In the MathScript RT Module 2011, you define structures, or structs, to organize related data in the LabVIEW MathScript Window or a MathScript Node. You also can wire a cluster to a MathScript Node, where that cluster becomes a structure.

1. What Is the LabVIEW MathScript RT Module?

LabVIEW MathScript RT is an add-on module for the LabVIEW Full and Professional Development Systems. It is designed to natively add text-based signal processing, analysis, and math into the graphical development environment of LabVIEW. With more than 800 built-in functions, LabVIEW MathScript gives you the ability to either run your existing custom .m files or create them from scratch. Using this native solution for text-based math, you can combine graphical and textual programming within LabVIEW because the text-based engine is part of the LabVIEW environment. With LabVIEW MathScript RT, you can choose whether graphical or textual programming is most appropriate for each aspect of your application.

2. How Do I Use the MathScript RT Module?

There are two methodologies for interacting with the MathScript Engine: the MathScript Interactive Window and the MathScript Node.

Using the MathScript Interactive Window

The MathScript Interactive Window, accessed from the Tools menu, provides an intuitive interface to MathScript. With a command-line interface and a window to build batch files, the MathScript Interactive Window is designed to help you developyour scripts.

Using the MathScript Node

The MathScript Node is a structure on the LabVIEW block diagram that gives you the ability to put text-based MathScript code inline with G. You can define inputs and outputs on the node borders to pass data back and forth between the two paradigms. The node even supports debugging, with single steps, breakpoints, syntax highlighting, and a probe for intermittent values.

With the MathScript Node you can run .m file scripts from your LabVIEW graphical programs (known as virtual instruments or VIs). You can use the MathScript Node to insert textual algorithms into a VI and then use the LabVIEW graphical programming environment to instrument the scripts by adding knobs, slides, buttons, graphics, and other user controls and indicators.

Figure 1. The blue rectangular region represents the MathScript Node.

3. Step-by-Step Example

This example assumes that you have basic experience working with LabVIEW. (Read the product information page for more details on working with the LabVIEW graphical development environment.) This example creates a sinusoid, executes a fast Fourier transform (FFT) on that sinusoid, and then outputs both graphs to a LabVIEW front panel.

Figure 2. This shows the completed front panel for the example VI.
Select Window » Show Block Diagram to display the block diagram of the VI.

On the block diagram, select View » Functions Palette to display the functions palette.

Move the cursor over the icons on the programming palette to locate the structures palette.

Click the structures icon to display the structures palette.

Move the cursor over the icons on the structures palette to locate the MathScript Node.

Click the MathScript Node icon.

On the block diagram, click and drag the mouse in a rectangular shape to place the MathScript Node.


Figure 3. Place a MathScript Node on the block diagram by clicking and dragging the mouse in a rectangular shape.

1. Click inside the MathScript Node and type the following commands.
   x = linspace(0, 6*pi, 100);
   b = amp*sin(x);
   Notice that the “x = linspace(0, 6*pi, 100);” command creates a new variable x and populates that variable with 100 samples evenly distributed between 0 and 6*pi.
   (Optional) You also can right-click the MathScript Node and select Import from the shortcut menu to import an .m file that you created.
   Figure 4. Easily import your custom .m files into the MathScript Node
   
2. Right-click the left side of MathScript Node frame and select Add Input from the shortcut menu.
   Type amp in the input terminal to add an input for the amp variable in the script. This creates an input to the MathScript Node that the Amplitude control terminal can be wired into.
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Figure 5. Create inputs on the MathScript Node to pass in data using graphical wires.

Right-click the right side of the MathScript Node frame and select Add Output » sinusoid from the menu. You’ll notice that the menu provides all of the declared variables within the MathScript Node as an option to output. This creates an output from the MathScript Node that can be wired to the Sinusoid indicator terminal.

Figure 6. Create outputs on the MathScript Node to output MathScript variables.

The final block diagram should like Figure 7:

Figure 7. This is the final block diagram for sine.vi.

Select Window » Show Front Panel to display the front panel of the VI.

Drag the slider of the Amplitude control to approximately 3.

Click the Run button at the top of the front panel. Notice that the waveform graph updates with a sine wave.

Figure 8. This is the Sine.vi front panel after running the application.

Drag the slider of the Amplitude control to a different value and run the VI again. Notice that the sine wave updates accordingly.

(Optional) Click the Run Continuously button, or the circular arrows, at the top of the front panel. Notice that the waveform graph updates each time you change the value of the Amplitude control.

4. Script Highlighting

Script highlighting uses colors to distinguish between different parts of a script in a MathScript Node. These colors improve the readability of the script and help you debug a script that contains errors or returns unexpected data. For example, you can use script highlighting to see when a user-defined function or a variable overrides a built-in MathScript function. Script highlighting is enabled by default, except for MathScript Nodes that were last saved in a version of LabVIEW prior to LabVIEW 8.5, and uses custom colors.

To disable script highlighting, right-click inside a MathScript Node and select Script Highlighting » None. To enable script highlighting, there are two options: syntaxhighlighting and data type highlighting.

Syntax Highlighting

Syntax highlighting displays script elements such as operators and comments in different colors. For example, if a variable or user-defined function overrides a built-in MathScript function, syntax highlighting colors that script element as a variable or user-defined function. You can customize the script highlighting colors for nodes in which it is enabled by using the Syntax section of the MathScript page of the Options dialog box:

Figure 9. Customize syntax highlighting colors by using the MathScript category in the Options menu.

To enable syntax highlighting, right-click inside a node and choose Script Highlighting » Syntax.

Data Type Highlighting

Data type highlighting displays the data types of variables in different colors and font attributes. Data type highlighting gives you the ability to see when the script redefines a variable from one data type to another.

Figure 10. Customize data types highlighting colors by using the MathScript category in the Options menu.