DAQ Coding and Python Scripting

Many acquisition jobs start in a configuration form and finish in code. The form chooses the device, the channels and the sample rate. The generated script is already valid, so the next step is to rename a variable, add a filter, or write the buffer to a file, rather than to open the device driver from scratch.

MatDeck functions used for acquisition are also available from Python. A script can start a continuous capture, wait for a trigger, scale the samples into engineering units, and plot or store the result in the same document that holds the hardware form. Custom Python libraries can be dropped in as plugins when a lab already has its own helpers.

Two ways to extend a capture

The first way is to keep the form and only script the analysis: filtering, statistics, and the log file. The second way is to call the device functions directly when the timing or the channel list has to change while the program runs. Both ways share the channel names, so a panel built against those names keeps working.