About Working with External Libraries

This chapter discusses extending ATEasy functionality by adding and interfacing with external libraries. It provides an example of how to write an ISA PC board driver that uses a Dynamic Link Library to program the board. It provides more details of how to initialize a driver. It shows how to handle errors in drivers and in the application. This chapter explains how to use Type Libraries and COM objects and classes, as well as providing an example for using a Microsoft Excel COM object.

Topic	Description
Overview of Libraries	Explains two types of libraries that can be used in an ATEasy module: DLLs and Type Libraries.
Creating a DLL Based Driver	Explains how to create a driver and to add a DLL. Also shows how to use and configure a DLL-based driver.
About the GTSW32.DLL	Provides an example for a DLL procedure and provides an example of a C header file.
Declaring DLL Procedures	Explains how to define DLL procedures and parameters.
Importing C/C++ Header File	Explain how to import C/C++ header file (.h) to declare DLL procedures, types and constants
Using DLL Procedures	Shows how to call DLL procedures.
Driver Initialization	Shows how to use the driver's OnInit module event to initialize the driver and how to hide the board handle parameter used to identify the board to the driver.
Handling Errors in a Driver	Explains how to handle errors in the driver.
More About Error Handling	Provides more details regarding ATEasy error types and about error handling in an application using the OnError event.
COM Objects and Type Libraries	Provides details regarding using COM objects and external Type Libraries.
Using the Excel Type Library	Provides an example using the Excel Type Library.
Using the Object Data Type	Provides an example using the Object Data Type
.NET Assemblies	Using .NET assemblies
Using VI	Using National Instruments LabVIEW VI and LLB files