Difference Between Type Definitions and Strict Type Definitions

[Prabhakant_Patil]

The basic idea for Type Definitions and Strict Type Definition in LabVIEW is that they are custom controls  that can be placed in any VI. When the *.ctl file is changed, every VI that uses that control will also be changed which eliminates the need to go change each VI yourself.

When a type definition control is used, LabVIEW ensures that the data type is the same anywhere the control is used. A strict type definition is more restrictive and LabVIEW ensures that almost everything about the control remains the same.

Most programmers use type definitions and strict type definitions to create a custom control using a cluster of many controls. Adding the new control to the custom control can easily allow us to later add a new control and pass a new value to every subVI. This saves the programmer from having to add the new control to each subVI’s front panel and making new wires and terminals

Regards

Prabhakant

[Christina_R]

For anyone learning how to use type defs in LabVIEW, it is important to note two things:

1. You cannot rely on the value of the type def (control o constant) being preserved when you modify the type def and
2. There are no strict type defs on the block diagram.

More details on my blog: http://www.eyesonvis.com/blog/2009/03/there-are-no-strict-type-definition.html