 214 0 2 testi 0 9959 1 test2 1 57 0 test3 1 421 0 Figure 9 16 Storing Logged Data with To From File Using the To From DataSet Objects with Logged Data Since you are storing test data as records you may prefer to use the To From DataSet objects In this case you do not need a Collector because you can append each run of the Sequencer to the end of the DataSet Modify the last program to look like Figure 9 17 The To From DataSet objects are in the I O menu Notice the sequence line going into From DataSet The sequence line is included because you want to wait for all three runs to be appended to the DataSet before you trigger From DataSet 360 Chapter 9 Test Sequencing Storing and Retrieving Logged Data One reason you might use the To From DataSet objects to collect data instead of the To From File objects is because you can convert the data to useful information with the Search Specifier feature in the From DataSet object Note Rememb
234. g Data Using DataSets 0 236 Figure 5 16 A Search Operation with DataSets cs ee eeseeseceeeeees 238 Figure 5 17 Adding the Test Menu object cece cesceeceeeeceeeeeeeeees 240 Figure 5 18 Adding a Menu to the Search Operation ce eee 242 Figure 5 19 The Operator Interface for the Database 0 0 0 eee 243 Figure 5 20 A Sort Operation on a Record Field ee eeeeeseeeeeees 245 Figure 6 1 The ActiveX Automation Reference BoX cece 251 Figure 6 2 Example of Data Type Object ee eeeeseeeneceneeees 252 Figure 6 3 Commands to Set Up Excel Worksheet to Display Test Results 252 Contents 14 Figure 6 4 CreateObject and GetObject 0 eee eeseeseeeseceseeeeeeeeneeees 254 Figure 6 5 The Globals UserFunction ee eeeeseessecseeceseceneeeneeenes 256 Figure 6 6 Setting Up the MS Excel Worksheet 0 eee eeeeeeeeeee 257 Figure 6 7 Adding the Title and Data to the Sheet eee 260 Figure 6 8 The Results Average Program ccecessecsseceseceteeeeeeeees 261 Figure 6 9 Excel Worksheet for Results Average Program 262 Figure 6 10 Excel Worksheet for Array of Test Data eee 264 Figure 6 11 Program for Array of Test Data ceeeeseceteeereeeees 264 Figure 6 12 Program for On Your Own Exercise scener 265 Figure 6 13 A VEE to MS Excel Program Example cesses 266 Figure 6 14 Object Variables eee eeseeceeeneesseeeseeeecesaeceeeeeeeeees 269 Fi
235. g and Retrieving Test Results Customizing a Simple Test Database Customizing a Simple Test Database You can search and sort a DataSet for information such as test name time stampls test parameters test values pass or fail indicators and test descriptions Therefore DataSet records can act as a test database To search for information you can use the From Data Set object as follows E The expression field in the From Data Set object is used for search operations E The function sort can be used to sort records using a specified field Lab 5 6 Using Search and Sort Operations with DataSets In this exercise you will learn how to search a DataSet for information create an operator interface for the search operation and program a sort operation Performing a Search Operation With DataSets 1 Open the dataset1 vee program 2 Double click on the expression field at the bottom of the From Data Set object to highlight the current expression 1 Enter Rec B gt 0 5 The object will now output all records where field B the random number in our code is greater or equal to 0 5 3 Add an EOF pin that will fire if no records match the criterion in the expression field Place the cursor over the data output area of the From Data Set object and press Ctrl A An EOF output pin is added to the From Data Set object as shown in Figure 5 16 To add an EOF pin you could also open the object menu and click Add Terminal Data Outp
236. g box Fill in the fields as follows test2 SPEC NOMINAL RANGE FUNCTION Use the default Change the settings from 5 to 25 In the drop down menu select LIMIT Choose lt for the operator Change 1 to 5 for the limit Change the field from test Func a to random Leave the other default selections and click OK to return to the Sequencer Note You could also add a transaction after the highlighted one by selecting Add Trans from the object menu 338 Chapter 9 Note Test Sequencing Creating a Test Execution Order The Sequencer test plan should now have a second transaction that reads test2 25 lt 5 Now insert a transaction between these two tests 2 Make sure the second transaction bar is highlighted Then open the object menu and select Insert Trans Fill in the fields as follows TEST Change the name field to Insert FUNCTION Change to random Click OK You will now see Insert 0 lt 5 lt 1 onthe second transaction bar Run the program to see the three records from the three tests You may have to enlarge the display to see all the entries Now delete Insert by clicking the Insert transaction bar placing the mouse pointer over the Insert transaction bar and pressing Ctrl K You could also click the target transaction bar and select Cut Trans from the object menu You can also paste a transaction that has been cut by choosing Paste Trans from the object menu Ctrl
237. g boxes with automatic error checking prompts and error messages They are located under Data Dialog Box For example a program could require the operator to enter a real number when the program runs You can include a Real64 Input object in the program that automatically displays a Real64 Input box for the operator when the program runs The Real64 Input box also automatically displays an error message if the operator does not enter the correct information at the prompt Figure 10 8 shows the object to include in the program and the Real64 Input box that appears when the program runs Chapter 10 373 Using Operator Interfaces Using Operator Interface Objects Include the object PromptiLabel Enter Real Value in the program Default Value B and connect it Value Constraint 0 value AND value 10 i Cancel appropriately Error Message frou must enter a Real64 number between 0 and 10 When the program Real64 Input Enter Real Value runs the input box oO appears for the operator OK Cancel Figure 10 8 A Text Input Box Figure 10 9 shows the configurable error message that appears if the program runs and the operator presses OK without entering correct information into the Real64 Input box Reales Input Shp ec You must enter a Real64 number between 0 and 10 oK Canc Figure 10 9 An Example of Automatic Error Checking The input boxes for Int32 and Text which are also locate
238. g in Panel view 376 Beep 391 Call object 311 changing name 38 changing parameters 55 58 changing title 38 changing views 32 cloning 35 Confirm OK 381 connecting 52 copy 35 creating data lines 42 Index 8 creating UserFunction 298 cutting 36 Data Build Data Record 301 Data Constant Record 303 Delete Library 317 deleting 36 deleting data lines 42 deselecting 39 Device gt Function amp Object Browser 96 Device Import Library 309 direct I O 129 display Help about 100 dragging 33 duplicating 35 editing 41 Execute Program 423 execution order in program 113 finding menu location for in online Help 101 Formula 181 Get Field 225 Get variable 117 Help menu 33 iconizing for performance 409 icons 32 Import Library 317 input and output pins 46 location information 34 MATLAB 189 menu 32 minimizing 32 move all 43 moving 33 moving in panel view 384 multiple objects copying 40 naming changing name 38 Object data type 176 open view of object 32 order of operation of pins 111 pasting 36 pins and terminals 46 positioning in window 81 radio buttons 385 reducing number of objects in programs 410 resizing 37 retrieving data using From File object 220 select object menu 32 selecting 39 Sequencer 330 Set Variable 117 Show Title Bar turned off 383 sizing 37 terminals 48 To File 217 To From Dat
239. g the Dataset objects Average Time to Complete 2 hours 204 Chapter 5 Storing and Retrieving Test Results Overview Overview In this chapter you will learn the fundamentals of storing and retrieving test data You will create arrays of the right data type and size to hold your test results and then access the data or part of the data for analysis or display This chapter also describes the To From File objects the Record data type and Dataset files The To File and From File objects read data to and from files based on I O transactions The Record data type can be used to store several types of data in a single structure You can use the Dataset to store one or more records in a file and perform search and sort operations on datasets Note The To File object is also described in Using Data Files on page 87 of Chapter 2 Agilent VEE Programming Techniques Chapter 5 205 Note Storing and Retrieving Test Results Using Arrays to Store Test Results Using Arrays to Store Test Results Data types can be stored in two ways E Scalar values that is a single number such as 9 or 32 10 _OR E Arrays from 1 to 10 dimensions The overview of VEE data types is described in Chapter 4 Analyzing and Displaying Test Data Indexing for arrays is zero based in VEE and brackets are used to indicate the position of the array element For example if the array A holds the elements 4 5 6 then A 0 4
240. g this site have browsers The example uses a Microsoft environment Windows 95 Windows 98 Windows NT 4 0 or Windows 2000 MS Office and MS Internet Explorer The communication will go from the instrument to the server and then to the client browser as shown in Figure 12 4 Note This example uses PC screen dumps VEE is also web enabled on HP UX T O HTTP ENS n d NAN VU Y Se x E DUT Sensor Instr Server Application Client Browser Figure 12 4 Model of Web Measurement Application In Figure 12 4 the communication is as follows E The device under test DUT or sensor or instrument sends information to the server application through the network I O layer The network I O layer includes the interface and backplane GPIB RS232 VIX MXI PC Plug in and the I O programming layer such as drivers VISA or SICL Chapter 12 447 Platform Specifics and Web Monitoring Web enablement Technologies E The server application is the VEE program that generates the measurement data E The HTTP HyperText Transfer Protocol sends the information to the client browser HTTP is one protocol in the TCP IP communications protocol used by the Web TCP IP stands for Transmission Control Protocol Internet Protocol Lower levels of the TCP IP protocols include transport network and physical layers of communication By definition every TCP IP application is a client server application For example the Client Browser s
241. gging tab in the Properties box and add the Nominal and Time Stamp fields to the logged records Access these new fields with the Formula object 342 Chapter 9 Test Sequencing Passing Data in the Sequencer Passing Data in the Sequencer In this lab you will create a UserFunction and call it from three different tests In the first part you will pass data to the UserFunctions through an input terminal on the Sequencer In the second part you will modify the program to use a global variable instead of an input terminal This will give you a chance to call a function in EXEC mode rather than TEST mode In the third part you will learn how to test a waveform output against a mask Lab 9 2 Passing Data Using an Input Terminal First follow the steps to create the UserFunction Rand which will simulate a measurement procedure Rand will add an input parameter to the output of the random low high object and put this result on the output pin Rand will be called from three different tests 1 Select Device UserFunction Change the name from UserFunction1 to Rand 2 Get the random low high function delete the input terminals delete the parameters and place it in Rand Recall that without parameters the defaults will be 0 and 1 Place an A B object to the right of random low high Connect the output of random low high to the upper left input of the A B object 3 Add a data input terminal to Rand Connect the input
242. ginning of the Documentation File 122 The Middle of the Documentation File eee eee 123 The Remainder of the Documentation File 124 The HP54600A Scope Panel Driver eee eeeesee eres 130 A Function Generator Direct I O Object eee 131 ODAS Driver Object in a VEE Program seee 131 Importing a PC Plug In Library eee eeseeneeeeeees 132 Calls to a VXI plug amp play Driver from VEE ceeeee 132 The Instrument Manager BOX eee eeeesseesseesseceeceeeeeeees 133 Instrument Properties Dialog BOX cece eeeeseeeseeeteeeneees 134 The Advanced Instrument Properties Dialog 136 The Panel Driver Folder cece eeescesecceseeeeeeeeeeneeeenees 137 Scope Added to List of Instruments eee eeeeeeerees 139 Selecting scope NOT LIVE cecceeeeesstecetteeeeees 140 The Function Pop up Menu on fgen sace 143 Sweep Panel in Discrete Component Menu 144 The Data Input and Output Areas on a Driver 145 The Direct I O Configuration Folder 0 0 0 147 A Direct VO Objects eiieeii aapi aan 148 The I O Transaction Dialog BOX 149 A Direct I O Transaction 20 0 eee eseessecesecenecenecnneeeneeeees 149 Direct I O Setup Using an Input Variable 151 Configuring a READ Transaction s es 153 Direct I O Configured to Read a Measurement 154 Learn String Configuration for HP54100A eee 155 ODAS Driver Entries in Instrument Manager
243. gram When instructed to run the program click the Run button on the toolbar or press Ctrl G Other keyboard shortcuts include the following Pause Ctrl P Resume Ctrl G Step Into Ctrl T Changing Object Properties You have seen how to change some properties of an object by selecting its object menu Properties You can also change the more common properties of an object directly in its open view You may have noticed that the Function Generator object has two kinds of fields A field with an arrow on its right hand side is a selection field 6 Continuing with the same example click Cosine or the arrow in the Function field A drop down list of selections appears Click Sine to select the Sine function as shown in Figure 1 27 noticing that the Function field has changed from Cosine to Sine Chapter 1 55 Using the Agilent VEE Development Environment Connecting Objects to Make a Program isplay Waveform generates la sine waveform and sends it to a real time display r 1 Function Sine z on E Frequency 100 Mag a Amplitude 1 04 DcOffset 0 Func 0 2 Phase Deg 0 g Time Span 20m ue 04 Num Points 256 Tracet a8 08 x A 16m 20m Time Figure 1 27 Changing the Function Field to Sine Wave Some fields in dialog boxes do not have arrows These are entry fields which become type in fields when you click them Just click a field and a cursor appears You can use
244. gram use iconic views for objects that update their contents such as the Counter instead of using open views The example in Figure 11 3 operates about 46 times faster using an iconic view for the For Count and Counter object Chapter 11 409 Optimizing Agilent VEE Programs Basic Techniques for Optimizing Programs Bol at 10000 0 1629 Figure 11 3 Optimizing Programs by Using Icons Reduce the Number of Objects in Programs As you become more experienced you will tend to use less objects in VEE programs There are two more techniques to reduce the number of objects and therefore optimize programs 1 Use a single equation in a Formula object instead of using separate mathematical objects For example put the equation a b c d into a Formula object instead of using separate objects for addition multiplication and division Also use constants in the formula instead of constant objects connected to inputs Set constants with Set Variable 2 Nest function calls within other function parameter lists For instance in Figure 11 4 the function randomize uses the array generated by the function ramp In Figure 11 5 the function call to ramp is nested in the call to randomize resulting in slightly faster program execution 410 Chapter 11 Optimizing Agilent VEE Programs Basic Techniques for Optimizing Programs Figure 11 4 Function Calls without Optimization Figure 11 5 F
245. gram can complete Appendix A 475 Additional Lab Exercises General Programming Techniques Collecting Random Numbers Create a program that generates 100 random numbers and displays them Record the total time required to generate and display the values Suggestions This program can be created with six or fewer objects Choose from the following objects Start For Range Until Break randomseed function random function Collector Formula Set Values Alloc Int32 Logging AlphaNumeric Strip Chart Meter Date Time Timer Now Break Do Hint To improve performance send the data to the display only once by first collecting the data into an array using the Collector object Note the performance differences 476 Appendix A Additional Lab Exercises General Programming Techniques Solution Collecting Random Numbers Figure A 6 shows a solution for the exercise Collecting Random Numbers Lsn F Dat 0 3678 0 5176 0 9074 0 6548 0 4385 100 127 80 0 3551 0 6973 0 3948 0 6757 1 0 1252 Start L L q a4 ao nin wage oD PEow Figure A 6 Collecting Random Numbers Key Points E Logging AlphaNumeric vs AlphaNumeric Use Logging AlphaNumeric to display consecutive input either Scalar or Array 1D as a history of previous values Use AlphaNumeric to display data from only one execution the last as a single value an Array 1D or an Array 2D Th
246. gt Programs gt Agilent VEE Pro 6 0 HP UX From a shell prompt in an HP VUE or X11 window type veetest Return The PATH variable must include usr bin The Agilent VEE Window After you have installed and started VEE you will see the VEE window shown in Figure 1 1 Title Bar Menu Bar File Edit View Debug Flow Device 1 0 Data Display Window Help Tool Bar OSES Pus FA CBA Mo OMA LG Program Explorer Work Area Status Bar VEE 6 PROF MOD WES 7 Figure 1 1 The VEE Development Environment Chapter 1 23 Using the Agilent VEE Development Environment Interacting with Agilent VEE These items describe the parts of the VEE window Title bar Menu bar Toolbar Work area Program Explorer Main window Status bar 24 The top line in the window contains the VEE icon the window name and the minimize maximize and close buttons Move the window by dragging the title bar Click the VEE icon to get the window s menu The second line contains menu items each of which provides VEE commands or objects The third line contains icons or buttons that provide direct access or shortcuts to the most commonly used menu commands Place the mouse pointer over a button and VEE displays its function A region in a programming edit window such as Main UserObject or UserFunction in which you place objects and wire them together A region on the left side of the VEE windo
247. gure 6 15 Beginning of Lab 6 3 Program cece eeeeeeceteeeeeeeees 270 Figure 6 16 Adding the ActiveX Statements 271 Figure 6 17 The Complete Program for Report in MS Word 273 Figure 6 18 The MS Word Document Created by Lab 6 3 00 274 Figure 7 1 The Execute Program Object PC 0 0 eeeeeeeseceseeereeeees 281 Figure 7 2 The Execute Program Object UNIX scere 283 Figure 7 3 Listing the Files in a Directory PC 0 eeeeeeeseeeeeeeees 286 Figure 7 4 Listing the Files in a Directory UNIX eee 288 Figure 7 5 Using a Shell Command with a Pipe 0 0 eee eeeeeeeeeeee 289 Figure 7 6 System Information Functions ccceeseeecesseceseeeeeeeees 290 Figure 8 1 The Main and ArrayStats WindowS ceeeeeeeeseeereeeees 299 Figure 8 2 Configuring the Pins for Call myFunction 00 ee 300 Figure 8 3 Calling the User Function ArrayStats 0 eee eeeeeeeeeeeee 300 Figure 8 4 Editing the UserFunction ArrayStats 00 0 0 eeceeeeeeeeeeee 302 Figure 8 5 After Editing ArrayStats Output to a Record 303 Figure 8 6 Calling the ArrayStats User Function cc ceeeeeeeeeeeeee 304 Figure 8 7 The Generate Menu in a UserFunction ee eeeeeeeeee 306 Figure 8 8 Generating a Call Object ArrayStats A from a UserFunction 307 Figure 8 9 Program Explorer Icon on the Toolbar eee eeeeeeeeeee 307 Figure 8 10 Using the Program Explorer with UserFunctions 308 Figure 8 11
248. hat appears when you choose Delete Terminal gt Input OR Place the mouse pointer over the terminal and press CTRL D A F m Result Choose an input to delete a Figure 1 24 Delete Terminal Dialog Box Chapter 1 51 Using the Agilent VEE Development Environment Connecting Objects to Make a Program Connecting Objects to Make a Program This section introduces VEE programs In Lab 1 1 you create a VEE program print the VEE screen and save the program to a file Lab 1 1 Display Waveform Program A VEE program consists of VEE objects connected in an executable object diagram The following program displays a waveform If VEE is running clear the workspace by clicking the New button on the toolbar or use File gt New Otherwise start VEE and continue 1 Document the program Select Display Note Pad and place it at the top and center of the work area Click on the editing area to get a cursor then enter Display Waveform generates a cosine waveform and sends it to a real time display You may have to size the Note Pad depending on the screen To size an object open the object menu select Size move the sizing arrow cursor to a corner of the object and drag You can also click and drag any corner of the object 2 Add the Function Generator object Select Device gt Virtual Source gt Function Generator position the outline on the left side of the work area and click to place the ob
249. he From Data Formula expression input The quotation marks indicate a text string A VEE looks at the first field A of all records in the DataSet file and selects the first record that equals the selected test name ia ae The escape character for a quotation mark is The escape character is then put into quotes to indicate a text string The test name comes from the Test Menu as an Enum data type Quotes are required to put the correct formula into the From DataSet object For example if test6 is selected then the final formula will read Rec A test6 The From Data Set object then outputs the first record it finds whose A field is equal to test6 7 Connect the Test Menu Enum data output pin to the data input pin on the Formula object Iconize the Formula object 8 Connect the Formula data output pin to the control input pin on the From Data Set object labeled Formula 9 To ensure that the old data from Formula is not reused delete the sequence line between For Count and From Data Set Connect the For Count sequence output pin to the Formula sequence input pin Chapter 5 241 Storing and Retrieving Test Results Customizing a Simple Test Database 10 Connect the Formula sequence output pin to the From Data Set sequence input pin This ensures the right data from Formula is being used 11 Create a box displaying instructions for the operator Select Display gt Note Pad Change the title to Test Results Da
250. he menu displays the same information as having the remote user enter the command http hostname ViewMainDetail in the network browser 458 Chapter 12 Platform Specifics and Web Monitoring Web Monitoring with Agilent VEE Lab 12 1 Practice Session with Agilent VEE Web Browser This exercise simulates a Web session where you provide the Solitaire vee program for a remote user to view on your system In this case there is an error in the program and the remote user is consulting with you on how to resolve the error 1 Start VEE Select File Default Preferences Web Server dialog box and click on Enable Server Use the default settings Open the Solitaire vee program that you want the remote user to view Run your network browser Contact the remote user and let him or her know to enter http Server5 to reach your system over the Web You would use your computer name instead of http Server5 When the remote user enters the URL http Server5 the remote user sees your VEE Web Server Home Page displayed in his or her browser To review what the display looks like refer to Figure 12 7 on page 458 The remote user decides to view the entire VEE program first In the VEE Web Server Home Page he or she clicks Main Detail gt View The browser displays the view shown in Figure 12 8 Chapter 12 459 Note Platform Specifics and Web Monitoring Web Monitoring with Agilent VEE XX JPEG image 740x599 p
251. he range of test values This menu displays four menu choices E RANGE signifies the range of test values that signify a PASS condition You may also choose from the usual comparisons gt gt lt lt E LIMIT uses just one value for a comparison of test data E TOLERANCE states the passing range of values by adding or subtracting the specified tolerance to the SPEC NOMINAL value E TOLERANCE states the passing range of values by adding and subtracting a percent tolerance of the SPEC NOMINAL value to the nominal specification FUNCTION Specifies the test to run You can call UserFunctions Compiled Functions Remote Functions or you can write in an expression to be evaluated The result of the function you call or expression you evaluate is tested against the specifications If a UserFunction returns more than one value VEE assumes the top output pin holds the result to be tested Functions can also be combined and nested random 0 myfunc 3 100 2 for example Chapter 9 335 Test Sequencing Creating a Test Execution Order Table 9 1 Sequence Transaction Dialog Box Continued Sequence Explanation Transaction Field LOGGING Logs test data To specify logging options open the ENABLED Sequencer object menu choose Properties click on the Logging folder and choose from the list By default Name Result and Pass are checked There is also a field to c
252. hics such as 2 D and 3 D display including triangulated and gridded data Q Volume visualization of scalar and vector data Q Quiver ribbon scatter bar pie and stem plots Introduction 13 MATLAB Script Overview Signal Processing Toolbox MATLAB Script for VEE also includes a subset of the MATLAB Signal Processing Toolbox which is built on a solid foundation of filter design and spectral analysis techniques Functions are included for E Signal and linear system models E Analog filter design E FIR and IIR digital filter design analysis and implementation E Transforms such as FFT and DCT E Spectrum estimation and statistical signal processing E Parametric time series modeling E Waveform generation About Full Featured MATLAB MATLAB is an integrated technical computing environment that combines numeric computation advanced graphics and visualization and a high level programming language MATLAB includes hundreds of functions for E Data analysis and visualization E Numeric and symbolic computation E Engineering and scientific graphics E Modeling simulation and prototyping E Programming application development and GUI design MATLAB is used in a variety of application areas including signal and image processing control system design financial engineering and medical research The open architecture makes it easy to use MATLAB and 14 Introduction Note MATLAB Script Overview companion product
253. hoose between Log to Output Pin Only and Log Each Transaction To If logging is enabled each test logs a record This button toggles to LOGGING DISABLED IF PASS Determines branching instructions If the test passes VEE goes to this line for branching instructions IF PASS tells VEE to branch according to the selection in the drop down menu This button also toggles to IF PASS CALL IF PASS CALL tells VEE to call the stated function then go to the branching menu selection Refer also to THEN CONTINUE which is the next item in this table 336 Chapter 9 Test Sequencing Creating a Test Execution Order Table 9 1 Sequence Transaction Dialog Box Continued Sequence Explanation Transaction Field THEN Determines test branching The drop down menu CONTINUE THEN CONTINUE for IF PASS and IF FAIL contains six branching options E THEN CONTINUE executes the next test configured in the Sequencer E THEN RETURN tells VEE to stop executing tests and put the specified expression on the Return output pin of the Sequencer E THEN GOTO jumps to the test named in its fie E THEN REPEAT repeats the current test up to the number of times specified in the MAX TIMES field If the PASS FAIL condition still exists after the maximum number of repeats then VEE continues with the next test E THEN ERROR stops execution by generating an error condition with the given error number An error c
254. ht of Virtual Source indicates a submenu Three dots after a menu item indicate that one or more dialog boxes will follow For example File Save As operates this way Chapter 1 29 Using the Agilent VEE Development Environment Working with Objects Actives bortrals Function Generator PROH MoD WEBI 7 Figure 1 5 Adding Objects to the Work Area An outline of the object appears in the work area 2 Move the Function Generator to the center of the work area and click to place the object The Function Generator appears as shown 30 in Figure 1 6 Chapter 1 Note Note Using the Agilent VEE Development Environment Working with Objects Function Cosine x Frequency 200 Amplitude 1 DeOffset 0 Func i Phase Deg x o Time Span 20m Num Points 256 Figure 1 6 Adding a Function Generator Object Having placed an object in the work area you can move the object by dragging its title bar just as you move a window Throughout the rest of this manual a shorthand notation is used to explain instructions For example selecting the Function Generator object is condensed into the following format Device gt Virtual Source gt Function Generator To give yourself more room on the screen click View Program Explorer This will deselect it and remove it from the screen Menu items are selected when there is a check mark displayed before them Changing Object Views VE
255. ick Create Formula to create the object Besides using predefined operators and functions you can create any valid VEE mathematical expression within the Formula object which is found under the Device menu In this section you will create a program using a Formula object To begin clear the Main window and follow these steps 96 Chapter 2 Agilent VEE Programming Techniques General Techniques Add the Function Generator object to the Main window and modify it to produce a 100 Hz sine wave Select Device Virtual Source gt Function Generator Select Device Formula to add the Formula object to the Main window Add a second input B to the object by putting the mouse pointer in the input terminal area and clicking Ctrl A Type the mathematical expression abs A B in the entry field Select Data gt Constant gt Real 4 to add a Real64 Constant object to the Main window Type in the value 0 5 Select Display Waveform Time and set the y axis scale to 2 through 2 Set Automatic Scaling to Off To get the dialog box for these parameters click Mag Connect the objects as shown in Figure 2 17 Run the program Function Frequency Amplitude DcOffset Phase Time Span Num Points Sine x 100 a 0 besz 0 20m 256 Func A ES Z B Result Tracet Figure 2 17 Creating a Formula Object Program Chapter 2
256. ill exit the UserObject even though the Delay object may not have finished executing 504 Appendix A Additional Lab Exercises Creating Operator Panels and Pop ups E Delay and Raise Error After 10 seconds the Delay object pings the Raise Error object which will pause execution of the program and display the Error Message you have typed in A red outline will also appear around the object that caused the error which goes away when you click on the Stop or Run buttons on the main menu bar E OK and Delay Notice the two threads in AnotB are separate so that the OK and Delay are both running concurrently Appendix A 505 Additional Lab Exercises Working with Files Working with Files Moving Data To and From Files Create a VEE program to write the time of day to a file Generate 100 random points and write them to the file Calculate the mean and standard deviation of the numbers and append them to the file in the following format Mean xxxxxx Std Dev yyyyyy Next read only the mean and standard deviation from the file Figure A 26 shows moving data to and from files Solution Moving Data To and From Files Figure A 26 shows a solution for moving data to and from files H A n WRITE TEXT now TIME HM H12 EOL To File MyDataFile I Clear File At PreRun amp Open From File MyDataFile EXECUTE REWIND READ TEXT NULL STR READ TEXT NULL REAL64 ARRAY 100 READ TEXT mean STR Double C
257. in the UserFunction Open the Color Alarm object menu click Properties and set as follows under Open View deselect Show Title Bar Under Layout click Rectangular Under Limits High Test delete any text beside High Text Click OK 4 Click Data gt Constant Real 4 change it to 1 and connect it to the Color Alarm input pin This will always set the Alarm to its high range with the default color of red To keep the display on screen for one second to synchronize with the Beep object use a Delay object set to 1 second Chapter 10 391 Using Operator Interfaces Common Tasks In Creating Operator Interfaces 5 Select Flow Delay setitto 1 and connect its sequence input pin to the Color Alarm sequence out pin The alarm will then last one second 6 Select Display Note Pad and add the message TURN OFF INSTRUMENTS Size the Note Pad as needed 7 Go to the Main window Click Device Call choose Select Function from the Call object menu and select alarm Run the program to test it The detail view of the UserFunction alarm should look like Figure 10 24 f alarm Frequency Hz fi 000 Duration sec fi Volume 0 100 fi oo Turn Off Instruments Figure 10 24 The UserFunction alarm Detail View 8 Return to the alarm window Select the Color Alarm display and the Note Pad Open the pop up Edit menu and select Add To Panel In panel view size and arrange the objects Open the Note Pad objec
258. in the program For example add a To File object to the detail view of the program that you have been building If it is not already open open the program usrobj program4 vee 1 Select I O To File and place it in the Main work area Chapter 2 87 Agilent VEE Programming Techniques General Techniques 2 Change the default filename myFile to wavedata If there is no check mark to the left of Clear File At PreRun amp Open then click on the small input box To File defaults to appending data to the existing file In this case however you want to clear the file each time you run the program The To File object should now look like Figure 2 9 To File wavedata WV Clear File At PreRun amp Open lt Double Click to Add Transaction gt Figure 2 9 Adding a Data File 3 Double click on the area labeled Double Click to Add Transaction to write the data The dialog box in Figure 2 10 appears Click the TEXT field or its arrow to show the drop down list of data types and click CONTAINER Click OK Notice that when you click OK in the I O Transaction dialog an input pin a is automatically added to the To File object Examine Help in the To File object menu to see the other options for the transaction besides WRITE CONTAINER Transactions are discussed in more detail in an appendix in the VEE Pro Advanced Techniques manual and in Chapter 5 Storing and Retrieving Test Results 88 Chapter 2 Agil
259. in veetest which should be in your PATH If it is not you may have to change to that directory If VEE has been installed in another directory you may have to type the complete path Select File Open and complete the Open File dialog box The format is the same as for the Save File dialog box Note that in VEE for Windows the default directory for user programs is the VEE_USER directory unless you specified something else during installation VEE opens the program in the Main window Click the Run button It looks like a small arrowhead and is located on the tool bar below the Debug menu as shown in Figure 1 34 Debug Flow bp om Run Button A Figure 1 34 The Run button on the Tool Bar Chapter 1 Note Using the Agilent VEE Development Environment Connecting Objects to Make a Program PC The command vee exe r filename starts VEE in Windows and automatically run the program specified by filename For example you could create an icon on the Windows desktop and set its Properties gt Shortcut to run a particular VEE program An operator could then double click an icon on the desktop to start VEE and run a program automatically For more information refer to the Windows Help information about commands and prompt paths HP UX The command veetest r filename will start VEE and automatically run the program specified by filename If the VEE directory is not in your path you need to enter the complete path typically
260. inate Notice that the Call object uses the Library name myLib BuildRecAry so there is no confusion Even if there were another local function or other imported function with the same name this specifies the name and location of BuildRecAry 320 Chapter 8 Using Agilent VEE Functions Finding Functions in Large Programs Finding Functions in Large Programs VEE provides a Find feature located in the Edit menu to help you locate objects and text in a large program For example open the Solitaire vee program in the Examples Games directory Go to the detail view and click Edit Find to display the dialog box shown in Figure 8 20 Find Eg Find makeamove Searchin Entire Program Ady General Advanced Show occurrences that amp Contain search text Find lt Exactly match search text Siap I Match case I Find all matches on each object M Search nested UserObjects lt Begin with search text Help lt End with search text Figure 8 20 The Find Dialog Box Type makeamove a UserFunction in this program as shown in the figure and click Find VEE automatically locates the UserFunction named makeamove and shows the part of the program from which it was called as shown in Figure 8 21 Find Results 4 Matches 4 Objects Found re Z4 gt E 4 Find makeamove Search in Entire Program Ady Object Location Object Title Object Type Text Found CheckMoves Call makeAMove Call Call makeAMove
261. included to keep the display on the screen until the user is done viewing it 3 Run the program and the ReportDisplay panel should pop up and display the values as shown in Figure 8 16 Click on DONE to complete execution Then save the program as Report vee 314 Chapter 8 Using Agilent VEE Functions Using Libraries With Agilent VEE UserFunctions LIMIT TEST Value Limit Result 0 6017 5 0000 Pass 0 6071 5 0000 PASS 0 1662 5 0000 PASS Figure 8 16 The ReportDisplay Panel View Creating Another Program and Merging in the Library In this exercise you will create a new program and merge the library into it This exercise builds a library of functions for generating reports The new program contains a Note Pad object explaining each function in the library It will be named RepGen You could re use RepGen by creating new report generation User Functions merging them with the program and updating the Note Pad object to keep track of them Then you could use the Merge Library command to leverage all the functions from RepGen 1 Select File gt New 2 Select File Merge Library Select Report vee from the Merge Library list box If you are in a different directory type the whole file path Select Edit Edit UserFunction or look at the Program Explorer to make sure the library from Report vee transferred to the new program When you use the Merge Library command you can edit merged function
262. indows 95 Windows 98 Windows 2000 and Windows NT 4 0 In the PC Save File dialog box you can make changes to the different fields as follows Save in You can change the directory or drive by opening the drop down menu Double click a folder to open it File name Type in a file name of your choice 60 Chapter 1 Note Save as type Save colors and fonts with program Save I O configuration with program Using the Agilent VEE Development Environment Connecting Objects to Make a Program VEE programs are normally saved with the vee extension but you can change the file type if you wish If you type a file name without the extension the vee is automatically added Optional If you have changed program colors and fonts using the Default Preferences menu and you want others who load the program to get the colors and fonts you selected rather than their defaults click to check this item When checked VEE saves the changes you have made to the default configuration as part of the program Optional If you have configured an instrument in the Instrument Manager and you want others who load the program to get the instruments you configured rather than their defaults it is recommended that you check this item When checked VEE saves the I O configuration as part of the program If you are using the evaluation kit software VEE will only let you save programs to one file EVAL VEE so just write over this
263. ins operate as follows 1 If the sequence input pin is connected the object will not operate until it receives a message to execute a ping in VEE terms However the sequence input pin does not have to be connected All data input pins must have data before the object operates You can add data input output pins to most objects Click on the Add Delete Terminal menu in any object menu to find out the pins that can be added The object performs its task In this case A is added to B and the result is placed on the output pin The data output pin fires The object waits for a signal from the next object that the data is received before its operation is completed Therefore a given object does not fire its sequence output pin until all objects connected to its data output pin have received data The sequence output pin fires Chapter 2 111 Agilent VEE Programming Techniques Debugging Programs in Agilent VEE There are exceptions to this sequence of events E You can add error output pins to trap errors inside an object The error output pins override the standard object behavior If an error occurs when the object executes the error pin will send out a message and the data output pins will not fire E You can add control input pins to some objects and they may cause the object to perform some immediate action For example an object sub function such as Title or Autoscale in the Waveform Time display can be perform
264. ion Double clicking is usually a short cut to selecting and performing an action For example double clicking on a file name from File Open will select the file and open it Drag To press and continue to hold down a mouse button while moving the mouse Dragging moves something for example an object or scroll bar 532 Glossary Drop Down List A list of selections obtained by clicking on the arrow to the right of a selection field Entry Field A field that is typically part of a dialog box or an editable object which is used for data entry An entry field is editable when its background is white Expression An equation in an entry field that may contain input terminal names global variable names math functions and user defined functions An expression is evaluated at run time Expressions are allowed in Formula If Then Else Get Values Get Field Set Field Sequencer and Dialog Box objects and in I O transaction objects Font VEE allows you to change the font size and style of type used to display text for various VEE objects titles and so forth Grayed Feature A menu feature that is displayed in gray rather than black indicating that the feature is not active or not available Dialog box items such as buttons checkboxes or radio buttons may also be grayed Group Window A group window in Microsoft Windows is a window that contains icons for a group of applications Each icon starts an application in the group
265. ion gt lt encoding gt lt expression list gt lt format gt lt EOL gt Table 5 1 describes the most common actions READ WRITE EXECUTE and WAIT Table 5 1 Types of I O Transactions Action Explanation READ Reads data from the specified source using the specified encoding and format WRITE Writes data to the specified target using the specified encoding format EXECUTE Executes a specific command For example EXECUTE REWIND repositions a file read or write pointer to the beginning of the file without erasing the contents EXECUTE CLOSE closes an open file WAIT Waits the specified number of seconds before the next transaction There are also a number of actions for 1 0 Advanced I O Operations that you can examine by exploring the objects in the menu Encodings and formats refer to the way data is packaged and sent For instance a TEXT encoding sends data as ASCII characters The TEXT encoding could be formatted in a number of ways For example to send a string of letters and numbers to a file a WRITE TEXT STRING transaction would send the entire string represented by ASCII characters A WRITE TEXT REAL transaction would only extract the Real numbers from the same string and send them using ASCII characters for the individual digits Table 5 2 provides brief explanations of encodings 212 Chapter 5 Storing and Retrieving Test Results Using the To From File Objects Table 5 2 I O Tr
266. ion or language that can support calling an Automation Server VEE can use ActiveX Automation and Controls to control other applications from VEE The Callable VEE ActiveX Automation Server allows other applications like MS Visual Basic to control VEE The Callable VEE ActiveX Automation Server communicates with its clients through properties and methods The environment from which you are calling the Callable VEE ActiveX Automation Server such as Visual Basic or C determines how you call it The Callable VEE ActiveX Automation Server has extensive online Help available within the environment from which you are calling it For more information refer to the online Help in VEE the VEE Pro Advanced Techniques manual and the examples shipped with VEE The Callable VEE ActiveX Automation Server replaces the Callable VEE ActiveX Control that was shipped with VEE version 5 0 446 Chapter 12 Platform Specifics and Web Monitoring Web enablement Technologies Web enablement Technologies You can use VEE to disseminate data you have collected in programs to monitor test systems or to review test results remotely This section describes web enablement technologies for test and measurement applications and how VEE supports these technologies Overview of Web Technologies This example describes how to create a web site internal to an organization an intranet web site that provides reference data as a server It assumes that users accessin
267. ion requires a return value so if you use a language that distinguishes between procedures and functions make sure you write the routine as a function The Import Library object executes before the Call object in the program If you have any doubts about the order of execution regarding these two objects use the sequence pins to assure the right order The parameter variable array passed by reference to the function has both input and output terminals but the variable arraySize passed by value has only an input terminal The Formula object uses the size of the array in the Ret Value terminal to send the correct number of array elements to the display The XY Trace automatically autoscales the two waveforms Chapter 11 Note Optimizing Agilent VEE Programs Agilent VEE Execution Modes Agilent VEE Execution Modes Agilent VEE Execution Modes allow you to run programs that were created using previous versions of VEE The Execution Modes allow a newer version of VEE to run programs created with an older version of VEE in exactly the same way the older VEE version ran them This makes VEE backward compatible to support your existing programs Execution Mode was known as compatibility mode in previous versions of VEE VEE has four execution modes E VEE 6 adds new data types E VEE 5 adds ActiveX E VEE 4 compiled E VEE 3 x The execution mode of the program you are running is displayed in the status bar of VEE as sh
268. ions When you save a program the UserFunctions are automatically saved as well A UserFunction can hold a VEE program or a library of logically related UserFunctions There are two ways to put existing UserFunctions into a new program 1 Put a copy of the original UserFunctions into the current program using the File Merge Library command where you now maintain the separate copy of each UserFunction These merged UserFunctions can be edited so use the File Merge Library command when you plan to modify the UserFunctions OR 2 Access the original UserFunctions using the Device gt Import Library object which accesses the original functions in another file without making a copy These UserFunctions are imported at run time This spreads out the load times conserves disk space and saves memory Imported UserFunctions can be viewed such as for debugging purposes but cannot be edited Instead you can edit their original files You can also delete imported UserFunctions programmatically using the Device Delete Library object Therefore merge UserFunctions when you need a new copy of the function to modify or you need a standalone program and import UserFunctions when you want a single source for the function or you want to save space Chapter 8 309 Using Agilent VEE Functions Using Libraries With Agilent VEE UserFunctions Lab 8 2 Creating and Merging a Library of UserFunctions In this exercise you will
269. ix A Additional Lab Exercises General Programming Techniques E TotSize This object simply gives you the number of elements in an array Since this array contains the number of failures dividing this by the total number of elements in the original waveform 256 and multiplying by 100 gives us the percentage of failures E Formula A 256 100 is the formula used to compute the percentage of failures since the Function Generator and Noise Generator are set to put out 256 points Appendix A 483 Additional Lab Exercises Using Strings and Globals Using Strings and Globals Manipulating Strings and Globals Using string objects or functions create a program that accepts a user s name in the following format lt space gt lt firstname gt lt space gt lt lastname gt After the user enters a name have the program strip off the first name and only print the last name Store the string into a global variable Retrieve the string using the Formula object Solution Manipulating Strings and Globals Figure A 11 shows a solution to the exercise Manipulating Strings and Globals Mary Jones a r str4 StfPosCharistrt Result ri strFromThru A B 1 C 1 B B Result Cc Data Name lastname lastname i Figure A 11 Manipulating Strings and Global Variables 484 Appendix A Additional Lab Exercises Using Strings and Globals Key Points E String Object
270. ixels Netscape Oy x File Edit View Go Communicator Help gt 3 3 2 Back Forward Reload Home Search Netscape Print Security Stop H Bookmarks 4 Goto fhttp Server5 viewmaindetail A ig 4 a SD Document Done ES Se se om Ta 4 Figure 12 8 Viewing the Main Solitaire vee Program in the Browser Figure 12 8 displays the Main program in VEE For this exercise the Solitaire vee program includes an error that is not in the VEE program example If you would like to view the program it is located in Help Open Example Games gt Solitaire vee 5 The remote user clicks Back in the browser to display the VEE Web Server Home Page and chooses Last Error Message The browser displays the error message shown in Figure 12 9 460 Chapter 12 Platform Specifics and Web Monitoring Web Monitoring with Agilent VEE X JPEG image 335x241 pixels Netscape _ oO x Fie Edit View Go Communicator Help gt 3 A 2a A 3 cs Back Forward Reload Home Search Netscape Print Security Stop a Bookmarks A Go to fhttp ServerS viewerror The input terminal A pin number 1 is not connected Compile failed on User Function makeAMove Object title JCT Object type Junction In UserFunction makeAMove Error number 300 Goig Call Stack Close Help lca D Document Done SEN Zl Z Figure 12 9 Displaying a VEE Error
271. ized view 0 401 Figure 1 41 Displaying the Value on an Output Pin 4 Re save the program to simple program vee You will add some more features to it in the next chapter Chapter 1 73 Using the Agilent VEE Development Environment Chapter Checklist Chapter Checklist You should now be able to do any of the following tasks Review topics as needed before going on to the next chapter 74 Look up on line help documentation from the main menu bar and from the object menus Start VEE Identify the main menu bar toolbar buttons work area and status bar Explain the Program Explorer and its purpose Select menu items from the main menu and object menus Perform the following operations on an object moving renaming iconizing expanding sizing selecting deselecting deleting cloning etc Move the work area clear the work area and manage multiple windows Identify data and sequence pins on an object and explain their purpose Examine terminals and change their names Connect objects to create a program to simulate waveform data Create run print and save a program Exit VEE and then reopen a program Explain how data flows through a VEE program Chapter 1 Agilent VEE Programming Techniques Agilent VEE Programming Techniques In this chapter you will learn about Creating a UserObject Adding a dialog box for user input Using data files Creating panel views an operator interface Math
272. ject 117 global variables Index 5 optimizing programs 412 passing data in Sequencer 346 setting and getting 117 setting before using 119 Go To 108 GPIB 135 GPIO 135 H Help finding menu location for object 101 Object Menu 33 online 22 26 online Tutorials 99 system 28 HH time stamp format 216 hierarchy of program 109 highlight select objects 39 Home button to position objects 81 I VO direct object 129 To File object 211 transaction dialog box 211 transaction format syntax 212 understanding I O transactions 211 TO configuration save 61 I O libraries 129 TO Transaction box format 212 select array dimension 153 T O transaction timeout 136 icons changing 370 displaying text description 24 icon view of object 32 iconic view 32 improving execution time 409 minimize button on object 32 Run button on tool bar 64 If Pass Sequencer transaction field 336 import Index 6 UserFunctions 309 Indicator displays 194 input pins data 46 errors about 80 output 46 sequence 46 insert UserObject in program 78 Instrument Manager 133 instruments adding physical instrument 141 configuring 133 controlling locally or remotely 135 reading data from 151 selecting for use in program 139 sending expression list to 150 sending text commands 148 Int16 data type 175 Int32 data type 175 interface GPIB 135 GPIO 135 Serial 135 VXI 135 K kill process in UNIX 63
273. ject Edit the frequency to 100 by clicking in the Frequency field and typing 100 3 Add the Waveform Time object Select Display gt Waveform Time and place the object to the right side of the work area as shown in Figure 1 25 52 Chapter 1 Using the Agilent VEE Development Environment Connecting Objects to Make a Program isplay Waveform generates a cosine waveform and sends it to a real time display Function Cosine Frequency 100 Amplitude 71 DeOffset Foo Func Phase Den o Time Span 20m Tracet 24 08 o 4m 8m 12m 16m 20m Time Figure 1 25 Creating a Program In Figure 1 25 the Func label on the Function Generator object denotes a data output pin and the Trace1 label on the Waveform Time object denotes a data input pin In VEE programs you connect the data pins among the objects and this determines the flow of the program 4 Complete the program by connecting the data output pin on the Function Generator next to Func on the right side to the data input pin on the waveform Time display next to Trace1 on the left side To do the connecting move the cursor to one of the pins The cursor shape changes when it is near a pin where a connection is allowed Click the left mouse button move the mouse cursor to the other pin and click again A line is automatically routed between the two pins and the program is complete Try moving one of the objects b
274. k Libraries refer to Using Dynamic Link Libraries on page 417 3 Use a method specifically designed for Rocky Mountain Basic programs For more information refer to Communicating with Rocky Mountain Basic Programs on page 442 The Execute Program object is located in the I O menu There is one object for the PC and one for HP UX as shown in Figure 7 1 and Figure 7 2 Notice that in the PC version the Execute Program object does not use transaction I O to communicate with programs so you do not add data input and output pins to pass data to the compiled program The HP UX version uses transaction I O so the example includes input and output pins and a program to illustrate how the object is used 280 Chapter 7 Integrating Programs In Other Languages Understanding the Execute Program Object Using the Execute Program Object PC Figure 7 1 shows the Execute Program Object on the PC Run Style Normal x waitfor prog exit Yes Prog with params cprog param1 Working directory cAprogs cprogs Figure 7 1 The Execute Program Object PC Use the Execute Program object to run the following from VEE Q Compiled programs written in other languages U BAT or COM files Q MS DOS system commands such as dir Q Any document or URL with a recognized extension The open action is invoked in the files If an open action does not exist the default action is invoked with the file An examp
275. k area space and click the right mouse button A pop up Edit menu appears Note Inactive menu items appear in a different shade than active items they are grayed out For instance the Cut Copy and Clone operations in the Edit menu appear in a different shade from active menu items until an object is highlighted in the work area Chapter 1 41 Note Using the Agilent VEE Development Environment Working with Objects Creating Data Lines Between Objects 1 Click on or just outside the data output pin of one object then click on the data input pin of another as shown in Figure 1 15 A line appears behind the pointer as you move from one pin to the other 2 Release the cursor and VEE draws a line between the two objects Notice that if you reposition the objects VEE maintains the line between them For more information on pins see Understanding Pins and Terminals on page 46 Data Output Pin Waveform timey 4 Mag 0 6 0 5 0 4 0 Trace 0 2 0 1 P 0 4 gt 0 4m 8m 12m 16m 20m Data Input Pin Time Figure 1 15 Creating Data Lines Between Objects Deleting Data Lines Between Objects 1 Press Shift Ctrl and click the line you want to delete OR Select Edit Delete Line and click the line you want to delete 42 Chapter 1 Using the Agilent VEE Development Environment Working with Objects Moving the Entire Work Area 1 Make sure there is at least one ico
276. l eins ane dinates 147 Lab 3 32 Using Direct VO niuir nnmnnn aa anit 147 Sending a Single Text Command to an Instrument ee 148 Sending an Expression List to an Instrument ee eeeeeeeeeteees 150 Reading Data From an Instrument 20 0 cee eeceseeeseeeeeeeeeeneeeeees 151 Uploading and Downloading Instrument States 0 eee eres 154 Using PC Plug in Boards a 156 Using ODAS Divers purni nadore neck ieee heed 156 Data Translation s Visual Programming Interface VPI 158 AMP ON ear araea eieaa ea ee ep A A e a e a aaeoa et 158 ComputerBoards PC Plug ins sseeseseeeeeeseeseeeesrereresrssrrrrssesserseees 159 Meilhaus Electronic ME DriverSystem 00 0 0 ceeceeeeeeeeeeeeneeeenees 161 Using a VXI plug amp play Driver ccccecccccscccesseceeeeesseceeaecesaeceeaeeeeeeeesas 163 Lab 3 4 Configuring a VXIPlug amp play Driver eee 163 Other I O Features eoit onre e aeae aE EN E EEEE EAS 168 Chapter Checklista scienesnne ote ont a a a 169 4 Analyzing and Displaying Test Data OVELVICW aem e a e a van Sa i a i e 173 Agilent VEE Data Shapes and Data Types seseeseeeeeeeeeeeeeeeerreseseseres 174 Agilent VEE Analysis Capabilities eeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeesreesreserrrssessesrress 177 Contents 4 Using Built In Math Objects eee es cescesseeseceeeceseeeeeeeaecsaeeeaeesaeenes 178 Accessing a Built in Operator or Function 0 0 eee eeeeteeereeeteeeeees 178 Lab 4 1 Calculating Standard Deviation eee eeeeeeeer
277. la The Call object output pin labeled Ret Value holds the size of the returned array so that expression B 0 A 1 in the Formula object correctly specifies this array to the display object Run the program and notice that the second trace is one greater than the first trace at all points on the waveform Another key point to notice in the program is the method used for making it portable to all VEE platforms The HP UX platforms use shared libraries indicated by the filename extension s1 Windows 95 Windows 98 Windows 2000 and Windows NT 4 0 use a Microsoft 32 bit compiler These DLLs are all indicated using a d11 extension The UserObject called Shared Library Name identifies the operating system being used and then transmits the correct library name to the Import Library object as shown in Figure 11 9 amp Shared Library Name m o Name m ia f instalDirtexamplesimanualimanual4a ex fart Figure 11 9 The Shared Library Name UserObject Chapter 11 421 Note Optimizing Agilent VEE Programs Using Dynamic Link Libraries The whichos function has been used in a renamed Formula object to identify the operating system An expanded If Then El1se object examines the output of the whichos function then triggers the appropriate text constant This filename extension is then added to the MANUAL49 file using a renamed Formula object The input terminal on the Formula
278. lace it on the left side of the work area Open the object menu and examine the Help entry Open the Real64 object menu and select Properties Change the title to the prompt Enter a Real Number then click OK This exercise uses one of the Constant objects for an input dialog box by simply changing its title to a prompt This is a common technique for getting user input You could use Data Dialog Box gt Real 4 Input Also you can double click on the title bar to get the Constant Properties dialog box 4 Select Data Variable Set Variable and place it to the right of the Real64 object Double click globala to highlight it then enter num Notice the name of the object changes to Set num This means that the user will enter a real number in the Real 64 object When the user clicks the Run button the number will be set to the global variable num Connect the data output pin of the Real object to the data input pin of the Set num object Select Data Variable Get Variable and place it below the Set num object Change the variable name to num Notice the name of the object changes to Get num Connect the Set num sequence output pin to the Get num sequence input pin 118 Chapter 2 Agilent VEE Programming Techniques Practice Programs Note A global variable has to be set before you can use it Therefore you need to use the sequence pins in this case to make sure that the variable num has been set before you re
279. le h Figure 11 6 Importing a Library of Compiled Functions Chapter 11 417 Note Optimizing Agilent VEE Programs Using Dynamic Link Libraries The fields are described as follows Library Name The name VEE uses to identify the library Generally this is used if you want to delete the library after it has been used in the program File Name File that holds the shared library Definition File The include file with the prototypes of the functions This is usually a h file You can also load a library manually during the development phase by selecting Load Lib from the object menu 2 Select Device gt Call When you have imported the library with Import Library create a Call object by selecting Device Call You can then call the Compiled Function by choosing Select Function from the Call object menu and choosing the desired function from the list box presented For example the Call object shown in Figure 11 7 calls the Compiled Function in myLibrary named myFunction with the parameters arraySize and array arraySize Function Name Ret Value myLib myFunction Figure 11 7 Using Call Object for Compiled Functions VEE automatically configures the Ca11 object with the function name and the proper number of input and output pins The second third output pins map to any parameters passed by reference to the function If you have entered the function name you can also configure the obje
280. le of a URL would be http www agilent com find vee The fields in the Execute Program PC Object areas follows Run Style Determines the window size Normal specifies a standard window Minimized specifies an icon and Maximized specifies the maximum window size The Working directory is the directory that holds any files related to the program Chapter 7 281 Integrating Programs In Other Languages Understanding the Execute Program Object Wait for prog exit Prog with params 282 Specifies when to fire the sequence pin E When set to Yes the sequence pin is not fired until the program finishes executing When set to No the sequence out pin fires before the specified program is done executing Note that when launching documents or URLs if the document or web site is loaded into an application that is already running VEE does not wait until the application exits Program with parameters This field holds the same words you would type at a DOS prompt For example to run a program in C enter the executable file name myprog exe You can omit the exe extension E Ifthe program has parameters they would follow the executable file name preceded by a hyphen such as myprog paraml param2 To run a DOS system command first run the DOS command interpreter with the c option For example for Windows 95 and Windows 98 enter the command command com c lt system command gt For Windows NT 4 0 and Window
281. lename fapp quito Result Figure 6 13 A VEE to MS Excel Program Example The entries in Figure 6 13 are as follows MS Excel Notice the Drop Down List in the upper right Window Size work area This allows you to choose one of three options x1Maximized x1Minimized xlNormal to select the size of the worksheet window inside Excel when it comes up Each window size is associated with a number which VEE calculates and puts in the wndState variable This value is then assigned to the windowState property in the Excel library 266 Chapter 6 Memory Tracking Number Format sheet SaveAs filename Press to Kill Excel Close Excel Chapter 6 Creating Reports Easily Using Activex Creating an Agilent VEE to MS Excel Template Click Show Terminals in the Properties boxes on the Formula and Meter objects Notice the memoryTotal and memoryUsed properties in the Excel library that are assigned to the VEE variables memTotal and memUsed These values are then used to calculate the ranges to configure a VEE meter before it displays the memory being used by MS Excel Notice how easy it is to add a dollar sign to the number format The SaveAs method is being called from the Excel library to automatically save the worksheet Notice thata File Name Selection box from the Data gt Dialog Box menu is used to display the pop up Save As box from VEE The file name you select is then used
282. lent VEE Functions Using Functions Field name Value m _max_ fro24 min fi sdev f295 7 rarmp 1024 1 1024 Result A rai ae Stats A Result mean 5125 Figure 8 8 Generating a Call Object ArrayStats A from a UserFunction UserFunctions and the Program Explorer UserFunctions and UserObjects make VEE programs more modular and easy to understand The Program Explorer is a valuable tool to navigating through complex programs For example the hierarchy of the program in Figure 8 9 is shown in the Program Explorer To display the Program Explorer click view gt Program Explorer or click the Program Explorer icon on the toolbar Hg Program Explorer al Figure 8 9 Program Explorer Icon on the Toolbar Chapter 8 307 Using Agilent VEE Functions Using Functions Figure 8 10 shows the Program Explorer being used fan VEE Pro CallUserFunction vee File Edit View Debug Flow Device 1 0 Data Display Window Help OSHS rr st bee CEA aan GSMA Bel KS CallUserFunction vee Main Local User Functions ArrayStats Function Name ArrayStats mean x neang Em s r x fedevoo Result Figure 8 10 Using the Program Explorer with UserFunctions 308 Chapter 8 Using Agilent VEE Functions Using Libraries With Agilent VEE UserFunctions Using Libraries With Agilent VEE UserFunctions To leverage existing VEE test programs you can re use UserFunct
283. library directory for more ideas about programs Note The File Merge command is used to merge in UserObjects and objects The File Merge Library command is used to merge UserFunctions 324 Chapter 8 Using Agilent VEE Functions Chapter Checklist Chapter Checklist You should now be able to perform the following tasks Review topics if necessary before going on to the next chapter E Define a UserFunction and compare it to a Compiled Function and a Remote Function E Create call and edit a UserFunction E Create merge import and delete UserFunction libraries E Use the Find feature in one of the game programs E Merge an entire VEE program with the current program Chapter 8 325 Using Agilent VEE Functions Chapter Checklist 326 Chapter 8 Test Sequencing Test Sequencing Test Sequencing In this chapter you will learn about E The Sequencer object E Configuring a test for the Sequencer E Creating a test execution order based on run time results E Accessing data logged by the Sequencer E Ways to pass data to or from Sequencer tests E Performing analysis on logged data from the Sequencer E Storing Sequencer test data Average time to complete 2 hours 328 Chapter 9 Note Note Note Test Sequencing Overview Overview In this chapter you will learn the fundamentals of using the Sequencer object The Sequencer object can execute a series of sequence transactions each of which
284. lick its title bar 0 4 Trace1 06 o 4m 8m 12m 16m 20m Time B AddNoise iol x A Result Figure 2 4 UserObject Renamed AddNoise 8 Click the Run button to display the noisy cosine wave as shown in Figure 2 5 Note that AddNoise is minimized and appears in icon form at the bottom of the work space To minimize AddNoise click on the minimize button in its title bar shown as the underline symbol _ Chapter 2 83 Agilent VEE Programming Techniques General Techniques amp Main olx B AddNoise Jiel es Figure 2 5 Noisy Cosine Wave The key to effective UserObjects is to make sure they serve a logical purpose within the program This unique object is not just a space saving device but rather a way of structuring a program UserObjects help you use top down design in VEE programs VEE also includes an object called a UserFunction which is a re usable code module For more information about UserObjects and UserFunctions refer to Chapter 8 Using Agilent VEE Functions on page 293 For more information about UserObjects select Help gt Contents and Index from the VEE menu bar Then browse How Do I Tell Me About or Reference You will continue with this example in the following section However if you want to quit now save the program as usrobj program3 vee 84 Chapter 2 Agilent VEE Programming Techniques General Techniques Lab 2 2
285. lick to Add Transaction WRITE TEXT A REAL64 FIX 4 FY 6 RJ EOL WRITE TEXT Mean B REAL64 FIX 4 FWW 6 RJ EOL WRITE TEXT Std Dev C REAL64 FIX 4 F 6 RJ EOL Double Click to Add Transaction gt Mean 0 4752 Std Dev 0 2910 Figure A 26 Moving Data To and From Files 506 Appendix A Additional Lab Exercises Working with Files Key Points E Generating an Array Use randomize ramp 100 0 1 0 1 in the Formula object to create an array of 100 random numbers The ramp function generates an ordered array and delivers it to the randomize function which then generates random values between 0 and 1 E Time Stamp The now function is used in the expression field of the I O Transaction dialog box for transaction one in the To File object When you change the format to TIME STAMP FORMAT the dialog box displays additional buttons to specify how the time will be stored E Storing Two Values in a Line In both the third and fourth transactions in the To File object a constant Text string is stored followed by a Real value For example in the third transaction you type Mean B in the expression field of the I O Transaction box assuming the mean value will be on the B input pin E Extracting a Value From a File To get to the mean and standard deviation first send an EXECUTE REWIND to position the read pointer at the beginning Then use NULL with the proper format
286. licking on those objects Each object will now have a shadow to indicate it is selected Click Edit Add To Panel Remember the Edit menu is also available via the right button on an open area of the VEE screen or the detail view of a UserObject or UserFunction In Panel view size the panel to be smaller and position the Note Pad ontop the Real64 Slider in the middle and the OK button on the bottom Note When you reposition the objects in Panel view it does not affect the layout of the objects in the Detail view Open the UserFunction Properties window In the General folder under Pop up Panel click to select to Show Panel on Execute Figure 9 8 shows the UserFunction in detail view and Figure 9 9 shows the panel view 348 Chapter 9 Test Sequencing Passing Data in the Sequencer e GE Global Please select a mmber for this run of tests l 2 and 3 Figure 9 8 The Global UserFunction Detail E Global Please select a number for this run of tests l 2 and 3 mm nd 0 6 d 0 4 0 2 ee Figure 9 9 The Global UserFunction Panel Chapter 9 349 Note Test Sequencing Passing Data in the Sequencer 8 Save the program as seqdat2 and run it When the pop up panel appears select a value and press OK It should look like Figure 9 10 The pop up panel will appear in the center of the screen by default To move it click and drag the title bar testi 0 lt 5
287. lines E Call and configure a Compiled Function just as you would call a UserFunction You can either select the desired function using Select Function from the Call object menu or you can type in the name In either case provided VEE recognizes the function the input and output terminals of the Call Function object are configured automatically The necessary information is supplied by the definition file VEE will recognize it if the library has already been imported E Reconfigure the Call input and output terminals by selecting Configure Pinout in the object menu For either method VEE configures the Call object with the input terminals required by the function and with aRet Value output terminal for the return value of the function In addition there will be an output terminal corresponding to each input that is passed by reference E Call the Compiled Function by name from an expression in a Formula object or from other expressions evaluated at run time For example you could calla Compiled Function by including its name in an expression ina To File transaction Only the Compiled Function s return value Ret Value in the Call object can be obtained from within an expression If you want to obtain other parameters returned from the function you will have to use the Call object E Delete a library of Compiled Functions by using the Delete Library object in the Device menu Using the Import Library Call and Delete Library obje
288. ll pause at the object with the breakpoint 2 Set additional breakpoints on several other objects Select the objects Press Ctrl and click on each object Click the Toggle Breakpoint s button on the tool bar as shown in Figure 2 23 You could also press Ctrl B Run the program again The program pauses at the first object with a breakpoint set Toggle Breakpoint Button Pe Figure 2 23 Set Breakpoint s 106 Chapter 2 Agilent VEE Programming Techniques Debugging Programs in Agilent VEE 3 Resume the program to continue and pause at the next object with a breakpoint set Click the Resume button on the tool bar shown in Figure 2 24 Also in the Debug menu Debug Flow J b ll Resume Button same as Run Button ys Figure 2 24 Resume Program same as the Run Button 4 Now clear breakpoints from the program Select the objects with breakpoints Click the Toggle Breakpoint s button on the tool bar shown in Figure 2 25 You can also select Debug Clear All Breakpoints Toggle Breakpoint Button at Figure 2 25 Clear Breakpoint s 5 To pause or stop the program click the Pause or Stop buttons on the tool bar shown in Figure 2 26 Also located in the Debug menu Chapter 2 107 Agilent VEE Programming Techniques Debugging Programs in Agilent VEE Debug Flow Devic J b Il E a Pause Button Stop Button Figure 2 26 Pause or Stop a Program Resolving Errors If you get an error message when you run a
289. ll want to restrict remote users from seeing certain parts of it If remote users currently know the URL to your system you want to make sure that only certain remote users are able to access particular programs or Web directory files 462 Chapter 12 Platform Specifics and Web Monitoring Web Monitoring with Agilent VEE To prevent remote users from viewing parts of a VEE program on the Web you can protect the program in three different ways 1 Change the port number in the Default Preferences Web Server folder so only authorized users may view the program OR Create a secured RunTime version of the VEE program This will ensure that none of the program code can be viewed For more information refer to Securing a Program Creating a RunTime Version on page 380 OR Create an HTML file with the exact name of the command you want to disable and save it in the VEE www directory The browser always accesses any html file before going to VEE In this way you can intercept requests from remote users and display an HTML page with the appropriate warning or comments For example you might want to prevent remote users from seeing the Detail view of a VEE program You could create a file in a program such as MS Word and save it as ViewMainDetail html in the www directory In the file you put the message you want the remote user to see When the remote user chooses Main Detail in the VEE Web Server Home Page or enters a
290. lter Nesinn polyarea polyder polyfit polyval palyvalm ppval rectint resi2 residue POLY Convert roots to polynomial Syntax p poly A p poly r Create Formula Greate Set komnu Figure 4 2 A MATLAB Function in the Function amp Object Browser Again a brief description of the current selection is displayed in the Function amp Object Browser and clicking on Help will display a more detailed description about the current selection The MATLAB Runtime Engine and Script is discussed more in the section Using MATLAB Script in Agilent VEE on page 187 Lab 4 1 Calculating Standard Deviation Generate a cosine waveform of at a frequency of 1 kHz amplitude of 1 V a time span of 20 ms represented by 256 points Calculate its standard deviation and display it 1 Select Device Virtual Source gt Function Generator Set the Frequency appropriately and iconize it Chapter 4 179 Note Note Analyzing and Displaying Test Data Using Built In Math Objects 2 Select Device gt Function amp Object Browser then select Built in Functions Probability amp Statistics and sdev Click Create Formula You can go directly to the Function amp Object Browser dialog box by pressing the fx icon on the tool bar shown in Figure 4 3 or by pressing Ctrl I Function and Object Browser Icon _ gt ix Figure 4 3 Opening Function and Object Browser from fx Icon 3 Open the object menu for
291. m E Explain how the HP UX platform differs E Run operating system commands from VEE E Create a program that will use the whichOS whichPlatform or whichVersion object so that it will run on different operating systems 292 Chapter 7 Using Agilent VEE Functions Using Agilent VEE Functions Using Agilent VEE Functions In this chapter you will learn about E Defining a user function E Creating calling and editing functions E Creating merging importing and deleting function libraries E Finding functions in large programs E Merging existing VEE programs with tests Average Time to Complete I hour 294 Chapter 8 Using Agilent VEE Functions Overview Overview In this chapter you will learn about VEE UserFunctions compiled functions and remote functions Functions are re usable modular code that can help you significantly reduce the time it takes to develop tests By re using functions that have been created in previous programs you can leverage existing work reduce the code size of programs and make it easier to maintain test programs You can also use functions in groups as libraries which you can create and then merge into new programs You can share functions among multiple programs and multiple developers Chapter 8 295 Using Agilent VEE Functions Using Functions Using Functions Like many programming languages VEE uses functions to create subprograms that perform specific task
292. m Data Set object programmatically 2 Open the From Data Set object menu and select Add Terminal Control Input Select Formula from the menu presented A Formula input terminal appears Click the Get records field to toggle from All to One to access one test record at a time You want the user to select a particular test name The test names are located in field A of all records Add the expression Rec A lt test name in quotation marks gt Rec A outputs the record where field A matches the test name the operator selects For example if the operator selects test6 the expression should read Rec A test6 The object extracts the test record which can then be displayed Create a menu that allows the operator to click a button next to the desired selection 3 Select Data Selection Control Radio Buttons and place the object to the left of For Count a Open the object menu and select Edit Enum Values Highlight 0000 Item 1 and type testo Press the Tab key to move to 0001 Item2 and enter test1 When you press the Tab key after the third entry test2 another entry automatically appears Continue to enter values until you reach test 9 Click OK and all ten entries should be displayed from testo to test9 b Click the Properties selection in the object menu change the object name from Radio Buttons to Test Menu select Auto Execute under Execution select Open View Show Terminals and click OK Chapter 5
293. m where VEE is running in the format lt computer_name gt domain com You may choose to have a remote user type in only the lt hostname gt in a URL such as http lt hostname gt This command opens your VEE Web Server Home Page index html and displays it to the remote user The remote user can make choices from your VEE Web Server Home Page menu to display monitor or troubleshoot your VEE program Optional Identifies the Web Server port number if not using the default value 80 Specify this value only when the port number you entered in File gt Default Preferences Web Serverisa number other than 80 For example if the remote user is accessing VEE on your system and the port number in your File gt Default Preference Web Server is set to 85 you would have the remote user enter http lt hostname gt 85 455 Platform Specifics and Web Monitoring Web Monitoring with Agilent VEE File Commands and Parameters Optional Identifies a directory and or file relative to the root directory for the browser to open You would only specify a file when you have saved a file such as a jpeg or html for a remote user to view In order for remote users to display a file from your system you must specify the directory as the Root Directory inthe Web Server dialog in Default Preferences in VEE Optional Specifies a command or a parameter required for a command that is supported by the VEE Web Server
294. m determines its execution 70 Chapter 1 Note Using the Agilent VEE Development Environment How Agilent VEE Programs Work To see the order of execution turn on the Debug commands Show Execution Flowand Show Data Flow or click their respective buttons on the toolbar Run the program again Each object highlights when it executes and a small square marker moves down the lines to show data flow Show Execution Flowand Show Data Flowcan be enabled together or individually by clicking their toolbar buttons or their commands in the Debug menu Normally you should turn these commands off because they slow down the program Lab 1 4 Adding an Amplitude Input and Real64 Slider Add an amplitude input and a Real64 slider to simple program vee 1 Click on the object menu or press Ctrl A with the mouse pointer in the terminal area at the left side of the Noise Generator The dialog box appears for you to add an input as shown in Figure 1 39 Num Points Time Span OK Cancel Figure 1 39 Example Adding Input Terminals 2 Select Amplitude by clicking OK an Amplitude input terminal appears Now that the Noise Generator object has an amplitude input pin you can input this data as a real number VEE provides an object that makes this easy called a Real64 Slider which is located in the Data menu You could also use the Real64 Constant object ora Real64 Knob Chapter 1 71 Using the Agilent VEE Development Environ
295. m unless certain statements cause execution to branch to another statement or thread of code The rules of data flow in a VEE program are as follows E Data flows from left to right through an object This means that on all objects with data pins the left data pins are inputs and the right data pins are outputs E All of the data input pins in an object must be connected Otherwise an error occurs when the program runs E An object will not execute until all of its data input pins have received new data E An object finishes executing only after all connected and appropriate data output pins have been activated In VEE you can change the order of execution by using sequence input and output pins However you do not normally need to use sequence pins except for special cases It is generally best to avoid using the sequence pins If possible let data flow control the execution of the program Chapter 1 67 Using the Agilent VEE Development Environment How Agilent VEE Programs Work Lab 1 2 Viewing Data Flow and Propagation To see how data flow works open the program you created earlier Open the program simple program vee by clicking the Open button on the toolbar The program simple program vee is described in the section called Display Waveform Program on page 52 Now run the program It should appear as shown in Figure 1 36 although you may have different values for parameters z E pan aa Mag 98 Fun
296. makeAMove makeAMove UserFunction makeAMove makeAMovePanel makeAMoveP anel UserFunction makeAMovePanel makeAMovePanel Call makeAMove Call Call makeAMove Figure 8 21 The Find Results Dialog Box Chapter 8 321 Using Agilent VEE Functions Finding Functions in Large Programs You can use Find to locate any object or text such as variables titles settings on objects etc Double click on any line in the Find Results box to locate an object Note Find can also be used by placing the mouse pointer over objects in the Program Explorer and clicking the right button This will limit the scope of the search to the particular UserFunction or UserObject 322 Chapter 8 Using Agilent VEE Functions Merging Agilent VEE Programs Merging Agilent VEE Programs The easiest way to leverage existing programs is to merge a past program with the current test You can re use programs by merging them and then editing them to suit your current needs The File gt Merge command adds the contents of a program or set of saved objects into the work area while keeping the existing contents of the work area By default File Merge displays a directory of programs that are shipped with VEE They include commonly needed programs such as a bar chart display and a data entry keypad for user input such as ID numbers Lab 8 4 Merging a Bar Chart Display Program In this exercise you will merge an existing program with a new program Although the
297. ment How Agilent VEE Programs Work 3 AddaReal64 Slider object Data gt Continuous gt Real64 Slider and connect its data output pin to the Amplitude terminal as shown in Figure 1 40 Run the program 0 401 a 8 1 i Amplitude 0 401 Amplitude Time Span 20m Num Points 266 noise WF Figure 1 40 Example Adding a Real64 Slider Object Try changing the amplitude of the noise by dragging the slide control on the Real64 Slider object The amplitude of the noise does not change until you run the program The noise component of the displayed waveform depends on the Real64 Slider output value Again data flow determines the order of execution The Noise Generator cannot execute until the Real64 Slider executes The A B object cannot execute until both the Function Generator and the Noise Generator execute but it does not matter which one executes first Finally the Waveform Time object executes only after the A B object has executed 72 Chapter 1 Using the Agilent VEE Development Environment How Agilent VEE Programs Work Note You can display the value of an output by using the mouse to hover over the line For example hovering over the line from the Real6 4 Slider object to the Noise Generator displays a value of 0 401 Notice that the value on the line 0 401 matches the value shown on the Real64 Slider as shown in Figure 1 41 Note that the objects are shown in icon
298. mentation File In Figure 2 37 the VEE objects are described along with their settings The number before each object indicates where the object is located For example the first object in Main is listed as M1 Figure 2 38 shows the remainder of this documentation file for your reference Chapter 2 123 Agilent VEE Programming Techniques Documenting Agilent VEE Programs M 2 Main Int32 Device Type Output pin 1 Wait For Event Auto execute Initialize At Prerun Initialize at Activate Constant size fixed Password masking Indices Enabled Int32 Value M 4 Main Int32 Device Type Output pin 1 Wait For Event Auto execute Initialize At Prerun Initialize at Activate Constant size fixed Password masking Indices Enabled Int32 Value M 5 Main AlphaNumeric Device Type Input pin 1 Clear At Prerun Clear at Activate Indices Enabled Constant Int32 off off off off off off on 0 Constant Int32 off off off off off off on al AlphaNumeric Data Any Any on on on Figure 2 38 The Remainder of the Documentation File Note After you run the Save Documentation command runa File gt Print Program command to put identification numbers on the objects so you can match the text documentation to the printer output 124 Chapter 2 Agilent VEE Programming Techniques Chapter Checklist Chapter Checklist You should now be able to perform the following tasks Review topics if necessary before proc
299. minal with a capital x be sure to use a capital x in MATLAB not lower case x E Only some VEE data types are allowed as MATLAB script inputs This is discussed in more detail in a following section Including a MATLAB Script Object in Agilent VEE When you use a MATLAB object in a VEE program it looks like a VEE Formula object There are two ways to add a MATLAB Script object to a program 1 Select Device MATLAB Script and click to place the object in the program This creates a default MATLAB Script object that you can edit for your purposes OR Select Device gt Function amp Object Browser and select Type MATLAB Functions Choose a predefined MATLAB function and click Create Formula Click to place the object in the program Figure 4 12 shows some predefined MATLAB functions that could be added to a VEE program 190 Chapter 4 Note Note Analyzing and Displaying Test Data Using MATLAB Script in Agilent VEE D 5 balancetA B beta Z v x S corrcoeto 8 A p poly p Figure 4 12 Adding Predefined MATLAB Objects to a VEE Program Notice that each object is named MATLAB Script lt function name gt to help you distinguish it from other VEE formula objects Each object already includes the function it will perform and the input and output pins that are likely to be needed just like built in VEE formula objects You can also edit MATLAB Script objects exactly as you can edi
300. mply click the box again Click To press and release a mouse button Clicking usually selects a menu feature or object in the VEE window See also Double Click and Drag Clone A menu item on the VEE object menus that duplicates objects and their interconnections placing a copy of them in the Paste buffer Clone copies all the attributes of the cloned objects including pins parameters and size 530 Glossary Component A single instrument function or measurement value in a VEE instrument panel or component driver For example a voltmeter driver contains components that record the range trigger source and latest reading Component Driver An instrument control object that reads and writes values to components you specifically select Use component drivers to control an instrument using a driver by setting the values of only a few components at a time Component drivers do not support coupling Container See Data Container Context A level of the work area that can contain other levels of work areas such as nested UserObjects but is independent of them Cursor A pointer caret in an entry field that shows where alphanumeric data will appear when you type information from the keyboard Cut Buffer The buffer that holds objects that you cut or copy You can then paste the object back into the work area with the Paste toolbar button Edit gt Paste Data Container The data package that is transmitted over lines and is pr
301. n you will learn the basic principles for optimizing a VEE program You will also learn about Dynamic Link Libraries DLLs on the PC The next section describes how to optimize using compiled functions You will also learn about how to optimize parts of programs by linking compiled functions in other languages on UNIX platforms Then there is an overview of the VEE compiler Finally there is a section on the VEE profiler The techniques in this chapter apply whether or not you use the compiler Chapter 11 407 Optimizing Agilent VEE Programs Basic Techniques for Optimizing Programs Basic Techniques for Optimizing Programs To optimize VEE programs read the information in this section You can use the techniques described here to develop good programming habits in VEE Perform Math on Arrays Whenever Possible Performing mathematical operations on arrays greatly improves program performance For example suppose a test must find the square root of measurements being taken The traditional way to program this would be to take a measurement and calculate the square root in a loop Instead in VEE you can store all the measurements in an array and calculate the square root of the array in one step In Figure 11 1 the program iterates 1024 times Each iteration calculates a square root 2584m 584m 1024 mia ote Foro Result T Figure 11 1 Calculating Square Roots per Measurement In Figure 11 2 the program creat
302. n addition to interacting with the panel directly you can control settings or read data from an instrument in a program by adding data inputs and or outputs to the driver The input and output areas are shown in Figure 3 14 Main Panel Function Frequency EO AMPLITUDE Amplitude METI 723 offset B Phase Data Input Area Data Output Area Figure 3 14 The Data Input and Output Areas on a Driver 1 Place the mouse pointer over the data input area of the function generator instrument panel and press CTRL A to add a data input terminal A list box of the instrument components appears 2 Select the desired component from the menu presented You could also open the object menu and select Add Terminal by Component Select Input Component Then select the desired component field on the driver Follow the same process to add a data output by placing the mouse pointer in the data output area Chapter 3 145 Note Easy Ways to Control Instruments Using a Panel Driver Deleting Data Input or Output Terminals Place the mouse pointer over the terminal and press CTRL D You could also open the object menu and select Delete Terminal gt Input from the object menu and choose the appropriate input from the menu presented On Your Own Set a state on the HP 3325B Function Generator or any other function generator available Change the Function setting toa Square wave Add input components for Amplitude
303. n in the work area Place the mouse pointer anywhere on the background of the work area press and hold the left mouse button and move the work area in any direction Note Scroll bars appear if your program is larger than the work area as shown in Figure 1 16 Note If you click near a terminal a line or wire may appear If this happens move the pointer to an open area and double click Vertical Scroll Bar a 0 Trace 0 Horizontal Scroll Bar A Figure 1 16 Scroll Bars in Work Area Chapter 1 43 Using the Agilent VEE Development Environment Working with Objects Clearing the Work Area 1 Click Edit Select A11 and then click the Cut button on the toolbar This cuts all objects in the active window to the Cut buffer OR Select File New or click the New button on the toolbar VEE asks you if you want to save changes OR Clear individual objects by clicking an object to make it active and then clicking the Cut button on the toolbar Changing Default Preferences The Default Preferences dialog box changes the default settings in the VEE environment 1 Click the Default Preferences button on the toolbar OR Click File gt Default Preferences The Default Preferences dialog box appears as shown in Figure 1 17 44 Chapter 1 Default Preferenc General Colors Fonts Number Printing Web Server Using the Agilent VEE Development Environment Working with Objects
304. n you need to list the names of the functions in the library 6 Select an AlphaNumeric display enlarge it and connect it to the Call data output 7 Select Device Delete Library and place it below the Call object Connect the sequence pins so the library is deleted after the BuildRecAry function has been called You can leave the default Library Name since this is the same name you used with the Import Library object Chapter 8 319 Using Agilent VEE Functions Using Libraries With Agilent VEE UserFunctions 8 Run the program It should look like Figure 8 19 Save the program as libraries vee Library Type User Function x Library Name myLib File Name RepGen vee Function Name myLib BuildRecAry Library Name myLib 0 0 4508 5 PASS 14 0 3521 5 PASS 2 57 04m 5 PASS a 0 6077 5 PASS Figure 8 19 Calling a Function from a Library Note the following about names of merged and imported functions E fa merged function has the same name as a local function VEE displays an error E If an imported function has the same name as a local function it is allowed but the local functions are called if only the function name is used You can explicitly call the imported function with the MyLib func syntax as in the Call object in Figure 8 19 E If two imported libraries have the same function names the results will be indeterm
305. nable Events where the class permits it Iconize these five icons See Figure 6 14 for the open view of these variables 268 Chapter 6 Creating Reports Easily Using Activex Using MS Word for Agilent VEE Reports Name App M Specify Object Type Library Word ecru a Class Application Type Object _ Events Enabled Num Dims 0 E Edit AEE Sel WM Specify Object Type Library Word nee Z Specify Object Type Score Global I i ame Doc Class Selection Library Word Type Object Events Not Enabled Scope Global x Class Document Num Dims 0 zj Edit Type Object Events Enabled Num Dims 0 z Edit Nama Bmp Specify Object Type Library Word Name Vind M Specify Object Type are olona Class Shape Library Word Object Scope Global E 4 Type Object IY Events Not Enabled Class Window p 3 Num Dims 0 T Edit Type Object I Events Not Enabled Num Dims 0 x Edit Figure 6 14 Object Variables 3 Create a UserFunction called Graph which uses a Function Generator virtual source to send a sine wave to a Waveform Time display Create a panel view of the display only Then generate a Call Graph object in the Main window Recall that the UserFunction object menu includes an easy way to generate a call Now create a bitmap file of the Panel with the Waveform display to use in
306. nction Although you could use any icon to display the imported bitmap this example uses the Picture object 2 Select Display Picture and place it in the UserFunction 3 Open the Picture object menu click Properties then deselect Show Title Bar under Open View Select die1 gif under Picture click Scaled then OK To access an object menu when Show Title Bar is turned off click the right button over the object Chapter 10 383 Using Operator Interfaces Common Tasks In Creating Operator Interfaces Note Although VEE defaults to the bitmaps subdirectory you could use a bitmap from any directory You should now have a picture of a die with one dot on its top 4 Select Flow Confirm OK and place it below the die Connect the Picture sequence output pin to the OK sequence input pin Select the Picture and the OK objects press Ctrl and click the objects to create a shadow Open the pop up Edit menu by placing the mouse pointer on the background and pressing the right mouse button Select Add to Panel 5 Change the UserFunction Title and Panel Title to diel Arrange the objects and size them as desired Note To move objects in Panel View right click on the object and select Move Select Show Panel on Execute from the Properties dialog box Click the Panel folder and change the grid size to 2 for more accurate alignment Then click OK 6 Create two more UserFunctions by selecting Clone in the diel object menu Th
307. nctions The system information functions in the Function amp Object Browser that are commonly used to enhance program portability are as follows installDir Specifies the VEE installation directory 290 Chapter 7 whichOS whichplatform whichVersion Chapter 7 Integrating Programs In Other Languages Using a System Command Determines the operating system and sends out one of the following strings Windows _95 Windows_98 Windows 2000 Windows NT HP UX The program can branch based on these results when incorporating programs in other languages For example look at manual49 vee in the examples manual directory to see a program that uses whichos to make sure it imports the right type of library On HP UX it would import a shared library On a PC it would import a Dynamic Link Library Determines the hardware system on which VEE is running then returns a string indicating that platform Specifies the VEE version which is useful for program maintenance and debugging 291 Integrating Programs In Other Languages Chapter Checklist Chapter Checklist You should now be able to perform the following tasks Review topics if necessary before going on to the next chapter E Explain the purpose of the Execute Program object E Give an overview of the configuration settings on the Execute Program object E Explain the general process of how the Execute Program object sends data to from a program on a PC platfor
308. ndicate the flow of data 102 Chapter 2 Agilent VEE Programming Techniques Debugging Programs in Agilent VEE 0 401 a z 08 US Waveform time 0 4 nes 0 2 0 0 4 Trace 0 Amplitude 0 401 Amplitude Time Span 20m Num Points 256 noise WF o 4m 8m 12m 16m 20m Time Figure 2 19 Data Flow in simple program vee For example in Figure 2 19 data moves from the Real64 Slider to the Noise Generator The output from the Noise Generator and the Function Generator are input to the A B object and the results are displayed in the Waveform Time display Showing Execution Flow 1 Click the Show Execution Flow button on the tool bar as shown in Figure 2 20 Or click Debug Show Execution Flow Show Execution Flow button on toolbar Figure 2 20 Show Execution Flow Chapter 2 103 Agilent VEE Programming Techniques Debugging Programs in Agilent VEE When you run the program you will see a colored outline around the objects as they execute Use Data Flow and Execution Flow to understand how a program is operating but turn them off to get higher performance Combining these features with debugging tools such as breakpoints will help you understand how a VEE program works and where possible errors lie Examining Data on a Line Checking the data at different points in your program is a fast useful way to debug your program The Line Probe i
309. nel view backgrounds in UserObjects or UserFunctions You will create a pop up UserFunction called Bitmap that includes a Label object and a Confirm OK object 1 Select Device UserFunction 2 Select Flow Confirm OK and Display Label and place them in the UserFunction window 3 Change the name of the UserFunctionto Bitmap 4 Select the OK and the Label objects to highlight them with a shadow Open the pop up Edit menu by placing the pointer on the UserFunction work area and clicking on the right mouse button Select Add to Panel 5 Open the UserFunction menu select Properties then select Show Panel on Execute Remember to double click on the title bar to get the Properties box Deselect Show Title Bar under Pop up Panel Open the Panel folder change the Grid Size to 2 select default gif and Scaled under Background Picture then click OK Chapter 10 389 Using Operator Interfaces Common Tasks In Creating Operator Interfaces 6 Open the Properties box for the Label object and set as follows General Title Change to Bitmap Function Label Justification Change to Center Justify Colors Object Select Light Gray and click OK Background Fonts Object Text Choose a larger font with bold type and click OK Check Automatically Resize Object on Font Change Appearance Border Click on Raised Click OK to make the changes and close the Properties dialog 7 Position the title Bitmap Function and the OK
310. neteses 54 Changing Object Properties eee eseesecssecceeceseceseeeseeseeeenaeenaeens 55 Printing the SCreem 3 aeiee cle niet E EEA RE 58 Savin sa Prostam oee a aie E asinine a ha 59 Exiting Quitting Agilent VEE sssesseeeeseeeresrrsreerissrererrresreressreses 63 Re Starting Agilent VEE and Running a Program eee 64 Managing Multiple Windows in the Workspace ceseeseeeeeees 65 How Agilent VEE Programs Work cceecessceesseeseceseeceeeeeeeeeeeeaeeenaees 67 Lab 1 2 Viewing Data Flow and Propagation eee eeeeeeeeees 68 Lab 1 3 Adding a Noise Generator 0 0 0 eeeeeeeeseeeecrseeereeeeensaeens 68 Lab 1 4 Adding an Amplitude Input and Real64 Slider 71 Chapter Checklist s c siis ciation iv a a R eae 74 2 Agilent VEE Programming Techniques OVERVICW i Niss tien cei na lavlibeh id aii nad isles eee 77 General Techniques osii esise esee ae AREA a aE EE 78 Contents 2 Lab 2 1 Creating a UserObject cece eeeeeeeeecneeceneeeseceaeeneeeeeeaes 78 Lab 2 2 Creating a Dialog Box for User Input 0 0 0 eee 85 Lab 2 3 Using Data Files 1 cciisee tise cea cnni 87 Lab 2 4 Creating a Panel View Operator Interface 0 ee 91 Lab 2 5 Mathematically Processing Data 0 eeeseeseeeseeeteeeees 94 Using Data TYPE Sree re ite eia e Ee dthbie etek weed esseeore 94 Using Data Shapes cs sescesehtees raid tos n a a bese RE 95 Using the Formula Object cece eeeeeeseeeseeneceneecneeesee
311. ng data from a file use the ARRAY 1D TO END transaction instead of performing READ transactions on one element at a time and using the EOF pin E Use the Sequencer to control the flow of execution of several UserFunctions instead of separate Call objects E When using the Sequencer only enable logging for transactions where the Log record is required 412 Chapter 11 Optimizing Agilent VEE Programs Basic Techniques for Optimizing Programs E When using Strip Charts and Logging AlphaNumeric displays set the Buffer Size in Properties to the smallest number possible for your application E Use the triadic operator condition expression expression2 instead of the If Then El1se object with Gates and a Junction E When using bitmaps set them to Actual or Centered rather than Scaled since Scaled will take a few moments longer E When using indicators such as the Fill Bar or Thermometer turn off Show Digital Display E When using Color Alarms if you are switching between colors rapidly turn off Show 3D Border In addition to the techniques already mentioned linking compiled functions in other languages to your VEE programs can increase execution speed Using compiled functions on PCs as DLLs are described in the next section Using compiled functions on UNIX platforms is described in the section Compiled Function using C UNIX on page 424 Chapter 11 413 Note Optimizing Agilent VEE Programs Overview
312. nge the hidePanel parameter to logTest Delete the input pin Connect the objects as shown in Figure 10 32 400 Chapter 10 Using Operator Interfaces Common Tasks In Creating Operator Interfaces showPanelflogtest 420 180 test 0 lt 5 lt 1 Double Click to Add Transaction hidePanelflogtest Result Figure 10 32 Status Panel Program before running 7 Run the program It should look like Figure 10 33 Chapter 10 401 Using Operator Interfaces Common Tasks In Creating Operator Interfaces showPanel logtest 420 180 test2 0 1659 1 test1 0 lt test2 0 lt Double Click to Add Transaction so hidePanel logtest Result Figure 10 33 The Status Panel Program running In summary the showPanel object displays the UserFunction panel but does not call the UserFunction The Sequencer calls the UserFunction twice through its logging function and each call updates the panel Then when the operator is done he or she can press OK and the panel is hidden This example uses an OK object to trigger the hidePanel object but you could put it elsewhere in the program to time its execution Step through the program to see the status panel appear update with the results from Test1 and Test2 and then disappear 402 Chapter 10 Using Operator Interfaces Chapter Checklist Chapter Checklist You should now be able to perform th
313. nnect the From Data Set data output pin Rec to the Formula object data input pin Double click the Formula expression field to highlight the default formula then enter sort a 1 B The Sort object is located in the Function amp Object Browser Array Category functions You can read detailed information on its capabilities in the object menu Help entry The sort function is called from the Formula object The first parameter sorts the data on the Formula object A pin which is in an array of records The second parameter indicates the direction of the sort any non zero number indicates an ascending direction a zero indicates descending The default direction is ascending The third parameter in the case of a Record data type indicates the name of the field to sort Therefore this performs an ascending sort on the B field in the array of records 3 Select Display AlphaNumeric and connect it to the data output pin of the Formula object 244 Chapter5 Storing and Retrieving Test Results Customizing a Simple Test Database 4 Run the program a few times It should look similar to Figure 5 20 Notice that the program sorts all of the records returned from the DataSet file in ascending order by field B From DataSet myFile 0 in 0 4 Get records All Field name Value Search Specifier eg Rec A lt 10 A festo Rec B 0 5 B 599 Record C Real 4 Array 1D port a 1
314. nt VEE Data to MS Excel 5 After you have compared the entries to Figure 6 5 iconize the four objects Name window T Specify Object Type Name range Scope Global gt Clas Scope Global gt Type Obet gt Events Type Objet x Num Dims 0 E Edit Num Dims Name sheet T Specify Object Type Name app T Specify Object Type gt Library Library Scope Global z Scope Global 7 blass Type Object x vents Type Object x Events Num Dims 0 E Num Dims D z Edit Figure 6 5 The Globals UserFunction Notice that by using the datatype Objects in the globals UserFunction you could specify the Object Type and Class There are two reasons to specify Object Type and Class more specific type checking and catching events More Specific Type Checking For example if you specify an Object app as being of type Excel Application then only an Object of type Excel Application can be assigned to app Assigning an Object of type Excel worksheet or Word bookmark will cause an error Catching Events You could also use a VEE UserFunction to catch various events that could occur in the application such as a right button down in the MS Excel worksheet For any of these types of events you can specify a VEE UserFunction to handle the event and pass information back to MS Excel 256 Chapter 6 Creating Reports Easily Using
315. oaded from the World Wide Web There are operator interfaces that are available through ActiveX controls Some items that you download may be free and some may charge a fee Whether you use operator interface objects that are all provided in VEE or add outside elements of your own the process for creating an operator interface is the same To create an operator interface for a VEE program you create a Panel view of the program 1 Select the object or objects that you want in the panel view by holding down the Ctrl key and clicking each object to select it 2 Select Edit Add To Panel The screen switches to Panel view shown by default in blue that includes the objects you highlighted from the Detail view You now have a view of the VEE program that you can customize to show only what the operator needs to see 366 Chapter 10 Note Using Operator Interfaces Key Points Concerning Operator Interfaces Moving Between Panel View and Detail View To move between the Panel view and the Detail view of a VEE program click the panel or detail icon on the title bar of the window as shown in Figure 10 1 You must create a Panel view of the program to have the panel view button displayed in a window title bar Typically you develop the program in Detail view and then create a Panel view for the operator interface The Panel view button can be on the title bar of a UserObject window UserFunction window or Main window Ey M
316. object labeled shared library has also been changed to ext A control pin fora File Name has been added to the Import Library object hence there is a dotted line between the UserObject and the Import Library Investigate To From Socket for sharing data in mixed environments such as sending data to a database Also the example games Battleship and Euchre make extensive use of sockets to communicate between multiple VEE processes 422 Chapter 11 Execute Program Object Compiled Functions Optimizing Agilent VEE Programs Using Dynamic Link Libraries Execute Program Object versus Compiled Functions When you are deciding whether to use an Execute Program object or a compiled function to integrate your compiled language programs with VEE consider the following information The Execute Program object has these characteristics E Easier to use E Longer start up time E Communication through pipes HP UX only E Protected address space E Choice of synchronous or asynchronous execution E Service of asynchronous events E Safer If the program called crashes you get an error message E Better for continuous data acquisition Compiled functions using the Import Library and Call objects have these characteristics E Short start up time E Communication by passing on stack and memory space shared with VEE E Synchronous execution E Signals and exceptions not blocked or caught such as GPF messages E Compiler for textual
317. ocation and click the left mouse button Figure 1 14 shows objects during copying AphaNumerie 3 A pa 3 Result 13 Figure 1 14 Multiple Objects during Copying In VEE for Windows objects that you cut or copy are also placed on the Clipboard You can paste them into other Windows applications that support the Windows Clipboard 40 Chapter 1 Using the Agilent VEE Development Environment Working with Objects Editing Objects There are several ways to edit objects in VEE Different editing menus display different choices Choose an editing menu or icon as follows 1 Click Edit on the VEE menu bar to display the Edit menu and select the operation you want The commands in the Edit menu are the same for all of VEE OR Click on an icon on the VEE toolbar The VEE toolbar contains icons for frequently used editing commands such as Cut Copy and Paste OR Open the object s object menu by clicking on it and select the operation you want Object menus include editing operations specific to an object such as the Properties menu that are not located in the main Edit menu The commands in the object menu also vary depending on the type of object For example compare the object menus for the Device gt Formula and I 0 To gt File objects The two menus contain different choices that are specific to the object OR Place the mouse pointer anywhere on blank wor
318. ocessed by objects Each data container contains data and the data type data shape and mappings if any Data Flow The flow of data through and between VEE objects Data flows from left to right through objects but an object does not execute until it has data on all of its data input pins Data is propagated from the data output pin of one object to the data input pin of the next object Data flow is the chief factor that determines the execution of a VEE program Glossary 531 Data Input Pin A connection point on the left side of an object that permits data to flow into the object Data Output Pin A connection point on the right side of an object that propagates data flow to the next object and passes the results of the first object s operation on to the next object Data Shape Each data container has both a shape and type The data shape can be either a scalar or an array of one or more dimensions In VEE a one dimension array is called Array 1D a two dimension array is Array 2D and so forth Data Type Each data container has both a type and shape VEE supports many data types including Text Real64 Real32 and Int32 Detail View The view of a VEE program that shows all the objects and the lines that connect them Direct I O Object An instrument control object that allows VEE to directly control an instrument without using an instrument driver Double Click To press and release a mouse button twice in rapid success
319. odified record will be put on the data output terminal labeled rec The Set Field object is a Formula configured with inputs and an expression like the formulas in the Function amp Object Browser Edit the expression to rec data b to change the value of the four element array in the data field You need to use the array notation because you are changing the whole array in the field of this record You will put the new values for the array on the input terminal b Select Data Constant Real 4 and place it under the Build Record object Open the object menu and select Properties Select 1D Array under Configuration then edit the Size to 4 and click OK If the new values for the record field are contained in an array it must have the same size as the current array Enter the values 1 2 3 4 into Real 4 by highlighting the first entry and using the Tab key to move to subsequent entries Do not press the Tab key after the last entry Connect it to the Set Field titled rec field b input labeled b Now use the Get Field object to extract the field rec data from the record and display the results 4 Select Data Access Record Get Field and place the object under the Set Field rec field b object Edit the Get Field object expression from rec field to rec data Connect the data output of rec field b to the data input of rec field 228 Chapter 5 Storing and Retrieving Test Results Using Records to S
320. on lapp visible true set window app windows 1 indow caption Test System Results sheet cells 1 1 DC Volts sheet cells A 1 1 random 1 100 Thru Po Step f Figure 6 7 Adding the Title and Data to the Sheet The instructions in the Formula objects and the For Range object are described as follows sheet cells 1 1 Refers to the first row and column in the Excel DC Volts worksheet The text DC Volts will be placed there This sets the default property which is value of cell 1 1 to DC Volts sheet cells A 1 1 This statement is shorthand for random 1 100 sheet cells A 1 1 value random 1 100 The worksheet cell at row A 1 col 1 gets the row number by adding 1 to the input pin A value but stays in column 1 The value between 1 and 100 returned by random is assigned to the specified cell in the worksheet 260 Chapter 6 Creating Reports Easily Using Activex Sending Agilent VEE Data to MS Excel from 1 thru 20 As the For Range object outputs the integers from step 1 the 1to 20 Fill in Cells puts the random number in For Range object the specified cell 10 Create a Formula object and an AlphaNumeric object rename configure and connect them as shown in Figure 6 8 set sheet CreateObject Excel Sheet worksheets 1 set app sheet application lapp visible 1 set window app windows 1 indow caption Test System Results sheet cells 1 1 DC Volts
321. on a field 244 storing and retrieving from DataSet 232 unbuilding 230 using DataSets to store and retrieve 232 using to store mixed data types 222 record Data Build Data Record object 301 Sequencer 342 Record Constant 302 Record data type 176 remote functions 297 resize objects 37 resolving errors 108 restarting VEE 64 Resume 55 retrieving data 359 retrieving data with From file object 218 Rocky Mountain Basic 442 Run button on tool bar 64 run program 54 running a series of tests 328 runtime version 10 definition 11 S Save a program 59 Save Documentation menu 120 Secured Run Time Version 381 Secured RunTime Version 390 scalar values definition 206 screen colors 379 scroll bar 43 search and sort with DataSet 237 securing a program 381 390 Select Function example 300 selecting menus 22 object menu 32 objects 39 Sequence pins 111 sequence pins 46 Sequencer passing data 343 records 342 store retrieve data 359 To From DataSet objects 360 To From File objects 359 transaction dialog box 332 sequencer definition 329 sequencing tests 328 serial interface 135 set field in Record 227 Set Variable object 117 settings changing 44 shadows on selected objects 39 shortcuts add terminal 48 displaying text description 24 Pause 55 Resume 55 Run 55 Step Into 55 show connections between objects 6 Program Explorer 65 Show Data Flow 71 Show Execution Flow 7
322. on in the Function amp Object Browser Notice that the Function amp Object Browser displays a brief description of the current selection as shown in Figure 4 1 You can also click on the Help button for a more detailed description of the current selection and get information such as the definition use syntax and examples 178 Chapter 4 Analyzing and Displaying Test Data Using Built In Math Objects To access MATLAB operators and functions select Device Function amp Object Browser and under Type select MATLAB Functions For example to convert roots to polynomials select Type MATLAB Functions Category Interpolation amp Polynomials and Functions poly as shown in Figure 4 2 Function amp Object Browser Type Category Functions lt All gt Operators amp Special Char Elementary Math Function interp1q interp2 interp3 Operators Builtin Functions Local User Functions Elementary Matrix Manipul interptt Imported User Functions Matrix Functions interpn Remote User Functions Data Analysis amp Fourier Tr mkpp mpoles padecoef Compiled Functions Function Functions amp ODE Activex Objects Interpolation amp Polynomial VEE Objects Specialized Math Function Instruments Graphs 2D Graphs 3D Graphs Specialized Signal Waveform Generat Signal Filter Analysis amp Signal Linear Systems Tr Signal IIR Filter Design Signal IIR Filter Order Sel Sional FIR Fi
323. ontact your instrument vendor for other VXIplug amp play drivers VEE enables you to control an instrument with a VXIplug amp play driver by making calls to the driver Figure 3 5 shows an example of calls to a VXIplug amp play driver from VEE hpe1412_configure instrHandle hpe1412_CONF_VOLT_DC hpe1412_measure_Q instrHandle hpe1412_CONF_VOLT_DC reading lt Double Click to Add Function reading Figure 3 5 Calls to a VXlplug amp play Driver from VEE 132 Chapter 3 Easy Ways to Control Instruments Configuring an Instrument Configuring an Instrument With VEE you can develop programs without the instruments present In this exercise you will configure an oscilloscope for use with a panel driver Then you will add the physical instrument to the configuration Lab 3 1 Configuring an Instrument without the Instrument Present 1 Select I O Instrument Manager Move the dialog box to the upper left work area by clicking and dragging its title bar as shown in Figure 3 6 Instrument Manager Instrument List Auto Discovery E My Configuration C Program Files AgilenfVEE 6 Find Instruments Conngure Wiyers Settings Instrument Add Remove Propenies r Create VO Object Directo Hugemay Driver Panel Driver 4 gt Component Wriver Figure 3 6 The Instrument Manager Box Chapter 3 133 Note Easy Ways to Control Instruments Con
324. ord You will have to enlarge the displays for Name List Type List and data to accommodate arrays Also reconfigure the time display to present time in day month year and hours minutes using a 12 hour format Run the program and save it as unbuild vee It should look like Figure 5 13 230 Chapter 5 Storing and Retrieving Test Results Using Records to Store Mixed Data Types rete Nani tist 0 testname 1 time 2 data 0 Text 1 Real64 2 Real64 Type List Record Data testname Ainhameric Fri 14 Jan 2000 10 20 AM Figure 5 13 Using the UnBuild Record Object Notice that the Name List pin gives the names testname time and data of the three fields in the record just as the Type List identifies testname as Text and time and data as Real64 types Chapter 5 231 Storing and Retrieving Test Results Using DataSets to Store and Retrieve Records Using DataSets to Store and Retrieve Records DataSets can retrieve one or more records VEE objects unpack the records Therefore by storing records to DataSets instead of files you do not have to remember the data types You can also perform sort and search operations on the data creating your own customized test database Lab 5 5 Using DataSets A DataSet is simply an array of Records stored in a file This exercise shows how to get data into and out of a DataSet Storing and Retrieving a Record from a DataSet This exe
325. ormula object but you could call ArrayStats from any input field that accepts expressions such as the To File object When you call a UserFunction from an expression the UserFunction will only deliver a single output the uppermost data output pin If you need all of the outputs or they cannot be put into a Record then use the Cal1 Function object 304 Chapter 8 Note Using Agilent VEE Functions Using Functions When you call a UserFunction from an expression input terminals are used as function parameters to pass to the function If no data is passed to the function you must still include empty parentheses after the function name Otherwise VEE assumes you are referring toa Global variable or input terminal For example if the UserFunction called MyFunction has no input parameters you must write MyFunction in an expression The Call object does not require the parentheses because VEE knows you are referring to a function Generating a Call to a UserFunction To generate and place a call object in the Main program from a UserFunction use the UserFunction object menu Generate menu The Generate menu contains most of the common objects that call a UserFunction When you select a calling object it can be placed in the calling window such as the Main program properly configured with the correct name and pins In this exercise you will learn how to generate the ArrayStats object in the Main program from the ArrayStats UserF
326. ormula object menu open to add a data input terminal and another Formula object that has a second terminal already added The new terminal is labeled B If the data inputs are tied to particular functions as with instrument drivers you will be given a menu of these functions Otherwise the terminals will be named A B C Properties Description Add Terminal gt Data Input Ctr Delete Terminal gt Control Input Cut Data Output Ctrl A Error Qutput Figure 1 21 Adding a Terminal 48 Chapter 1 Using the Agilent VEE Development Environment Understanding Pins and Terminals Editing Terminal Information To obtain information about a terminal double click the label area For example double clicking B causes the dialog box in Figure 1 22 to appear Input Terminal Information r Terminal Information Name B Required Type Any bd Mode Data v Required Shape Any r Container Information No data on input pin OK Cancel Figure 1 22 Obtaining Terminal Information You can now edit the terminal The dialog box has three kinds of fields entry field status field selection field Chapter 1 A field with a white background but no arrow It becomes a type in field when you click it For example you can click B in the Name field and rename the terminal A field with a gray background that cannot be edited For example the Mode field cannot
327. other choices in a dialog box or moves the work area Scroll Bar A rectangular bar that when dragged scrolls through a list of data files or other choices in a dialog box or moves the work area Select To choose an object an action to be performed or a menu item Usually you make a selection by clicking the mouse 536 Glossary Selection Field A field in an object or dialog box that allows you to select choices from a drop down list Sequence Input Pin The top pin of an object When connected execution of the object is held off until the pin receives a container is pinged Sequence Output Pin The bottom pin of an object When connected this output pin is activated when the object and all data propagation from that object finishes executing Status bar A line at the bottom of the VEE window in which information about the current status of and information about VEE is displayed Status field A field displaying information that cannot be edited A status field looks like an entry field but has a gray background Terminal The internal representation of a pin that displays information about the pin and the data container held by the pin Double click a terminal to view the container information Title Bar The rectangular bar at the top of the open view of an object or window which shows the title of the object or window You can turn off an object title bar using Properties in the object menu Toolbar The
328. other Program and Merging in the Library 315 Lab 8 3 Importing and Deleting Libraries eee eeseeeeeees 317 Finding Functions in Large Programs 00 eeeescceseesseceeceseceeeeeeeeees 321 Merging Agilent VEE Programs 000 0 ceceeseeeceeeeeseeeseeeesecesecnaeeeneeeees 323 Lab 8 4 Merging a Bar Chart Display Program eee eee 323 Chapter Checklist aser reies einet oiean Eoas ee aa aie iaat 325 9 Test Sequencing OVerVIe WE oiean e o en a E A a e araa ia S 329 Using the Sequencer Objectarcnnn nen a a n i 330 Creating a Test Execution Ordet seseseseereereeseeersressresrsrerrresrssrssrees 331 Lab 9 1 Configuring a Test 0 eeecesesseeeneccneeceseeeeeeseeeneeenees 331 Adding or Inserting or Deleting a Test cece ceeeeeeeeeeeneeeeees 338 Accessing Logged Test Data ceeeecceseeseeeseccnseceeeseeeseeeaeesenees 340 Passing Data in the Sequencer eee eeceeceseeereeeeeeeeceeceeeeesseeeneeeaes 343 Lab 9 2 Passing Data Using an Input Terminal 0 eee 343 Passing Data Using a Global Variable 00 eee cece eeeeeeeereeenees 346 Comparing a Waveform Output with a Mask s es 350 Analyzing Data from the Sequencel cee eeeeeeeseenseceseceeceeeeeeeenes 355 Contents 7 Lab 9 3 Analyzing Several Runs of Data from the Sequencer 356 Storing and Retrieving Logged Data eee eseseecsseceeccnteceteeeeeeees 359 Lab 9 4 Using the To From File Objects with Logged Data 359 Using the To
329. ou can also change I O configurations programmatically at run time For further information see the VEE Pro Advanced Techniques manual 168 Chapter 3 Easy Ways to Control Instruments Chapter Checklist Chapter Checklist You should now be able to perform the following tasks Review the appropriate topics if necessary before going on to the next chapter E Explain the benefits of using instrument drivers and Direct I O E Explain the process for controlling instruments E Configure an instrument for a state driver E Configure an instrument for Direct I O E Change settings on an instrument driver E Add and delete component inputs and outputs E Move to different panels on an instrument driver E Use Direct I O to write commands to an instrument E Use Direct I O to read data from an instrument E Upload and download instrument states using learn strings E Use VXIplug amp play drivers to communicate with an instrument E Explain three methods for controlling PC plug in boards Chapter 3 169 Easy Ways to Control Instruments Chapter Checklist 170 Chapter 3 Analyzing and Displaying Test Data Analyzing and Displaying Test Data Analyzing and Displaying Test Data In this chapter you will learn about VEE data types VEE analysis capabilities Using math objects Using the Formula object Using the MATLAB Script object VEE display capabilities Customizing displays Average Time to Complete 1 5 h
330. ou want from the Test Menu Oe Field name Value ask A feste lt test lt test3 B 2759 lt test4 C Real64 Array 1D lt test test lt test lt test8 lt test9 Figure 5 19 The Operator Interface for the Database 15 Run the program a few times by making selections in Test Menu Save the program as database vee Notice that you can get more detailed information on any given record by clicking the field names or the values in the Record Constant object named Test Results Chapter 5 243 Note Storing and Retrieving Test Results Customizing a Simple Test Database To secure the operator interface and program from changes select File Create RunTime Version Enteraname for the program and VEE will automatically add a vxe extension to separate it from unsecured versions Performing a Sort Operation on a Record Field This exercise uses the dataset2 vee program from a previous exercise The dataset2 vee program sets a condition in the From DataSet object such as Rec B gt 0 5 and VEE extracts all the records that meet the requirement The array of resulting records is displayed in the Record Constant object In this exercise dataset2 vee is modified to sort the resulting records to determine which tests are failing by the greatest margin The tests are sorted by the second field in descending order 1 Open the dataset2 vee program 2 Select Device Formula and co
331. ours 172 Chapter 4 Analyzing and Displaying Test Data Overview Overview In this chapter you will learn about VEE analytical and display capabilities You will learn how to locate the right math objects for your applications and how to display test results so that you can turn data into useful information easily and quickly You can also use other familiar applications such as MS Excel to analyze the data using ActiveX Automation For more information refer to Chapter 6 Creating Reports Easily Using ActiveX on page 247 You can use display capabilities external to VEE using ActiveX controls For more information refer to Using an ActiveX Control on page 396 This chapter focuses on VEE s own core set of tools and the MATLAB Script object included with VEE Chapter 4 173 Analyzing and Displaying Test Data Agilent VEE Data Shapes and Data Types Agilent VEE Data Shapes and Data Types In a VEE program data is transmitted across the lines between objects and is then processed by subsequent objects In order to specify a set of data VEE packages it into a container that has both a data shape scalar or array and a data type such as Int 32 Real 4 or Text Data Shape A scalar is a single number including numbers expressed as two or more components such as complex numbers and an array contains a group of data items that can be specified as one dimensional Array 1D two dimensional Array 2D etc Da
332. ow retrieve the array of records and display it using the From DataSet and Record Constant objects 9 Select I O From gt DataSet and place the object below For Count Leave the default file name myFile Click the Get Records field to toggle from One to A11 Finally leave the default of 1 in the expression field at the bottom With these settings VEE looks at the DataSet in myFile and finds all the records that fit the criterion in the expression field If you set Get Records to One VEE would output the first record that met the criterion in the expression field The 1 signifies a TRUE condition meaning that all of the records fit the criterion so the entire array of records in the file will be put on the output pin labeled Rec Other uses of the expression field are explained in other exercises Consult Help in the object menu for more information Connect the For Count sequence output pin to the sequence input on the From Data Set object This ensures the part of the program that sends data to myFile executes before the data is read from the file You can turn on Show Data Flow to show the order of events 234 Chapter 5 Storing and Retrieving Test Results Using DataSets to Store and Retrieve Records 10 Select Data Constant Record and place the object below To Data Set Open the object menu and select Add Terminal gt Control Input Click Default Value from the list box presented then click OK Resize the Record object to
333. own in Figure 11 11 Existing programs that are opened in VEE will run by default in the Execution Mode for the VEE version in which they were created For example a VEE 5 0 program opened in VEE 6 0 will run in VEE 5 Execution Mode by default Chapter 11 427 Optimizing Agilent VEE Programs Agilent VEE Execution Modes File Edit View Debug Flow Device 1 0 Data Display Window Help OSHS rus bes LEARRA wal aR Execution mode VEE 6 0 OD WEY Figure 11 11 Execution Mode Display in VEE Status Bar The Agilent VEE Compiler The VEE compiler is automatically enabled in VEE 4 and higher Execution Modes The compiler provides much faster program execution as well as more predictable object propagation For more information about the compiler and details of the differences between the Execution Modes refer to the VEE Pro Advanced Techniques manual Changing the Execution Mode You should create all new programs in VEE 6 mode If you have existing programs you will want to change the execution mode if you add any new features to an existing program For example if you have a program written in VEE 5 0 and you add a new feature from VEE 6 0 you should change the execution mode to VEE 6 Otherwise the VEE 5 0 program may not run correctly 428 Chapter 11 Optimizing Agilent VEE Programs Agilent VEE Execution Modes To change the execution mode follow these steps 1 From the main VEE menu click File Default Preferences
334. p should stop when the total weight of the apples is greater than 10 pounds Accumulator Use the Accumulator to keep a running total E Counter Use the Counter to keep a running count In this example the Counter is used to track the total number of apples in the basket Note that when the total weight is over 10 only the Then pin fires on the If Then Else object giving the correct answer in the Counter 470 Appendix A Additional Lab Exercises General Programming Techniques Solution 2 Apple Bagger Figure A 2 gives another solution using more objects 21 Figure A 2 Apple Bagger Solution 2 Key Points E Start Using a Start object for this program is redundant since you can use the Run button on the main menu bar Start is best used when you have two programs on a screen and you want to be able to run them independently Or you have a program with a feedback loop and you want to define where to initiate execution E Shift Register You use a Shift Register to access the previous values of the output In solution 2 the Counter is keeping a running count of every apple before it is weighed so the count must be reduced by one when the total weight exceeds 10 E Gate The Gate is used to hold the output until another action occurs and activates its sequence pin Here when the condition A lt 10 is no longer true the Else pin on the If Then Else object activates the gate Appendix A 471 Addition
335. partments and Agencies of the U S Government will receive no greater than Restricted Rights as defined in FAR 52 227 19 c 1 2 June 1987 U S Government users will receive no greater than Limited Rights as defined in FAR 52 227 14 June 1987 or DFAR 252 227 7015 b 2 November 1995 as applicable in any technical data Copyright 2000 Agilent Technologies Inc All rights reserved Trademark Information Microsoft MS DOS Windows MS Windows and Windows NT are U S registered trademarks of Microsoft Corporation MATLAB is a registered trademark of The MathWorks Inc Netscape is a U S trademark of Netscape Communications Corporation UNIX is a registered trademark of the Open Group Printing History Edition 1 March 2000 Reflects software version 6 0 Conventions Used in This Manual This manual uses the following typographical conventions Getting Started Dialog Box File dir filename File gt Open Sml Med Lrg Press Enter Press Ctrl O Italicized text is used for book titles and for emphasis Bold text is used for the first instance of a word that is defined in the glossary Computer font represents text that you will see on the screen including menu names features buttons or text that you have to enter In this context the text in computer font represents an argument that you type exactly as shown and the italicized text represents an argument that you must repla
336. passing data using an input terminal requires more and more input pins To reduce the input pins you could pass records to input terminals and use individual fields in the records for the separate tests You could also use a separate UserFunct ion to set up global variables which can then be called by other UserFunctions or any expression field within the program The next exercise illustrates this Passing Data Using a Global Variable This exercise modifies the seqdat1 program by adding a global variable to pass the parameter a to the UserFunction Rand 1 Delete the Real64 Slider object labeled Select Num Delete the A input terminal on the Sequencer 2 Highlight the test1 transaction bar open the object menu and click Insert Trans When the Sequence Transaction box appears click TEST to toggle the selection to EXEC and change the name to Setup 346 Chapter 9 Note Test Sequencing Passing Data in the Sequencer You will use EXEC mode since the User Function will only set up a global variable and will not yield a result that needs to be tested against a specification 3 Change the FUNCTION field to global and click OK to close the dialog box You will now create the UserFunction global 4 Select Device UserFunction Change the name UserFunction1l to global Select Data Continuous Real64 Slider and put it in the UserFunction change the name to Select Num and size it to be smaller vertically Sele
337. perations on data Lab 9 3 Analyzing Several Runs of Data from the Sequencer 1 Clear the screen and open the seqdat1 vee program Modify the seqdat1 vee program to run through the Sequencer three times Then perform some analysis operations on the data 2 Select Flow Repeat gt For Count and place it above the Real64 Slider object Change the number of iterations to 3 and connect the data output pin to the sequence input pin of the Sequencer 3 Delete the data line between the Sequencer Log pin and the display Select Data Collector and place it to the right of the Sequencer Connect its upper left data input pin to the Sequencer Log pin and its XEQ pin lower left to the sequence output pin on the For Count object Connect the Collector data output pin to the AlphaNumeric display Enlarge the display vertically somewhat to accommodate an array with three elements The Sequencer will now run through test1 and test2 three times and collect the data into an array with three elements each one holding a record of records for each run Refer to the cube of data in Figure 9 14 to visualize this 356 Chapter 9 Test Sequencing Analyzing Data from the Sequencer Run the program at this point to see the display of the Sequencer data Now use the Formula object to extract part of the data to analyze This exercise uses the results of test1 for all three runs as an example and finds the mean of that array 4 Select Device
338. pin of the Int32 Input object to the input pin on the Function Generator Notice that Frequency can only be changed through the input pin now and you can no longer edit the Frequency input field The program should look like Figure 2 7 Chapter 2 85 Agilent VEE Programming Techniques General Techniques amp Main 0 Trace 0 Figure 2 7 Int32 Input Added to usrobj program vee 5 Run the program The input box for Int32 Input appears with the instruction Enter Frequency Try running the program with different frequencies in the input box See Figure 2 8 shown at run time with the pop up input box Simply click and drag the pop up box to control where it appears 86 Chapter 2 Note Agilent VEE Programming Techniques General Techniques B Main Int32 Input Input Frequency lt Figure 2 8 Runtime Pop Up Input Box You will get an error message box if you enter frequencies above 193 Notice that you get the exact error message that you configured You will continue with this example in the following section However if you want to quit now save the program as usrobj1 program4 vee The VEE programs for many of the lab exercises and programming examples in this manual are included in VEE under Help Open Example Manual UsersGuide Lab 2 3 Using Data Files You can write data from VEE to a data file and read the data in a file into VEE by including the To File and From File objects
339. plug amp play Driver VEE automatically initializes the instrument You do not have to use an init function as you would in other languages HE High Level Control S E Measure LFA Take Measurement A Configure Present Settings E Measurement Type ac Measurement Type Se LEA Measurement Type Query Sample H E Trigger fi Read Using Present Settings E Low Level Control LRA Initiate Moancuramoant Configures the instrument to measure the specified function this routine when specific multimeter parameters need to be changed from their default values listed below The measurement process will not begin until the hpel4l2 initInm function is called OK Cancel Figure 3 32 Selecting a Function for a VXlplug amp play Driver 7 Click Configure Present Settings gt Measurement Type gt Measurement Type Setup The Edit Function Panel is displayed Under func click to display the drop down list Select the default DC Voltage as shown in Figure 3 33 Chapter 3 165 Easy Ways to Control Instruments Using a VXI plug amp play Driver Edit Function Panel for hpe1412_configure Frequency Period 4 Wire Resistance 2 Wire Resistance DC age AC Current DC Current DC voltage Ratio Figure 3 33 The HPE1412 Edit Function Panel 8 Click OK The To From Instrument object now contains an entry for hpe1412_configu
340. program VEE automatically puts a red outline around the object where the error was found You can either correct the error and the outline will disappear or you can click the Stop button which will remove the red outline and then fix the error If you click Stop you can look at the error again before resuming with View gt Last Error Using the Go To Button to Locate an Error Figure 2 27 shows an example runtime error message When this program runs VEE displays a Run Time error and shows a red outline around the UserObject AddNoise When the Go To button is pressed VEE opens the UserObject AddNoise and shows ared outline around the A B object which is missing a connection on the A input pin In a large program the Go To feature can help you locate the source of an error quickly 108 Chapter 2 E AddNoise Amplitude ies Time Span 20m Num Points 256 Agilent VEE Programming Techniques Debugging Programs in Agilent VEE VEE Run Time Error The input terminal A pin number 1 is not connected Compile failed on User Function AddNoise Object title A B Object type Formula Error number 300 GoTo Call Stack Close Help Figure 2 27 Example Runtime Error Message using Go To Using the Call Stack If an error is in the Main program it may be easy to see However in a large program the Call Stack helps locate errors that are nested several levels deep 1 Press the P
341. program to be linked E You need to provide error checking within your compiled function since VEE cannot trap errors in an external routine E You must de allocate any memory you allocated in your external routine E When passing data to an external routine make sure you configure the Call object input terminals to the type and shape of data that the routine requires E System I O resources may become locked so your external routine should be able to handle this type of event E If your external routine accepts arrays it must have a valid pointer for the type of data it will examine Also the routine must check the size of the array If the routine changes the size you need to pass the new size back to the VEE program E The compiled function must use the return statement as its last statement not exit If the compiled function exits then so will VEE since a compiled function is linked to VEE E If you overwrite the bounds of an array the result depends on the language you are using In Pascal which performs bounds checking a run time error will result stopping VEE In languages like C where there is no bounds checking the result will be unpredictable but may cause intermittent data corruption or cause VEE to crash Chapier 11 415 Note Optimizing Agilent VEE Programs Overview of Compiled Functions Guidelines in Using Compiled Functions When you use compiled functions in a VEE program follow these guide
342. ps for Panel Backgrounds 389 Lab 10 3 Creating a High Impact Warning eee eeeeere eens 391 Lab 10 4 Using an ActiveX Control oo cee ceseceseceseeeeeeeeeeeeeeenees 396 Lab 10 5 Creating a Status Panel eee eeeeeceeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeenees 398 Chapter Checklist oinnia ea e ai E E sede al de ees 403 11 Optimizing Agilent VEE Programs OVELVICW Eoso neda o i oe din Ret ener aN 407 Basic Techniques for Optimizing Programs eeeeeeeeeeeerrereseere 408 Perform Math on Arrays Whenever Possible 408 Make Objects into Icons Whenever Possible eee eeeeeeneeeeees 409 Contents 8 Reduce the Number of Objects in Programs eeeeeeeseeeseeneees 410 Other Ways to Optimize Agilent VEE Programs 412 Overview of Compiled Functions 0 00 eecesceeseecneceseceeeeeeeeeeeseeeeaees 414 Benefits of Using Compiled Functions 00 0 ce ceeeeeeeseeereeneeeeees 414 Design Considerations in Using Compiled Functions 415 Guidelines in Using Compiled Functions ccc ceeeseeeeeeeneeereees 416 Using Dynamic Link Libraries 2 0 0 0 eeccecececeseeeeeeceeeaeceaeeceeeeeeeeeeeens 417 Integrating a DLL into an Agilent VEE Program ou eee eee 417 An Example Using a DLL eee eeceseeeneeeeeeceeceseeseeeeeeeaeesenees 419 Execute Program Object versus Compiled Functions 423 Execute Program Object cesceseeeeeeseceseeeseeeseceseceseeseeeees 423 Compiled Functions oenen keni a a a 423
343. pt documentation on that particular object This documentation file also provides a way to correlate the documentation with screen dumps In this section you will add an entry to the Description dialog box 1 Open the Random vee program 2 In the Main object menu click Description Type text in the dialog box as shown in Figure 2 35 Click OK when you are done 120 Chapter 2 Note Agilent VEE Programming Techniques Documenting Agilent VEE Programs Description of Main e program Random generates a real number between 0 and 1 and then displays the results OK Cancel insert Template Insert File Clear All Figure 2 35 The Description Dialog Box The entries in the Description dialog box will not be visible to users unless they access them through the object menu Also notice that you can insert a file or a template in this dialog box Generating Documentation Automatically Follow these steps to generate a file of program documentation 1 Open Random vee Click File Save Documentation Enter the file name using a txt suffix Random txt for example then click Save By default the file is saved on a PC in the folder C My Documents VEE Programs 2 Open the file in any text editor to view or print Figure 2 36 Figure 2 37 and Figure 2 38 show the documentation file using the Notepad program in MS Windows98 Figure 2 36 shows the beginning of the file with information on the file
344. ptions that are available in VEE You can skim through this section to get an idea of the items you can choose to create operator interfaces for programs and how you can customize them Then do the lab exercises to see how to set up operator interfaces for some common tasks Colors Fonts and Indicators E Colors and Fonts You can configure colors and fonts using the File Default Preferences selection or through the Properties selection in each object menu The choice of colors and fonts depends on the operating system and the fonts you have installed E Color Alarms Color alarm objects are located in the Display gt Indicator menu They can be configured for three different ranges with color and a text message and as squares or circles Alarms are often used to simulate an LED or to warn operators of a situation that demands their attention E Tanks Thermometers Fill Bars Meters These objects are in the Display Indicator submenu They can be customized with colors and labels These indicators can be set to horizontal or vertical formats and have three default ranges which can be configured under Properties in the object menus Graphic Images You can import bitmaps into the panel view by setting the Background Picture in the Panel folder of the Properties box VEE imports jpeg png wmf xwd GIF bmp and icn files to serve as the background for your Main UserObject or UserFunction panel When a bi
345. r Chapter 3 147 Note Easy Ways to Control Instruments Using Direct I O This example uses the GPIB interface IEEE488 To configure Serial GPIO or VXI instruments refer to the VEE Pro Advanced Techniques manual 4 To place the object on the screen make sure that fgen NOT LIVE is still highlighted and click Create I O Object Direct I O Figure 3 16 shows the Direct I O object fi Main olx lt Double Click to Add Transaction Figure 3 16 A Direct I O Object To use a Direct I O object in a program you have to configure I O transactions The next section explains writing text commands reading data and uploading downloading instrument states Sending a Single Text Command to an Instrument To send a single text command to an instrument type in the appropriate string Most GPIB instruments use alphanumeric strings for commands sent to the instrument For example to send a command to the HP3325B Function Generator to set the amplitude to 5 volts you would enter the command string AM 5 VO This exercise uses the HP 3325B function generator configured in the previous section If necessary go back to Using Direct I O on page 147 and configure the instrument before you continue 1 Inthe fgen NOT LIVE object double click the transaction bar to get the I O Transaction dialog box as shown in Figure 3 17 148 Chapter 3 Easy Ways to Control Instruments Using Direct I O VO Transaction
346. r 2 93 Using Data Types Agilent VEE Programming Techniques General Techniques E To give a raised appearance to objects in the Panel view open the Properties box for that object open the Appearance folder by clicking on its tab and select Raised under Border E To change the name of the Panel view open the main Properties dialog box and name the panel view whatever you wish The name you enter will be displayed when the program executes Lab 2 5 Mathematically Processing Data VEE provides extensive built in mathematical capabilities and data type support as well as all the data and signal processing power of MATLAB For more details refer to the VEE Pro Advanced Techniques manual VEE supports several data types including text integer and real numbers and several types of complex and coordinate numbers You have already seen how the A B object can add two waveforms together in earlier examples Mathematical operators such as addition can act on several data types and can even act on mixed data types For example to create the following program clear the Main window place the following objects in the Main window and connect them as shown noting the following information 1 Select File gt New to clear the work area 2 Adda Real64 Constant object by selecting Data gt Constant gt Real64 3 Adda Complex Constant object by selecting Data gt Constant gt Complex 4 Add an A B object Select Device g
347. r example Figure 1 19 includes two Formula objects The Formula object on the left shows the terminal labels A and Result The Formula object on the right has Show Terminals turned off and the labels are not visible T Pd A Fas Result tPrars O Show terminals Show terminals is turned on is turned off Figure 1 19 Show Terminals on an Object To turn Show Terminals ON or OFF select Properties from the object menu The properties dialog box displays a checkbox in front of Show Terminals see Figure 1 20 Formula Properties General Colors Fonts Icon Title ZETE Object index M 0 r Open View M Show Title Bar M Show Terminals X Debug i Breakpoint Enabled OK Cancel Help Figure 1 20 Using Show Terminals Checkbox Chapter 1 47 Using the Agilent VEE Development Environment Understanding Pins and Terminals Click the checkbox to turn Show Terminals OFF Click the checkbox again to turn Show Terminals back on Click OK after you have made a selection Adding a Terminal You can add terminals to an object For example you can add a second data input terminal to the Formula object 1 Open the object menu and select Add Terminal gt Data Input OR With Show Terminals turned on you can place the mouse pointer in the terminal area the left margin of the open view object and press Ctrl A press the Ctrl and A keys simultaneously Figure 1 21 shows the F
348. r to Debugging Programs in Agilent VEE on page 102 Displaying Help about an Object To get help on an object click on the object menu button and select Help E Select Flow Repeat For Count to create a For Count object Click on object menu and select Help The Help topic appears describing For Count E Select Device Formula to create a Formula object Click on the object menu and select Help The Help topic appears describing the particular formula displayed in the Formula object E Select Device gt Function amp Object Browser Select any combination of choices and click on Help The Help topic appears for the particular object that is selected 100 Chapter 2 Agilent VEE Programming Techniques Using Online Help Finding the Menu Location for an Object To find the location for an object in the menus and to display the information about that object select Help Contents and Index click on the Index tab type in the name of the object and click Display For example select Help Contents and Index click on the Index tab and type in Collector Click Display to display the Help topic for the Collector object Other Practice Exercises Using the Help Facility E Look up the short cut to delete an object Select Help Contents and Index How Do I gt Use the Keyboard Shortcuts gt Editing Programs To Cut an Object or Text E Look up the word terminal Select Help Contents gt Reference g
349. rcise creates an array of ten Records each containing three fields with a test name a Real64 Scalar and an array of Reals It stores the array of Records in a DataSet and retrieves the records and displays them 1 Select Flow Start Select Flow Repeat For Count and place the object under Start Select Device Formula and place the object to the right of For Count Connect Start to the sequence input pin on For Count connect the For Count data output pin to Formula data input pin 2 Double click the Formula expression field to highlight the default expression and then type test a When you click Start the For Count object outputs integers zero through nine sequentially to the A pin of Formula In the Formula object the integers are added to the word test and output as Text Scalars test0 test1 test2 test9 These values will fill the first fields in the ten Records 232 Chapter 5 Storing and Retrieving Test Results Using DataSets to Store and Retrieve Records 3 Select Data Build Data Record and place the object to the right of Formula Add a data input pin Connect the data output of Formula to the A input of Build Record 4 Select the Function amp Object Browser icon from the tool bar a Choose Built in Functions Probability amp Statistics and random to create the random low high object Place the object below the Formula object b Delete the input terminals and change the input
350. rcises Test Sequencing test2 5 lt 0 5 test3 5 lt 0 5 test4 5 lt 0 5 Double Click to Add Transaction gt Figure A 34 Add a Time Stamp to the Logging Record Appendix A 521 Additional Lab Exercises Test Sequencing Solution Using the Test Sequencer Step 4 Figure A 35 shows a solution to step 4 of using the test sequencer To DataSet myFile W Clear File At PreRun test 5 lt 0 5 test3 5 lt 0 5 test4 5 lt 0 5 Double Click to Add Transaction gt ro Field name Value testi Record Scalar From DataSet myFile a a e test2 Record Scalar Get records All J test3 Record Scalar Search Specifier eg Rec A 10 test4 Record Scalar Oo tesu _Recora Seatar_ Figure A 35 Using the Test Sequencer Step 4 Hint To display a record click on the Record Record Scaler field for one of the tests and the Record Field Data dialog box appears Figure A 36 shows the Record Field Data dialog box 522 Appendix A From DataSet myFile Get records All Search Specifier eg Rec A 10 ee Additional Lab Exercises Test Sequencing Ly test2 Record Scalar a in 0 4 Field name Value testi Record Scalar test3 Record Scalar test4 Record Scalar First Prev Next Last Record Field Data Fiel
351. re instruHandle hpe1412_CONF_VOLT_DC as shown in Figure 3 34 hpe1412_configurefinstrHandle hpe1412_CONF_VOLT_DC Double Click to Add Function Figure 3 34 DC Voltage Function in VXlplug amp play Object 166 Chapter 3 Easy Ways to Control Instruments Using a VXI plug amp play Driver 9 Inthe To From Instrument object double click to add a function and select Take Measurement under Measure Click on the Configuration folder to display the dialog box shown in Figure 3 35 Edit Function Panel for hpe1412_measure_Q fan Figure 3 35 Configuration Folder in Edit Function Panel 10 Click ox A second function call is listed in the To From Instrument object as shown in Figure 3 36 hpe1412_configure instrHandle hpe1412_CONF_VOLT_DC hpe1412_measure_Q instrHandle hpe1412_CONF_VOLT_DC reading Double Click to Add Function Figure 3 36 HPE1412 Driver Ready for a DC Reading Chapter 3 167 Easy Ways to Control Instruments Other I O Features Other I O Features E Explore the full power of VEE s I O capabilities in the 1 0 Advanced I O submenu Interface Operations Instrument Event Interface Event and MultiInstrument Direct I O E You can display print or store bus activity for debugging with the Bus T O Monitor in the I O menu E VEE includes an ActiveX Automation server to programmatically find instruments For further information see the VEE Pro Advanced Techniques manual E Y
352. re 3 11 Selecting scope NOT LIVE You may now use the panel driver in the program like any other VEE object 140 Easy Ways to Control Instruments Configuring an Instrument Adding the Physical Instrument to the Configuration 1 Select I O Instrument Manager and highlight scope Under Instrument click Properties 2 Double click the Address field to highlight the current entry and type 709 The 7 in 709 is the logical unit If the GPIB HP IB logical unit is not 7 replace 7 with the actual logical unit number The 9 in 709 is the default address for scopes 3 Click Advanced and toggle Live Mode to ON then click OK Click OK to close the Instrument Properties box 4 Click Save to save the changes Chapter 3 141 Easy Ways to Control Instruments Using a Panel Driver Using a Panel Driver These exercises use the HP 3325B Function Generator as the example The principles are the same in using any VEE panel driver By using a panel driver instead of programming an instrument directly you save time developing and modifying programs Changes in the instrument settings are made through menu selections or by editing fields in dialog boxes If the instrument is connected and Live Mode is ON the changes you make will register on the instrument To use a panel driver in a program add inputs and or outputs as needed and connect the panel driver to other objects You can use several instances of the same d
353. re automatically made to the operator interface panel view You can also secure the operator interface from unwanted changes For more information about creating an operator interface refer to Creating a Panel View Operator Interface on page 91 Introduction 7 Overview of Agilent VEE 3 N Main ix 7796 8436 9968 9997 6115 3924 2662 2973 8401 NOOOOOOOOORI Figure l 3 Panel View or Operator Interface of VEE Program With VEE you can perform certain tasks in minutes that might take days in a textual language E Create colorful intuitive front ends to programs E Create operator interfaces that can be used with a keyboard and mouse or keyboard input only E Choose from a wide assortment of user input and data display features E Use pop up panels to create focus and conserve screen space E Secure programs from unwanted tampering E Use labels choose colors and fonts and add beepers notepads buttons and switches in a variety of formats E Use your own or standard off the shelf ActiveX Controls PC only for user input or displaying data 8 Introduction Overview of Agilent VEE Leveraging Existing Test Programs with Agilent VEE On all supported operating systems VEE provides mechanisms for linking conventional test programs as well as commercial applications For example you could use VEE to sequence existing tests in Rocky Mountain Basic C C Visual Basic Fo
354. reakpoints 106 building a Record 223 built in operators 178 button iconize 32 mouse 22 buttons Home button 81 on toolbar displaying text description 24 Run button 64 byte ordering 136 C C program example 4 Call Device Call Select Function 299 Call object when parentheses are required 311 Call Stack 109 call UserFunction 296 call UserFunction from expression 303 case sensitivity VEE vs MATLAB 190 caution boxes in VEE programs Agilent VEE error messages in VEE 102 changing object views 32 preferences 44 properties 47 settings 44 size of an object 37 Clean Up Lines 54 clearing the work area 44 click 22 cloning an object 35 cloning vs copy 35 closing VEE 63 collector 208 Collector object 207 colors changing in waveform display 199 saving with program 61 compatibility mode 427 compiled functions 414 create link call 297 compiler 427 Complex data type 175 Complex plane displays 194 configuration Save I O config with program 61 configure tests 331 VXIplug amp play driver 163 configuring instruments 133 Confirm OK object 381 connecting objects 52 connections between objects show 6 control pins 112 controlling instruments 129 Live Mode 136 Coord data type 176 copy vs cloning 35 copying an object 35 copying multiple objects 40 creating a UserFunction 298 creating a UserObject 78 84 customize test data displays 196 cutting an object 36
355. reating an Operator Interface for a Search Operation 238 Performing a Sort Operation on a Record Field ee eeeeeees 244 Chapter Checklist 3c c6n2c wiv tisha ke a belt etl 246 6 Creating Reports Easily Using ActiveX Overy Wonne Nea iste overt event heed sade sheesh iadet ait Eada ae 249 ActiveX Automation in Agilent VEE ee ceseeeeeeneeneecereeeaeeeseeees 250 Listing ActiveX Automation Type Libraries cece eeeeeeeeerees 250 Creating and Using ActiveX Programs with Agilent VEE 251 Performing Operations Using ActiveX Statements 0 0 0 0 eee 252 Using CreateObject and GetObject ee eeceeeeereeeeeeeeeeeneeenees 253 Sending Agilent VEE Data to MS Excel eee eeeeeesseeseceseceeeeeeeeees 255 Lab 6 1 Sending Agilent VEE Data to MS Excel eee 255 Creating an Agilent VEE to MS Excel Template 263 Lab 6 2 Creating an Agilent VEE to MS Excel Template 263 ONY OUP OAA iectslecieie lh chscchecteslicethdathchesivacu E 265 Extending Capabilities With MS Excel ec ceeceeeeeeeeeeereeneeeeees 266 Using MS Word for Agilent VEE Reports ei ceeeeeceseeeseeeseeenseens 268 Lab 6 3 Using MS Word for Agilent VEE Reportts eee 268 Chapter Checklist ieena ieee aaa a E EE EEEE 275 7 Integrating Programs In Other Languages ONE VIEW EAEE E E E 279 Understanding the Execute Program Object seeneeeeeeerereeresrere 280 Using the Execute Program Object PC 281 Using the Exec
356. rectangular bar at the top of the VEE window which provides buttons for quick access to frequently used commands The buttons run commands from menus such as File Edit View Device and Debug Glossary 537 Transaction The specifications for input and output I O used by certain objects in VEE Examples include the To File From File Sequencer and Direct I O objects Transactions appear as phrases listed in the open view of these objects UserObject An object that can encapsulate a group of objects to perform a particular purpose within a program A UserObject allows you to use top down design techniques when building a program and to build user defined objects that can be saved in a library and reused Views VEE presents a program in one of two views panel view which provides a user interface for a VEE program or detail view which provides a window for developing a VEE program Windows 95 Windows 98 Windows NT 4 0 Windows 2000 Operating systems developed by Microsoft Corporation in which VEE runs Work Area An region within the Main window also the UserObject and UserFunction windows in which you place VEE objects and connect them together to create a VEE program Work Space A region in the VEE window that contains the programming or editing windows such as Main UserObject and UserFunction These windows contain work areas in which you place VEE objects and connect them together 538 Glossary Index Symbol
357. requency 200 Amplitude 1 DcOffset 0 Func Phase Deg x 0 Time Span 20m Num Points 256 fms Figure 4 7 Formula Examples Using VEE Functions Now calculate the standard deviation and root mean square using only one Formula object Formulas can have multiple output terminals with values assigned to them 6 Double click the object menu to Cut one of the Formula objects 7 In the remaining Formula object change the expression to B sdev A C rms A When a Formula object contains multiple expressions you must put a semicolon at the end of an expression to distinguish it from the next expression For example in the formula B sdev A the semi colon indicates the end of the expression You can put line breaks at any point in a Formula object The formula is read as one expression as long as there are no semi colons For example you could enter a single expression as B sdev A You can also add spaces in the formula to improve readability 184 Chapter 4 Analyzing and Displaying Test Data Creating Expressions with the Formula Object 8 Inthe Formula object add an output terminal Rename the output terminals B and C Connect output terminal B to one of the Alphanumeric objects and output terminal C to the other Alphanumeric object 9 Run the program It should look like Figure 4 8 Function Cosine x Frequency 200 Amplitude 1 DcOffset 0 Func Phase Deg 0 Time
358. revision dates and system I O configuration Chapter 2 121 Agilent VEE Programming Techniques Documenting Agilent VEE Programs Source file C My Documents VEE Programs Random vee File last revised Mon Jan 03 15 29 02 2000 Date documented Mon Feb 28 14 43 27 2000 VEE revision 6 0 Execution mode VEE 6 Convert Infinity on Binary Read no I O Configuration My Configuration C WINDOWS Local Settings Application Data Agilent VEE vee io Figure 2 36 The Beginning of the Documentation File 122 Chapter 2 Agilent VEE Programming Techniques Documenting Agilent VEE Programs M Main Device Type Main Description 1 The program Random generates a real number between 0 and 1 2 and then displays the results Context is secured off Trig mode Degrees Popup Panel Title Text Untitled Show Popup Panel Title on Show Popup Panel Border on Popup Moveable on Popup Panel Title Text Color Object Title Text Popup Panel Title Background Color Object Title Popup Panel Title Text Font Object Title Text Delete Globals at Prerun on M 0 Main Note Pad Device Type Note Pad Note Contents 1 This program Random generates a real number between 0 and 1 then displays 2 3 the results 4 M 1 Main random low high Device Type Formula Input pin 1 low Any Any Input pin 2 high Any Any Output pin 1 Result Formula random low high Figure 2 37 The Middle of the Docu
359. rinter Type LaserJet z Wrap Column 80 Darkness Medium z No Header mM Landscape Ok Cancel Figure 1 31 Print Screen Dialog Box When you click OK VEE prints the screen on the selected printer This dialog box lets you select a graphics printer or text printer It also lets you change the configuration of these devices before you print Shortcut Click the Print Screen button on the toolbar to print the screen directly Saving a Program You can save a program at any time You can save whatever is in the work area whether it is a complete program or not 10 Continuing with the same example select File Save As and complete the dialog box A dialog box entitled Save File appears Figure 1 32 shows the PC format for this box Chapter 1 59 Using the Agilent VEE Development Environment Connecting Objects to Make a Program Save in vee Programs z fa Tl c Save as type VEE Programs vee x Cancel r Options T Save colors and fonts with program T Save l 0 configuration with program Figure 1 32 The Save File Dialog Box PC 11 By default VEE for Windows saves files in the VEE Programs sub directory in your My Document directory To save the current program type in the name simple program in the File name field and click Save If you do not type it in VEE automatically adds the vee extension to the file name Note In VEE for Windows you can use the long file names allowed by W
360. river in a program to set the instrument to different states In VEE you can iconize a panel driver to save space or use the open view to display the instrument settings You can also change settings while a program is running Lab 3 2 Changing Settings on a Panel Driver 1 Select I O Instrument Manager Select My Configuration then click Add under Instrument to display the Instrument Properties dialog box and edit the information as follows Name Edit to fgen and press the Tab key twice to move to the Address field Address Change to 713 or the address you want on the bus 2 Click on Advanced In the General folder and toggle Live Mode to OFF 3 Click on the Panel Driver folder and set ID Filename to hp3325b cid Click OK twice to return to the Instrument Manager 142 Chapter 3 Easy Ways to Control Instruments Using a Panel Driver 4 Under Create I O Object click Panel Driver Place the object on the left side of the workspace This process would be the same regardless of the instrument as long as the instrument had been configured and added to the list Note You are programming without the instrument attached If the instrument were attached you would edit the configuration to the proper address 5 Click Sine in the Function field to get a pop up menu and then select Triangle as shown in Figure 3 12 Main Panel Function Frequency Discrete cornponent FUNCTION Eg Amplitude J offset J
361. rm Display the noisy waveform and the noise spectrum outside the UserObject Provide control outside the UserObject for the following amplitude number of points interval time span DC offset Note Do not use a virtual source inside the UserObject Use objects such as Build Waveform and Random to create the UserObject 488 Appendix A Additional Lab Exercises UserObjects Solution Random Noise UserObject Figure A 14 shows a solution for the Random Noise UserObject Press after values are entered Trace ff 12m 20m 12m 16m 1000 2000 3000 4000 Freq Figure A 14 A Random Noise UserObject Solution NoiseGen Object in Random Noise Figure A 15 shows a solution for the NoiseGen UserObject Appendix A 489 Additional Lab Exercises UserObjects B NoiseGen Amp io low Fandorndow high Result high interval dcoffset Figure A 15 The NoiseGen UserObject Key Points E UserObject Notice that the UserObjects you build are essentially customized objects that you add to VEE E Build Waveform This object creates a Waveform data type from a Real array of amplitude values anda time span the length of time in seconds over which the y data was sampled 490 Appendix A Additional Lab Exercises Agilent VEE UserFunctions Agilent VEE UserFunctions Using UserFunctions UserFunctions Step 1 Create a function called
362. rogramming Techniques General Techniques E UserObject Figure 2 1 UserObject Window Once you have created a UserObject it is part of the main program The UserObject window can be displayed as an icon in open view or minimized at the bottom of the screen as follows E Close the window by clicking the close button and the UserObject is displayed as an icon in the main window E Maximize the window by clicking its maximize button and the UserObject window will occupy the entire available area in the VEE workspace E Minimize the window by clicking its minimize button The minimized UserObject is displayed along the bottom of the VEE workspace The icon view of the UserObject always resides in the Main window and you can connect its pins to other objects in the Main window Before you begin make sure Program Explorer in the View menu is deselected to give yourself more screen space in Main Now you will create a UserObject for a program Chapter 2 79 Note Agilent VEE Programming Techniques General Techniques Open the program simple program vee you created in Adding an Amplitude Input and Real64 Slider on page 71 The program should appear in the main work area Remove the Real64 Slider from the program It is not used in this exercise Click to open the Real64 Slider Object Menu and select Cut or double click on the Real64 Slider Object Menu button If you run the program again now
363. rtran or Pascal or any compiled or interpreted language on your operating system VEE also provides a number of interprocess communication features to share data with commercial applications such as databases or spreadsheets On PCs VEE supports standard ties to ActiveX Automation and Controls and DLLs On HP UX VEE supports Named Pipes and Shared Libraries Controlling Instruments with Agilent VEE VEE provides many options for controlling and communicating with instruments E Use panel drivers instrument drivers for over 450 instruments from different vendors plus all drivers available from various vendors that are VXIplug amp play compatible in the Windows 95 Windows 98 Windows 2000 Windows NT 4 0 or HP UX frameworks E Use VEE s Direct I O to send instrument command strings over standard interfaces such as GPIB IEEE 488 GPIO RS 232 VXI or LAN based instruments for remote testing E Control PC plug in boards from any manufacturer that supplies a standard ODAS driver or a Dynamic Link Library with the board E Use direct VXI backplane control using embedded PCs or workstations E Control a great variety of instrument types with an easy organized instrument management capability Introduction 9 Overview of Agilent VEE Improving Test Capabilities with Agilent VEE The VEE products offer the following features and benefits E Reduced development and maintenance time with graphical programming E Int
364. s Record A composite data type with a field for each data type Each field has a name and a container which can be of any type and shape including Record Object Used only for ActiveX Automation and Controls a reference to an ActiveX control or a reference returned from an Automation call Literally this is a reference to an IDispatch or I Unknown interface Variant Used only for ActiveX Automation and Controls a data type that is required for some Activex method calls as a By Ref parameter type Note Investigate I O To From Socket for sharing data in mixed environments 176 Chapter 4 Analyzing and Displaying Test Data Agilent VEE Analysis Capabilities Agilent VEE Analysis Capabilities VEE supports common math operations and hundreds of other functions In addition VEE also includes the MATLAB Script feature The MATLAB Script feature is a subset of the standard full featured MATLAB from The MathWorks It provides additional mathematical capabilities in VEE including Signal Processing advanced mathematics data analysis and scientific and engineering graphics The MATLAB Script feature is fully integrated with VEE and you can include MATLAB Script objects in any VEE program If neither VEE nor MATLAB have a math function you need you still have several options available You can create the function with the Formula object which is discussed later in this chapter you can write the function in a
365. s c file extension 424 def file extension 424 dll file extension 421 h file extension 418 424 sl file extension 424 vxe files 381 390 vee file extension 424 _cdecl 417 _stdcall 417 Numerics 24 hour time stamp format 216 A Access Array gt Get Values 208 accessing logged data 340 341 ActiveX data type Variant 176 add objects 29 terminal 48 to panel 384 address interface 135 Agilent VEE closing program 63 compiler 427 data flow in program 70 debugging 102 exiting 59 Go To 108 graphical vs text programs 4 input pin connections 80 object pins and terminals 46 objects 29 overview 3 Profiler 435 running programs 54 save I O configuration 61 saving colors and fonts 61 saving programs 59 Show Data Flow 71 Show Execution Flow 71 starting VEE 64 Index 2 stopping 63 storing test results 206 alarm creating operator interface 391 Alphanumeric displays 194 Alphanumerics displays using for debugging 106 array Arraystats UserFunction 304 collector 208 Collector object 207 extracting elements with expressions 209 extracting values from test results 208 I O Transaction box 153 optimizing programs 408 Scalar menu 153 setting dimensions 153 storing test results 206 B backward compatibility 427 bar scroll 43 barchart 324 basic Rocky Mountain Basic 442 Beep displays 194 Beep object 391 bitmaps 370 branching tests 336 b
366. s The lab exercises in this chapter describe how to create call and edit VEE user defined functions You will also learn how to create libraries of functions which can be merged into programs in the development phase or imported at runtime Defining an Agilent VEE Function There are three types of user defined functions in VEE The overview of each type of function is as follows l UserFunctions Q To create a UserFunction you select Device gt UserFunction or click Edit gt Create UserFunction with several objects selected Q To call a UserFunction from different places in a program you use the Call myFunction Device Call object or use an expression within an object from Formula for example You can also generate call objects in the Main program from the UserFunction using the UserFunction object menu and selecting choices such as Generate gt Call Q To edit a UserFunction you click on Edit gt Edit UserFunction and select the appropriate UserFunction from the list box presented Q To transfer UserFunctions from one program to another you merge the UserFunctions during program development or import them at runtime Device Import Library 296 Chapter 8 Using Agilent VEE Functions Using Functions 2 Compiled Functions Q To create a compiled function you work outside of VEE using a compiled language You then put the functions into a library such as a DLL Q To link a compiled function to a
367. s 2000 enter the command cmd c lt system command gt This option tells the command interpreter to read the string following the c as a system command Chapter 7 Integrating Programs In Other Languages Understanding the Execute Program Object Using the Execute Program Object HP UX Figure 7 2 shows the Execute Program Object for HP UX WRITE TEXT A REAL64 STD EOL READ TEXT x REAL64 Double Click to Add Transaction Shell Jnone x Waitfor prog exit Yes R Exit code Prog with params Figure 7 2 The Execute Program Object UNIX HP UX is designed to run a number of programs called processes concurrently If VEE initiates another program VEE is called the parent process and the program initiated is called the child process The Execute Program object spawns a child process either directly or through a command shell The fields in the Execute Program UNIX object are as follows Shell Field Chapter 7 The she11 field opens a menu with the following choices none sh csh and ksh The first token in the Prog with params field is interpreted as the name of an executable program and the following tokens are assumed to be parameters If you have shell dependent features in the Prog with params field such as standard input and output redirection lt lt and gt gt wildcards a z or pipes you need to specify a shell otherwise select none because it yields a faster
368. s Panel Program before running 401 Figure 10 33 The Status Panel Program running 402 Figure 11 1 Calculating Square Roots per Measurement 408 Figure 11 2 Calculating Square Roots using Math Array s s s 409 Figure 11 3 Optimizing Programs by Using Icons 410 Figure 11 4 Function Calls without Optimization eee 411 Figure 11 5 Function Calls with Optimization eeeeeeseeereeeee 411 Figure 11 6 Importing a Library of Compiled Functions 0 417 Figure 11 7 Using Call Object for Compiled Functions 0 418 Figure 11 8 A Program Using a DLL MANUAL49 eee 420 Figure 11 9 The Shared Library Name UserObject eee 421 Figure 11 10 Program Calling a Compiled Function eee 425 Figure 11 11 Execution Mode Display in VEE Status Bar 428 Figure 11 12 Default Preferences Button on Toolbar eee 429 Figure 11 13 Changing the Execution Mode in Default Preferences 429 Figure 11 14 Chaos vee in VEE 3 Mode with Open Displays 431 Figure 11 15 Chaos vee in VEE 3 Mode with Closed Displays 432 Figure 11 16 Chaos vee in VEE 4 or Higher Mode with Debugging Dis ADE nuri ates hhh tee aaa Snes eat ee Ae ene 433 Figure 11 17 Iterative Math Example in VEE 3 Mode eee 434 Figure 11 18 Iterative Math Example Using VEE 4 or Higher Mode 434 Figure 11 19 An Example of the Profiler cee ee eeeeeeeeeeee 435 Figure 12 1 The Initialize Rock
369. s a way to view the data on a given line Place the mouse pointer over a data line in the detail view The cursor becomes a graphic of a magnifying glass The line and its connections are highlighted and a box appears displaying the data value on the line Click the magnifying glass cursor and a dialog box appears with more information about the data line Or click Debug Line Probe and click on a line For example Figure 2 21 shows part of a VEE program with the output displayed from the iconized Function Generator The output shows the Function Generator generates a 256 point waveform array lt Waveform Array Size 256 gt L ine Tip pa Figure 2 21 Displaying the Value on an Output Pin 104 Chapter 2 Agilent VEE Programming Techniques Debugging Programs in Agilent VEE If you click on a data line a dialog box appears with all the information about the data on the line For example Figure 2 22 shows the dialog box that appears when you click on the output of the Function Generator r Container Information ERa 000 1 is wavatarm 1i 001 0 9952 002 0 9808 Size 256 003 0 9569 Mappings LN 00 02 004 0 9239 005 0 8819 006 0 8315 007 0 773 008 0 7071 009 0 6344 010 0 5556 011 0 4714 012 0 3827 013 0 2903 014 0 1951 015 98 02m 016 61 23E 18 017 98 02m 018 0 1951 019 0 2903 020 0 3827 021 0 4714 022 0 5556 023 0 6344 024 0 7071 Shape Array 1D Data
370. s address of the instrument a number from 0 to 31 If you leave the address at 0 it means that you are developing without an instrument present Specifies whether instruments are controlled locally or remotely Use the default entry This host to control instruments locally or enter a Gateway for remote control For more information refer to the VEE Pro Advanced Techniques manual 3 Change the name to scope leave all the other defaults as they are and click Advanced The Advanced Instrument Properties dialog box appears as shown in Figure 3 8 Chapter 3 135 Easy Ways to Control Instruments Configuring an Instrument Advanced Instrument Properties General Direct I O Plug amp play Driver Panel Driver Timeout sec Live Mode Byte Ordering Description optional Figure 3 8 The Advanced Instrument Properties Dialog The entries in the General folder are as follows Timeout Live Mode Byte Ordering Description The maximum number of seconds allowed for an I O transaction to complete before you get an error message Specifies whether there is live communication with the instrument Set this to OFF unless you have an instrument present VEE defaults to the ON setting Specifies the order the device uses for reading and writing binary data The field toggles between Most Significant Byte MSB first or Least Significant Byte first All TIEEE488 2 compliant devices must d
371. s and Functions StrTrim str first strips off any spaces or tabs from the front and back of the name StrPosChar str1 yields the index of the space character between the firstname and lastname StrLen str of course gives the length of the string All of these were performed using the string objects but they could also be done using string functions within a Formula object E Formula Object StrFromThru A B 1 C 1 takes the string from input A adds 1 to the index of the space from input B and subtracts 1 from the string length at input C Recall that all indexing is zero based E Set Variable Notice how easily you can set a global variable called lastname which can then be referenced in any expression field such as the Formula object in this example E Optimizing The three formulas could be combined into one formula It is recommended to leave strTrim on its own since its output is used multiple times but the others could be combined into one to optimize speed This could reduce readability however Appendix A 485 g From p Thru fri 0 Step fi 0 Additional Lab Exercises Optimizing Techniques Optimizing Techniques For this lab you will build a VEE program two different ways and note the difference in execution speed Optimizing Techniques Step 1 Create a program that sends the range 0 to 710 step 10 through botha sine function and cosine function Put the results of the functions on an X vs
372. s in the Execute Program object However to execute an MS DOS system command you must first run the DOS command interpreter In this exercise you will run the DOS command interpreter and execute an MS DOS system command Lab 7 1 Using a System Command PC 1 Select I O Execute Program PC Click the Prog with params field to get a cursor then type command com c dir gt gt c bob Replace command com with cmd for Windows NT 4 0 or Windows 2000 If the drive letter is different from c then substitute that drive letter in these instructions On NT you may have to specify a directory for which you have write permissions You may need to include the complete path of the command com executable The command runs the DOS command interpreter which runs the system command to display the current directory and redirects the output gt to the bob file instead of the computer screen Leave Yes for the Wait for prog exit selection Leave Normal for Run Style and enter c for the Working directory 2 SelectI O From File and place it below Execute Program Connect the sequence out pin of Execute Program to the sequence in pin of the From File object Click the From File input field labeled myFile to get a list box enter c bob then click OK The program creates the file bob for you Chapter 7 285 Integrating Programs In Other Languages Using a System Command 3 Double click the transaction bar to get the
373. s just like local functions Chapter 8 315 Using Agilent VEE Functions Using Libraries With Agilent VEE UserFunctions 3 Select Display Note Pad and type the UserFunction descriptions similar to the ones shown in Figure 8 17 Then save the program as RepGen vee Note You can save a program of UserFunctions for the purpose of creating a library even though there is no actual VEE program calling the functions BuildRecary Simulates test data and stores it in an array of records ReportHeader Sends a report header to the specified file consisting of a test name a time stamp and table headings for three columns of test data ReportBody Sends a test value test limit and pass fail indicator for three tests to the specified file ReportDisplay Displays the report from the specified file Figure 8 17 The RepGen vee Library of UserFunctions 316 Chapter 8 Using Agilent VEE Functions Using Libraries With Agilent VEE UserFunctions Lab 8 3 Importing and Deleting Libraries Once you have created a library of UserFunctions you may not want to merge them into every program You might like to bring in the library at run time use some of the functions and then delete the library to conserve memory The Import Library and Delete Library objects are designed for this situation In this exercise you will import functions from the RepGen program Then you will call the BuildRecAry function to simulate
374. s tests in a specified order based on runtime results Each test may be a VEE UserFunction a Compiled Function a Remote Function or any other expression which returns a single result That result is compared to a test specification to determine whether or not it passes The Sequencer then uses a pass or fail indicator to determine the next test it should perform There are six different options for branching to the next test These options include executing the next test repeating the same test or jumping back to an earlier test Lab 9 1 explains branching options in detail The Sequencer can even ask for user input to decide what course of action to take After the specified tests have been executed the Sequencer automatically logs the test data to an output terminal From this point the data can be analyzed and displayed or stored to a file for future investigation 330 Chapter 9 Note Note Test Sequencing Creating a Test Execution Order Creating a Test Execution Order In this lab you will simulate test results using the random function establish a test execution order learn how to modify that order and retrieve specific data from the logged results Lab 9 1 Configuring a Test The example explains how to implement the random function with a certain range of test results expected but you can use the same principles to configure other tests 1 Select Device Sequencer and place it in the upper left work area
375. s the test you might call This function should add an input value to a random value 0 to 1 It will have one input pin and one output pin From the Sequencer create test2 to call AddRand and send in a zero Test the return value to do a limit comparison less than the global UpLimit value If it passes then return PASS test2 result If it fails return FAILED test2 result Put an Alphanumeric display on the Return pin of the Sequencer After the Sequencer object ping a Get Variable object UpLimit and another Alphanumeric display Run the program several times 514 Appendix A Additional Lab Exercises Test Sequencing Solution Using the Test Sequencer Step 1 Figure A 30 shows a solution for the first step of using the Sequencer testi Call UpperLimit function test2 5 lt UpLimit Double Click to Add Transaction Name UpLimit Figure A 30 Using the Sequencer Step 1 Key Points E Setting Global Variables with a UserFunction A typical use of the first Sequencer transaction is to call a UserFunction that sets the Global Variables as it does in this case Then you can utilize these variables in any test that follows as is shown here E The Sequencer Return Pin The Return pin in this example delivers a PASS or FAIL message plus the test value You could use this pin to deliver any message or value from a particular test Appendix A 515 Additional Lab Exerci
376. s to explore data and create custom tools that provide early insights and competitive advantages As a VEE user you can incorporate the full power of MATLAB and the Signal Processing Toolbox for applications involving data analysis visualization and modeling By upgrading to the full versions of these products you can use a wide range of additional MATLAB features in VEE applications such as creating user defined functions M files and access to the MATLAB command window the MATLAB Editor Debugger and the Signal Processing GUI For more information about using MATLAB Script objects in VEE programs refer to Using MATLAB Script in Agilent VEE on page 187 of Chapter 4 Analyzing and Displaying Test Data Introduction 15 Obtaining Agilent VEE Support Obtaining Agilent VEE Support You can obtain VEE support via the Web or by telephone for startup assistance Obtaining Information on the World Wide Web The VEE website offers a variety of information including application notes user tips technical information and information about VEE partners such as PC plug in board vendors E Main VEE Website http www agilent com find vee E For Current Support Information While connected to the network in VEE click Help gt Agilent VEE on the Web gt Support Figure I 4 shows how to select support in VEE Or in the Web browser select http www agilent com find vee and click Support File Edit
377. sdev to consult Help The sdev x object is defined as the square root of the variance of x and x may be of the type UInt8 Int16 Int32 Real32 Real64 Coord or Waveform The Function Generator outputs a Waveform data type 4 Connect the Function Generator to sdev x 5 Select Display AlphaNumeric and connect it to the sdev x data output pin 6 Run the program It should look like Figure 4 4 n 0 7085 Figure 4 4 Calculating Standard Deviation sdevix Result 180 Chapter 4 Note Analyzing and Displaying Test Data Creating Expressions with the Formula Object Creating Expressions with the Formula Object The Formula object can be used to write mathematical expressions in VEE The variables in the expression are the data input pin names or global variables The result of the evaluation of the expression will be put on the data output pin Figure 4 5 shows a Formula object The input field for the expression is in the center of the object A default expression 2 A 3 indicates where to enter the formula Just double click the field to type in a different expression You can type in a Formula expression on more than one line If a Formula expression contains a Return it is interpreted as a multi line single expression If a Formula contains statements separated by semi colons they are interpreted as multiple expressions in the Formula You can also use standard editing commands to
378. se are C based drivers and are designed for the maximum performance and ease of use Agilent VEE is fully VXIplug amp play compatible All available VXIplug amp play drivers from Agilent Technologies ship as a separate product and are also available on the Web at http www agilent com find inst drivers These same drivers are also included with VEE along with all Agilent Technologies panel drivers To get VXIplug amp play drivers for other instruments contact the instrument vendor Lab 3 4 Configuring a VXIPlug amp play Driver This example describes how to configure an HPE1412 driver 1 Select I O Instrument Manager 2 Highlight My configuration then click Add under Instrument to get the Instrument Properties dialog box Enter a name such as Instrument and click Advanced to display the Advanced Instrument Properties dialog box 3 Inthe Advanced Instrument Properties dialog box toggle Live Mode to OFF and select the Plug amp play Driver folder Click the Plug amp play Driver Name field to display the drop down menu which lists all the drivers installed on the computer This example uses the HPE1412 driver as shown in Figure 3 31 Chapter 3 163 Easy Ways to Control Instruments Using a VXI plug amp play Driver Advanced Instrument Properties General Direct O Plug amp play Driver Panel Driver Plug amp play Driver Name ee HPE1412 A Parameters to initQ call HPE1413 r Download drivers from
379. series of tests several times This generates an array of records Each record represents one run through the Sequencer and holds other records representing each test within a run The easiest way to visualize this is to imagine a cube of data in memory as shown in Figure 9 14 Log Test1 Result Figure 9 14 A Logged Array of Records of Records The array of records is called Log because that is the name associated with the Sequencer output pin To access a particular run use array indexing with the bracket notation E Log 0 is the first run through the Sequencer Log 1 is the second run and so forth E The main record for each run has two fields Test 1 and Test2 Chapter 9 355 Test Sequencing Analyzing Data from the Sequencer E Within the record Test1 there are three fields Name Result and Pass The same holds for the record Test2 E Therefore Log Test1 Result gives an array of four values each representing one of the four runs Log 0 Test1 Result outputs a scalar value the Result of Test1 in the first run Log 0 The logged array of records simplifies analyzing and investigating the data For example you might want to know how many tests passed in a particular run Or you might want to average the results of Test 2 in all runs Or you might want to see all of the data on Test1 in the fourth run All of these queries are possible with this data structure The next exercise performs some analysis o
380. ses Test Sequencing Using the Test Sequencer Step 2 Disable the first test Assuming that you do not need the global anywhere else you can call the UpperLimit function directly Change test2 so that it compares the return value of AddRand 0 against the result of the UpperLimit function Hint For disabling the first test use the Sequencer Transaction box as shown in Figure A 31 ii testi Call UpperLimitd function test2 5 lt upperLimit Double Click to Add Transaction gt EXEC festi DISABLED M ENABLED FUNCTION Upi 6 116 0 5 46LED ENABLED IF THEN CONTINUE 4 DISABLED IF DESCRIPTION Jean UpperLimit function Name UpLimit Figure A 31 Disable the First Test in the Sequence Note that in Figure A 31 the first test in the Sequencer is commented out with two slashes to show that it is disabled 516 Appendix A Additional Lab Exercises Test Sequencing Solution Using the Test Sequencer Step 2 Figure A 32 shows a solution to using the test Sequencer step 2 iitest Call UpperLimit function test2 5 lt upperLimito Double Click to Add Transaction gt Return PASS 0 543975830078125 Name UpLimit Data 0 591 EN UpperLimit AddRand ioj x Name UpLimit Figure A 32 Using the Sequencer Step 2 Key Points E The UserFunction in an Expression Field In this exampl
381. sic object as shown in Figure 12 1 has a single field in which you specify the Rocky Mountain Basic RMB program to run Program installDirexamplesitmbima Figure 12 1 The Initialize Rocky Mountain Basic Object Enter the entire path and any options for the program For example the program installDir examples rmb man34a bas may have been stored or saved in RMB The object will spawn the RMB process and run the program You can also use relative paths from the present working directory to specify the program This object does not provide any data path to or from RMB Use the To From Rocky Mountain Basic object to specify the program You can use more than one Initialize Rocky Mountain Basic object ina VEE program There is no direct way to terminate an RMB process from a VEE program Instead use a QUIT statement in the RMB program when it receives a certain data value from the VEE program You could also use an Execute Program object to kill the RMB process using a shell command such as rmbkill When you exit VEE any RMB processes still attached are terminated automatically 442 Chapter 12 Note Platform Specifics and Web Monitoring Communicating with Rocky Mountain Basic Programs Using the To From Rocky Mountain Basic Object Write Pipe ftrapito_rmb Read Pipe fimpitrom_omb WRITE TEXT a INT32 EOL Double Click to Add Transaction Figure 12 2 The To From Rocky Mountain Basic Object Figure
382. some test data display it and finally delete the library to free up memory and swap space 1 Select File gt New 2 Select Device Import Library and place it in Main Set the fields in the Import Library object as follows Library Type Library Name File Name Chapter 8 The menu in the Library Type field allows you to select a UserFunction a Compiled Function or a Remote Function In this case you want a UserFunction library so leave the default The Library Name shows myLib as a default This name is used as a handle by the VEE program to distinguish between different libraries being imported The Delete Library object uses this name to identify the library to be deleted You can use the default name The File Name field shows a dialog box for the user program directory by default on a PC HP UX systems access the directory you were in when you started VEE Specify the file that holds the library of functions Click the default name myFile to get the list box Select RepGen vee from Creating and Merging a Library of UserFunctions on page 310 This file will be in the directory you specified for your programs during installation 317 Note Using Agilent VEE Functions Using Libraries With Agilent VEE UserFunctions 3 Open the object menu and select Load Lib to import the library immediately instead of waiting until runtime This command is very useful in the development stage In the next s
383. space in its own window if you want it to be Chapter 8 297 Using Agilent VEE Functions Using Functions Otherwise it is stored to be called from the Call object or any other expression field Changes to a UserFunction will be inherited by all instances in the program that calls that UserFunction You can also create libraries of UserFunctions for more code re use Lab 8 1 UserFunction Operations This exercise describes how to create a UserFunction named ArrayStats which will accept an array calculate its maximum value minimum value mean and standard deviation and put the results on its output pins Creating a UserFunction 1 Select Device Formula delete its default input pin and change its default expression to ramp 1024 1 1024 This will create a 1024 element array with values from 1 to 1024 2 Select Device gt UserFunction Rename it ArrayStats a Add one data input terminal for the array b Add four data output terminals for the results c Rename the output terminals Max Min Mean and Sdev Select max min mean and sdev fromthe Probability amp Statistics category in the Function amp Object Browser box d Place them in ArrayStats and connect their data inputs to A and their data outputs to the appropriate output terminals Make the ArrayStats window smaller to see both of the Main and ArrayStats windows See Figure 8 1 298 Chapter 8 Using Agilent VEE Functions Using Functions
384. splays may be customized in a variety of ways Not only can you label move and size displays like all VEE objects but you can also change the x y scales modify the traces add markers or zoom in on parts of the graphical display The following example illustrates some of these features It uses the Noise Generator to generate a waveform and then displays it with the Waveform Time display The example also describes how to change the X scale zoom in on a wave segment and use the markers to measure the distances between points on the waveform The same principles may be applied to all the graphical displays Displaying a Waveform 1 Select Device Virtual Source gt Noise Generator 2 Select Display Waveform Time 3 Connect the data output of the Noise Generator to the data input of Waveform Time andrun the program It should look like Figure 4 14 196 Chapter 4 Analyzing and Displaying Test Data Customizing Test Data Displays Mag 0 4 0 Figure 4 14 Displaying a Waveform Changing the X and Y Scales 1 Double click the Waveform Time title bar to get the Y Plot Properties box select the Scales folder select 20m for the X Maximum and enter 1m This alters the time span of the display from 20 milliseconds to 1 millisecond Double click the Minimum field on the Y axis where it says 1 and enter 5 Click OK Zooming in on Part of the Waveform 1 Open the Waveform Time objec
385. ssecssessseceneeeeeeeeeesaeeeseeeaeesaeenes 106 Figure 2 24 Resume Program same as the Run Button 0 107 Figure 2 25 Clear Breakpoint S scessesssessecceseeeeeeeseceseeeseeeaeeenaeens 107 Figure 2 26 Pause or Stop a Program eee eeseessessecensecnecesseceeeeeeeeees 108 Figure 2 27 Example Runtime Error Message using Go To 109 Figure 2 28 Using the Call Stack in Wheel exe n se 110 Figure 2 29 The Order of Events in an Object 111 Figure 2 30 Control Line Used to Execute Custom Title 112 Figure 2 31 Start Objects Executing Separate Threads 113 Figure 2 32 Step Into Step Over and Step Out Buttons on the Toolbar 114 Contents 12 Figure 2 33 Figure 2 34 Figure 2 35 Figure 2 36 Figure 2 37 Figure 2 38 Figure 3 1 Figure 3 2 Figure 3 3 Figure 3 4 Figure 3 5 Figure 3 6 Figure 3 7 Figure 3 8 Figure 3 9 Figure 3 10 Figure 3 11 Figure 3 12 Figure 3 13 Figure 3 14 Figure 3 15 Figure 3 16 Figure 3 17 Figure 3 18 Figure 3 19 Figure 3 20 Figure 3 21 Figure 3 22 Figure 3 23 Figure 3 24 Figure 3 25 Figure 3 26 Figure 3 27 Figure 3 28 Figure 3 29 Figure 3 30 Figure 3 31 Figure 3 32 Figure 3 33 Figure 3 34 Figure 3 35 The Random Program eeeeeeeesceseceneeeeceeceneeeseeeees 117 Set and Get a Global Variable eee ceeeceteeeeeeeees 119 The Description Dialog BOX eeeeeseceeeeneceneeeneeeees 121 The Be
386. t Connect the output pin from the top Int 32 object to the input pin A of the MATLAB Script object Connect the output pin from the bottom Int32 object to the input pin B of the MATLAB Script object Connect the output pin from the MATLAB Script object to the input pin of the Alphanumeric object Run the program It generates a VEE Runtime Error stating the expected input was a Real64 Complex Waveform or Text and Int32 input was received instead To avoid errors like this change the input terminal data type on the MATLAB Script object 5 Double click on terminal A to open the Input Terminal Information dialog box Click on Required Type to display the drop down menu select Real64 and click OK Double click on terminal B and change it to a Rea164 as well as shown in Figure 4 13 Run the program Now the Int32 data is automatically converted to Real64 on the input pin before it is passed to MATLAB 192 Chapter 4 Chapter 4 Analyzing and Displaying Test Data Using MATLAB Script in Agilent VEE Real32 Real64 PComplex Complex Waveform Spectrum Coord Text Record Figure 4 13 Changing Input Terminal Data Type 193 Analyzing and Displaying Test Data Displaying Test Data Displaying Test Data Table 4 2 describes the display capabilities for the different VEE objects Table 4 2 Displays Display Description Alphanumeric Display values as text or numbers Requires SCALAR
387. t Change the default value in For Count to 4 2 Select Data Collector Double click the Collector to switch to Open view Connect the data output of For Count to the data input of the Collector the top input pin Connect the For Count sequence output pin to the XEQ pin the bottom input pin on the Collector Iconize the Collector 216 Chapter 5 Storing and Retrieving Test Results Using the To From File Objects The Collector will now create the array 0 1 2 3 which you can send to the data file 3 Using the same To File object double click in the transaction area In the I O Transaction dialog box open the DEFAULT FORMAT menu and select REAL64 FORMAT The I O Transaction dialog box displays additional buttons for the REAL64 FORMAT selection You can leave all of the default choices but you might want to investigate the options for future reference 4 Click OK to close the I O Transaction box The transaction bar in the To File object should now contain the statement WRITE TEXT a REAL64 STD EOL Notice that VEE also automatically adds an input terminal a 5 Connect the output from the Collector to the input a of To File The program should now look like Figure 5 6 The configured 1 0 Transaction box is also displayed To File myFile I Clear File At PreRun amp Open WRITE TEXT Testi EOL a WRITE TEXT now TIME HM H12 E WRITE TEXT a REAL64 STD EOL VO Transaction WRITE x TEXT 7 fa
388. t Function amp Object Browser to get the Function amp Object Browser Then select Type Operators Category Arithmetic Operators Click Create Formula to create the object 94 Chapter 2 Note Using Data Shapes Agilent VEE Programming Techniques General Techniques 5 Add an AlphaNumeric object by selecting Display gt AlphaNumeric Connect the objects as shown in Figure 2 15 Type in the value 1 53 in the data entry field of the Real64 Constant object and the complex value 2 1 in the Complex object Run the program and you should get the result shown in Figure 2 15 Figure 2 15 Using Data Types VEE automatically converts the data as needed and then performs the addition in the A B object The real value 1 53 is converted to the complex value 1 53 0 which is then added to the complex value 2 1 The result 3 53 1 acomplex number is displayed in the AlphaNumeric object Normally VEE automatically handles all data type conversions For more information select Help gt Contents and Index from the VEE menu bar Then browse How Do I Tell Me About or Reference VEE supports a variety of data shapes such as scalars and arrays Unlike most programming languages VEE objects can operate on an entire array rather than on only one element The following program creates a one dimensional ten element array calculates the median of the 10 values and then displays the median value 1
389. t Glossary gt Terminal E Look up the VEE version number Select Help About VEE Pro E Find out what is new in this version of Agilent VEE Select Help gt Contents and Index What s New in Agilent VEE 6 0 Chapter 2 101 Agilent VEE Programming Techniques Debugging Programs in Agilent VEE Debugging Programs in Agilent VEE This exercise uses the program you created in Creating a Panel View Operator Interface on page 91 Select File Open highlight simple program with panel vee and click OK VEE displays error messages during development and when a program runs and can display caution error and informational messages as follows When you run a program VEE may display a yellow titled Caution box When you run a program VEE may display a red titled Error box If you make a mistake while creating a program such as typing an out of range value of 33000 into an Int16 Constant VEE displays an Error message box with a dark blue title bar VEE also displays information in the status bar about errors and cautions The status bar is along the bottom of the VEE window Showing Data Flow 1 Click the Show Data Flow button on the center of the tool bar as shown in Figure 2 18 Or you can click Debug Show Data Flow Show Data Flow button on toolbar Figure 2 18 Show Data Flow To turn it off click it again When you run the program you will see small squares moving along the data lines to i
390. t menu and click Properties Set as follows Open View Deselect Show Title Bar 392 Chapter 10 Using Operator Interfaces Common Tasks In Creating Operator Interfaces Editing Enabled Deselect Fonts Text size Enlarge text size and Font Style Bold Fonts Select Automatically Resize Object on Font Change Appearance Border Change toa Raised border Click OK to close the Properties dialog box 9 Change the Color Alarmto a Raised Border as well 10 Double click on the UserFunction title bar to get the Properties dialog box and select Show Panel on Execute Deselect Show Title Bar Change the Panel Titleto alarm Iconize alarm 11 Go to the Main window and delete the Ca11 object VEE will still hold the function alarm in memory If you want to edit the function again select Edit Edit UserFunction or double click on its icon Create the function that repeatedly calls the alarm function 12 Select Device UserFunction and change the name of the UserFunction to warning 13 Select Flow Repeat Until Break 14 Select Device Call change the Function Name to alarm and connect its sequence input pin to the Until Break data output pin Add a Check Box object to ask the operator if he or she wants to turn off the alarm 15 Select Data Toggle Control Check Box Open the Check Box Properties box change the name to Turn off alarm select Scaled under Layout select Initialize at PreRun and make sure the value is
391. t any other VEE object For more information about MATLAB functions from the main VEE window select Help MATLAB Script Help Desk Working with Data Types Only a subset of the VEE data types are supported as inputs and outputs of MATLAB objects VEE automatically converts some one dimensional arrays to make it more convenient for programs that contain both VEE and MATLAB functions For example a VEE one dimensional text array will automatically convert to a two dimensional character array when it is input to a MATLAB Script object and a character one dimensional array from a MATLAB Script object will automatically convert to a Text Scalar when it is output from the MATLAB Script object For a complete listing and description of the automatic conversions between VEE data types and MATLAB data types refer to the VEE online Help Chapter 4 191 Analyzing and Displaying Test Data Using MATLAB Script in Agilent VEE You can also use input terminal data type constraints to ensure that the data input from another object is converted to a supported type as shown in the following example 1 Select Data Constant Int32 and click to place the object Change the value to 7 Clone the object and place the second Int 32 under the first Change its value to 20 Select Device MATLAB Script and place the object to the right of the constant objects Select Display Alphanumeric and place it to the right of the MATLAB Script objec
392. t meets the problem specifications However programs that execute more quickly and are easier to use are probably better solutions Each solution includes a short discussion of key points 468 Appendix A Note Additional Lab Exercises General Programming Techniques General Programming Techniques Apple Bagger You want to know how many apples it takes to fill a ten pound basket Create a VEE program that counts how many apples it takes to fill the basket Each apple weighs between 0 and 1 pound Suggestions This program can be created with 10 or fewer objects Choose from the following objects Start Until Break random function Accumulator Break Real64 Conditional A gt B Stop Counter If Then Else Alphanumeric The VEE programs for many of the lab exercises and programming examples in this manual are included in VEE under Help Open Example Manual gt UsersGuide Appendix A 469 Additional Lab Exercises General Programming Techniques Solution 1 Apple Bagger Figure A 1 shows one solution to the Apple Bagger exercise Figure A 1 Apple Bagger Solution 1 Key Points E Optimal Solutions To optimize the performance of programs use fewer objects if possible This solution uses six objects The program could also be implemented with 10 objects as Figure A 2 shows E Until Break and Break Objects Use these objects for loops that require testing a condition In this example the loo
393. t menu and click Zoom gt In The cursor becomes a small right angle By clicking and dragging you can draw a square on the graph outlining the area you want to enlarge Outline an area of the waveform including several peaks and release the mouse button Chapter 4 197 Note Analyzing and Displaying Test Data Customizing Test Data Displays The display zooms in to this selected area of the waveform Notice the x and y scales change automatically Adding Delta Markers to the Display 1 Move to the open view on the Noise Generator a Change the Num Points setting to 16 Run the program again b Open the Waveform Time object menu and select Properties or just double click on the title bar then under Markers click Delta Then click OK You can get and set the values of the markers at runtime See the online Help topic under Contents and Index How Do I Display Data for more information You will see two white arrows pointing up and down at one of the data points on the waveform Also notice that the display records the x and y coordinates of these markers at the bottom of the display To measure the x or y distance between two peaks click and drag the arrows to the peaks you want to measure You will see one of the markers move to those new peaks with the new coordinates recorded at the bottom of the display as shown in Figure 4 15 198 Chapter 4 Note Analyzing and Displaying Test Data Customizing Test D
394. t shapes that correspond to process modes such as an arrow crosshairs and hourglass Pop Up Menu A menu that is raised by clicking the right mouse button For example you can raise the Edit menu by clicking the right mouse button in an empty area within the work area Or you can raise the object menu by clicking the right mouse button on an inactive area of an object Glossary 535 Preferences Preferences are attributes of the VEE environment that you can change using the Default Preferences button on the toolbar or the menu File gt Default Preferences For example you can change the default colors fonts and number format Program In VEE a graphical program that consists of a set of objects connected with lines The program typically represents a solution to an engineering problem Program Explorer A facility in the VEE window that permits exploration of a program especially the parts of a program that might not be visible on the physical screen Propagation The rules that objects and programs follow when they operate or run See also Data Flow Properties Object properties are attributes of VEE objects that you can change using Properties on the object menu such as colors fonts and titles Pull Down Menu A menu that is pulled down from the menu bar when you position the pointer over a menu title and click the left mouse button Scroll Arrow An arrow that when clicked on scrolls through a list of data files or
395. t should look like Figure 5 1 Output Shape 1 Dim Array Figure 5 1 The Collector Creating an Array Lab 5 2 Extracting Values from an Array To extract values from an array you can either use the bracket notation in an expression or use the Access Array Get Values object The following example uses expressions in the Formula object You will add several objects to the program in this exercise 1 Delete the data line between the Collector and AlphaNumeric by placing the mouse pointer over the line pressing Shift Ctrl and then clicking the left mouse button Then iconize the Collector 208 Chapter 5 Storing and Retrieving Test Results Using Arrays to Store Test Results 2 Select Device Formula and clone it Move AlphaNumeric to the right and put both Formula objects to the right of the Collector 3 Connect the Collector data output to the data inputs of the Formula objects Enter A 2 in the upper Formula input field and A 1 3 in the lower Formula input field A 2 will extract the third element of the array as a Scalar A 1 3 will return a sub array of three elements holding the second third and fourth elements of A meaning the array on the A input terminal 4 Clone AlphaNumeric and connect a display to each Formula object 5 Run the program It should look like Figure 5 2 A Result Figure 5 2 Extracting Array Elements with Expressions Chapter 5 209 Storing and Re
396. t should look like Figure 7 5 Chapter 7 Shell sh x Wait for prog exit ves Shell command lis ftmp we I Is tmp READ TEXT Lines INT32 READ TEXT x STR ARRAY Lines Double Click to Add Transaction Exit code Figure 7 5 Using a Shell Command with a Pipe 289 Integrating Programs In Other Languages Using a System Command Writing Programs That Port Easily If you plan to integrate programs in other languages write the VEE programs so that they ports easily between platforms VEE includes system information objects in Function amp Object Browser System Information as shown in Figure 7 6 These objects can also be used as functions Function amp Object Browser Type Category Functions lt All gt haseName Operators Activex Automation commandLine MATLAB Functions Array dirName Local User Functions Bessel errorinfo Imported User Functions Bitwise getEny Remote User Functions Calculus getHostname Compiled Functions Complex Parts help Activex Objects Data Filtering VEE Objects Generate Instruments Matrix Panel Power Probability amp Statistics Real Parts Signal Processing programName whichOS whichPlatform which ersion System Information Time amp Nate installDir Returns the directory this version of VEE is installed in Create Formula Greate eama Close Help Figure 7 6 System Information Fu
397. t when this WRITE transaction is executed Uploading and downloading are controlled by the settings in the Direct I O Configuration dialog box If Conformance is IEEE 488 2 then VEE will automatically handle learn strings using the 488 2 LRN definition If Conformance is IEEE 488 then Upload String specifies the command used to query the state and Download String specifies the command that precedes the state string when downloaded Figure 3 22 shows an example Advanced Instrument Properties General Direct vO Pluggplay Driver Panel Driver Read Terminator Conformance J EEE 488 Write p Binblock None x EOL Sequence Multi Field as Data Only State Learn String Configured Array Separator o A Upload String SETUP Array Format Linear END EO on EOL No Download String SETUR Figure 3 22 Learn String Configuration for HP54100A Conformance can support IEEE 488 or IEEE 488 2 This example uses the HP 54100A Digitizing Oscilloscope which conforms to IEEE 488 and requires a SETUP to query the learn string and SETUP to precede the learn string when downloading When you select Configured for State Learn String two more fields appear labeled Upload String and Download String The proper strings have been entered in their input fields Chapter 3 155 Easy Ways to Control Instruments Using PC Plug in Boards Using PC Plug in Boards VEE provides three w
398. ta Types The VEE data types are described in Table 4 1 In general you will not be concerned with data types or shapes because most objects operate on any VEE data type and will automatically convert data to the type required for that object For example if a Magnitude Spectrum display receives a Waveform data type VEE automatically performs a Fast Fourier Transform to convert it from the time domain into the frequency domain Occasionally however an object requires a particular data type so it is good to be aware of them You will also want to be aware of the differences in supported data types between VEE and MATLAB For more information refer to the section Working with Data Types on page 191 The following are brief descriptions of VEE data types that you can read through quickly Issues involving using these data types is explained in subsequent chapters 174 Chapter 4 Analyzing and Displaying Test Data Agilent VEE Data Shapes and Data Types Table 4 1 Agilent VEE Data Types Data Type Description UInt8 Unsigned byte 0 to 255 Int16 A 16 bit two s complement integer 32768 to 32767 Int32 A 32 bit two s complement integer 2147483648 to 2147483647 Real32 A 32 bit floating point number that conforms to the IEEE 754 standard 3 40282347E 38 Real64 A 64 bit floating point number that conforms to the IEEE 754 standard 1 797693138623157 E308 P
399. tabase Instructions Click on the Note Pad input area and type Select the test results you want from the Test Menu 12 Rename the Record Constant object Test Results 13 The program should look like Figure 5 18 Run the program a few times to verify that it works Since the Test Menu object has AutoExecute turned on make a menu selection to run the program a the test results you want from the Test Menu lt test Output Shape Scalar lt testi iat lt test 10 lt test3 _ lt test4 lt tests amp test lt test lt tests lt testa Field name Value A fests From DataSet myFile B p 2759 Get records One c Real64 Array 1D Search Specifier eg Rec A lt 10 Rec A test6 Figure 5 18 Adding a Menu to the Search Operation Next create the operator interface 242 Chapter 5 Note Storing and Retrieving Test Results Customizing a Simple Test Database 14 Press Ctrl and click these objects Test Menu Test Results Database Instructions and Test Results All objects selected show a shadow Verify no other objects are selected Then select Edit Add to Panel and the operator interface appears as a panel view You can then move and size the objects One layout is shown in Figure 5 19 If the Add to Panel selection is grayed out it means that you do not have any objects selected in the work area the test results y
400. te your time stamp for this program Then you can specify the format E Configuring a Data Constant as an Array Any data type in the Data Constant menu can become an array by selecting Properties then under Configuration choose 1D Array The size may be entered here or as you are typing in the values an Enter will keep appending values Appendix A 509 Additional Lab Exercises Records E Naming Fields By renaming the input terminals on the Build Record object you can give your record specific field names such as int rand and wave E The Default Value Control Input A Record Constant makes an excellent interactive display object by adding a Default Value Control pin The Record Constant will automatically configure itself for the record it receives Manipulating Records Step 2 Use a conditional expression in a Formula object to test the random value in the record and display either the value or a text string If the value is less than 0 5 display that random value otherwise output a text string More than 0 5 Next extract only the time and the waveform Hint Do not use a Formula object to extract the time and waveform Display this record with an AlphaNumeric object 510 Appendix A Record 0000 daytime k l Include fields 0001 wave fields P Additional Lab Exercises Records Solution Manipulating Records Step 2 Figure A 28 shows manipulating records step 2 a rand lt 0 5 a rand
401. tead you can use a Formula that contains an expression generate the expression at run time and loop through the possible expressions First the example will generate the expression strings In a separate thread use a Loop and a Formula to generate a test expression string Output the information as a string ina Logging Alphanumeric The string generated in the Formula should be a test lt x gt timestamp where lt x gt goes from 1 to 4 Solution Using the Test Sequencer Step 6 Figure A 38 shows a solution for step 6 Start a testl timestamp a test2 timestamp a test3 timestamp a testd timestamp A faritest a timestamp Result Figure A 38 Using the Test Sequencer Step 6 Using the Test Sequencer Step 7 Now take the Loop and the Formula you built in Step 6 and replace the four Formulas and Junction in the previous step with the Loop and Formula Plus you now want to evaluate the string you built Send the string generated the expression a test lt x gt timestamp into a Formula to be evaluated at runtime Hints E Formula Control Pin on the Formula Object The Formula you want to evaluate is generated by the Formula inside the Loop You can create a second Formula box with a control input for its Formula expression The expression the second Formula evaluates is generated at runtime Appendix A 525 Additional Lab Exercises Test Sequencing Solution
402. tep you will notice that when choosing Select Functioninthe Call object the functions are designated with the library handle first such as myLib BuildRecAry To display the library of imported functions use the Program Explorer Because you have imported the library you can only view the UserFunction and set breakpoints for it You cannot edit the UserFunction To add a UserFunction to a program that can be edited use the Merge Library command 4 Select Device Call and place it below the Import Library object Connect the output sequence pin from Import Library to input sequence pin on the Cal1 object 5 Open the Call Function object menu and click Select Function to show a list of the functions imported with the Load Lib command Select myLib BuildRecAry as shown in Figure 8 18 318 Chapter 8 Using Agilent VEE Functions Using Libraries With Agilent VEE UserFunctions Select Function Type Category Functions Local User Functions lt All gt Imported User Functions ReportBody Remote User Functions ReportDisplay Compiled Functions ReportHeader myLib BuildRecAry OK Greate setkonnula Cancel Help Figure 8 18 Selecting a Function from an Imported Library VEE automatically inserts the function in the Function Name field and adds the required output terminal You could also have entered myLib BuildRecAry in the Function Name field to accomplish the same results Use Select Function whe
403. ter 2 Agilent VEE Programming Techniques 210 Chapter 5 Storing and Retrieving Test Results Using the To From File Objects Understanding I O Transactions TO transactions are used by VEE to communicate with instruments files strings the operating system interfaces other programs Rocky Mountain Basic and printers For example look at the To File object in Figure 5 3 To File myFile I Clear File At PreRun amp Open Figure 5 3 The To File Object The To File object shown in Figure 5 3 sends data to the specified file myFile It can include inputs called transactions to accept data from a program For example this To File object includes the transaction WRITE TEXT a EOL When you double click the transaction an I O Transaction dialog box appears as shown in Figure 5 4 which configures the specific transaction statement VO Transaction WRITE 7 TEXT hd lal DEFAULT FORMAT 7 EOLON OK nor Cancel Figure 5 4 An I O Transaction Dialog Box There are different forms of this dialog box depending on the object but all contain certain common elements including the actions the encoding the expression list the format and the end of line EOL sequence Chapter 5 211 Note Storing and Retrieving Test Results Using the To From File Objects T O Transaction Format An I O transaction to write data is usually in the following format lt act
404. terminal A to the lower left input terminal of the A B object 4 Add a data output terminal to Rand Connect the output of the A B object to the Rand output terminal The UserFunction Rand should look like Figure 9 6 Chapter 9 343 Note Note Test Sequencing Passing Data in the Sequencer f Rand lolx pan Figure 9 6 The Rand UserFunction 5 Save the program as seqdat1 vee Close the Rand window using the x button on its top right corner Closing the window does not remove the UserFunction If you want to check this just click on Edit Edit UserFunction and you will see Rand come up ina list box of UserFunctions to edit Or you can iconize the Rand function and you will see the icon for it in the bottom of the VEE screen Now set up three tests in the Sequencer to call Rand using a Sequencer input pin to feed the input parameter to Rand 6 Select Device Sequencer and place it in Main Add an input terminal to the Sequencer Click the transaction bar to get the Sequence Transaction dialog box Change the FUNCTION field from testFunc a to rand a This will call the UserFunction Rand and send it the value on the Sequencer input terminal A Click OK to get back to the Sequencer open view You could also use a Sequencer input terminal name such as A to pass data to any of the expression fields within the Sequence Transaction box For example you could use A to pass data to RANGE and SPEC NOM
405. the report in MS Word 4 To create a file name for the bitmap click Device Formula Rename it Image Filename Enter installDir Chapter 6 269 Creating Reports Easily Using Activex Using MS Word for Agilent VEE Reports panel bmp in the Formula input field Use the escape sequence to specify the ASCII character Delete input terminal A If you installed in c Program Files Agilent for example you would then generate the following text string on the Result output pin C Program Files Agilent VEE Pro 6 0 panel bmp 5 Create another Formula object and enter savePanelImage Graph FileName 256 Rename the input terminal to FileName This saves the screen dump from the UserFunction Graph in the panel bmp file in the installation directory at a color depth per pixel of 256 6 Create another Formula object and enter the statement Set App CreateObject Word Application This launches MS Word and assigns the object variable app to refer to this instance of the application Delete input terminal A Connect Call Graph ImageFileName and savePanelImage as shown in Figure 6 15 finstalDin ipanel bmp Result fileName savePanellmage Graph FileName 256 feet App CreateObject Word Application Figure 6 15 Beginning of Lab 6 3 Program 270 Chapter 6 Creating Reports Easily Using Activex Using MS Word for Agilent VEE Reports 7 Click Device Formula an
406. the vendor of the PC Plug in card or can also be supplied by a third party since they are standard drivers VEE enables you to control a PC Plug in board with an ODAS driver by choosing PC Plug in board functions in a Formula object ODAS drivers give you a more standard way to control a PC Plug in board than proprietary DLLs and port better from one PC to another Figure 3 3 shows an example of a Formula object in VEE used to control a PC Plug in board with an ODAS driver hermistor0 AlnSingle Ch Byref val Figure 3 3 ODAS Driver Object in a VEE Program PC Plug in Boards with I O Library TVO libraries usually shipped as Dynamically Linked Libraries or DLLs for PC Plug in boards are supplied by the vendor of the PC Plug in board VEE enables you to control the PC Plug in board by calling library functions with the Call object Figure 3 4 shows an example of the Import Library object that makes the functions available in VEE Chapter 3 131 Easy Ways to Control Instruments Overview Library Type Compiled Function aa Library Name CBI_UL File Name CA CBWEE CBY32 DLL Definition File CACBWEEICBY H Figure 3 4 Importing a PC Plug In Library VXIplug amp play Drivers VXIplug amp play drivers are supplied by the instrument vendor or by Agilent Technologies For a list of VXIplug amp play drivers available from Agilent Technologies refer to the VEE literature or the VEE Pro Advanced Techniques manual C
407. ting Objects to Make a Program Exiting Quitting Agilent VEE 12 Select File Exit to close the VEE application window Shortcut Press Ctrl E to exit VEE or click on the x button at the right end of the title bar You will probably not need to use the following techniques but if VEE stops responding to the mouse or keyboard follow these instructions In Windows 95 Press Ctrl Alt Delete and a window is displayed and Windows 98 with various options Follow the instructions in the window for MS Windows or click End Task In Windows NT Press Ctrl Alt Delete and click the Task Manager 4 0 and Windows button Select VEE in the Applications list and click 2000 End Task In HP UX You need to kill the process that is the UNIX terminology 1 Enter ps ef grep vee in HP UX ata prompt to identify the process identification number You will see a line with veetest on the end The number following your login is the process identification number to enter For example it could read john number veetest 2 Enter kill 9 number to stop the VEE application Then you can enter veetest to start over again Chapter 1 63 Using the Agilent VEE Development Environment Connecting Objects to Make a Program Re Starting Agilent VEE and Running a Program 1 64 PC In Windows click Start Programs Agilent VEE Pro 6 0 HP UX From your home directory enter veetest The executable is linked at install time to usr b
408. tion Detail 0 ccc eeeeeeneeeereeees 349 Figure 9 9 The Global UserFunction Panel eecccessceesenteeeeeeees 349 Figure 9 10 Passing data Using a Global Variable eee 350 Figure 9 11 The noisyWv UserFunction Detail ee eeeeeeeeeeee 351 Figure 9 12 The noisyWv UserObject Panel 352 Figure 9 13 Comparing a Waveform to a MaSK 354 Figure 9 14 A Logged Array of Records of Records eeeeeeee 355 Figure 9 15 Analyzing Several Runs of Sequencer Data 358 Figure 9 16 Storing Logged Data with To From File 0 0 0 eee 360 Figure 9 17 Storing Logged Data with To From DataSet 0 0 361 Figure 10 1 Panel View Button and Detail View Button in Title Bar 367 Figure 10 2 A Selection of VEE Indicators 0 eect eeseeseeeseeeneeeneeees 368 Figure 10 3 Logo Used as a Background Picture 370 Figure 10 4 Background Picture Used as Tile oone 370 Figure 10 5 A Cropped Image in VEE eee eeeeesecereeeseeeseeeaeens 371 Figure 10 6 Controls from Various Data Submenus eee 372 Figure 10 7 The Properties Dialog BOX ee eeeeeeeeseeeseeereeenseeseens 373 Figure 10 8 A Text Input BOX oo eee cecessecsseceteeeneceseceseeeaeeesaeenaeens 374 Figure 10 9 An Example of Automatic Error Checking 374 Figure 10 10 A Pop Up Message BOX 0 0 0 0 ceceecssseeeeseenseceseeeseeeseeees 374 Figure 10 11 The List Selection BOX cece ceeeeeeeeereeseeeseeeseeesaeens 375
409. tion or OLE Automation For more information about using ActiveX controls refer to Chapter 10 Using Operator Interfaces For more information about using ActiveX from a MS Visual Basic program to control VEE refer to Chapter 12 Platform Specifics and Web Monitoring 274 Chapter 6 Creating Reports Easily Using Activex Chapter Checklist Chapter Checklist You should now be able to perform the following tasks Review topics if necessary before going on to the next chapter E Describe the basic concept behind ActiveX Automation in VEE E Send data from VEE to MS Excel E Use a generic template to send arrays of test data to an MS Excel worksheet Make sure you know how to send an array to the spreadsheet in one step E Employ some of the extended capabilities of the MS Excel library such as finding out the memory used by a program E Send text a time stamp and a display bitmap to MS Word from VEE Chapter 6 275 Creating Reports Easily Using Activex Chapter Checklist 276 Chapter 6 Integrating Programs In Other Languages Integrating Programs In Other Languages Integrating Programs In Other Languages In this chapter you will learn about E The Execute Program object E Using operating system commands from VEE E Making VEE programs portable across platforms Average time to complete I hour 278 Chapter 7 Integrating Programs In Other Languages Overview Overview In this chapter
410. tion to Amplicon s own range of plug in boards which includes serial communication devices Amplicon can supply boards from a wide range of other manufacturers for data acquisition serial communication and GPIB applications Figure 3 25 shows the VEE runtime software provided free with Amplicon analog output boards PCI224 and PCI234 and analog input boards PCI230 and PCI260 providing concurrent input and output signals on a PC 158 Chapter 3 Easy Ways to Control Instruments Using PC Plug in Boards Untitled 1 lolx eleja m QO T unde fal daq example an Analog output rate aggoo a1200 40002 Or ismo a AD configuration E E 4 7 N 77 f Haano a edoh output voltage wo ad only Analog input rate Hz ame SERUT a Vew all data No samples F000 oho ED m 2 41200 ae l g Clear cata oiii 6 inania fet Basag on Maxendtinineasn neck CM4 i chs Fasavedata i J B Tuot eha Hela Based on Mex arndMninesch beck C 10 How ean I Modify this Program Info ont Peete ae ap TIP VEE oo 1 E eye y PEE Auto Scale Figure 3 25 Amplicon Data Acquisition Example ComputerBoards PC Plug ins ComputerBoards offers low cost powerful PC plug in boards that are compatible with VEE For a complete list of supported PC plug in vendors see VEE literature or VEE Pro Advanced Techniques You simply install the board and its I O library and con
411. tions from the dice program to create a status panel The dice program exercise is in Using Menus on page 383 Typically this would be used with the Sequencer object when there are a number of tests and you want to see the results as they are returned You will use the function random which returns a real value between 0 and 1 when using the default settings 1 Click Device Sequencer Double click the transaction bar and configure your test using the default name test1 and replacing the FUNCTION field with random See Figure 10 29 398 Chapter 10 Using Operator Interfaces Common Tasks In Creating Operator Interfaces quence Transaction Test fest ENABLED gt SPEC NOMINAL 5 f Rano fo jaf eff FUNCTION frandomd LOGGING ENABLED IFPASS THEN CONTINUE m IFFAIL THEN CONTINUE DESCRIPTION Figure 10 29 Configuring Test1 2 Configure a second test the same way named test2 3 Open the Sequencer Properties box choose the Logging tab and under Logging Mode select Log Each Transaction To logTest thisTest then click OK As the Sequencer executes each transaction it creates a record for each test called thisTest whose fields can be configured under the same tab You can then create a UserFunction called logTest or another name and the Sequencer will call the LogTest UserFunction with the Record thisTest at the end of each transaction that is executed In this way you can upd
412. tl pass 1 OR Rec test2 pass Appendix A 527 Additional Lab Exercises Test Sequencing 0 with the same lt record gt lt record gt lt field gt format Rec is the name of each record in the dataset as it is read and tested Test1 and test2 specify which tests VEE should examine and the field name pass is the default name for the pass fail indicator 1 or 0 assigned by VEE You enable or disable different fields for all tests by selecting Logging tab in the Sequencer Properties box 528 Appendix A Glossary Glossary This Glossary defines terms used in this manual For a complete glossary of VEE terms select Help gt Contents and Index Next select Reference Then select Glossary In the glossary clicking a term displays a definition When you have finished reading the definition click anywhere to clear the text Button A graphical object in VEE that simulates a momentary switch or selection button and which appears to pop out from the screen When you press a button in VEE by clicking on it with the mouse an action occurs May also refer to the left or right mouse button Cascading Menu A sub menu on a pull down or pop up menu that provides additional selections Checkbox A recessed square box on VEE menus and dialog boxes that allows you to select a setting To select a setting click the box and a check mark appears in the box to indicate a selection has been made To cancel the setting si
413. tmap is set as the background picture other VEE objects will appear on top of the picture For more information about how to do this refer to Importing Bitmaps for Panel Backgrounds on page 389 Images Chapter 10 369 Using Operator Interfaces Using Operator Interface Objects may be scaled tiled cropped or centered Figure 10 3 shows a VEE logo sized and used as a background image Click OK to begin VEE OneLab PC Measurements Faster Figure 10 3 Logo Used as a Background Picture Figure 10 4 shows a background picture that has been tiled lick ki 4 Better Tests Faster Better Tests Faster Figure 10 4 Background Picture Used as Tile 370 Chapter 10 Using Operator Interfaces Using Operator Interface Objects There is also a Picture object in the Display menu if you want to place a bitmap in a program Figure 10 5 shows a picture that has been included with Display Picture and then cropped in VEE Figure 10 5 A Cropped Image in VEE Note You can also change bitmaps for any icon using the Properties Icon tab Displaying a Control for Operator Input There are various ways to set up a program so that an operator can control it by entering input You can get user input from pop up dialog boxes any data constant sliders and knobs To choose a control look in menus such as Data gt Selection Control Data Toggle Control and Data Continuous Figure 10 6 shows a
414. to READ past the time stamp and real array This will throw away the values read instead of putting them in an output terminal Finally read the last two lines in the file as strings E Junction Use the Flow Junction object to connect more than one output to a single input such as connecting the mean and sdev outputs to the Logging AlphaNumeric display Appendix A 507 Additional Lab Exercises Records Records Manipulating Records Manipulating Records Step 1 Build a record with three fields holding an integer the time right now as a string and a four element array of reals The fields should be named int daytime and rarry respectively Merge this record with another that holds a random number between 0 and 1 and a waveform Name these fields rand and wave 508 Appendix A WRITE TEXT now TIME HM H12 EOL Double Click to Add Transaction pramon E rand Output Shape ye Additional Lab Exercises Records Solution Manipulating Records Step 1 The resulting record should have five fields as shown in Figure A 27 BuldRecon i Output Shape daytime Record Scalar rary Field name Value int f5 daytime 430PM L rarry Real64 Array 1D rana ps2 SS wave Waveform Array 1D Record Scalar wave Figure A 27 Manipulating Records Step 1 Key Points E Time Stamp Use the now function within the To String object to crea
415. to assign descriptive names to variables Using CreateObject and GetObject Notice that one of the statements in Set Up Excel Worksheet in Figure 6 3 contains the CreateObject function call CreateObject and GetObject are functions in the VEE Function amp Object Browser and they are designed specifically to return a pointer to an ActiveX object in VEE For example CreateObject Excel Sheet starts up Excel and returns a reference to a workbook in it The Microsoft statement sheet returns a workbook Use GetObject to get something or some data that already exists in a running Excel or to load a file into a running Excel CreateObject and GetObject are located under Device gt Function amp Object Browser Type Built in Functions Category ActiveX Automation Figure 6 4 shows an example CreateObject and GetObject Chapter 6 253 Creating Reports Easily Using Activex ActiveX Automation in Agilent VEE objectName CreateObject objectName Resu i fileName fosOnlectteName objectName objectName Figure 6 4 CreateObject and GetObject 254 Chapter 6 Note Creating Reports Easily Using Activex Sending Agilent VEE Data to MS Excel Sending Agilent VEE Data to MS Excel This section introduces the VEE objects and MS Excel function calls for generating reports Lab 6 1 Sending Agilent VEE Data to MS Excel In this lab you will generate virtual test data for MS Excel The example uses MS Offi
416. tons object menu and select Edit Enum Values Type in the names of the functions die1 die2 and die3 by pressing the Tab key between each entry except the last Click OK There are six menu formats for data selection control Radio Buttons displays entries as buttons The operator s selection is output in text format as an Enum data type Cyclic Button cycles through the enumerated values one at a time as the operator clicks the button List displays all of the enumerated values in a list with the selected item highlighted Drop down list Pop up list and Slider list are the other three choices 9 Open the Radio Buttons object menu click Properties then select Auto Execute Change the title to the prompt Make a Selection Set up a Call object so that the value the operator selects on the Radio Buttons object will now become the function name that the Ca11 Function object calls 10 Click Device Call Select Add Terminal Control Input then select Function Name and click OK The Function Name control pin accepts an Enum or Text value as input Connect the Radio Buttons data output pin to the Function Name input terminal on the Call Function object Connect the Radio Buttons sequence out pin to the sequence in pin of Call Function Click on die2 in Make a Selection and notice that the Call Function Name changes to die2 as shown in Figure 10 21 lt diet Function Name Q die2 Function Name Je ie lt die
417. tore Mixed Data Types Note You could also use a Formula object with A data in the expression field Select an AlphaNumeric display size it to accommodate an array and connect it to the rec field output pin Run the program and save it as setfield vee The program should look like Figure 5 12 r oY fec datar b rec 0 1 hee rec jrec data Result 2 3 Figure 5 12 Using the Set Field Object You can modify any Record fields as shown in this example You could also modify part of the field For example try changing the expression in rec field bto rec data 1 20 Then delete the rec field b input b Run the program again and you should see the array 2 2 20 4 4 Bye 5s Chapter 5 229 Storing and Retrieving Test Results Using Records to Store Mixed Data Types Unbuilding a Record in a Single Step To extract all record fields and get a list of the field names and their types use the UnBuild Record object 1 Open the set field vee program Delete all objects after Build Record Select Data UnBuild Data gt Record and place it under Build Record switch the open view and connect the output of Build Record to the input of UnBuild Record Add another data output pin to UnBuild Record and rename the A B and C outputs to the field names testname time and data Select an AlphaNumeric display and clone it four times Connect the five displays to the five output terminals on UnBuild Rec
418. transaction You can explore the other formats available For a more detailed information about each item refer to the VEE Pro Advanced Techniques manual To create a complete test program this multimeter object and a function generator object could be combined with VEE data and display objects Fully functional test programs are easy to create in VEE However it is beyond the scope of this introductory chapter to show specific details for all the various instruments you might be using For more complex examples refer to the VEE Pro Advanced Techniques manual Uploading and Downloading Instrument States Some instruments offer a learn string capability The learn string embodies all the function settings that compose an instrument state Direct I O will upload this learn string save it with that particular Direct I O object and later allow you to download it to the instrument in the program To upload an instrument state follow these steps 1 Set the instrument to the desired state manually 2 Open the Direct I 0 object menu and click Upload State Now this state is associated with this particular instance of the Direct I O object 3 Open an I O Transaction dialog box by double clicking in the transaction area 154 Chapter 3 Easy Ways to Control Instruments Using Direct I O 4 Click TEXT select STATE LEARN STRING then click OK to close the I O Transaction box The previously captured state is sent to the instrumen
419. trieve it with Get num 8 Select Display AlphaNumeric and place it to the right of the Get num object 9 Connect the Get num data output pin to the AlphaNumeric data input pin 10 Enter a real number and click the run button on the tool bar The program should look similar to Figure 2 34 11 Select File Save As and name the program global vee If you are using the evaluation kit software save the program to EVAL VEE Set and Get a Global Variable prompts the user to enter a real number The variable num is set to this real number Then num is recalled and displayed Figure 2 34 Set and Get a Global Variable Chapter 2 119 Agilent VEE Programming Techniques Documenting Agilent VEE Programs Documenting Agilent VEE Programs By using the File Save Documentation command you can automatically generate program documentation VEE lists all objects with key settings the default and user names the Description entries and any nesting For example objects within a UserObject are nested one level from the main VEE environment and these levels are indicated by numbers You can also document individual objects using a Description First this exercise describes how to document an individual object and then how to generate the program documentation Documenting Objects with Description Dialog Boxes All objects have a Description item in their object menus which provides a dialog box to acce
420. trieving Test Results Using the To From File Objects Using the To From File Objects The To File and From File objects read data to and from files based on T O transactions They have the following characteristics E A data file is opened on the first READ or WRITE transaction When the program ends VEE closes any open files automatically E VEE maintains one read pointer and one write pointer per file regardless of how many objects are accessing the file The read pointer identifies the next data item to be read and the write pointer indicates where the next data item should be written E The To From File objects can append data to existing files or overwrite them If the Clear File at PreRun amp Open setting is checked in the open view of the To File object then the write pointer starts at the beginning of the file If not the pointer is positioned at the end of the existing file Each WRITE transaction appends information to the file at the location of the write pointer If an EXECUTE CLEAR transaction is performed the write pointer moves to the beginning of the file and erases its contents E A read pointer starts at the beginning of a file and advances through the data depending on the READ transactions You may perform an EXECUTE REWIND in the From File object to move the pointer back to the beginning of the file without affecting any data Note The To File object is also described in Using Data Files on page 87 of Chap
421. ts in the same way as the main program The UserObject itself is connected to other objects in the main program with inputs and outputs like any other object The idea in developing a UserObject is to create a unique context that performs a useful purpose within the main program Besides conserving space in the main work area you can make the program more understandable by giving it structure A VEE program can contain many UserObjects nested within the Main program Each UserObject has an icon view which resides in the Main window To associate the icon views of the UserObjects in the main program with their associated UserObject windows name UserObjects in their edit windows which also names them in their associated icon view For example if you name a UserObject AddNoise its icon window in the Main program and the title bar on the UserObject will both read AddNoise The following exercise teaches you how to create a UserObject Lab 2 1 Creating a UserObject There are a couple of ways to create a UserObject ina VEE program E Select Device gt UserObject from the menu bar to bring up an empty UserObject icon in the Main window and add objects to it If you double click the UserObject icon it is displayed in open view as shown in Figure 2 1 E Select objects within a program and then create a UserObject from them by selecting the objects and clicking Edit Create UserObject 78 Chapter 2 Note Note Agilent VEE P
422. ts with no data input pins operate next Data Constant objects are often in this category 3 Objects with input pins will only operate when all connected inputs are satisfied Recall that connecting sequence inputs is optional Chapter 2 113 Agilent VEE Programming Techniques Debugging Programs in Agilent VEE Stepping Through a Program Stepping through a program is a very effective debugging tool VEE has functions to Step Into Step Over and Step Out of objects To activate stepping click the Step Into Step Over or Step Out buttons on the tool bar shown in Figure 2 32 aad as Step Into Step Over Step Out Figure 2 32 Step Into Step Over and Step Out Buttons on the Toolbar E Step Into executes a program one object at a time If the program reaches a UserObject or UserFunction VEE puts the UserObject or UserFunction into detail view and executes each of the objects inside it E Step Over and Step Out execute a program one object at a time without opening UserObjects or UserFunctions If the program reaches a UserObject or UserFunction VEE executes the UserObject or UserFunction in its entirety For example to step through a program 1 Open the simple program_with_panel vee program 2 Click the Step Into button on the tool bar 3 As you keep clicking Step Into the colored outlines around the objects guide you through the program sequentially 114 Chapter 2 Note Agilent VEE Programming Techniqu
423. u optimize programs by displaying the execution speeds of UserFunctions or UserObjects in the program You can use the Profiler to identify the slow points in a program and apply the techniques described in this chapter to increase the program speed Figure 11 19 shows the examples Applications mfgtest vee program To turn on the Profiler select View Profiler Then run the program You can see the Profiler in the lower half of the screen The Profiler lists comparative information regarding the amount of time it takes to execute each USerObject and each UserFunction B ES main Of x Stop Profiling LogIn Login 3 Main Refresh selectActions Clear strMatch doneYet logFunc Save Display panels hookUp i Options sealarresults Help Figure 11 19 An Example of the Profiler Chapter 11 435 Optimizing Agilent VEE Programs Chapter Checklist Chapter Checklist You should now be able to perform the following tasks Review topics if necessary Explain three basic techniques for optimizing VEE programs and give examples of each Explain at least two more techniques in addition to the three above Explain the basic concept of a DLL Import a DLL call a function within it then delete the DLL Explain how to use a compiled function in another language on an HP UX platform Step through a program using the VEE 6 execution mode or the VEE 5 VEE 4 or VEE3 execution modes and explain the reasons
424. uch as Internet Explorer or Netscape Navigator can request information generated by the server application The Universal Resource Locator URL below typed in Internet Explorer requests information from an Agilent server http www agilent com find vee E http describes the type of resource being accessed to transfer the information E www agilent com find vee is the URL for the resource The hypertext format used by HTTP is a scripting format called HyperText Markup Language HTML HTML is a way to link documents together and originally it was the only language programmers could use to create Web pages Originally just for text HTML now incorporates sound video images interactive screens ActiveX controls and Java applets Once a request is made by the browser for the server information it will not automatically update unless the browser is designed to do so Also no interaction is allowed by the browser unless it is designed into the browser page The easiest way to do this is with a scripting language such as VBScript JavaScript and JBscript The scripting language is an interpreted language supported by the browser The scripting language can extend the limitations of HTML to provide a more interactive Web page Because they are interpreted scripting languages must be embedded into the Web page and supported by the browser They are not independent programs This is graphically illustrated in Figure 12 5 448 Chapter 1
425. unction 1 In the same example used in Figure 8 6 double click the Formula object ArrayStats to delete the object You could also select the object menu and select Cut 2 Inthe UserFunction ArrayStats select the object menu and select Generate Formula Call Figure 8 7 shows the Generate menu in a UserFunction object menu Chapter 8 305 Using Agilent VEE Functions Using Functions E UserFunction1 Restore Move Size Minimize Maximize Cut Copy Clone Help Properties Description Add Terminal gt Delete Termittal Make UserObject Save Secured Version Find Print Locate Generate Call Cals Called By lf Then Else Call ShowPanel HidePanel Create Panel Delete Panel Close Figure 8 7 The Generate Menu in a UserFunction 3 Place the object in Main Notice that VEE automatically names the new object ArrayStats A and includes the expression ArrayStats A to call the UserFunction ArrayStats 4 Connect the output from the Formula object to ArrayStats A and connect the output from ArrayStats A to Record 5 Run the program It should look like Figure 8 8 Open a UserFunction object menu and select the Generate menu to review the other objects that can be placed into a program to call a UserFunction They include Call Formula Call used in this example If Then Else Call ShowPanel and HidePanel objects 306 Chapter 8 Using Agi
426. unction Calls with Optimization Chapter 11 411 Optimizing Agilent VEE Programs Basic Techniques for Optimizing Programs Other Ways to Optimize Agilent VEE Programs There are other optimization techniques that you can use in programs when appropriate as follows E Make sure you are using the VEE compiler by running your programs in VEE 4 or higher Execution Mode For more information refer to Agilent VEE Execution Modes on page 427 E Run the program from the panel view instead of the detailed view VEE will have less objects to maintain on the screen E Use global variables rather than pass values especially large arrays or records into and out of UserObjects and UserFunctions Declare all the global variables This also allows you to use local variables See Data gt Variable Declare Variable E Collect data for graphical displays and plot the entire array at once rather than plotting each individual scalar point If the X values of a plot are regularly spaced use an XY Trace display rather than an X vs Y Plot E Use one If Then Else object with multiple conditions instead of multiple If Then Else objects E Set graphical displays to be as plain as possible The settings that allow the fastest update times are Grid Type None and nothing checked in the Properties dialog box Only use AutoScale control pins where necessary and turn off the Automatic AutoScaling if not needed in the Scales folder E When readi
427. used only by non VXI cardcage instruments for identifying plug in modules Error Leave the default setting ON Error Checking can be Checking turned off for extra throughput but then it does not check for I O errors Incremental Leave the default setting ON Incremental Mode can Mode also be turned off which sends the entire instrument command string for the instrument state each time you change a setting 7 Click OK to return to the Instrument Properties box Click OK The list of available instruments should now include an instrument configuration named scope using the driver file hp54504a cid as shown in Figure 3 10 The instrument does not have a bus address specified because it is not live at present You can develop the program in this mode and add an address later when you are ready to connect the instrument to your computer Tip Press the Tab key after typing in a field to move to the next field and press Shift Tab to move to the previous field Pressing Enter is equivalent to clicking OK VEE closes the dialog box 138 Chapter 3 Easy Ways to Control Instruments Configuring an Instrument Instrument Manager Instrument List Auto Discovery My Configuration CAWINDOWSi Local Settings Ap Find Inetruments GPIB7 scope NOT LIVE Conngure Drivers Settings rInstrument Add Properties r Create VO Object Direct I O Kmgepay Driver Panel Driver 4 gt Component
428. ut 4 Run the program and save it as dataset2 vee Chapter 5 237 Storing and Retrieving Test Results Customizing a Simple Test Database Output Shape 10 Scalar To DataSet myFile I Clear File AtPreRun From DataSet myFile Get records All Search Specifier eg Rec A 10 JRec B 0 5 0 in 0 5 Field name Value A feso oo B p 8759 C Real64 Array 1D Default Value Record First Prev Next Last Figure 5 16 A Search Operation with DataSets Creating an Operator Interface for a Search Operation This exercise adds a menu for an operator to extract data from the test results database The operator interface is secured to avoid accidental modifications to the program The specifications of the program are as follows E Provide a test menu that will allow operators to select a particular test from testo through test9 from which they want all related test data E Display the specified test results with the fields and values labeled The operator should be able to interact with the display to gain more detailed information E Include clear operating instructions 238 Chapter 5 Storing and Retrieving Test Results Customizing a Simple Test Database Follow these steps to create the program 1 Open the dataset2 vee program Add a control input that will allow you to input the expression in the Fro
429. ut Full Featured MATLAB o oo ceeeeeeeeeseeeeseeeaecnaeceaeenseeeaes 14 Obtaining Agilent VEE Support ce eesessecsseceeeeseeceeeesseeeaeenaecesaeees 16 Obtaining Information on the World Wide Web oscene 16 Sources of Additional Information for MATLAB ce ceeeseeseeeteeees 17 1 Using the Agilent VEE Development Environment ONVELVIE Wea a a a aa a a a E AA Eaa 21 Interacting with Agilent VEE esssssseseeseereeresreesesrrsreeressrssesrisseeresrrsseee 22 Supported Syst mS nisnin eion eioen pte tarida iE ieoi 22 The Mouse and the Menus 0 0 0 0 ceecesceseeeeeeeeesseceseceeeeeeeceeeeeeeeenees 22 Starting Apilent VEE oeer acess ebeeeceeca dt itagpdagtede da eae eii aai 23 The Agilent VEE Window cs eecesceseeeeeeeeeeeseeeaeeeaeceaeeneeeeneeaees 23 Getting Help neiaa neer ete ned eens 25 Working with Objects icccsce iss eleasseedees eid esateedepatecdeptnere anestiedanteneasdanee 29 Adding Objects to the Work Area eee eeceeeeerecnneeeseceseeneeenseeeaes 29 Changing Object ViewS eeeseesesseceseceeceeceeeeecaecnacesaecsaeeneeeeeeesaes 31 Selecting an Object Menu cee eeeeseeseecneecnseeneceseeeseeeaeeeeeeenaeenaees 32 Moving an Object 4 53iiecastie eee eee aad esas 33 Duplicating or Cloning an Object eee eeeessecsseeseeceteceeeeeneeeees 35 Contents 1 Copying an Objects arsine ennan atl eee ee eee 35 Deleting Cutting an Object ee ec eeeseceseceeeeeeeeeseeeseesaeesaecnseeees 36 Pasting an
430. ute Program Object HP UX seeen 283 Using a System Commando eee ceeceeeeeseeeseceececeeseceseceaeeeaeesaeenaeenes 285 Lab 7 1 Using a System Command PC ccc ceeceeeeeeeeeereereeeenees 285 Lab 7 2 Listing the Files in a Directory UNIX 0 eee eeeeeeees 287 Contents 6 Listing the Files in a Directory Using a Shell eee eeeeeeees 288 Writing Programs That Port Easily cles eecescesseeeeeeeeeeeeeenees 290 Chapt r Checklist enesenn tai ns ae 292 8 Using Agilent VEE Functions OVVIE W seen ce ta toi eae Seen ln eos Hey E 295 Using Functions i ehian a e a Aaa 296 Defining an Agilent VEE Function eeeseneeeeeeereereersererrreseererrese 296 The Differences Between UserObjects and UserFunctions 297 Lab 8 1 UserFunction Operations ccceseescesseceteeeeeeeeeeeeeeenees 298 Creating a USerFunction wee eeeesceseceseeeneeeeeecaeceaeeseecsseeeneeenees 298 Editing a UserFunction eee esseesceseceseeeeeeeeeecaeceseeseeeeeeeeneeenees 301 Calling a UserFunction from an Expression ceseeseeseereeeneees 303 Generating a Call to a UserFunction 0 0 cee eeceseccsseeeeeeeeeeeeeeenees 305 UserFunctions and the Program Explorer 00 0 0 cecceeeeeceeeeeereeeneees 307 Using Libraries With Agilent VEE UserFunctions 0 cee eeeeeeeeee 309 Lab 8 2 Creating and Merging a Library of UserFunctions 310 Creating a Library of UserFunctions cece eeeeeeeeeseceneeeaeeeeeees 310 Creating An
431. ution Using UserFunctions Step 4 Figure A 19 shows a solution for step 4 B Main ioj x Name Amplitude Trace1 Trace2 Name Amplitude Figure A 19 User Functions Step 4 Hint Notice the Call AddNoise and Formula objects use the global Amplitude so both of the objects need to run after the Set Amplitude object executes Connecting the Sequence pins from Set Amplitude to Call AddNoise and Call AddNoise to Formula ensure the objects execute in the required order 496 Appendix A Additional Lab Exercises Agilent VEE UserFunctions Importing and Deleting Libraries of UserFunctions Build a simple program to import the uflab vee functions from the previous exercise Call the function that adds the noise and then delete the library programmatically Use the Select Function choice in the object menu of the Call object Hint Click on Load Lib in the Import Library object menu to manually load the library you specified so that you can use the Select Function feature in Call Appendix A 497 Additional Lab Exercises Agilent VEE UserFunctions Solution Importing and Deleting Libraries Programmatically Figure A 20 shows a solution for deleting the library programmatically Name Amplitude Library Type User Function x Library Name myLib File Name uflab vee Function Name myLib AddNoise Library Name myLib
432. ve a program where the operator needs to set switches or alarms you can use toggle controls Figure 10 13 shows a panel for the operator to set the switches Chapter 10 375 Using Operator Interfaces Using Operator Interface Objects SWITCHES AND ALARMS Figure 10 13 Switches and Alarms Combined Aligning Objects in the Operator Interface In the panel view there is a snap to grid feature to help align objects You can change the grid size from 10 to 1 10 is the default to make very accurate alignments as shown in Figure 10 14 You can use this feature to give the program a professional look The snap to grid feature is located in the Panel folder under the Properties selection of the UserObject or UserFunction menu Remember you must have created a panel view for the Panel folder selection to display in the dialog box 376 Chapter 10 Using Operator Interfaces Using Operator Interface Objects Main Properties General Colors Fonts Panel Grid Size fi r Background Picture m Preview default gif Browse None arrow gif basic icn beep icn hanes build icn lt Centered bust gif tie lt Scaled default gif amp Tiled die1 gif Figure 10 14 Configuring Panel Properties Creating an Operator Interface for the Keyboard Only You can also use VEE to create interfaces that the operator can control using the keyboard only They do not require
433. ver Click to place the object It appears as a Formula object in VEE as shown in Figure 3 24 j hermistor0 AlnSingle Ch Byref val Result Figure 3 24 PC Plug in Card with ODAS Driver as Formula Object For more detailed information about using PC Plug in Cards with ODAS drivers refer to the VEE Pro Advanced Techniques manual Chapter 3 157 Easy Ways to Control Instruments Using PC Plug in Boards Data Translation s Visual Programming Interface VPI Data Translation s VPI works with VEE to create seamless data acquisition performance for PC plug ins By leveraging the flexibility of Data Translation s Open Layers standards you have access to over 50 data acquisition boards The VPI works directly with plug in ISA PCI and USB based data acquisition cards that require low channel count The VPI adds a menu selection and specific PC plug in data acquisition icons to VEE These drive the Data Translation hardware functionality Amplicon Amplicon has a wide range of analog and digital I O PC plug in boards within the 200 Series all with VEE support The software interface is part of Amplicon s AmpDIO driver package a 32 bit API with a multithreaded DLL for Windows and support for interrupt driven acquisition The API contains over 100 calls for efficient and flexible programming as a Compiled Function using a VEE specific definition file and the facility to utilize up to eight boards in one program In addi
434. vided with a discussion of key points 200 Chapter 4 Analyzing and Displaying Test Data Chapter Checklist Chapter Checklist You should now be able to do the following tasks Review topics as needed before going on to the next chapter Describe the main data types in VEE Describe some of the main areas of analytical capabilities in VEE Find an online Help explanation for any object in the Function amp Browser dialog box Describe the relationship between input pins and variables in a VEE math object Evaluate a mathematical expression using the Formula object and then evaluate two expressions using the Formula object Remember to use a semicolon after the first line Use a VEE function in a mathematical expression in the Formula object Use the MATLAB Script object Describe major display capabilities in VEE Customize a graphical display in terms of the scales used the part of the waveform seen the markers used and the color of the trace Chapter 4 201 Analyzing and Displaying Test Data Chapter Checklist 202 Chapter 4 Storing and Retrieving Test Results Storing and Retrieving Test Results Storing and Retrieving Test Results In this chapter you will learn about E Putting test data into arrays E Using the Collector object E Using the To From File objects E Creating mixed data types using Records E Performing search and sort operations using DataSets E Creating simple test databases usin
435. w showing the structure of the VEE program The upper corner shows the current program name such as myprog vee or it displays Untitled The Program Explorer lets you move among the programming windows To resize the Program Explorer move the normal pointer on the right boundary until it changes to a vertical splitter click and move A window that contains a work area in which you develop and edit VEE programs There can be other programming editing windows such as UserObject The bottom line displays messages about VEE status including four status indicators in the right corner The indicators from left to right show The execution mode The state of the profiler MOD appears when the program has been modified Web server is enabled Chapter 1 Note Using the Agilent VEE Development Environment Interacting with Agilent VEE This book focuses on VEE version 6 0 If you have an earlier version of VEE to check your version click Help About VEE Pro inexpensive upgrades are available If you have a support contract for software updates you will receive the new version automatically Getting Help VEE provides an online Help system for the VEE environment and online Help for individual objects and topics In addition you can get help in the documentation that came with the computer and its operating system The PC online Help includes information about topics such as Choosing commands on the menu bar Selecting and
436. y Mountain Basic Object 0 442 Figure 12 2 The To From Rocky Mountain Basic Object 0 443 Figure 12 3 Communicating with Rocky Mountain Basic 445 Figure 12 4 Model of Web Measurement Application 447 Figure 12 5 A Scripting Language Host Model ce eeeeeeeeeeeeee 449 Figure 12 6 The Default Preferences Web Server Dialog Box 451 Figure 12 7 The Index html Default Page eee eeeeeeteeees 458 Figure 12 8 Viewing the Main Solitaire vee Program in the Browser 460 Figure 12 9 Displaying a VEE Error Message using the Browser 461 Contents 17 Figure 12 10 Detail View of a UserFunction Displayed in the Browser 462 Figure 12 11 Example of Displaying HTML Message Instead of VEE PLO SLAM ee iri E ETR tates sit Staph AE E e aE 464 Figure 12 12 An Example of a Password WindoW sssesssssesseseese 465 Figure A 1 Apple Bagger Solution 1 eee eee eeeeeeseeseceseeeaeeneeeees 470 Figure A 2 Apple Bagger Solution 2 0 0 eeeeeeeeeseeseeereesseeeneeees 471 Figure A 3 Testing Numbers pop up shown esceeseeeseeeseceneeees 473 Figure A 4 Testing Numbers Step 2 0 00 cccceceesseeeeeneesseeeseeeseenseeees 474 Figure A 5 Testing Numbers Step 3 0 00 ceccecessseeeeeeeenseceeeeseenseeees 475 Figure A 6 Collecting Random Numbets ccceeeesesseeeseeeneeeneees 477 Figure A 7 Random Number Generator Step 1 0 cee eeseeeseeeeeeeee 478 Figur
437. y dragging on its title bar Do not drag a pin or terminal or a line will appear The line automatically reroutes to the logical path between the two objects Chapter 1 53 Using the Agilent VEE Development Environment Connecting Objects to Make a Program If the lines appear to be scrambled use Edit Clean Up Lines to reroute the lines in the program Running a Program 5 Continuing with the same exercise click the Run button on the toolbar to run the program or use Debug gt Run The program displays a 100 Hz Cosine wave in the Waveform Time display as shown in Figure 1 26 Your object might have a different frequency which is not important to the example isplay Waveform generates a cosine waveform and sends it to a real time display I Funetion Generator a og Function Cosine x PEE os Frequency 100 ana Amplitude 1 02 DcOffset 0 Func o Phase Deg v 0 2 a 0 4 Time Span 20m Tracet 0 6 Num Points i ee os 16m 20m Time Figure 1 26 Running a Program In addition to the Run button on the toolbar you can use the Stop Pause and Step buttons on the toolbar to control the program If you pause a running program use the Resume button same as the Run button to resume You can use the Step Into button on the toolbar to run a program one object at a time 54 Chapter 1 Using the Agilent VEE Development Environment Connecting Objects to Make a Pro
438. you would choose one or the other Use the VEE Profiler 436 Chapter 11 12 Platform Specifics and Web Monitoring Platform Specifics and Web Monitoring Platform Specifics and Web Monitoring In this chapter you will learn about E The differences between the PC and HP UX platforms E Communicating with a Rocky Mountain Basic program E Calling VEE functions from other applications using the VEE ActiveX Automation Server E Web Monitoring Average Time To Complete 2 hours 438 Chapter 12 Platform Specifics and Web Monitoring Overview Overview In this chapter you will learn about the key differences between operating systems and how VEE has designed objects to handle them Then you will learn about one of the most important techniques for incorporating VEE functions into other applications or programs using the Callable VEE ActiveX Automation Server Finally you will learn key concepts in web monitoring VEE programs transfer between the supported platforms but there are some objects that are unique to particular operating systems For example on a PC VEE uses Dynamic Link Libraries DLLs as compiled functions and on HP UX VEE uses shared libraries VEE uses ActiveX Automation on a PC for interprocess communication and named pipes on HP UX Chapter 12 439 Platform Specifics and Web Monitoring Differences Between PC and HP UX Platforms Differences Between PC and HP UX Platforms There are several

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