General Programming Requirements

The NI-Serial software for Windows is fully integrated into the standard Windows communications software. NI serial ports are used like any other Windows communications (COM) port. Windows has standard communication functions for use within Windows applications.

When you develop your application, remember that you must use the standard Windows serial communication functions or any API that uses the standard Windows serial communication functions such as NI-VISA. For more information about NI-VISA, see ni.com/VISA. For information about Microsoft Windows serial communication functions, refer to the Platform Software Development Kit.

If you have LabVIEW, LabWindows/CVI, or VISA and want to use it with your serial hardware, refer to your LabVIEW, LabWindows/CVI, or VISA documentation for information about serial I/O functions.