05-14-2009 09:02 AM
Hello all,
I need to write a software code specification for an outside vendor. I have no idea how good or how much experience their programmers have. A starting place would be the LabVIEW Development Guidelines document and I have specified which items on the LabVIEW style checklist must be applied. I have also specified that I want a state machine structure, no globals, etc., etc.
Does anyone have a code specification for LabVIEW that you would like to share? I don't want to miss anything important.
05-14-2009 09:17 AM
Do you have any LV apps coded by you? Use them to explain the style of coding you want to have.
Ask them to fill in VI descriptions with usefull information and require comments that point to documents or specifications for algorithms and calculations.
Require that constants (except physical constants) are put into a configuration file, this allows fine-tuning without having to change the source code.
Not exhaustive..
05-14-2009 09:41 AM
Are you primarily interested in style?
You make no mention of the user interface, the algorithms or functions to be performed, data input and output formats, hardware inputs and outputs, performance requirements, error handling, safety issues, and probably many other things. Also, project management: Who communicates with the consultant? How often? What progress reports are required? How are billing and payment arranged? Who makes the final decisions?
If any of these are important to the success of your project, they need to be part of the specification.
Lynn
05-14-2009 10:14 AM
There is a Project Specification Template and Style Rules Checklist that is available from http://www.bloomy.com/lvstyle/downloads.php which you might find useful.
To download the files you will need to register, but there are also a few other useful nuggets in there in addition to the two items I mention here.
Shaun
(disclosure: I am an employee of Bloomy Controls)