calling NI-FBUS Comunication manager API from Labview

[arnaud]

Hi,
I am working with the NI-FBUS PCI card. I am trying to call the nifGetDeviceList function of the Comunication Manager API from Labview but I have no idea how to do it. Have I to build a DLL? How can I do it?
Thank you

Arnaud

[fieldbus]

You don't need to build a DLL, just call the "nifb.dll", but please refer to "NI-FBUS Function Reference Manual" for C prototypes.

As to call DLL in LabVIEW, there are quite a lot of resource here (NI Develper Zone), you can simply search "DLL" in LabVIEW topics.

Please keep in mind you have to follow NI-FBUS hierachy of Session>Interface>Device to get to call "nifGetDeviceList".

Hope it helps.

[frankwu]

You can also use the fieldbus LabVIEW toolkit shipped with NI-FBUS 3.0 or above, which can speed up developing fieldbus application in LabVIEW.

You can get the related tutorial in the Online Tutorials (
http://digital.ni.com/softlib.nsf/websearch/AA5FA859BD484D1786256F08001467B0?opendocument)

[dopplerdude]

Hi

I am trying to do same but with different tool. Its Visual studio C++.

I have got sample code from NI-FBUS installlation files. Using same for compilation. 

Any starting point you would like to share? I am very new to both 1) Using NI-FBUS API and 2) Visual studio

[LewisL]

Hi dopplerdude,

The installer has installed manual guides. Please refer to them.

Start Menu->Programs->National Instruments->NI-FBUS->Documentation

[dopplerdude]

Yeah thats very true. I am using those manuals as reference already.

Okay, let me little elaborate what I am actually want to do..

I want to read parameters of different function blocks by name. For that i am aware NI-FBUS provides APIs. I saw list of APIs categorized as per their function namely administrative, core and device description function.

Now to develop an application using visual C++, I installed Visual studio 2010 SP1 on my machine (Windows 7)

In VC++ I am not very sure which project type to select to create application. So I tried with both 1)win32 Console Application and 2)Win32 Project.

I took source "nifbtest.cpp" and header "nifb.h" files' samples from "MS Visual C" subdirectory of NIFBUS installation folder.

As I am runing NI-FBUS' 4.1.1 version, I linked  nifb64.lib to the project.

Quote from the manual-- "Note NI-FBUS software supports 64-bit since version 4.0.1. To build a 64-bit application,
you must link your application with nifb64.lib. nifb64.dll should be automatically installed in your Windows system directory."

When I hit DEBUG I get - 1>nifbtest.obj : error LNK2019: unresolved external symbol _nifOpenSession referenced in function _main 

There  are many of them each for every NI-FBUS API used.

Yes Of course NI-FBUS comm manager is running while I DEBUG.

I guess thats it!

I am not aware of C# or .NET for that matter. I know C and C++, the reason why I want to develop host app using VC++.

Thank you very much for your earlier quick reply.

 Please see attached image for better and quick understanding of the problem.

[LewisL]

Hi dopplerdue,

Sorry for replying late.

From the screenshot I see that you are not very familiar with VS.

The following step should be a start for you:

1. create an empty project.

2. open the property page of your project, and edit the a.)Linker ->Input for the nifb.lib (because you are developing 32-bit app),  b.) C/C++ for the header files. Click OK.

3. In the Header Files add existing files from folder C:\Program Files (x86)\National Instruments\NI-FBUS\MS Visual C\includes so that you can debug better.

4. Add one source file nifbtest.c into Source Files.

Don't forget to start NI-FBUS Communication Manager.

[dopplerdude]

HI LewisL,

Thanks for detailed reply.

Yes, I am very new to VC, in fact this is the first project in which I am using VC.

All those errors vanished as soon as I replaced nifb64.lib with nifb.lib. As you rightly said,it is a 32-bit application.

Thanks a lot.