Specifications

IVI-COM Programming Examples in Visual C#

IVI drivers use the VISA-COM library to communicate with instruments, but the

driver encapsulates error-checking and optimized instrument communication

methods into a format that’s much easier to use in an object-oriented program-

ming language like Visual C#.

To use the Agilent Technologies IVI drivers in your software development efforts,

you first must reference the IVI driver in the VC# project before writing code

that uses the driver to interface to a particular instrument.

5.1 Referencing IVI-COM drivers in Microsoft Visual Studio (VC#)

The Visual Studio IDE requires you to reference drivers in each Visual C# project

you are intending to use the driver. First, open the project you want to add the

IVI driver reference to.

Figure 6. Microsoft Visual Studio, solution explorer window, project reference list

From the Solution Explorer window, right click on “References” and select “Add

Reference”. Alternatively, you can select the Project menu, and select “Add

Reference” from the menu list.

A dialog box will open with a tabbed grouping of reference lists. Several options

are available, including .NET, COM, and local Projects on your computer. The

Agilent Technologies IVI drivers are IVI-COM drivers, and as such are available

from the COM references.