Control a LabVIEW GUI exe from LabVIEW

I have a vendor supplied LabVIEW.exe application, it's used to control a device that's part of an automated manufacturing process. At present we need to manually run the exe from the control PC , read data, make a decision, then input a few values, button clicks etc. I'd like to automate this step. Without having the source code for the application, what options do I have for controlling this application from LabVIEW?
I tried using System Exec.vi, but I got beat when I needed to right-click on a graph indicator to retrieve data. LabVIEW applications don't accept SHIFT+f10 for right-click.
What other methods can I use to communicate with this application?

Dennis_Knutson wrote:
On the other hand, if the specifications that you provided to the software vendor did not include these requirements, then the vendor would be quite reasonable in asking for additional money to make the changes. You should also have required that the source code be provided.
Of course, this is true. I was making an assumption, that since the OP has experience in LabVIEW, these sort of things had already been taken into consideration by the buyer.
Would source code normally be provided when someone purchases an EXE? If there are proprietary pieces in there (algorithms, etc.), I thought it would be more common for the vendor to just provide hooks to the control and data functions.
Cameron
To err is human, but to really foul it up requires a computer.
The optimist believes we are in the best of all possible worlds - the pessimist fears this is true.
Profanity is the one language all programmers know best.
An expert is someone who has made all the possible mistakes.
To learn something about LabVIEW at no extra cost, work the online LabVIEW tutorial(s):
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Pda execute other exe from Labview

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That is a great question! So as you noticed there is no equivalent to System Exec in LabVIEW PDA, so you cannot launch an application that way. I would think that there would be a DLL that could be called on the PDA that will allow you to launch applications. However, after several Google searches I was not able to come up with any specific code or DLLs. Once you found that DLL hoewever, you shouldn't have problems launch an EXE. I am assuming that these are not other LabVIEW PDA built EXEs, which is a shame since you might be able to open a VI reference to that VI.
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Message Edited by Andy F. on 04-25-2006 06:52 PM
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Hello NI,
I want to call the exe from the labview. presently i am using command.vi to open the exe. but it works only with source code. after creating the exe it doesnt work.
I checked the path of exe.
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Message Edited by mathan on 01-06-2009 03:24 AM
Attachments:
untitled.PNG ‏3 KB

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Message Edité par stage84 le 07-24-2009 10:11 AM
Attachments:
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Control exe from labview

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In anticipation of reply
cheers
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Running an EXE from LABVIEW without the 'cmd' window showing

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Bazza wrote:
Thankyou for your comments...
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Have you looked at the VI in vi.lib\Platform\browser.llb\Open a Document on Disk.vi. It opens the document passed in according to its file ending and attempts to communicate with the target application through DDE if possible before using the command line. Even then I have not seen a cmd window popup so far.
Rolf Kalbermatter
Rolf Kalbermatter
CIT Engineering Netherlands
a division of Test & Measurement Solutions

How to launch an exe from LabVIEW VI

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Best Regards,
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- tbob
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https://support.industry.siemens.com/cs/attachments/99684399/99684399_SINAMICS_G_S_Ansteuerung_mit_L...
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Hello ipbrown,
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http://forums.ni.com/ni/board/message?board.id=170&message.id=270461&requireLogin=False
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front.PNG ‏53 KB
block.PNG ‏38 KB

Thanks, Drew
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Attachments:
111026 dynamixel.pdf ‏198 KB

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Does anyone have any experience using NIST software with Labview. I am wanting to call NIST to get properties of two different gases, and not exactly sure how to accomplish this.
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aputman wrote:
I use a TCP connection to get NIST time. Not sure if something like this is available for what you are looking for. Hope it helps.
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Hello, everyone. Using VC++, I have gotten the handle of a *.exe(built by Labview), but I cannot get the button handle. I want to get the button handle and post the message to control the button. How can I do that? When I use the SPY++, the *.exe(built by Labview) have not any child windows which is very different from the *.exe(built by VC++). In SPY++, what is the LVDChild class? How can I send the message to control the button on *.exe(built by Labview)???
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hummingbird wrote:
Thank you! But I dont kown how to use vi server to raise a value signalling event. Can we put vi server into the vc program? Can you give me some more information or some examples, hehe!
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Checkout the LabVIEW ActiveX server interface in the User Manual in Chapter 20, Windows Connectivity and the VI Server Reference in Chapter 17, Programmatically Controlling VIs.
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Hi guys
In my new project I would like to send commands to Tera Term Pro. Tera Term then responds to the commands from Labview the same way as I would type the commands directly into Tera Term.
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I would like to send commands with a stringcontrol and get the respond in a string indicator, all in labview. Tera Term should run invisible in the background.
So for this I thought using ActiveX would be the best. I have downloaded tera term pro.
In Labview I create this from the ActiveX Palette and select browse on the ActiveX Class.
In the Tera Term folder I find many .dll's:
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Even
Regards,
Even
Certified LabVIEW Associate Developer
Automated Test Developer
Topro AS
Norway
Solved!
Go to Solution.

Sorry for this late reply. I have been using Teraterm Macro (not Teraterm Pro serial terminal) to interface with my previous provisioning app written in LabVIEW.
Teraterm Macro is such a lifesaver in that it can easily interface with your development boards that need: (1) RS-232C, (2) FTP, (3) TFTP or (4) SSH connections. The plain-vanilla 'serial' VI's are just that - serial port only and those need additional code to work reliably. If you need a good serial port VI try Prabhakant Patil's Hyper Terminal for LV 2009 and newer. You will find an ZIP or VIPM package from LAVA (lava.org). I have used his versions countless of times and is 10x more reliable than provided in LV examples.
You will indeed use the System-Exec.VI to call Teraterm Macro since *sigh* no one has written a wrapper for the DLLs (as you mentioned they are built for .Net framework. I have talked with the current developers and they are willing to give anyone the pass to extend Teraterm for LabVIEW so C++ devs out there with good LabVIEW knowledge should re-build the DLLs as static libraries that can be called from within LabVIEW. For now, this is the only way and it is a kludge - but it works - just not in a way you expect.
Here you can see that I am building the command line arguments before I call the system-exec node. Refer to the excellent how-to instructions at:
http://ttssh2.sourceforge.jp/manual/en/macro/commandline.html
Teraterm Macro will be spawned (opened) like it would when called from the command line. Its std input & output are not tied to your VI. You can merely pass arguments to the system-exec node. This is the reasons why we need someone to recompile the Teraterm Macro DLL as a static library (anyone?) so we can build a wrapper VI around the functions. Then its std inputs and outputs can be tied to LabVIEW's controls and indicators - hence, it becomes LV native.
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I am using Activex controls from Labview to log the data into Excel spreadsheet. My applica

tion is running fine without giving any error messages. But even after the vi stops, excel process does not shutdown. "Excel.exe" process keeps running until I end it from Windows NT Task Manager. Is there any way to end the excel.exe process from Labview?

tion is running fine without giving any error messages. But even after the vi stops, excel process does not shutdown. "Excel.exe" process keeps running until I end it from Windows NT Task Manager. Is there any way to end the excel.exe process from Labview?I use Excel Active X control frequently to save and then analysis test data. In order to properly destroy the "Excel.exe" process it is important to close all the automation refnums opened when using the Excel active x controls. After completing your desired Excel task wire all the refnums in reverse order they were created into the Automation Close function in Functions->Communication->Active X pallette. This includes all Application, Workbook, Worksheet, or Range refnum. Missing even one of these refnums will mean that Excel.exe will still persist in the task manager and cause problems when excel is opened from outside LabVIEW. I hope this helps.
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Control a LabVIEW GUI exe from LabVIEW

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