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National Instruments Addresses Challenge of Memory Management in C Programming with latest LabWindows version

19th November 2008

NI (National Instruments)

ES Admin

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National Instruments has announced LabWindows/CVI 9.0, the latest version of the proven ANSI C development environment for building reliable test and measurement solutions. It includes an improved compiler and debugger, which speed test development and throughput, and introduces new features for real-time systems to deliver application reliability.

For more than a decade, LabWindows/CVI has provided automatic array bounds to identify memory errors that can cause unexpected behaviour. Building on the history of delivering advanced user protection features not standard in C, LabWindows/CVI now includes an integrated tool, the Resource Tracking Window, to locate potential resource leaks that can decrease system performance over time.

“The new built-in Resource Tracking Window in LabWindows/CVI 9.0 has saved me days of adding custom debugging code to track memory and other resource usage,” said Chris Quick, Software Engineer at Laser Technology Inc., which designs and manufactures laser-based speed and distance measurement instruments. “Now, with an integrated solution that requires no changes to my code, I have found multiple memory leaks in a matter of minutes. This new feature is invaluable.”

Engineers can expect to see between 20 percent and 50 percent improvement in large application compile times and could see more than an 80 percent improvement based on project characteristics with new support for pre-compiled headers in LabWindows/CVI 9.0. After debugging, engineers can further speed the execution and increase their test application throughput by using the latest Intel, Microsoft and Borland optimised compilers to compile code within the LabWindows/CVI environment. Specifically, engineers can use new configuration templates for the Microsoft Visual Studio 2008 optimised compiler to produce faster running code, significantly increasing the throughput of automated test applications.

With the LabWindows/CVI Real-Time Module, new support for watchdog timers and the Datalight Reliance file system, engineers can also add value to applications requiring deterministic and reliable operation by designing applications that deterministically respond to failures and preserve valuable test data.

In addition, LabWindows/CVI 9.0 makes it possible for developers to stay up-to-date with the latest C technologies with more comprehensive support for the ANSI C99 language standard, including support for variable length arrays.