The LabVIEW Environment

The basic LabVIEW environment elements are the menus at the top of the front panel and block diagram windows, the toolbar, and the free-floating palettes, which you can place anywhere on the screen.

Click the items on the images below to see what they are.



Tools Palette

The Tools palette is available on the front panel and the block diagram. A tool is a special operating mode of the mouse cursor. The cursor corresponds to the icon of the tool selected in the palette. Use the tools to operate and modify front panel and block diagram objects.

If automatic tool selection is enabled and you move the cursor over objects on the front panel or block diagram, LabVIEW automatically selects the corresponding tool from the Tools palette.

Use the Tools palette to modify the contents of the front panel and block diagram.

Each icon on the Tools palette changes the behavior of the cursor in LabVIEW so you can perform positioning, operating, and editing tasks on your VIs.

Controls Palette

You build a front panel by placing controls and indicators from the Controls palette. Each palette icon represents a subpalette, which contains controls you place on the front panel.

A control is a front panel object that the user manipulates to interact with the VI. Simple examples of controls are buttons, slides, dials, and text boxes.

An indicator is a front panel object that displays data to the user. Examples of indicators are graphs, thermometers, and gauges.

When you place a control or indicator on the front panel, a corresponding terminal is placed on the block diagram.

Functions Palette

You build the block diagram using the terminals from the front panel controls and indicators and the VIs, functions, and structures from the Functions palette. Each palette icon represents a subpalette, which contains VIs and functions you place on the block diagram.

The structures, functions, and VIs—collectively known as nodes—on the Functions palette provide the functionality of your VI.

As you add nodes to the block diagram, you wire them to each other and to the terminals from the front panel objects using the Wiring tool, found on the Tools palette. A complete block diagram appears similar to a flowchart.