Timing wires in a graphical program

• US 8,359,567 B2
• Filed: 04/30/2007
• Issued: 01/22/2013
• 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: Kornerup, Jacob, Kodosky, Jeffrey L., Andrade, Hugo A., Shah, Biren, Vrancic, Aljosa, Santori, Michael L.
• Primary Examiner(s): Zhen, Wei
• Assistant Examiner(s): UNG, LANNY N
• Application Number:
  US11/742,528
• Publication Number:
  US 20070203683A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,094 Days
• Field of Search: 717/105, 717/109
• US Class Current: 717/105
• 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 on a display of a computer system;

displaying a second node in the graphical program on the display of the computer system;

displaying at least one data flow wire coupling the first node and the second node, wherein the at least one data flow wire indicates flow of data between the first node and the second node;

displaying a timing wire connecting the first node and the second node in the graphical program on the display of the computer system;

receiving user input selecting the timing wire to configure timing information for the timing wire, wherein the timing wire configures the graphical program to execute the first node and the second node according to a timing relationship based on the timing information, wherein the timing wire visually indicates the timing relationship between the first node and the second node; and

executing the graphical program on the computer system, wherein said executing the graphical program comprises using the timing information to satisfy the timing relationship between the first node and the second node.

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

3. The method of claim 2, 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.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the first and second nodes each include 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 visually indicated by the timing wire being connected to the first and second execution points.

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

6. 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.

7. The method of claim 5,

wherein each of the one or more data flow wires has a visual appearance which indicates that it is a data flow wire;

wherein the visual appearance of the timing wire is different than the visual appearance of the one or more data flow wires.

8. The method of claim 5,

wherein said displaying the at least one data flow wire coupling the first node and the second node comprises displaying a plurality of data flow wires and one or more intermediate nodes coupled between the first node and the second node, wherein each of the plurality of data flow wires indicates flow of data between respective connected nodes.

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 the timing information in the graphical program.

11. The method of claim 10,

wherein the timing information for the timing wire comprises a numerical time constraint;

wherein the displayed timing wire and timing information visually indicate that the numerical time constraint is configured between an execution point for the first node and an execution point for the second node.

12. The method of claim 10,

wherein the timing information for the timing wire comprises a numerical time interval;

wherein the displayed timing wire and timing information visually indicate that the numerical time interval is configured between an execution point for the first node and an execution point for the second node.

13. The method of claim 10,

wherein the timing information for the timing wire comprises a numerical time maximum;

wherein the displayed timing wire and timing information visually indicate that the numerical time maximum is configured between an execution point for the first node and an execution point for the second node.

14. The method of claim 10,

wherein the timing information for the timing wire comprises a numerical time minimum;

wherein the displayed timing wire and timing information visually indicate that the numerical time minimum is configured between an execution point for the first node and an execution point for the second node.

15. The method of claim 10,

wherein the timing information for the timing wire comprises numerical timing information regarding execution timing of the first node with respect to execution timing of the second node;

wherein said displaying the timing information in the graphical program comprises displaying the numerical timing information.

16. The method of claim 10, wherein said displaying the timing information comprises displaying the timing information proximate to the timing wire in the graphical program.

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 at least one data flow wire coupling the first node and the second node, wherein the at least one data flow wire indicates flow of data between the first node and the second node;

display a timing wire connecting the first node and the second node in the graphical program;

receive user input selecting the timing wire to configure timing information for the timing wire, wherein the timing wire configures the graphical program to execute the first node and the second node according to a timing relationship based on the timing information, wherein the timing wire visually indicates the timing relationship between the first node and the second node; and

execute the graphical program, wherein said executing the graphical program comprises using the timing information to satisfy the timing relationship between the first node and the second node.

18. A system, comprising:

a display device;

one or more processors; and

memory storing program instructions that are executable by the one or more processors to;

display a first node in a graphical program on the display device;

display a second node in the graphical program on the display device;

display at least one data flow wire coupling the first node and the second node, wherein the at least one data flow wire indicates flow of data between the first node and the second node;

display a timing wire connecting the first node and the second node in the graphical program on the display device;

receive user input selecting the timing wire to configure timing information for the timing wire, wherein the timing wire configures the graphical program to execute the first node and the second node according to a timing relationship based on the timing information, wherein the timing wire visually indicates the timing relationship between the first node and the second node; and

execute the graphical program, wherein said executing the graphical program comprises using the timing information to satisfy the timing relationship between the first node and the second node.