US 7,120,877 B2Granted

System and method for creating a graphical program including a plurality of portions to be executed sequentially

AssigneeNational Instruments Corporation

InventorsAdam Gabbert, Jeff Washington

Life of this patent

Estimating the term…

Loading patent…

Abstract

A system and method for creating a graphical program including a plurality of portions to be executed sequentially. User input may be received, e.g., during development of the graphical program, wherein the user input indicates a desire to specify a plurality of portions of graphical source code to be executed sequentially. In response, a plurality of frames may be displayed in the graphical program, such that two or more frames from the plurality of frames are visible at the same time. A portion of graphical source code may be included in each frame in response to user input. The plurality of frames may define an execution order for the corresponding portions of graphical source code, such that during execution of the graphical program, the portions of graphical source code are executed sequentially according to this execution order. In the preferred embodiment, all of the frames are visible at the same time, thus giving the program developer a complete view of the graphical program.

Claims35

Dependent claims

A method for creating a graphical program including a plurality of portions of graphical source code to be executed sequentially, the method comprising:

displaying a plurality of frames in the graphical program such that two or more frames are visible at the same time, wherein the graphical program comprises a plurality of interconnected graphical program nodes that graphically represents functionality of the graphical program, and wherein the graphical program is executable by a computer system to perform the functionality;
including a portion of graphical source code in each frame in response to user input;
wherein for each frame, said including a portion of graphical source code in the frame in response to user input comprises including one or more graphical program nodes in the frame in response to user input;
wherein the plurality of frames define an execution order for the plurality of portions of graphical source code such that during execution of the graphical program the plurality of portions of graphical source code are executed sequentially in accordance with the execution order defined by the plurality of frames
wherein the plurality of frames are displayed side by side to define an execution order for the plurality of portions of graphical source code such that during execution of the graphical program the plurality of portions of graphical source code are executed sequentially according to the execution order;
and
wherein a graphical depiction of a frame's location defines where it will execute relative to the other frames.

4 more elements

A system for creating a graphical program including a plurality of portions of graphical source code to be executed sequentially, the system comprising:

a processor;
a memory medium coupled to the processor;
wherein the memory medium stores program instructions which are executable by the processor to:
display a plurality of frames in the graphical program such that two or more frames are visible at the same time, wherein the graphical program comprises a plurality of interconnected graphical program nodes that graphically represents functionality of the graphical program, and wherein the graphical program is executable by a computer system to perform the functionality;
include a portion of graphical source code in each frame in response to user input;
wherein for each frame, in including a portion of graphical source code in the frame in response to user input, the program instructions are executable by the processor to include one or more graphical program nodes in the frame in response to user input;
wherein the plurality of frames define an execution order for the plurality of portions of graphical source code such that during execution of the graphical program the plurality of portions of graphical source code are executed sequentially in accordance with the execution order defined by the plurality of frames
wherein the plurality of frames are displayed side by side to define an execution order for the plurality of portions of graphical source code such that during execution of the graphical program the plurality of portions of graphical source code are executed sequentially according to the execution order;
and
wherein no wires among the plurality of portions of graphical source code are required in order to define the execution order for the plurality of portions of graphical source code.

7 more elements

A memory medium for creating a graphical program including a plurality of portions of graphical source code to be executed sequentially, the memory medium comprising program instructions executable to:

display a plurality of frames in the graphical program such that two or more frames are visible at the same time, wherein the graphical program comprises a plurality of interconnected graphical program nodes that graphically represents functionality of the graphical program, and wherein the graphical program is executable by a computer system to perform the functionality;
include a portion of graphical source code in each frame in response to user input;
wherein for each frame, in including a portion of graphical source code in the frame in response to user input, the program instructions are further executable to include one or more graphical program nodes in the frame in response to user input;
wherein the plurality of frames define an execution order for the plurality of portions of graphical source code such that during execution of the graphical program the plurality of portions of graphical source code are executed sequentially in accordance with the execution order defined by the plurality of frames
wherein the plurality of frames are displayed side by side to define an execution order for the plurality of portions of graphical source code such that during execution of the graphical program the plurality of portions of graphical source code are executed sequentially according to the execution order;
and
wherein no wires among the plurality of portions of graphical source code are required in order to define the execution order for the plurality of portions of graphical source code.

4 more elements

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.