You can write most measurement applications using only the VIs of the NI-DAQmx, NI-VISA, and IVI Instrument Driver APIs. You also can use properties with these APIs to extend the functionality to include less commonly used features. For example, you can use the VISA Configure Serial Port VI to set several commonly used serial port settings in a VISA Session, including the baud rate. However, if you want to change only the baud rate, you can use a Property Node.
Use the Property Node on the DAQmx palette to configure various low-level settings for NI-DAQmx. Use the Property Node on the VISA Advanced palette for any VISA property. Use the Property Nodes on the Modular Instrument palette and the IVI Instrument Drivers palette for these APIs, respectively.