Use relinking to re-establish a connection to a missing device. You can also use relinking to replace the missing device with a different device of the same model in an existing panel.

InstrumentStudio flags devices as missing if you close InstrumentStudio and a device used in an InstrumentStudio project goes offline or its name changes. The next time you open the project, InstrumentStudio applies the following flags to missing devices:
  • The title bar of the panel is gray instead of blue.
  • The panel displays a Missing hardware message.
  • The caution icon (An icon of a red triangle with a white exclamation point in it.) appears next to the instrument header menu of the affected panel.
  • The caution icon (An icon of a red triangle with a white exclamation point in it.) appears next to the missing device in the instrument settings menu.
  • A notification appears in the Edit Layout window.

You can relink a missing device through the instrument settings menu (A cogwheel icon for the instrument settings menu of InstrumentStudio.) or replace a missing device in the Edit Layout window. When you relink a missing device through the instrument settings menu, InstrumentStudio applies the existing configuration of the device to the relinked device. You can replace a missing device through the Edit Layout window. In this case, InstrumentStudio discards the existing device configuration and creates another configuration for the replacement device.

Note

You can also relink or locate a missing device through the Hardware Configuration Utility (HWCU) or Measurement & Automation Explorer (MAX). If InstrumentStudio is open, changes made in HWCU or MAX are automatically applied to InstrumentStudio panels.

If a device went missing because it was renamed while InstrumentStudio was closed, you must relink the missing device. To relink the missing device, open the InstrumentStudio panel that contains the missing device. Then, change the name of the device in HWCU or MAX to match the name that InstrumentStudio is looking for.

Relink Missing Devices from the Instrument Settings Menu

You can use this method to link a different device of the same model to an existing panel. You can do this even if the original device is not missing. Replacing a device in a panel through relinking preserves device settings from the original device. This method also applies these settings to the replacement device.

  1. Open the instrument settings menu (A cogwheel icon for the instrument settings menu of InstrumentStudio.) of the panel with the missing device.
  2. Select the missing device. The missing device has a caution icon (An icon of a red triangle with a white exclamation point in it.) next to it.
  3. Select Relink.
  4. Select the name of the device that you want to link to the panel.
    Note When relinking from the instrument settings menu, the relinked device must be the same model as the missing device. InstrumentStudio applies the existing device configuration to the new device when you link the new device.
  5. Select Run on the relinked panel.

Replacing Missing Devices from the Edit Layout Window

You cannot directly relink a missing device from the Edit Layout window. To remove a missing device and replace it with a different device, complete the following steps:

  1. Open the Edit Layout window in one of the following ways:
    • From the instrument header menu, select the Edit layout icon (An icon of a layout that contains one large and three small panels. You can use this button to edit layouts in InstrumentStudio.).
    • 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. Locate the missing device. The missing device has a caution icon (An icon of a red triangle with a white exclamation point in it.) next to it.
  3. Click the × icon next to the caution icon to remove the missing device from the layout.
    Note If the missing device was not part of a group, removing the device also removes the panel of the device.
  4. Add a replacement device of the same type to the panel (if adding to a group), or make a new panel with the replacement device.
    Note When you replace a missing device from the Edit Layout window, the new device must follow the layout guidelines. For more information on layout guidelines, see Panels and Layouts.
  5. Select OK to save your changes.
  6. Select Run on the edited panel.