Before you can take measurements and monitor devices in InstrumentStudio, you must create a layout. You can create a layout from the Home screen, from the instrument header menu, or from any instrument settings menu (A cogwheel icon for the instrument settings menu of InstrumentStudio.).

Create a Layout Automatically

InstrumentStudio detects the devices that you installed in your system and creates panels for each compatible device.

When you create a layout automatically, InstrumentStudio might not show all available devices. For more control over the devices that appear in the soft front panel, Create a Layout Manually.

To create a layout automatically, complete the following steps:

  1. Install the devices that you want to use. Ensure that the installed devices appear in the Hardware Configuration Utility (HWCU) or Measurement & Automation Explorer (MAX).
  2. Open InstrumentStudio.
  3. Select the Auto create layout option from the Home screen or from File » New » Auto create layout.
InstrumentStudio creates a large or small panel for each compatible device that is installed in the system.

Create a Layout Manually

You can use the Edit Layout window to create a manual layout. In a manual layout, you can customize which devices are displayed. You can also group devices of the same type into a single panel, except for oscilloscopes. You can only add oscilloscopes of the same model to the same panel.

See Panels and Layouts for more information on layout rules and restrictions.

Complete the following steps to create a layout manually:
  1. Access the Edit Layout window in one of the following ways:
    • If an instrument panel is already open, click the Edit layout (An icon of a layout that contains one large and three small panels. You can use this button to edit layouts in InstrumentStudio.) button in the instrument header menu.
    • From the Home screen, select Manual layout....
    • From the toolbar, select File » New » Manual layout....
    • From an instrument settings menu (A cogwheel icon for the instrument settings menu of InstrumentStudio.), select Add/Remove devices.
      Note If you access the Edit Layout window through an instrument settings menu, InstrumentStudio automatically applies a filter on the device list. This filter is based on which panel you selected the Add/Remove devices option from. You can remove or change this filter by clicking the filter icon (An icon of a filter.) next to the search field.
  2. Search for the devices that you want to include in the layout. You can find a list of devices in the left panel of the Edit Layout window.
    You can filter by device type by clicking the filter icon (An icon of a filter.) next to the search field.
  3. Add the device to a panel by selecting Create large panel or Create small panel from the dropdown menu of the device.
    The device appears in the panel that you select.
    Note You can remove a device from a panel by clicking the × icon to the right of the device name.
  4. Optional: Group devices of the same type together in a single panel. You can select a group name from the dropdown menu of a device.
  5. Select OK to create the layout that you specified.

Create a Single-Panel Layout

The single-panel layout option allows you to create a manual layout with a single large panel. You can customize which devices are displayed. You can also group devices of the same type into a single panel, except for oscilloscopes. You can only add oscilloscopes of the same model to the same panel.

See Panels and Layouts for more information on layout rules and restrictions.

Complete the following steps to create or edit a single-panel layout:
  1. From the toolbar, select File » New » Single panel layout....
    The Select Panel window opens.
  2. Search for the devices that you want to include in the layout.
    You can filter by device type by clicking the filter icon (An icon of a filter.) next to the search field.
  3. Select the devices that you want to include in the layout.
  4. Select OK to create the layout that you specified.

Edit an Existing Layout

You can edit a layout through the Edit Layout window. You can access the Edit Layout window in one of the following ways:
  • Click the Edit layout (An icon of a layout that contains one large and three small panels. You can use this button to edit layouts in InstrumentStudio.) icon in the instrument header menu.
  • Select the Add/Remove devices option from an instrument settings menu (A cogwheel icon for the instrument settings menu of InstrumentStudio.).
    Note If you select the Add/Remove devices option from an instrument settings menu, InstrumentStudio applies a filter on the device list. This filter is based on which panel you selected the Add/Remove devices option from. You can remove or change this filter by clicking the filter icon (An icon of a filter.) next to the search field.