Using Custom Data Types with FPGA Resource Items

You can create custom controls of supported data types and use these controls as data types for FIFOs, memory items, FPGA registers, or handshake items by configuring the resource data type in the Element section of the Item tab. If the custom control is a type definition, LabVIEW NXG disconnects the control from the type definition.

In the following example, the FIFO transfers address and data information in a single cluster element. Using a custom control, these values remain distinct so that you can split the values after reading the element from the FIFO.

Using custom data types has the following advantages:

• Simplifies diagrams and increases application throughput.
• Breaks the 64-bit barrier by joining two small supported types into one larger data type for some FPGA targets. Refer to the hardware documentation for the FPGA target for more information.
• Keeps resources separate for each value in the FIFO or memory.

Note  

NI recommends that you avoid using large custom controls that can affect the performance of an FPGA VI or waste FPGA resources.