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IVI Configurable Initial Settings

Primary Software: Instrument Drivers/IVI>>IVI Compliance Package
Primary Software Version: 2.2
Primary Software Fixed Version: N/A
Secondary Software: N/A

Problem: How To Apply Additional IVI Configurable Initial Settings To a Driver Session?

Solution: The Configurable Initial Settings are defined and standardized by the IVI Foundation. The following sections in IVI-3.1, Driver Architecture Specification explain what the configurable initial settings are and how to apply them:

  • 2.11.2       Configurable Initial Settings

  • 3.3.5         Applying Configurable Initial Settings from the IVI Configuration Store

  • 5.10.1.5    Applying Configurable Initial Settings from the IVI Configuration Store

  • 6.6.5.1      Defining Configurable Initial Settings in the IVI Configuration Store

The following sections in IVI-3.5 IVI Configuration Server Specification describe how configurable initial settings are created and copied to driver sessions in the IVI Configuration Store:

  • 3.4.1.1         Defining Initial Settings

  • 3.5.3.1	Configurable Initial Settings

  • 10.1.1	Configurable Initial Settings

  • 14.1.1	Configurable Initial Settings

In summary, Configurable Initial Settings are special data components that exist in the Data Components collection of a 'Driver Session'. If a logical name or driver session is passed as the value of the 'Resource Name' parameter at initialization, the driver reads the value of the initial setting data components associated with the driver session and sets the driver attributes to these values.

National Instruments' IVI Engine version 2.x (available with the IVI Compliance Package 2.x or IDT 2.0) provides this functionality for an IVI specific driver developer. As a driver developer, all you need to do is call Ivi_ApplyDefaultSetup () at the end of your driver's _InitWithOptions() function. If your driver source code was generated using the LabWindows/CVI Instrument Driver Wizard, this should already be implemented in your driver.

The most crucial point to understand is that the initial settings associated with the driver session, and NOT the software module, are applied at initialization. The software module simply states what is configurable. It is the driver session that specifies what will be applied at initialization.

There are several steps involved in making this mechanism work:

  1. Create a 'Software Module' item that publishes 'Configurable Initial Settings' in the IVI Configuration Store as specified in Section 6.6.5.1 of IVI-3.1. The list of initial settings that the software module 'publishes' are the only settings that the driver will be allowed to set at initialization. The latest version of the IVI MAX Provider, which is included in the IVI Compliance Package 2.2, has this capability.

  2. In MAX, create a new 'Driver Session' item and associate this driver session with the software module created in Step 1 above. On the 'Initial Settings' tab, copy the initial settings (attributes) that you want to set at initialization. Save the IVI configuration file.

  3. Initialize your specific driver with the driver session name (for the Resource Name parameter). During initialization, the initial settings you specified will be applied by the IVI Engine and attributes will be set to the values you configured.


Related Links:
IVI Foundation web site
NI IVI Compliance Package

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Report Date: 12/20/2004
Last Updated: 12/20/2004
Document ID: 3GJATSBJ

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