With the Microsoft .NET Framework version 1.1 or later, you can use NI-VISA to create applications using Visual C# and Visual Basic .NET without Measurement Studio. You need Microsoft Visual Studio .NET 2005 or 2003 for the API documentation to be installed.

The installed documentation contains the NI-VISA API overview and function reference. This help is fully integrated into the Visual Studio .NET documentation. To view the VISA .NET documentation, go to Start » Programs » National Instruments » VISA » NI-VISA .NET Framework 1.1 Help. Expand NI Measurement Studio Help » NI Measurement Studio .NET Class Library » Reference » NationalInstruments.VisaNS to view the function reference. Expand NI Measurement Studio Help » NI Measurement Studio .NET Class Library » Using the Measurement Studio .NET Class Libraries » Using the Measurement Studio VisaNS .NET Library to view conceptual topics for using NI-VISA with Visual C# and Visual Basic .NET.

To get to the same help topics from within Visual Studio .NET 2003, go to Help » Contents. Select Measurement Studio from the Filtered By drop-down list and follow the previous instructions.