LabVIEW Debugging Techniques to Find and
Squash Software Bugs
[Link]
Photo Credit: Bugs / Brian Searle / CC BY 2.0
LabVIEW Edit-Time Bugs
LabVIEW Edit-Time Bugs
LabVIEW Run-Time Bugs
1. Use Error Wires
Surfaces run-time errors so you can fix them
• Search [Link] “Structured Error Handler” for a more
structured error handling strategy
1. Use Error Wires
Surfaces run-time errors so you can fix them
• Search for “Structured Error Handler” on [Link] for a
more structured error handling strategy
2. Highlight Execution
Animation of the block diagram data flow
• LabVIEW Idea Exchange ([Link]/ideas) on “User
Defined Partial Highlight Execution”
3. Single-Stepping
Walk through each block diagram interaction one at a time
Step Into Step Over Step Out
• If you single-step through a VI with execution highlighting
on, an execution glyph appears on the icons of the
subVIs that are currently running.
4. Probes
Watch data values on wires in “real time”
• SAPHIR - VIBox Probes free add-on for custom probes
available on the LabVIEW Tools Network
DE
4. Probes M
O
Watch data values on wires in “real time”
• SAPHIR - VIBox Probes free add-on for custom probes
available on the LabVIEW Tools Network
4. Probes
Watch data values on wires in “real-time”
• SAPHIR - VIBox Probes free add-on for custom probes
available on the LabVIEW Tools Network
5. Breakpoints
Pause execution of a VI at a certain block diagram location
• LabVIEW Idea Exchange ([Link]/ideas) on “Allow Data
in Wires to be Forced During Development”
5. Breakpoints
Pause execution of a VI at a certain block diagram location
• LabVIEW Idea Exchange ([Link]/ideas) on “Allow Data
in Wires to be Forced During Development”
6. Suspend When Called
Suspends execution of subVI when it is called
• Determine where the subVI is being called from by using
the Call list pull-down menu on the toolbar (Call Chain
function also would work programmatically)
6. Suspend When Called
Suspends execution of subVI when it is called
• Determine where the subVI is being called from by using
the Call list pull-down menu on the toolbar (Call Chain
function also would work programmatically)
6. Suspend When Called
Suspends execution of subVI when it is called
• Determine where the subVI is being called from by using
the Call list pull-down menu on the toolbar (Call Chain
function also would work programmatically)
6. Suspend When Called
Suspends execution of subVI when it is called
• Determine where the subVI is being called from by using
the Call list pull-down menu on the toolbar (Call Chain
function also would work programmatically)
EM DE
6. Suspend When Called M
O O
Suspends execution of subVI when it is called
• Determine where the subVI is being called from by using
the Call list pull-down menu on the toolbar (Call Chain
function also would work programmatically)
7. Debugging with “Binary Search” method
Comment out half of your code and see if the problem still
persists. Keep going until you narrow in on the offending
code
• LabVIEW Idea Exchange ([Link]/ideas) on “Conditional
Disable Symbols settable in Application Builder”
DE
7. Debugging with “Binary Search” method M
O
Comment out half of your code and see if the problem still
persists. Keep going until you narrow in on the offending
code
• LabVIEW Idea Exchange ([Link]/ideas) on “Conditional
Disable Symbols settable in Application Builder”
7. Debugging with “Binary Search” method
Comment out half of your code and see if the problem still
persists. Keep going until you narrow in on the offending
code
• LabVIEW Idea Exchange ([Link]/ideas) on “Conditional
Disable Symbols settable in Application Builder”
8. VI Debug File
Write values to a “debug file” periodically so that you can
read about the VI execution later
• This will show the values in more real execution timing
compared to other tools like Highlight Execution
8. VI Debug File
Write values to a “debug file” periodically so that you can
read about the VI execution later
• This will show the values in more real execution timing
compared to other options like Highlight Execution
8. VI Debug File
Write values to a “debug file” periodically so that you can
read about the VI execution later
• This will show the values in more real execution timing
compared to other options like Highlight Execution
8. VI Debug File
Write values to a “debug file” periodically so that you can
read about the VI execution later
• For this example, search [Link]/community for “Simple
Debug File Troubleshooting in LabVIEW”
9. Desktop Execution Trace Toolkit
Even code that is syntactically correct and functionally
complete is often still contaminated with problems such as
memory leaks or daemon tasks that can impact
performance or lead to incorrect behavior
Debugging large, highly parallel applications is difficult
Code that crashes LabVIEW needs another process to
help it debug
9. Desktop Execution Trace Toolkit
Good for memory leaks, event sources, last call before
error, and remote execution tracing
It can trace VI Execution, Event Structure, Queues and
Notifers, User Logged Strings, Reference Leaks, Error I/O,
Memory Allocations, and Thread and CPU IDs
Comes free with Developer Suite
10. Catch All
Make sure and initialize appropriate shift registers (There
is a VI Analyzer test for this)
Hidden or unwired subVIs could happen if you place
structures on top of VIs and could cause the VI to perform
extra functions. Use View»VI Hierarchy, to look for extra
VIs or change the environmental setting so that terminals
are “required” by default.
• What else is missing from this list?
