Tips and best practices for translating C into LabVIEW? SERIOUS newbie...

Question

I need to translate a C function into LabVIEW.  This will be my *first* LabVIEW project.  I've been reading some tutorials, and I'm still struggling to get my brain out of "C/C++ mode" and learn the LabVIEW paradigms.
Structurally, the function that I need to translate gets called from a while-loop and performs a bunch of mathematical calculations. 
The basic layout is something like this (this obviously isn't the actual code, it just illustrates the general flow control and techniques that it uses).
struct Params
// About 20 int and float parameters
int CalculateMetrics(Params *pParams,
float input1, float input2 [etc])
int errorCode = 0;
float metric1;
float metric2;
float metric3;
// Do some math like:
metric1 = input1 * (pParams->someParam - 5);
metric2 = metric1 + (input2 / pParams->someOtherParam);
// Tons more simple math
// A couple for-loops
if (metric1 < metric2)
// manipulate metric1 somehow
else
// set some kind of error code
errorCode = ...;
if (!errorCode)
metric3 = metric1 + pow(metric2, 3);
// More math...
// etc...
  // update some external global metrics variables  
return errorCode;
I'm still too green to understand whether or not a function like this can translate cleanly from C to LabVIEW, or whether the LabVIEW version will have significant structural differences. 
Are there any general tips or "best practices" for this kind of task?
Here are some more specific questions:
Most of the LabVIEW examples that I've seen (at least at the beginner level) seem to heavily rely on using the front panel controls  to provide inputs to functions.  How do I build a VI where the input arguments(input1, input2, etc) come as numbers, and aren't tied to dials or buttons on the front panel?
The structure of the C function seems to rely heavily on the use of stack variables like metric1 and metric2 in order to perform calculations.  It seems like creating temporary "stack" variables in LabVIEW is possible, but frowned upon.  Is it possible to keep this general structure in the LabVIEW VI without making the code a mess?
Thanks guys!

Answer 1

There's already a couple of good answers, but to add to #1:
You're clearly looking for a typical C-function. Any VI that doesn't require front panel opening (user interaction) can be such a function.
If the front panel is never opened the controls are merely used to send data to the VI, much like (identical to) the declaration of a C-function. The indicators can/will be return values.
Which controls and indicators are used to sending data in and out of a VI is almost too easy; Click the icon of the front panel (top right) and show connector, click which control/indicator goes where. Done. That's your functions declaration.
Basically one function is one VI, although you might want to split it even further, dont create 3k*3k pixel diagrams.
Depending on the amount of calculations done in your If-Thens they might be sub vi's of their own.
/Y
LabVIEW 8.2 - 2014
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