Quick Start

If you ned to control or automate a certain operation, you combine several instruments and make them work together. Also, you often need to re-configure the system by replacing one unit with a different one or adding a new set of units. These operations can be efficiently done using the approach described in the publication DOI: UNAVALIABLE_YET.
Briefly, any automation system contains (i) Device Monitors and a (ii) System Module.
The quick start guide is discussed in [Examples]

Device monitors

Device monitors are self-sufficient programming units, which handle all interactions with individual instruments. The OpenFlowChem Labview project (you can download from here) contains Virtual folders with auxiliary functions, several System modules and the Device monitors.
The device monitors generally are located into the corresponding sub-folders. Each folder usually contains:

• a VI for the device monitor,
• a library with basic instrument communication commands
• 2 type definitions for controlling the device monitor.
  The type definitions are for the data (i) input and (ii) output. These are separated to avoid over-writing to them. For example, when you remove a recent message, it is important not to reset (over-write) flags for sending the data or stopping. Having the type definitions separated, allows for easy handling of the OUT type definition and minimal handling of the IN type definition.

System Module

The system module is a high-level VI that incorporates all the device monitors and ensures that they work together. Here, you have to ensure that the logic of the system is executed and all required safety interlocks are implemented. However, please bear in mind that the Device Monitors provided, although extensively tested, are not guaranteed to be bug-free. Therefore, you must do a proper risk assessment of the operation performed to ensure safety via external means (pressure-release valves, liquid collection trays, gas and liquid sensors along with proper ventilation). You must consider complete or partial system failure!
To create a System Module, you need to jot down the system block-diagram with the operations performed and interaction of the instruments. Afterwards, you take (hopefully) or create Device Monitors for the existing units. The Device Monitors are easier to create based on the existing Device Monitors for similar components because often you only need to replace a couple of VI of unit initialisation, reading and writing.

Please proceed to the [Examples] section. If you are confident, you may download the Labview source files and read the description of [Device Monitors] and [System Modules].