AF Basics Article

[DerekTrepanier]

I put together a series of articles while working on an AF 101 presentation for our local CLD summit. Check them out and let me know what you think or if you have any questions/improvements.

Derek

• Part 1 – The Background
• Part 2 – The Actor
• Part 3 – Launching and Communicating
• Part 4 – Being Productive With Actors
• Basic Walkthrough – Creating a Logger

[jcarmody]

A lot of times you don’t just want a QMH, you want a Producer Consumer type architecture. This is achieved in AF by overriding the framework method called “Actor core”.

How do I do this?

[jcarmody]

I can see how to override Actor Core.vi, but not how to use it.

[jcarmody]

This is what I've got, and the error I get.

[CaseyLamers1]

In your top level launching VI you put the actor you want to launch as the input to the launch root actor. Do not put an actor core in there. The only output is an enqueuer. This is how you interact with the actor. Put messages on the enqueuer.

So, from the above code, just remove your call to actor core before the call to launch root actor.

Casey

[CaseyLamers1]

Thanks for writing this overview up. I will point people to it.

Casey

[PaulSammut]

Thanks for writing this article! Im currently struggling to learn AF and this has been the biggest help so far. I'd also recommend this example that I feel like complements this guide very well: http://www.labvolution.com/labview-actor-framework-basics/

The reason I say that is because in that example it shows you how to handle front panel input.

Thanks for taking the time to create and share this!

[rsmrostov]

I have a following question:

Assuming I have a Helper Loop in the main Actor Core.vi with an Event Structure.   Upon pressing a button, even structure launches a Nested Actor (which happens to be a timer, executing the 'Time Delayed Send Message' to a message class who's Do.vi is in turn executing the Public Method, which reads the self enquer and runst 'Send Normal Stop'.

The problem is - the actor is not stoped, I can see with the Monitor Actor app, it's still running.

Is my logic conceptually wrong here?

[JasonCorwin]

rsmrostov wrote:

I have a following question:

Assuming I have a Helper Loop in the main Actor Core.vi with an Event Structure.   Upon pressing a button, even structure launches a Nested Actor (which happens to be a timer, executing the 'Time Delayed Send Message' to a message class who's Do.vi is in turn executing the Public Method, which reads the self enquer and runst 'Send Normal Stop'.

The problem is - the actor is not stoped, I can see with the Monitor Actor app, it's still running.

Is my logic conceptually wrong here?

In LV2015 where Launch Nested Actor takes the Parent Actor as an input, you'll want to send a message from the Helper Loop to Parent Actor and call Launch Nested Actor in a method of Parent Actor.

In LV2012, Launch Actor only needed Actor-to-Caller Enqueuer. You could launch a nested Actor from your Helper Loop, but would have to send it a Stop message as with any other actor.

Jason

[DerekTrepanier]

rsmrostov wrote:

I have a following question:

Assuming I have a Helper Loop in the main Actor Core.vi with an Event Structure.   Upon pressing a button, even structure launches a Nested Actor (which happens to be a timer, executing the 'Time Delayed Send Message' to a message class who's Do.vi is in turn executing the Public Method, which reads the self enquer and runst 'Send Normal Stop'.

The problem is - the actor is not stoped, I can see with the Monitor Actor app, it's still running.

Is my logic conceptually wrong here?

I don't think I understand what you ARE doing, and what you're TRYING to do, but I don't think they're the same thing.

Can you post a snipped of your actor core with the relevant event case?