Summary, Tips, and Tricks on Modular Programming **new** 2004/06/15 12:50:04.715 GMT-5 2004/07/12 09:40:53.497 GMT-5 National Instruments certification@ni.com Harika Basana ilsai@rice.edu Elizabeth Gregory lizzardg@rice.edu Malan Shiralkar mshiralkar05@hotmail.com National Instruments certification@ni.com A VI within another VI is called a subVI. Using subVIs helps you manage changes and debug the block diagram quickly. After you build a VI front panel and block diagram, build the icon and the connector pane so you can use the VI as a subVI. The connector pane is a set of terminals that corresponds to the controls and indicators of that VI. Define connections by assigning a front panel control or indicator to each of the connector pane terminals. Create custom icons to replace the default icon by double-clicking the icon in the upper right corner of the front panel to open the Icon Editor. In the Icon Editor dialog box, double-click the Text tool to select a different font. You can designate which inputs and outputs are required, recommended, and optional to prevent users from forgetting to wire subVI connections. Right-click a terminal in the connector pane and select This Connection Is from the shortcut menu. Document a VI by selecting File>>VI Properties and selecting Documentation from the Category pull-down menu. When you move the cursor over a VI icon, the Context Help window displays this description and indicates which terminals are required, recommended, or optional. Add descriptions and tip strips to controls and indicators by right-clicking them and selecting Description and Tip from the shortcut menu. When you move the cursor over controls and indicators, the Context Help window displays this description. Convert a section of a VI into a subVI by using the Positioning tool to select the section of the block diagram you want to reuse and selecting Edit>>Create SubVI.