Chapter 17. Appendix D: Viewing Interactive Content

17.1. Viewing Embedded LabVIEW Content in Connexions*

Introduction

In order to view LabVIEW content embedded in Connexions modules, you must install and enable the LabVIEW 8.0 and 8.5 Local VI Execution Browser Plug-in for Windows. Step-by-step installation instructions are given below. Once installation is complete, the placeholder box at the bottom of this module should display a demo LabVIEW virtual instrument (VI).

Installing the LabVIEW Run-time Engine on Microsoft Windows

  1. Download and install the LabVIEW 8.0 Runtime Engine found at: http://zone.ni.com/devzone/cda/tut/p/id/4346.

  2. Download and install the LabVIEW 8.5 Runtime Engine found at: http://zone.ni.com/devzone/cda/tut/p/id/6633.

  3. Dowload the LVBrowserPlugin.ini file from http://zone.ni.com/devzone/cda/tut/p/id/8288, and place it in the My Documents\LabVIEW Data folder. (You may have to create this folder if it doesn't already exist.)

  4. Restart your computer to complete the installation.

  5. The placeholder box at the bottom of this module should now display a demo LabVIEW virtual instrument (VI).

Example Virtual Instrument

Figure 17.1. 

(This media type is not supported in this reader. Click to open media in browser.)

Digital filter design LabVIEW virtual instrument from http://cnx.org/content/m13115/latest/.

17.2. Getting Started With Mathematica*

What is Mathematica?

Mathematica is a computational software program used in technical fields. It is developed by Wolfram Research. Mathematica makes it easy to visualize data and create GUIs in only a few lines of code.

How can I run, create, and find Mathematica files?

Run

The free CDF Player is available for running non-commercial Mathematica programs. The option exists of downloading source files and running on your computer, but the CDF-player comes with a plug-in for viewing dynamic content online on your web browser!

Create

Mathematica 8 is available for purchase from Wolfram. Many universities (including Rice) and companies already have a Mathematica license. Wolfram has a free, save-disabled 15-day trial version of Mathematica.

Find

Wolfram has thousands of Mathematica programs (including source code) available at the Wolfram Demonstrations Project. Anyone can create and submit a Demonstration. Also, many other websites (including Connexions) have a lot of Mathematica content.

What do I need to run interactive content?

Mathematica 8 is supported on Linux, Microsoft Windows, Mac OS X, and Solaris. Mathematica's free CDF-player is available for Windows and Mac OS X, and is in development for Linux; the CDF-Player plugin is available for IE, Firefox, Chrome, Safari, and Opera.

How can I upload a Mathematica file to a Connexions module?

Go to the Files tab at the top of the module and upload your .cdf file, along with an (optional) screenshot of the file in use. In order to generate a clean bracket-less screenshot, you should do the following:

  • Open your .cdf in Mathematica and left click on the bracket surrounding the manipulate command.

  • Click on Cell->Convert To->Bitmap.

  • Then click on File->Save Selection As, and save the image file in your desired image format.

Embed the files into the module in any way you like. Some tags you may find helpful include image, figure, download, and link (if linking to an .cdf file on another website). The best method is to create an interactive figure, and include a fallback png image of the cdf file should the CDF image not render properly. See the interactive demo/image below.

Convolution Demo
<figure id="demoonline">
<media id="CNXdemoonline" alt="timeshiftDemo">
<image mime-type="image/png" src="Convolutiondisplay-4.cdf" thumbnail="Convolution4.0Display.png" width="600"/>
<object width="500" height="500" src="Convolutiondisplay-4.cdf" mime-type="application/vnd.wolfram.cdf" for="webview2.0"/>
<image mime-type="application/postscript" for="pdf" src="Convolution4.0Display.png" width="400"/>
</media>
<caption>Interact (when online) with a Mathematica CDF demonstrating Convolution. To Download, right-click and save target as .cdf.%lt;/caption>
</figure>

Figure 17.2. 

timeshiftDemo
Interact (when online) with a Mathematica CDF demonstrating Convolution. To Download, right-click and save target as .cdf.


Alternatively, this is how it looks when you use a thumbnail link to a live online demo.

Figure 17.3. 

Convolution Demo
Click on the above thumbnail image (when online) to view an interactive Mathematica Player demonstrating Convolution.


How can I learn Mathematica?

Open Mathematica and go to the Getting Started section of the "Welcome to Mathematica" screen, or check out Help: Documentation Center.

The Mathematica Learning Center has lots of screencasts, how-tos, and tutorials.

When troubleshooting, the error messages are often unhelpful, so it's best to evaluate often so the problem can be easily located. Search engines like Google are useful when you're looking for an explanation of specific error messages.