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Chapter 1
Getting Started with Your NI 4472
1-4
ni.com
Measurement Studio features a set of ActiveX controls for using National
Instruments DAQ hardware. These ActiveX controls provide a high-level
programming interface for building virtual instruments. For Visual C++
developers, Measurement Studio offers a set of Visual C++ classes and
tools to integrate those classes into Visual C++ applications. The libraries,
ActiveX controls, and classes are available with Measurement Studio and
the NI-DAQ software.
Using LabVIEW or Measurement Studio software greatly reduces the
development time for your data acquisition and control application.
NI-DAQ
NI-DAQ, which shipped with your NI 4472 device, has an extensive library
of functions that you can call from your ADE. These functions allow you
to use all the features of your NI 4472.
NI-DAQ controls all direct interactions between the NI 4472 hardware and
the host computer. These functions include interrupt programming and
direct memory access (DMA). NI-DAQ maintains a consistent software
interface among its different versions so that you can change platforms with
minimal modifications to your code. Whether you are using LabVIEW,
Measurement Studio, or other programming languages, your application
uses the NI-DAQ driver software, as illustrated in Figure 1-1.