User defined wire appearance indicating communication functionality in a graphical programming environment

A method for configuring a wire appearance in a graphical program, the method comprising:

• utilizing a computer to perform:
• specifying a first communication functionality between nodes in a graphical program in response to user input defining a new communication functionality;
• creating a first wire appearance for representing the first communication functionality in response to user input defining the first wire appearance, wherein said creating comprises storing the first wire appearance to be subsequently used for a wire that is configured to implement the first communication functionality, wherein the first communication functionality comprises one or more of:
• timing;
• or
• data transfer, comprising one or more of:
• data transfer semantics,
• a data transfer mechanism, or
• a data transfer medium, and
• subsequently displaying a first wire in a first graphical program, wherein the first wire has the first wire appearance, wherein the first wire is configured to implement the specified communication functionality, and wherein the first wire appearance visually denotes the specified communication functionality of the wire.

A system for configuring a wire appearance in a graphical program, the system comprising:

• a processor;
• and
• a memory medium coupled to the processor, wherein the memory medium stores program instructions which are executable by the processor to:
• specify a first communication functionality between nodes in a graphical program in response to user input defining a new communication functionality;
• create a first wire appearance for representing the first communication functionality in response to user input defining the first wire appearance, wherein said creating comprises storing the first wire appearance to be subsequently used for a wire that is configured to implement the first communication functionality, wherein the first communication functionality comprises one or more of:
• timing;
• or
• data transfer, comprising one or more of:
• data transfer semantics,
• a data transfer mechanism, or
• a data transfer medium, and
• subsequently display a first wire in a first graphical program, wherein the first wire has the first wire appearance, wherein the first wire is configured to implement the specified communication functionality, and wherein the first wire appearance visually denotes the specified communication functionality of the wire.

A system for configuring a wire appearance in a graphical program, the system comprising:

• means for specifying a first communication functionality between nodes in a graphical program in response to user input defining a new communication functionality;
• means for creating a first wire appearance for representing the first communication functionality in response to user input defining the first wire appearance, wherein said creating comprises storing the first wire appearance to be subsequently used for a wire that is configured to implement the first communication functionality, wherein the first communication functionality comprises one or more of:
• timing;
• or
• data transfer, comprising one or more of:
• data transfer semantics,
• a data transfer mechanism, or
• a data transfer medium, and
• means for subsequently displaying a first wire in a first graphical program, wherein the first wire has the first wire appearance, wherein the first wire is configured to implement the specified communication functionality, and wherein the first wire appearance visually denotes the specified communication functionality of the wire.