Right-click a process in the system tree and select Add Variable from the shortcut menu, or right-click an existing shared or network variable in the system tree and select Edit Variable from the shortcut menu to display the Shared Variable Properties dialog box and this page.
Use this page to set the basic options for a variable. This page includes the following components:
Name—Specifies the name of the variable.
Variable Type—Specifies that the variable is a network-published variable. LabVIEW modules and toolkits you have installed might provide additional shared variable types, configuration options, and limitations. Refer to the documentation for the LabVIEW module or toolkit for more information about the shared variable types, configuration options, and limitations that product adds to shared variables.
Data Type—Specifies the data type of the variable. In LabVIEW, select From Custom Control and enter a path or browse to a custom type control to set the data type of the shared variable to any data type supported by LabVIEW. The data type you select appears in the field to the right of the pull-down menu. LabVIEW modules and toolkits you have installed might provide additional data types. Refer to the documentation for the LabVIEW module or toolkit for more information about the shared variable data types that product adds to LabVIEW.
Enable Network Publishing—Specifies whether to share the shared variable data across a network. This option is always enabled for network-published shared variables.
Enable timestamping—Specifies if a timestamp value is recorded each time a shared variable reads data. The timestamp is always enabled for shared variables available in System Manager.
Enable Aliasing—Binds the shared variable to an existing NI Publish-Subscribe Protocol data item on the network. This component is available only for network-published shared variables.
Bind to:—Specifies whether to bind the shared variable to an NI Publish-Subscribe Protocol data item on the network. This is the only available option in System Manager. Network-published shared variables communicate between VIs, remote computers, and hardware through the Shared Variable Engine (SVE). The NI-PSP networking protocol uses URLs to transmit data across the network. You can browse to any NI-PSP data item on the network to seamlessly bind shared variables to other shared variables or to server and device data items.
Path—Specifies the path to the shared variable or data item to which you want to bind the shared variable you are configuring. The path to an NI Publish-Subscribe Protocol (NI-PSP) data item consists of the computer name, the name of the process in which the data item resides, and the data item name: \\computer\process\data_item
Browse—Displays the Browse for Variable dialog box from which you browse to the shared variable or data item on the network to which you want to bind the control.
Access Type—Sets whether the shared variable writes or reads data. If you select read only or write only, you can create shared variables that are configured only to read data or write data, respectively. When you right-click the shared variable that is bound to a source that is read or write only, LabVIEW disables the Change To Write and Change To Read options in the shortcut menu.
Configure Fixed Point—Displays the Configure Fixed Point dialog box. This button only appears if you select Fixed Point from the Data Type pull-down menu.