The millionth package deserves a party, even in the middle of workday.

Inside the Numbers

On one hand, this was a long time coming, but on the other hand we’ve gotten here pretty quickly. We started counting in 2007, and this graph shows the total VI Packages downloaded since then.

We started off modestly; only about 100,000 packages were served the first year. After that, though, the curve starts to bend. If you divide the graph into two halves, it took about 40 months to serve the first 500,000 packages and only about 20 months to serve the next 500,000.

This acceleration is also reflected in the month-by-month package download rate:

There are some bumps in the data, but the monthly package download rate has been increasing linearly ever since we started tracking it and VIPM currently serves up around 30,000 packages per month.

So What Does This Mean?

This means a lot of things. Obviously, we’re proud of VIPM’s success and we hope we’re making it easier for people to create, share, and sell LabVIEW add-ons. The data, I think, implies we’re making progress there.

But more than that, it shows that the LabVIEW community and “LabVIEW Ecosystem” remain healthy, vibrant, and not just growing but accelerating. We wouldn’t have these numbers without the strong community leadership we see from OpenG, LAVA, and NI Community members.

Our data, then, doesn’t just reflect the growth of VIPM, it reflects the growth of the LabVIEW platform itself. Every day, more and more people are doing better software engineering and solving harder problems in LabVIEW. We’re proud to be a part of that, and we hope you’ll celebrate with us.

If you’re not already using VI Package Manager, why not start today? You can get the free version of VIPM by clicking Find LabVIEW Add-ons… in the LabVIEW 2011 Getting Started window or download VIPM directly from jki.net.

So Which VI Package Was #1,000,000?

Appropriately enough, the millionth package was the OpenG Toolkit (if you have VIPM, click that link to install the package). Congratulations to Jonathon Green and the whole OpenG team. Keep up the great work!

Join the discussion in the comments! Do you have an idea for an awesome LabVIEW add-on? How long do you think it will take VIPM to get to 2 million packages? Tell us below.

Saving Test Data In XML Using LabVIEW
by Dan Shangraw, P.E.
Owner, Automated Software Technology

Introduction

Most significant LabVIEW software projects involve acquiring and saving data in some way. After all, what’s the use of all the data we acquire unless we do something with it later? However, in my experience flexible and effective data storage is an afterthought in many projects.  We focus on what sensors to buy, what cool new hardware we get to play with, and which new LabVIEW features we get to use. None of this matters to the client who’s paying us to develop this awesome new measurement system; they care about the DATA!   They need data that solves their measurement problem, and they need that data to be compatible with the analysis tool they are proficient in (Excel, DIAdem, MATLAB, Origin, etc).  They also need the data to be in a format that is well-known, mature, and will still be supported in ten or twenty or more years. A file format that meets all of these requirements is XML.

XML (Extensible Markup Language) is a markup language that defines rules for encoding documents in a format that is both human-readable and machine-readable.  In wide use since 1998, it is governed by an open standard and is supported by virtually every popular analytical program. XML-based formats have even become the default for many programs including Microsoft Office, OpenOffice.org, and Apple’s  iWork. And because XML files are plain ASCII text, your data is future-proof; you’ll still be able to read it 10, 20, or even 50 years from now.

Since this article is about data and LabVIEW, I’ll focus on how to save data acquired by LabVIEW in an XML format. I will also show you how to easily view and analyze that XML data using Microsoft Excel.

The XML Format

In the following example, let’s assume we have a LabVIEW program that monitors temperature and pressure.  We want to save the temperature and pressure data to a file along with some header information.  The header information will be Test Operator, Test Comments, and Sample Rate.

Below is an example of the sample data in an XML format.

<Test Operator="Dan" Comments="Test Passed" Sample_Rate_Hz="10">
   <Data>
     <Temperature_C>1</Temperature_C>
     <Pressure_psi>2</Pressure_psi>
   </Data>
   <Data>
     <Temperature_C>3</Temperature_C>
     <Pressure_psi>4</Pressure_psi>
   </Data>
   <Data>
     <Temperature_C>5</Temperature_C>
     <Pressure_psi>6</Pressure_psi>
   </Data>
 </Test>

If you look closely at the XML above, you can see XML’s simple, self-describing syntax. The first line contains the “root” of the XML structure, in our case <Test>.   This first line also contains attributes of the root: Operator, Comments, and Sample Rate. The next lines describe child elements of the root, in our case data samples which each have a temperature and a pressure element.  The values for an element are between each tag e.g. <Temperature_C>Test1</ Temperature_C >.  A tag is what identifies an element and has the following syntax:

<Name>Value</Name>

Creating XML Files in LabVIEW

The easiest way to create XML files in LabVIEW is to use JKI’s EasyXML add-on for LabVIEW. There are other ways to do the same thing, such as by using LabVIEW’s built-in XML functions; however these built-in functions add data that only pertains to LabVIEW and they generate XML that can’t be easily loaded by tools like Excel.  This defeats the purpose an open file format that can be read with any analysis tool.  EasyXML, by contrast, creates XML data that follows the standard XML format.

EasyXML is also much easier to use than LabVIEW’s native XML functions. All I need to do to generate a properly formatted XML file containing my data is to create a Cluster containing the data I want to save and use EasyXML to turn it into standard XML:

Writing LabVIEW data to disk the easy way...

In this example I am using Easy Generate XML.vi.  This VI converts a LabVIEW Cluster into an XML formatted string.   Then I just save the XML formatted string to a text file. I could make this code even simpler by using Easy Write XML File.vi.

...and the even easier way.

Note: Both these images are VI Snippets. To use this code yourself, just drag the image into a LabVIEW Block Diagram.

The cluster that is wired into Easy Generate XML.vi contains the attributes and acquired data I want to store.  The attributes are in a cluster named “#attributes,” which EasyXML automatically converts into XML attributes.  The data is an array of cluster elements named “Data.”  Each array element contains a single sample for temperature and pressure.

Reading XML Data With Excel

Data is useful only if you can read it with a tool and do something with it. For this example we’ll use Microsoft Excel because almost everybody has Excel, and because Excel makes working with XML really easy. Below is a screen shot of our sample XML file, viewed in Excel.

Importing XML data into Excel.

As you can see, Excel displays the XML data in a very familiar and easy-to-use table. Now we can use Excel’s native functions to analyze the data.

Filtering XML Data With Excel

In the image above, Excel has automatically used our XML tags as column headers .  We can filter data by clicking the column header dropdown as seen below. The built-in filtering tools allow us to easily inspect portions of our data, and we can also use custom filters to build complex drill-downs.

Using Excel's built-in filters with XML data.

Creating a simple numeric filter.

The above 2 screenshots show how I specified a filter to only show data greater than 4.

Our data after applying the filter.

The above screenshot shows what the data looks like filtered.  Our sample file only has 3 datapoints in it, but these same features allow us to inspect vastly larger datasets easily.

Conclusion

Saving data in an XML format can be very powerful because XML is a popular, well-supported, and open standard for data exchange, and what I’ve shown above is just the tip of the iceberg. We’ve seen how easily Excel reads and manipulates XML data, but you can also use many other powerful tools like National Instruments DIAdem.

How do you use XML to store and manipulate your data? Leave a comment and tell us!

If you flip to page 26 of that issue, you’ll find an article by Omar Mussa and myself, entitled Clever Debugging Techniques for Every LabVIEW Developer. We surveyed our colleagues at JKI and our friends in the LabVIEW ecosystem to learn some of the clever tricks professional LabVIEW developers use to save time, eliminate bugs, and build better software for their customers.

Special thanks to Delacor, Enable Training and Consulting, and SAPHIR for their help with the tips. We’re happy to be able to share our knowledge, and we also learned a few things ourselves!

While you’re at it, don’t miss the the celebration of 10 amazing years of LAVA and the shout-out to VI Package Manager, also in this issue.

Are you a LabVIEW bug exterminator? What “secret” tips and tricks do you use to identify, isolate, and squash bugs in your code? Share them in the comments.

To all our friends,

We hope your 2011 was as exciting and fulfilling as ours. As we look toward 2012, we reflect on how lucky we are to have such awesome tools, visionary customers, and world-changing partners to work with every day. Warm holiday wishes to each and every one of you.

From all of us at JKI
(including Tomi, who was busy delighting a customer on picture day!)

“We have high confidence in the quality JKI produces. The code they deliver works – they’ve clearly tested it thoroughly. And when JKI makes a promise about a timeline, we know we can trust it.” - Gary Palmer, Staff Electrical Engineer, Proteus Biomedical, Inc.

How cool would it be if your medication system could report your body’s vital signs as well as your dosage history? Gary Palmer and his team at Proteus Biomedical are developing just such a system called Raisin™.

Raisin combines an intelligent pharmaceutical (a pill with a sensor) with a wearable monitor. Tiny, digestible sensors made from food ingredients and bonded to a patient’s pills, then activated by stomach fluids after the patient swallows the pill. The patient also wears a small bandage-style patch on his or her skin to detect the ultra-low-power, private, digital signal emitted by the sensor.

This system can provide extremely useful data for healthcare providers and patients:

• The Raisin patch personal monitor records information such as type of drug, dose, and place of manufacture; captures date and time; and also measures and reports physiologic parameters such as heart rate and activity.
• Healthcare professionals can also derive metrics like sleep patterns and respiration rate from the collected data.
• The patch communicates with the patient’s phone using Bluetooth, and the phone makes the data available to patients via user-friendly customized displays on mobile phones, tablets and desktop computers. Patients can choose who else can see their data, including family members or doctors.

Read the case study to see how Proteus and JKI created a collection of LabVIEW-based component and system testing tools to manage system verification and production testing for the Proteus Intelligent Medicine system. The result? With this amazing system, patients can better understand and manage their health. And doctors can provide better care because they have better information.

Note: The Raisin™ system is an Investigational Device limited by Federal (or United States) law to investigational use.  The Raisin™ system is not for sale and is available for use only under Investigational Review Board (IRB) approved clinical studies. 

Smart pill with tiny digestible sensor

Proteus "smart pills," wearable electronic recorder patch, and phone-based monitor

It was an outstanding and busy week, and in the hubbub, we didn’t have time to post our first-day-of-NIWeek Live Wires newsletter here on the blog, so here it is now.

Take a look at Live Wires to check out the latest LabVIEW Community and JKI happenings! This newsletter is an “NIWeek special,” so if you didn’t make it to the conference, you can catch up on some of the exciting news and events. And if you did attend, you might have missed some of these tidbits.

Better yet, sign up to receive the newsletter directly (don’t worry, we won’t spam you incessantly – it only goes out every few months).  After you read it, we’d love to hear your thoughts on how to make it even better! What other articles would you like to see? What are you sick of seeing? Leave a comment and tell us…

In addition to showing off some cool new stuff in our booth, you’ll also find us presenting various technical sessions. Come soak up the LabVIEW secrets our experts are sharing…

The Business Side of Social: Put the LabVIEW Community to Work for You
Tuesday, August 2^nd – 1-2 PM, Room 10C

Jack Dunaway, LabVIEW Champion, Certified LabVIEW Architect, and top contributor to the LabVIEW Idea Exchange, shares his secrets about how to get a great return on time invested in the LabVIEW Community. He’ll also show you how to equip yourself with online tools that give you the inside scoop on the latest engineering techniques to keep you at the top of your game.

Beyond State Machines: Building Modular Applications in LabVIEW
Tuesday, August 2^nd – 2:15-3:15 PM, Room 14

Nearly every significant LabVIEW application uses multiple loops and several pieces of hardware… and coordinating these moving pieces can create a recipe for unreadable code. Justin Goeres, Certified LabVIEW Architect and JKI Product Marketing Manager, will teach you how to use a template for inter-process communication based on “public” and “private” events that is easy enough for intermediate developers but powerful enough for Certified LabVIEW Architects.

5 Clever Debugging Techniques for Every LabVIEW Developer
Wednesday, August 3^rd – 4:45-5:45 PM, Room 10C

Do you want to be a LabVIEW bug assassin? Do you want to identify, isolate, and fix bugs faster than your coworkers by using clever tricks? Omar Mussa, Certified LabVIEW Architect and Senior JKI Project Engineer, will show you several powerful built-in LabVIEW debugging techniques, ranging from simple tools like Retain Wire Values to the best LabVIEW debugging feature that no one knows about.

Manage Reusable Code and Build Commercial Software with the VI Package Manager
Tuesday, August 2^nd – 10:30-11:30 AM, Room 18C or Thursday, August 3rd – 10:30-11:30 AM, Room 18C — pick your favorite time (both sessions are the same.)

Do you need to package your LabVIEW code in reusable components that are easy to track and share with other users, easily install VIs on multiple computers and versions of LabVIEW, or license your LabVIEW packages to quickly turn your code into a commercial product? NI’s Robert Des Rosier, assisted by VIPM Product Manager and JKI Senior Engineer Michael Aivaliotis, will teach you how to set up the most efficient processes for your team to build and distribute VIs and utilities for free.

Bonus for Special People: Chris Roebuck on Data Driven Test
Monday, August 1^st at 6:00 PM – by invitation only

Finally, if you’re fortunate enough to have received an invitation to NI’s Test Leadership Forum event, please join one of our favourite customers, Chris Roebuck from Astrium Ltd., to learn about Data Driven Test in the space industry!

Overview

Many organizations have invested heavily in test data management systems. Understanding how your test data can be used to improve the business results involves considering both the nature of your company’s business and how the data should be stored and accessed. This session will cover key performance indicators and tools that can help test engineers improve business results across various stages of the product life cycle.

“That’s all great stuff!” you say. “But what about those legendary NIWeek parties for after-hours fun?” No worries, we’ve got you covered there too. Stay tuned for our upcoming blog later this week, JKI’s Unofficial Guide to NIWeek Fun…

In this episode, we gear up for NIWeek 2011 by discussing why we love NIWeek, what keeps people coming back, and our picks for the best technical sessions and social events of the week. VI Shots continues to do great work, and this episode was a ton of fun to be a part of. Speaking for myself, I can’t believe NIWeek is only ten days away — I can’t wait!

Check out the whole circus here. (Did you know you can also subscribe to VI Shots in iTunes?)

I haven’t listened to the whole episode yet, but I’m told there’s some “bonus material” tacked on to the end. I hope it’s nothing I can’t live down. Or should I say up to?

Foundation's Rapid Load Tester

Foundation Constructors Inc. specializes in pile-driving. In other words, we hammer long cylinders made of steel and concrete into the ground to create stable foundations for buildings, bridges, and other structures.

After a building pile has been installed, our mobile, track-mounted Rapid Load Tester (RLT) drops a 25-metric-ton mass (55,000 lbs!) onto a load cell that sits on top of the pile, where large damping springs extend the load over time. The RLT, rebuilt by JKI, measures the vertical displacement of the piles as a function of the vertical force applied to them, to determine if they can safely support the structure that will be built on top of them.

Read the full case study to learn how JKI used LabVIEW and DAQ to create a one-of-a-kind, state-of-the-art Rapid Load Tester that gives Foundation a strong competitive advantage as they pound things into the ground…

Rapid Load Tester Front Panel

Building Strong Foundations with JKI

JKI is pleased to announce the release of VIPM 2010 Community Edition for Mac OS X.  JKI strongly recommends all OS X users upgrade to take advantage of literally hundreds of new features and speed improvements we’ve added to VIPM since VIPM 2.0, the last OS X-compatible version.

VIPM 2010 for Mac OS X allows users to download and install LabVIEW add-ons from the LabVIEW Tools Network, install VI Packages, and apply VI Package Configuration files created by VIPM for Windows.  It also adds support for LabVIEW 2010 and beyond. We’re extremely excited that VIPM can now support cross-platform installation of the latest LabVIEW add-ons.  (Note: you can’t actually build packages with it yet due to some outstanding bugs; we’re working on it.)

How to Get VIPM 2010 for Mac OS X

If you’re already a VIPM user, VIPM will notify you that there’s a new version available the next time you launch it, or you can select Help >> Check for VI Package Manager Update from the menu bar. You can also download VIPM directly.

If you’re not already using VIPM, what are you waiting for? Download VIPM Community for free and install all the great LabVIEW add-ons available from the LabVIEW Tools Network, JKI, OpenG.org, and more!