LabVIEW Graphs, Charts, Arrays, and Clusters

Sarah Fenney 
Arizona State University

Instructor’s Portion
Summary
The students will learn about the differences and similarities between 
graphs and charts and when to use each.  They will also write simple VIs 
to incorporate arrays and clusters in LabVIEW as a means of combining 
data. 

Uses
This homework applies to all general instrumentation courses.  

Equipment List
 Computer with LabVIEW 6.1

References
 LabVIEW User’s Manual. November 2001. Part Number
320999D-01. http://www.ni.com/manuals.

 LabVIEW Student Edition. http://www.ni.com/labviewse.

 LabVIEW Introduction Course - Six Hours.  

 LabVIEW Introduction Course - Three Hours.  

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Student’s Portion
Introduction
In this homework, you will learn about the differences and similarities 
between graphs and charts and when to use each.  You will also write 
simple VIs to incorporate arrays and clusters in LabVIEW as a means of 
combining data.  

Objective
 Learn the difference between a chart and a graph.

 Differentiate between the three update modes of a chart.

 Learn how to create an array and manipulate it.

 Learn the difference between a cluster and an array.

Theory
LabVIEW Graphs, Charts, Arrays, and Clusters

Introduction

In this section you will learn about graphs and charts, their similarities and
differences, and when to use each.  You will also study arrays and clusters,
two ways to group data. 

Graphs and Charts

Use graphs and charts to display plots of data in a graphical form.

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Graphs and charts differ in the way they display and update data. VIs with 
graphs usually collect the data in an array and then plot the data to the 
graph, which is similar to a spreadsheet that first stores the data then 
generates a plot of it. In contrast, a chart appends new data points to those 
already in the display. On a chart, you can see the current reading or 
measurement in context with data previously acquired.

The graphs and charts located on the Controls»Graph palette include the 
following types:

• Waveform Chart and Graph—Displays data acquired at a constant 
rate.

• XY Graph—Displays data acquired at a non­constant rate, such as data 
acquired when a trigger occurs.

• Intensity Chart and Graph—Displays 3D data on a 2D plot by using 
color to display the values of the third dimension.

• Digital Waveform Graph—Displays data as pulses or groups of digital 
lines. Computers transfer digital data to other computers in pulses.

• (Windows) 3D Graphs—Displays 3D data on a 3D plot in an ActiveX 
object on the front panel.

You customize the appearance of graphs and charts by showing or hiding 
options. Right­click the graph or chart and select Visible Items from the 
shortcut menu to display or hide the following options:

• Plot Legend—Defines the color and style of the plot(s). Resize the 
legend to display multiple plots.

• Scale Legend—Defines labels for scales and configures scale properties.

• Graph Palette—Changes scaling and formatting while a VI is running.

• X Scale and Y Scale—Formats the x­ and y­scales. 

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• Cursor Legend (graph only)—Displays a marker at a defined point 
coordinate. You can display multiple cursors on a graph.

• Scrollbar (chart only)—Scrolls through the data in the chart. Use the 
scroll bar to view data that the buffer does not currently display. 

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Arrays

Arrays group data elements of the same type. An array

consists of elements and dimensions. Elements are the
data that make up the array. A dimension is the length,
height, or depth of an array. An array can have one or more
dimensions and as many as 231 – 1 elements per
dimension, memory permitting.

You can build arrays of numeric, Boolean, path, string,

waveform, and cluster data types. Consider using arrays
when you work with a collection of similar data and when
you perform repetitive computations. Arrays are ideal for
storing data you collect from waveforms or data generated
in loops, where each iteration of a loop produces one
element of the array.

You cannot create arrays of arrays. However, you can use a

multidimensional array or create an array of clusters where
each cluster contains one or more arrays.

Indexes
To locate a particular element in an array requires one index per
dimension. In LabVIEW, indexes let you navigate through an
array and retrieve elements, rows, columns, and pages from an
array on the block diagram.

Examples of Arrays
An example of a simple array is a text array that lists the nine
planets of our solar system. LabVIEW represents this as a 1D array
of strings with nine elements.

Array elements are ordered. An array uses an index so you can

readily access any particular element. The index is zero-based,
which means it is in the range 0 to n – 1, where n is the number of
elements in the array. For example, n = 9 for the nine planets, so
the index ranges from 0 to 8. Earth is the third planet, so it has an
index of 2.

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Another example of an array is a waveform represented as a
numeric array in which each successive element is the voltage
value at successive time intervals.

A more complex example of an array is a graph represented as an

array of points where each point is a cluster containing a pair of
numerics that represent the X and Y coordinates.

The previous examples use 1D arrays. A 2D array stores elements

in a grid. It requires a column index and a row index to locate an
element, both of which are zero-based.

For example, a chessboard has eight columns and eight rows for a
total of 64 positions. Each position can be empty or have one chess
piece. You can represent a chessboard as a 2D array of strings.
Each string is the name of the piece that occupies the
corresponding location on the board, or an empty string if the
location is empty.

Restrictions for Arrays

You can create an array of almost any data type, with the following
exceptions:

• You cannot create an array of arrays. However, you can use a

multidimensional array or use the Build Cluster Array function to
create an array of clusters where each cluster contains one or more
arrays.

• You cannot create an array of non-XY graphs because a graph is

an array data type and an array cannot contain another array.
However, you can have an array of non-XY graphs if the graph is
in a cluster.

• You cannot create an array of charts.

Creating Array Controls, Indicators, and Constants

Create an array control or indicator on the front panel by placing
an array shell on the front panel and dragging a data object or
element, which can be a numeric, Boolean, string, path, refnum, or
cluster control or indicator, into the array shell.

The array shell automatically resizes to accommodate the new

object, whether a small Boolean control or a large 3D graph.

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To display a particular element on the front panel, either type the
index number in the index display or use the arrows on the index
display to navigate to that number.

To create an array constant on the block diagram, select

Functions»Array»Array Constant to place the array shell on the
front panel, then place a string constant, numeric constant, or
cluster constant in the array shell. You can use an array constant as
a basis for comparison with another array.

Array Index Display

A 2D array contains rows and columns. The upper display of the
two boxes on the left is the row index and the lower display is the
column index. The combined display to the right of the row and
column displays shows the value at the specified position.

Rows and columns are zero-based, meaning the first column is

column 0, the second column is column 1, and so on. Changing the
index display for the following array to row 1, column 2 displays a
value of 6.

If you try to display a column or row that is out of the range of the
array dimensions, the array control is dimmed to indicate that there
is no value defined, and LabVIEW displays the default value of the
data type. The default value of the data type depends on the data
type of the array.

Use the Positioning tool to show more than one row or column at a
time.

Array Functions

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Use the Array functions located on the Functions»Array palette to
create and manipulate arrays, such as the following tasks:

• Extract individual data elements from an array.

• Insert, delete, or replace data elements in an array.

• Split arrays.

Automatically Resizing Array Functions

The Index Array, Replace Array Subset, Insert Into Array, Delete
From Array, and Array Subset functions automatically resize to
match the dimensions of the input array you wire. For example, if
you wire a 1D array to one of these functions, the function shows a
single index input. If you wire a 2D array to the same function, it
shows two index inputs—one for the row and one for the column.

You can access more than one element, or subarray (row, column,
or page) with these functions by using the Positioning tool to
manually resize the function. When you expand one of these
functions, the functions expand in increments determined by the
dimensions of the array wired to the function.

If you wire a 1D array to one of these functions, the function

expands by a single index input. If you wire a 2D array to the same
function, the function expands by two index inputs—one for the
row and one for the column.

The index inputs you wire determine the shape of the subarray you
want to access or modify. For example, if the input to an Index

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Array function is a 2D array and you wire only the row input, you
extract a complete 1D row of the array. If you wire only the
column input, you extract a complete 1D column of the array. If
you wire the row input and the column input, you extract a single
element of the array. Each input group is independent and can
access any portion of any dimension of the array.

To access multiple consecutive values in an array, expand the

Index Array function, but do not wire values to the index inputs in
each increment. For example, to retrieve the first, second, and third
rows from a 2D array, expand the Index Array function by three
increments and wire 1D array indicators to each sub-array output.

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Clusters

Clusters group data elements of mixed types, such as a

bundle of wires, as in a telephone cable, where each wire
in the cable represents a different element of the cluster. A
cluster is similar to a record or a struct in text-based
programming languages.

Bundling several data elements into clusters eliminates

wire clutter on the block diagram and reduces the number
of connector pane terminals that subVIs need. The
connector pane has, at most, 28 terminals. If your front
panel contains more than 28 controls and indicators that
you want to use programmatically, group some of them
into a cluster and assign the cluster to a terminal on the
connector pane.

Although cluster and array elements are both ordered, you

must unbundle all cluster elements at once rather than
index one element at a time. You also can use the
Unbundle By Name function to access specific cluster
elements. Clusters also differ from arrays in that they are a
fixed size. Like an array, a cluster is either a control or an
indicator. A cluster cannot contain a mixture of controls
and indicators.

Most clusters on the block diagram have a pink wire

pattern and data type icon. Clusters of numerics,
sometimes referred to as points, have a brown wire pattern
and data type icon. You can wire brown numeric clusters to
Numeric functions, such as Add or Square Root, to perform
the same operation simultaneously on all elements of the
cluster.

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Cluster elements have a logical order unrelated to their position in the
shell. The first object you place in the cluster is element 0, the second is
element 1, and so on. If you delete an element, the order adjusts
automatically. The cluster order determines the order in which the
elements appear as terminals on the Bundle and Unbundle functions on the
block diagram. You can view and modify the cluster order by right-
clicking the cluster border and selecting Reorder Controls In Cluster
from the shortcut menu.

To wire clusters, both clusters must have the same number of elements.
Corresponding elements, determined by the cluster order, must have
compatible data types. For example, if a double-precision floating-point
numeric in one cluster corresponds in cluster order to a string in the other
cluster, the wire on the block diagram appears broken and the VI does not
run. If numerics of different representations, LabVIEW coerces them to
the same representation.

Use the Cluster functions located on the Functions»Cluster palette to

create and manipulate clusters, such as the following tasks:

• Extract individual data elements from a cluster.

• Add individual data elements to a cluster.

• Break a cluster out into its individual data elements.

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Homework Procedure
Part 1. Temperature Monitor VI

Complete the following steps to build a VI that uses a While Loop and a 
waveform chart to acquire and display data.

1. Open a new VI.

2. Build the following front panel.

a. Select the vertical toggle switch on the

Controls»Boolean palette and place it on the front
panel. You will use the switch to stop the acquisition.

b. Type Power inside the label and click outside the

label or click the Enter button on the toolbar.

c. Select a waveform chart on the Controls»Graph

palette and place it on the front panel. The waveform
chart will display the temperature in real time.

d. Type Temperature History inside the label and

click outside the label or click the Enter button.

e. The waveform chart legend labels the plot Plot 0.

Use the Labeling tool to triple-click Plot 0 in the

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 chart legend, type Temp, and click outside the label or
click the Enter button to relabel the legend.

f. The temperature sensor measures room

temperature. Use the
Labeling tool to double-click 10.0 in the y-axis, type
90, and click outside the label or click the Enter
button to rescale the chart.

g. Change –10.0 in the y-axis to 70.

h. Label the y-axis Temp (Deg F) and the x-axis Time 

(sec).

3. Select Window»Show Diagram to display the block

diagram.

4. Enclose the two terminals in a While Loop, as shown in

the following block diagram.

a. Select the While Loop on the

Functions»Structures palette.

b. Click and drag a selection rectangle around the

two terminals.

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 c. Use the Positioning tool to resize the loop, if
necessary.

5. Select Functions»Tutorial»Digital Thermometer.vi.

This VI returns simulated temperature measurements.

6. Wire the block diagram objects as shown in the previous

block diagram.

7. Save the VI as Temperature Monitor.vi.

8. Display the front panel by clicking it or by selecting

Window»
Show Panel.

9. Use the Operating tool to click the vertical toggle switch

and turn it to the ON position.

10. Run the VI.

The section of the block diagram within the While Loop

border, or subdiagram, executes until the specified
condition is TRUE. For example, while the switch is on
(TRUE), the Thermometer VI takes and returns a new
measurement and displays it on the waveform chart.

11. Click the vertical toggle switch to stop the acquisition.

The condition is FALSE, and the loop stops executing.

12. Format and customize the X and Y scales of the

waveform chart.
a. Right-click the chart and select Y
Scale»Formatting from the shortcut menu. A dialog
box appears.

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 b. Click the Scale Style icon and select different
styles for the y-axis. You also can select different
mapping modes, grid options, scaling factors, and
formats and precisions.

c. Select the options shown in the previous dialog

box and click the OK button.

13. Right-click the waveform chart and select Data

Operations»Clear
Chart from the shortcut menu to clear the display buffer
and reset the waveform chart. If the VI is running, you can
select Clear Chart from the shortcut menu.

14. Modify the vertical toggle switch so temperature is

plotted on the graph each time you run the VI.
a. Stop the VI if it is running.

b. Use the Operating tool to click the vertical toggle

switch and turn it to the ON position.

c. Right-click the switch and select Data

Operations»Make Current Value Default from
the shortcut menu. This sets the ON position as the
default value.

d. Right-click the switch and select Mechanical

Action»Latch When Pressed from the shortcut
menu.

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15. Run the VI.

16. Use the Operating tool to click the vertical switch to

stop the acquisition. The switch changes to the OFF
position and changes back to ON after the conditional
terminal reads the value.

When this VI runs, the While Loop executes as quickly as

possible.
Complete the following steps to take data at certain
intervals, such as once every half-second, as shown in the
following block diagram.

a. Place the Wait Until Next ms Multiple function

located on the Functions»Time & Dialog palette.
This function makes sure that each iteration occurs
every half-second (500 ms).

b. Right-click the millisecond multiple input of the

Wait Until Next ms Multiple function, select
Create»Constant from the shortcut menu, type 500,
and press the <Enter> key. The numeric constant
specifies a wait of 500 ms so the loop executes once
every half-second.

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 c. On the front panel, right-click the chart and select
X Scale»Formatting from the shortcut menu.
Change the X value to 0.5 because you added a
500 ms wait between loop iterations.

17. Save the VI.

18. Run the VI.

19. Try different values for the numeric constant and run
the VI again.

20. Close the VI.

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Part 2. Temperature Analysis VI

In Part 2, you will use charts, graphs, arrays, and clusters

to build a VI that measures temperature every 0.25 s for 10
s. During the acquisition, the VI displays the
measurements in real time on a waveform chart. After the
acquisition is complete, the VI plots the data on a graph
and calculates the minimum, maximum, and average
temperatures. The VI displays the best fit of the
temperature graph.

1. Open a new VI and build the following front panel using the following
tips.

• Set the point style of the waveform chart plot to a small x.

• Hide the plot legend of the waveform chart.

• Right-click the waveform chart, select X Scale»Formatting from the

shortcut menu, and change .X to 0.25 and Digits of Precision to 2.

• Use the Positioning tool to resize the plot legend of the waveform graph.

• Use the Labeling tool to rename Plot 0 to Temp and Plot 1 to Fitted.

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• Set the point style of the waveform graph Temp plot to a small square.

• Do not create the Mean, Max, and Min indicators yet.

2. Build the following block diagram.

a. Select Functions»Tutorial»Digital
Thermometer.vi. This VI returns simulated
temperature measurements.

b. Place the Wait Until Next ms Multiple function located on the

Functions»Time & Dialog palette and create a constant of 250.
This function causes the For Loop to execute every 0.25 s (250
ms).

c. Place the Array Max & Min function located on the

Functions»Array palette. This function returns the maximum and
minimum temperature.

d. Place the Mean VI located on the

Functions»Mathematics»Probability and Statistics palette. This
VI returns the average of the temperature measurements.

e. Right-click the output terminals of the Array Max & Min

function and Mean VI and select Create»Indicator from the
shortcut menu to create the Max, Min, and Mean indicators.

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 f. Place the General Polynomial Fit VI located on the
Functions»Mathematics»Curve Fitting palette. This VI returns
an array that is a polynomial fit to the temperature array.

g. Place the Bundle function located on the Functions»Cluster

palette. Press the <Ctrl> key while you drag the function to copy it.
This function assembles the plot elements into a single cluster.

The elements include the initial x value (0), the .x value (0.25), and
the y array of temperature data. The .x value of 0.25 is required so
that the VI plots the temperature array points every 0.25 s on the
waveform graph.

h. Place the Build Array function located on the Functions»Array

palette. This function creates an array of clusters from the
temperature cluster and the best fit cluster.

3. Save the VI as Temperature Analysis.vi.

4. Display the front panel and run the VI.

The graph displays both the temperature data and best fit curve of the
temperature waveform.

5. Try different values for the polynomial order constant on the block
diagram and run the VI again.

6. Change the appearance of plots by modifying the plot styles and fill
styles.

a. Right-click the Temp plot display in the plot legend and select
Common Plots»Scatter Plot from the shortcut menu, the top
middle option.

b. Right-click the Fitted plot display in the plot legend, select Bar
Plots from the shortcut menu, and select the second option in the
middle row.

7. Save and close the VI.

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Part 3. Find Mid Value VI

In Part 3, you will apply your knowledge of arrays to write a VI to 

implement various array functions. 

Build a VI that first accumulates an array of temperature

values using the Digital Thermometer VI. Incorporate
these items:

 Set the array size with a control on the front

panel.

 Initialize an array using the Initialize Array

function of the same size where all the values
are equal to 10.

 Add the two arrays, calculate the size of the

final array, and extract the middle value from
the final array.

 Display the Temperature Array, Initialized

Array, Final Array, and Mid Value.

Save the VI as Find Mid Value.vi.

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Homework Report
For your homework report, email the VIs and the answers to the questions 
below to the instructor no later than <date>.

Data Sheet
Questions

1.  How is a chart different from a graph?

2. What are the three update modes of a chart?  Briefly describe each.

3. How do you create an array?

4.  Below is a 2D array:

2 4 7 5 1

6 9 3 4 5

2 5 8 4 9

a. What number is at index [1,3]?

b. If you used an Array Subset function on the above array, and assigned 
the following input values (in order): 

index: 2
length: 3
index: 3

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length: 2

What value(s) would be returned?  Would it be a 1D or 2D array? 

5.  How is a cluster different than an array?

6. What is the difference between the Bundle and Bundle by Name 
functions? Unbundle and Unbundle by Name?

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