LabVIEW
The Clear View: Remote control via web
Jo,
You have a couple of options. The easiest and best way to control a vi via the web is to use the remote panels feature in LabVIEW 6.1 The other is to use the Internet Toolkit with CGI scripting. The first will require that the run-time engine is installed on the client machine, not LabVIEW the application but just the engine. I'll provide some information on both options.
Remote Front Panels
This provides a very quick to deploy method. It's a matter of just saying publish and the VI can be controlled. The method is also very efficient for control so you will see good performance. If you're worried about people not knowing they need the run-time engine you can put in detection code into your html that prompts the user for the run-time engine if the client doesn't already have it installed.
This method provides the best control in my opinion of a VI remotely. Using CGI with the Internet Toolkit will not provide as smooth control as using remote panels, or deal with multiple simultaneous users without a lot of coding on your part (for multiple users there is a license needed).
You can see some remote panel implemented pages here:
http://www.ni.com/academic/live_experiments.htm
Here are some useful documents on remote panels:
Remote Front Panels Presentation
http://zone.ni.com/devzone/learningcenter.nsf/03f7c60f17aad210862567a90054a26c/2ad405a06ebed71586256c4e00621c73?OpenDocument
Developing Remote Front Panel Applications - Info on desiging your applicaiton as well:
http://zone.ni.com/devzone/conceptd.nsf/webmain/E789515B9976253786256B1F007E039B?opendocument
Distance Learning using Remote Panels
http://zone.ni.com/devzone/conceptd.nsf/webmain/7BD0B01FCF3CF61A86256B510059F0FB?opendocument
If you look at the source of any of the distance learning pages on ni.com you'll find the detection html for the run-time engine:
I got the above from:
http://www.ni.com/webappdemos/tempcontroldemo.htm
As for using the Internt Toolkit only and not remote panels (if you can't have the run-time engine installed). This requires quite a bit of knowledge of html and cgi scripting. I've found some examples on ni.com:
If you want to control via a button that is not part of the VI and have an action taken:
http://zone.ni.com/devzone/conceptd.nsf/webmain/0A81885925C72F5386256802007B9611?OpenDocument
If you actually want to be able to interact with the VI controls then the only things I've been able to find requires an image map. The only example there doesn't have a great rating but it's something:
http://zone.ni.com/devzone/explprog.nsf/6c163603265406328625682a006ed37d/42cf377dd207ecc786256530006876c0?OpenDocument
Haven't ever done the image mapping myself. If you can at all deal with installing the run-time engine on the client machines life will be much simpler, but if you can't I'd be interested in hearing how your use of the CGI VIs goes.
Regards,
Kamran
You have a couple of options. The easiest and best way to control a vi via the web is to use the remote panels feature in LabVIEW 6.1 The other is to use the Internet Toolkit with CGI scripting. The first will require that the run-time engine is installed on the client machine, not LabVIEW the application but just the engine. I'll provide some information on both options.
Remote Front Panels
This provides a very quick to deploy method. It's a matter of just saying publish and the VI can be controlled. The method is also very efficient for control so you will see good performance. If you're worried about people not knowing they need the run-time engine you can put in detection code into your html that prompts the user for the run-time engine if the client doesn't already have it installed.
This method provides the best control in my opinion of a VI remotely. Using CGI with the Internet Toolkit will not provide as smooth control as using remote panels, or deal with multiple simultaneous users without a lot of coding on your part (for multiple users there is a license needed).
You can see some remote panel implemented pages here:
http://www.ni.com/academic/live_experiments.htm
Here are some useful documents on remote panels:
Remote Front Panels Presentation
http://zone.ni.com/devzone/learningcenter.nsf/03f7c60f17aad210862567a90054a26c/2ad405a06ebed71586256c4e00621c73?OpenDocument
Developing Remote Front Panel Applications - Info on desiging your applicaiton as well:
http://zone.ni.com/devzone/conceptd.nsf/webmain/E789515B9976253786256B1F007E039B?opendocument
Distance Learning using Remote Panels
http://zone.ni.com/devzone/conceptd.nsf/webmain/7BD0B01FCF3CF61A86256B510059F0FB?opendocument
If you look at the source of any of the distance learning pages on ni.com you'll find the detection html for the run-time engine:
I got the above from:
http://www.ni.com/webappdemos/tempcontroldemo.htm
As for using the Internt Toolkit only and not remote panels (if you can't have the run-time engine installed). This requires quite a bit of knowledge of html and cgi scripting. I've found some examples on ni.com:
If you want to control via a button that is not part of the VI and have an action taken:
http://zone.ni.com/devzone/conceptd.nsf/webmain/0A81885925C72F5386256802007B9611?OpenDocument
If you actually want to be able to interact with the VI controls then the only things I've been able to find requires an image map. The only example there doesn't have a great rating but it's something:
http://zone.ni.com/devzone/explprog.nsf/6c163603265406328625682a006ed37d/42cf377dd207ecc786256530006876c0?OpenDocument
Haven't ever done the image mapping myself. If you can at all deal with installing the run-time engine on the client machines life will be much simpler, but if you can't I'd be interested in hearing how your use of the CGI VIs goes.
Regards,
Kamran
