Timing Wires in a Graphical Program

• US 20070203683A1
• Filed: 04/30/2007
• Published: 08/30/2007
• Est. Priority Date: 08/07/2003
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: National Instruments Corporation (Emerson Electric Company)
• Original Assignee: National Instruments Corporation (Emerson Electric Company)
• Inventors: Vrancic, Aljosa, Kornerup, Jacob, Shah, Biren, Andrade, Hugo, Kodosky, Jeffrey, Santori, Michael
• Granted Patent: US 8,359,567 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 703/19
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 11/323 Visualisation of programs or trace data
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 8/34 Graphical or visual programming

Abstract

A system and method for specifying timing relationships among nodes in a graphical program. User input specifying desired timing of a first node with respect to timing of a second node may be received. In various embodiments, any kind of timing relationship or timing constraint between the first node and the second node may be specified. Timing information may be displayed on the display to visually indicate the timing of the first node with respect to timing of the second node. In one embodiment, displaying the timing information may comprise displaying a timing wire between the first node and the second node. The graphical program may be executed in such a way that the visually indicated timing of the first node with respect to timing of the second node is satisfied.

Claims

1. A method, comprising:

displaying a first node in a graphical program;

displaying a second node in the graphical program;

displaying a timing wire connecting the first node and the second node in the graphical program, wherein the timing wire indicates a timing relationship between the first node and the second node; and

executing the graphical program, wherein said executing the graphical program comprises satisfying the timing relationship between the first node and the second node.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the timing wire connected to the first and second node visually indicates the timing relationship between the first and second node.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the first node has a plurality of points operable to accept connection of the first wire, wherein each point corresponds to a different execution point for the first node.

4. The method of claim 3, wherein the plurality of points correspond to one or more of:

a point at which execution of the first node begins;

a point at which a side effect of the first node occurs;

or

a point at which execution of the first node ends.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the first and second nodes comprises a plurality of execution points, wherein the timing wire is connected to a first execution point of the first node and a second execution point of the second node, wherein the timing relationship between the first and second node is indicated by the timing wire being connected to the first and second execution points.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the timing wire has a visual appearance which indicates that it is a timing wire.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein the graphical program comprises a plurality of interconnected nodes, wherein the plurality of interconnected nodes visually indicates functionality of the graphical program.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein said displaying the timing wire is performed in response to user input specifying desired timing of the first node with respect to timing of the second node.

9. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

automatically analyzing the plurality of interconnected nodes to determine timing of the first node with respect to timing of the second node;

wherein said displaying the timing wire is performed based on said automatically analyzing.

10. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

displaying timing information corresponding to the timing relationship.

11. The method of claim 10, wherein the timing information visually indicates a time constraint between the execution point for the first node and the execution point for the second node.

12. The method of claim 10, wherein the timing information visually indicates a time interval between the execution point for the first node and the execution point for the second node.

13. The method of claim 10, wherein the timing information visually indicates a time maximum between the execution point for the first node and the execution point for the second node.

14. The method of claim 10, wherein the timing information visually indicates a time minimum between the execution point for the first node and the execution point for the second node.

15. The method of claim 10, wherein said displaying the timing information displaying a numerical time value regarding timing of the first node with respect to timing of the second node.

16. The method of claim 10, wherein the timing information corresponds to the timing wire, and wherein said displaying the timing information comprises displaying the timing information proximate to the first wire.

17. A computer-accessible memory medium comprising program instructions that are executable by a processor to:

display a first node in a graphical program;

display a second node in the graphical program;

display a timing wire connecting the first node and the second node in the graphical program, wherein the timing wire indicates a timing relationship between the first node and the second node; and

execute the graphical program, wherein said executing the graphical program comprises satisfying the timing relationship between the first node and the second node.

18. The memory medium of claim 17, wherein the timing wire connected to the first and second node visually indicates the timing relationship between the first and second node.

19. The memory medium of claim 17, wherein said displaying the timing wire is performed in response to user input specifying desired timing of the first node with respect to timing of the second node.

20. A system, comprising:

a processor; and

a memory medium comprising program instructions that are executable by the processor to;

display a first node in a graphical program;

display a second node in the graphical program;

display a timing wire connecting the first node and the second node in the graphical program, wherein the timing wire indicates a timing relationship between the first node and the second node; and

execute the graphical program, wherein said executing the graphical program comprises satisfying the timing relationship between the first node and the second node.