LabVIEW 5.0 (yes, 5.0!) VI Properties?

[diarmaede]

I am tasked with bringing up an ancient test rig that is running off LabVIEW 5.0.  I must stick with 5.0.  I cannot update the software to a more modern version.

Whoever wrote the original code went to great lengths to make it very hard to modify the code.  For instance, all of the debugging functions (highlight execution and single stepping) are hidden.  When I hit "cntrl i," I get a non-helpful "VI Information" screen.  I cannot post screen shots because this is all secret stuff, sorry.

Does anyone know how to unhide debugging functions and otherwise access vi properties in 5.0?  Keep in mind that every step to hide these functions has, in all likelihood, been taken.

Thanks.

[udka · Accepted solution]

Check this: Why Aren't My Debugging Tools Available http://digital.ni.com/public.nsf/allkb/A1C4ECAA52814325862566FD00621E61

Edit: For further ref the options suggested are:

Here are the most common reasons that the debugging buttons are not visible:

1. The VI is reentrant. You cannot debug a VI while it is marked as reentrant. This property can be changed from File»VI Properties»Execution»Reentrant Execution (VI Setup»Execution Options»Reentrant Execution in LabVIEW 5.x).
   
   
2. Debugging is turned off in the VI. You can adjust this setting from File»VI Properties»Execution»Allow Debugging (VI Setup»Window Options»Allow Debugging in LabVIEW 5.x).
   
   
3. The VI is marked as subroutine priority. VIs may not be debugged while they are marked as subroutine priority. A VI is marked as subroutine priority used File»VI Properties»Execution»Priority (VI Setup»Execution Options»Priority in LabVIEW 5.x).

[diarmaede]

Thanks.  That looks like it could help, if I could find "VI Setup."

"VI Setup»Execution Options»Reentrant Execution in LabVIEW 5.x"

Does anyone know how to access VI Setup?

[diarmaede]

I found VI Setup.

[Hooovahh]

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diarmaede wrote: 

Whoever wrote the original code went to great lengths to make it very hard to modify the code. 

---

To be fair the developer may not have made these changes with the intent of hindering developers from editing the code.  These changes like locking the VI, removing debugging, setting to subroutine, etc, can have performance improvements.  Well other than the locking of a VI which could have other reasons like helping from unintentionally editing code that should need to be.  Of course these changes effect the performance of a VI so little that it probably doesn't matter.  Maybe it was a bigger deal back in pentium 1 or 2 PC era.

[Yamaeda]

Was it the case that you needed to disable debugging before compiling to maximize performance?

/Y

[Hooovahh]

You don't need to disable debugging (most don't).  But it can improve performance, even when in a built application according to NI.  I've never tested it myself but apparently disabling debugging in all VIs in your application, can have improved performance when built into an EXE, versus an EXE built from VIs that have debugging enabled.  Maybe this developer heard of this and decided to disable debugging on every VI in his project to help improve performance, and on a LabVIEW 5.0 machine, before the event structure (meaning lots of polling) maybe that little bit of performance was needed.

There are several ideas on the idea exchange to improve this:

http://forums.ni.com/t5/LabVIEW-Idea-Exchange/Add-an-option-to-disable-debugging-enable-optimization...

http://forums.ni.com/t5/LabVIEW-Idea-Exchange/Easy-Access-Button-to-Enable-Disable-Debugging/idi-p/1...

http://forums.ni.com/t5/LabVIEW-Idea-Exchange/Faster-switching-to-from-debugging-mode/idi-p/1860305

[Yamaeda]

At least under LV 2014 there's "Enable debugging" tick box under Advanced setting. I assume it's the same as disabling debugging in VI's. 

/Y

[Hooovahh]

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@Yamaeda wrote:

At least under LV 2014 there's "Enable debugging" tick box under Advanced setting. I assume it's the same as disabling debugging in VI's. 

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Unfortunatly it is not.  Some of the idea exchange items are to add another checkbox to actually disable debugging on VIs before building, but that would add quite a bit to the build time because you'd also have to enable debugging on the VIs after the build is done for the ones that were one before the build

[diarmaede]

That is possible, but it seems to be running fine with the bugging enabled.