Change Log

This change log shows the changes made between Workers v4.0 and Workers v5.0 only.

Workers v5.0

• New tool: Workers 5.0 Debug Server (completely refactored, new UI design, new features)

• New tool: Workers Public API Builder tool

  • Create / Edit Public API Request

  • Create / Edit Public API Request with Reply

  • Create / Edit Public API Response

  • Override Public API MHL cases

• New tool: Create MHL Case tool

  • Create / Edit Local API Request

  • Create / Edit non-Public MHL case

  • Override non-Public API MHL cases

• New tool: Change Worker Properties tool

• New tool: Upgrade to Workers 5.0 project tool

• New feature: Create Asynchronous Launcher VIs (in Create Launcher VI tool)

• New feature: Worker User Library Config File Editor tool (in Worker User Library tool)

• New feature: Worker.lvclass Public Properties accessible through class wire property node

• New feature: Caller's Public Properties accessible through a Worker's Public Properties

• New feature: subWorker's Public Properties accessible through a Worker's Public Properties

• New feature: Launcher VIs tab added to Worker Hierarchy Viewer (WHV) tool

• New feature: Dynamically Loaded Workers loaded from base classes now detected in WHV tool

• New feature: Development tools display progress window whilst tool is performing operations

• New feature: Set Initialization Data VIs automatically wired in to Caller's <Initialize> MHL case

• New feature: NI VI Icon Library now used to generate all class and VI icons

• New feature: Take header colors from other Worker class option added to tools that create classes

• New feature: Workers at run-time are now identifiable by a backslash-delimited string (WID). This replaces the period-delimited ID string in previous versions of the framework

• New feature: Workers example projects are now available through the Workers tools menu

• New feature: All example projects updated. Now use Workers 5.0 generated API VIs

• New feature: New DMM HAL Demo Project added to example project list

Upgrade tool changes:

• VI name change: Common Cases.vi -> MHL Cases.vi

• VI name change: Setup subWorker.vi -> Setup Statically-Linked subWorkers.vi

• VI name change: subWorkers.ctl -> Statically-Linked subWorkers.ctl

• 'subWorkers' cluster in a Worker private data cluster renamed to 'Statically-Linked subWorkers'

• Worker and Worker base class background class icons swapped

Other changes:

• Worker base class template now contains an Initialization Data.ctl

• Worker and Worker base class template now contains a Response Cases.ctl in the class's private data cluster. This cluster is wired to a Worker's Initialization Data.ctl in the Worker's <Initialize> MHL case

• Worker base class template MHL now contains the standard 4 Worker 'Framework Cases'

• Create Base Class tool now add class icon header string to class XML file

• Main VI ref added to Worker Public Properties

• Caller added to Worker Public Properties

• subWorkers array added to Worker Public Properties

• Quickdrop Shortcut Ctrl+9 now opens Create MHL Case tool

• Worker detection method changed in development tools, now by class inheritance and not from Alias tag in Worker class XML file

• Worker Alias string written to class localized name property of class when new Worker created

• Diagram disable structure removed around VTD node with Initialization Data.ctl in Worker template Main VI's MHL <Initialize> case.

• When more than one target is detected in the project, the Target selection combo box will appear in the Workers tools menu.

• Worker.lvclass : Callback Easy Reply.vi added to Workers palette.

• All Case Labels added by the scripting tools are now created in Protected Scope.

• All tools that create files can no longer accept \ / : * ? " < > | characters as inputs

• Worker Alias string can on longer contain \ character.

• Setup subWorker VIs (CNW tool) use ‘To more specific class’ node in place of ‘Preserve run-time class’ node

• Format of Worker User Library config files has changed. Now editable with new editor tool.

• All scripted VIs and CTLs now contain VI descriptions.

• Repeat errors caught by Worker.lvclass:Error Handler.vi are now only ignored IF they have occurred within the same MHL case.

• QD shortcut Ctrl+8 (Goto MHL Case) now uses filename after API prefix to determine associated MHL case name. This now works for (future proof) DD override API VIs also.

• Worker Hierarchy Viewer tool renamed to Worker Call-Chain Viewer.

Workers 5.0 Debug Server changes:

• Task Manger tab -> Application Manager window

• Live Message Log logging to file now possible

• Clear Log option added to Message Log right click menu

• Show/Hide Front Panel option added to Application Manager right click menu

• Client mode removed.

• Error log file generate by Debug Server application.

• Not compatible with Workers v4.0 Debug Client Loader.vi.

Workers 5.0 Debug Client Loader.vi changes:

• Debug Client Loader.vi can now detect and display MHL cases in Worker base classes (if MHL case is not overridden)

• Debug Client Loader.vi has removed “Server Mode” and “Server Mode : Server Port” inputs, and is not compatible with Workers v4.0 Debug Server.

Functional Change:

• Worker.lvclass:Callback Reply.vi now sends upstream error to Worker.lvclass:Enqueue and Collect.vi (or Enqueue Callback Message.vi (poly) in Workers v4.0)

Deprecated / Removed features:

• Message.lvclass and Callback Message.lvclass palette VIs deprecated. Messaging now replaced with the new strictly typed Worker API VIs created by the new Worker API tools

• Find subWorkers Queue.vi (poly) deprecated

• Read Worker Attributes.vi (poly) deprecated

• All uses of period-delimited Worker ID strings. Replaced with WID (backslash-delimited string)

• Dynamically Load Worker.vi deprecated. Replaced with Dynamically Load Worker v2.vi.

• <All subWorkers Initialize> and <All subWorkers Exited> cases are no longer added to a Workers MHL if they don’t exist, when adding a statically-linked subWorker to a Worker with the Create/Add Worker tool.

• Debug Client Loader.vi has removed “Server Mode” and “Server Mode : Server Port” inputs, and is not compatible with Workers v4.0 Debug Server.

Bug Fixes:

• CNW tool would fail when creating a new Worker in non-English versions of LabVIEW

• CNW tool would create a Worker without a Main.vi when creating a new Worker from a custom template Worker

• Renaming Case Label tool now deletes old Case Label file from disk

• Renaming MHL Case would cause broken link to associated Case Label in VIs that were not loaded into memory

• Case Labels can be added to a virtual folder with user defined scope

Efficiency Improvements:

• A copy of the Worker's Main Data Wire has been removed from Worker.lvclass:Error Handler.vi resulting in improved Worker MHL loop speed.

• Workers 5.0 Debug Server Message Logs process messages at approximately twice the speed of the Workers 4.0 Debug Server, in addition to being separated into Debug Client specific processes.