InstrumentStudio 2018 Known Issues

Overview

This document contains InstrumentStudio known issues that were discovered before and since the release of InstrumentStudio 2018. Not every issue known to NI appears on this list; it is intended to show the most severe and common issues that can be encountered.

Each issue appears as a row in the table and includes the following fields:

  • Issue ID - The number in at the top of each of the cells in the first column. When you report an issue to NI, you may be given this ID, you can also find IDs posted by NI on the discussion forums or in Knowledge Base articles. "N/A" indicates that there is no ID assigned to the issue.
  • Issue Title (in italics) - Describes the issue in one sentence or less.
  • Problem Description - A few sentences which describe the problem in further detail. The brief description given does not necessarily describe the problem in full detail, and it is expected that you may want more information on an issue. If you would like more information on an issue, contact NI and reference the ID number given in the document.
  • Workaround - Possible ways to work around the problem. The workarounds that appear in the document are not always tested by NI and are not guaranteed to resolve the issue. If a workaround refers you to the NI KnowledgeBase, visit www.ni.com/kb/ and enter the KnowledgeBase number in the search field to locate the specific document.
  • Reported Version - The earliest version of InstrumentStudio in which the issue was reported. If you discover the issue appears in an earlier version of InstrumentStudio than is reported in this field, report the discrepancy to NI to have the field updated.
  • Resolved Version - Version in which the issue was resolved or was no longer applicable. "N/A" indicates that the issue has not been resolved.
  • Date Added - The date the issue was added to the document (not the reported date).

Known Issues

743150The oscilloscope panel stops monitoring correctly when you start an external session with additional devices.
743144The SMU channel generation status indicator may be incorrect if channels are changed from a non-Idle operating mode (such as Voltage) to Idle while the panel is running.
742728Swapping names of SMU devices in NI-MAX may cause problems relinking devices.
742331The overload protection error is not shown if protection limits are hit during sequences over six seconds.
742279Asymmetric limits are not shown in the attribute list for an IO Configuration exported from InstrumentStudio to TestStand.
741943Relinking a device in the SMU/Power Supply panel sometimes doesn't work after renaming the device while the panel is closed.
739985A TestStand sequence using an IO Configuration exported from InstrumentStudio will error if the LabVIEW Adapter is configured to "auto detect the LabVIEW version using VI version" and the VIs used in the sequence are saved in a version other than the earliest installed supported version.
738916In the SMU panel, if the aperture time is too large, error messages may report the incorrect units.
722275Attempting to load files with a very large number of samples in arbitrary waveform mode may cause an out-of-memory error.
722414CSV import does not support escaping numeric separator.
722141Some features are not supported with the PXIe-5622 (25MHz DDC) oscilloscope.
721976Event export is not supported on some waveform generators.
719810Some actions may disrupt exported events.
716488Configuring the second channel for a two-channel oscilloscope measurement recalculates the statistics for unrelated measurements.
716261You cannot load interleaved arbitrary waveforms from a 5450 or 5451 waveform generator panel.
715849Using User-Defined mode with a 5450 or 5451 waveform generator requires both channels to be set to the same mode.
695052Changing debug configuration for a USB device after removing it from the system may cause bad behavior.
694863With certain devices, trigger coupling for external triggers is incorrectly missing the AC value.
694457Enabling probe compensation on a digitizer that does not support it results in an error loop.
694150Moving cursor positions by dragging the cursor lines clears persistent waveforms on the graph.
693838Devices named with non-English characters cannot be used in InstrumentStudio.
693733Attempting to export a configuration to a folder with non-ASCII characters causes an error and does not export configuration files.
693731Device names with certain characters cause InstrumentStudio to crash.
693532Japanese OS: When using Export Configuration on a device or .SFP file whose filename has Japanese characters, subsequent exports overwrite the original export instead of creating a new file.
693529Non-ASCII characters in file names do not export correctly when using Export Configuration.
692941In the oscilloscope panel, any waveform that is rendered as points while persistence is enabled may disappear when time per division is changed..
692466When using multiple DMMs in InstrumentStudio, setting the Digits of Resolution to 6.5 or higher causes a slow measurement rate in the other instruments in the layout.
692321Export Configuration doesn't generate configuration files for SMU devices if debugging is disabled and the SMU is running in an external session.
692303Devices are duplicated when putting the chassis to sleep after selecting Auto-Create Layout.
691516Devices go missing after waking the host from sleep when InstrumentStudio is running.
691347InstrumentStudio returns errors when launching automatic layouts from different users.
690758FGEN channels fall out of phase with each other if the channel frequencies are changed during operation.
681717In debug mode, Digital Multimeter (DMM) panels can return the cached AutoRange value instead of the current AutoRange value from the driver.
680900When measuring an FGEN-generated frequency from a Digital Multimeter (DMM) panel, the DMM panel returns an under range message regardless of whether the measurement is under or over range.
680205Oscilloscope waveforms update slowly when monitoring an auto-triggering session.
679795Cursors used in an oscilloscope panel are reset when the project is saved and reloaded or if the panel is launched in a new tab.
678489PXI-5421/5422 devices return an erroneous sample rate configuration error when transitioning from a standard waveform function to a user-defined standard waveform.
624387Putting the host machine to sleep causes all Source Measure Unit (SMU) channels to be removed from the InstrumentStudio layout.



IDKnown Issue
743150

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The oscilloscope panel stops monitoring correctly when you start an external session with additional devices.
If you monitor an external session with the oscilloscope panel in InstrumentStudio, then stop the external session and start a new session with one or more additional oscilloscope devices, InstrumentStudio doesn't detect the new session and switches between the Waiting and Stopped state.

Workaround: Close the current Oscilloscope panel and open a new one.
Reported Version: 2019  Resolved Version: N/A  Added: 9/12/2019
743144

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SMU channel generation status indicator may be incorrect if channels are changed from a non-Idle operating mode (such as Voltage) to Idle while the panel is running.
If you configure an SMU channel to utput a signal, then change its operating mode to Idle, the SMU panel may incorrectly show the generation status as "Stopped" even though the channel is still generating a signal.

Workaround: n/a
Reported Version: 2019  Resolved Version: N/A  Added: 9/12/2019
742728

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Swapping names of SMU devices in NI-MAX may cause problems relinking devices.
Duplicating and swapping names of enabled devices may cause problems with relinking devices to soft front panels in InstrumentStudio. Avoid duplicate names if possible.

Reported Version: 2019  Resolved Version: N/A  Added: 9/12/2019
742331

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The overload protection error is not shown if protection limits are hit during sequences over six seconds.
If an SMU or power supply enters overload protection mode after exceeding the voltage or current protection limit when running a current or voltage sequence lasting longer than six seconds, InstrumentStudio may not return an overload protection error.

Reported Version: 2019  Resolved Version: N/A  Added: 9/12/2019
742279

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Asymmetric limits are not shown in the attribute list for an IO Configuration exported from InstrumentStudio to TestStand.
If you have configured an SMU or power supply to use asymmetric limits in InstrumentStudio, those limits are not visible in the attribute list for the IO Configuration exported to TestStand. Instead, the value of Current Limit or Voltage Limit is incorrectly shown.
The asymmetric limits as configured in InstrumentStudio will still be correctly applied to the session by the Create Sessions and Apply Configuration step.

Workaround: To view the configured asymmetric limits, open the IO Configuration file in TestStand, navigate to the Create Sessions and Apply Configuration step, and click the InstrumentStudio icon to edit the IO Configuration file in InstrumentStudio. In InstrumentStudio, you can view the asymmetric limits in the device's channel configuration panel.
Reported Version: 2019  Resolved Version: N/A  Added: 9/12/2019
741943

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Relinking a device in the SMU/Power Supply panel sometimes doesn't work after renaming the device while the panel is closed.
This error can happen in projects where the layout of the panel was changed after its initial creation. The panel will remain in a disconnected state even after you attempt to relink the renamed device. In sweep modes, you may also see an error that says "A channel used in the task was not found."

Workaround: Use one of the following options to work around this issue:
  • With the panel open, open Measurement & Automation Explorer (MAX) and rename the device to its previous name. After the panel successfully reconnects, you can rename the device again while InstrumentStudio is still running.
  • Remove the missing device and add it back. From the instrument header menu, go to missing device and select "Remove," then add it back opening the instrument header menu and selecting Add/Remove devices.
    WARNING: This will reset any configuration made in InstrumentStudio for that device.
Once the panel is in a working state, be sure to save it before closing.
Reported Version: 2019  Resolved Version: N/A  Added: 9/12/2019
739985

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A TestStand sequence using an IO Configuration exported from InstrumentStudio will error if the LabVIEW Adapter is configured to "auto detect the LabVIEW version using VI version" and the VIs used in the sequence are saved in a version other than the earliest installed supported version.
In TestStand, if you are using the LabVIEW Adapter with a "Create Session and Apply Configuration" step with an IO Configuration exported from InstrumentStudio and the LabVIEW Adapter is configured to "auto detect the LabVIEW version using VI version," running the sequence will produce an error on any Action steps that use the session if the VI for that Action step is saved in a version of LabVIEW other than the earliest installed supported version. The LabVIEW Adaptor will choose the earliest installed supported runtime to use with the "Create Session and Apply Configuration" step when configured to auto detect the version.
VISA: (Hex 0xBFFF000E) The given session or object reference is invalid.
Error code: -1073807346; User-defined error code.


Workaround: Select a specific version of the runtime engine by configuring the LabVIEW Adapter using Configure>>Adapters... in TestStand. Alternately, install only one supported version of the LabVIEW runtime engine.

Reported Version: 2019  Resolved Version: N/A  Added: 9/12/2019
738916

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In the SMU panel, if the aperture time is too large, error messages may report the incorrect units.
For example, if you've set the aperture time in power line cycles (PLCs), the error message may say "1.23 seconds" when it should say "1.23 PLCs".

Workaround: n/a

Reported Version: 2019  Resolved Version: N/A  Added: 9/12/2019
722414

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CSV import does not support escaping numeric separator.
You cannot use quotation marks to escape the numeric separator when importing CSV data.

Workaround: Remove escape characters and thousands separators from data.

Reported Version: 2018 SP2  Resolved Version: N/A  Added: 1/03/2019
722275

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Attempting to load files with a very large number of samples in arbitrary waveform mode may cause an out-of-memory error.
In a waveform generator panel, attempting to load files with a very large number of samples for arbitrary waveform mode may cause an out-of-memory error. This amount will vary based on the amount of memory installed in your machine.

Workaround: n/a

Reported Version: 2018 SP1  Resolved Version: N/A  Added: 9/12/2019
722141

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Some features are not supported with the PXIe-5622 (25MHz DDC) oscilloscope.
You may not be able to save a project with this device or reference this device in multiple tabs. You may receive the following error message: "Simulation does not support the selected model and board type."

Workaround: You may use this instrument if you save projects with the instrument stopped, or if you do not need to save projects using this instrument.

Reported Version: 2018 SP2  Resolved Version: N/A  Added: 1/03/2019
721976

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Event export is not supported on some waveform generators.
Event export is not supported on the following waveform generators: 5441, 5442, 5402, 5406, 5450, and 5451.

Workaround: n/a

Reported Version: 2018 SP2  Resolved Version: N/A  Added: 1/03/2019
719810

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Some actions may disrupt exported events.
If you have a user-created application that has an open session to an instrument, the session is configured to use a PXI_Trig line as a trigger source, you have used InstrumentStudio to configure an event to be exported to the same PXI_Trig line, and you perform an action in InstrumentStudio or MAX that causes InstrumentStudio to close and re-open sessions without notifying the user, exported events may be reset, disrupted, or fail to trigger.

Workaround: n/a

Reported Version: 2018 SP2  Resolved Version: N/A  Added: 1/03/2019
716488

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Configuring the second channel for a two-channel oscilloscope measurement recalculates the statistics for unrelated measurements.
When the oscilloscope panel is stopped, changing the second channel for a two-channel measurement in the Add/Remove Measurements window causes the other enabled measurements to take a duplicate measurement snapshot and recalculate their statistics values.

Workaround: After selecting the second channel for a two-channel measurement, reset the measurement statistics to ensure the statistics values are accurate.

Reported Version: 2018 SP1  Resolved Version: N/A  Added: 9/12/2019
716261

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You cannot load interleaved arbitrary waveforms from a 5450 or 5451 waveform generator panel.
Waveform files loaded for 5450 or 5451 waveform generators must provide data in a column major format (two columns for two channels).

Workaround: n/a

Reported Version: 2018 SP2  Resolved Version: N/A  Added: 1/03/2019
715849

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Using User-Defined mode on a 5450 or 5451 waveform generator requires both channels to be set to the same mode.
Using User-Defined mode on a 5450 or 5451 waveform generator requires both channels to be set to the same mode.

Workaround: n/a

Reported Version: 2018 SP2  Resolved Version: N/A  Added: 1/03/2019
695052

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Changing debug configuration for a USB device after removing it from the system may cause bad behavior.
Removing a USB device from the system after opening the Configure Debug Session window may cause a crash or hang in InstrumentStudio.

Workaround: n/a

Reported Version: 2018  Resolved Version: N/A  Added: 9/12/2019
694863

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With certain devices, trigger coupling for external triggers is incorrectly missing the AC value.
It is still possible to monitor a session with AC-coupled external triggering. InstrumentStudio will return the correct value.

Workaround: n/a

Reported Version: 2018 SP2  Resolved Version: N/A  Added: 9/12/2019
694457

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Enabling probe compensation on a digitizer that does not support it results in an error loop.
If you enable probe compensation on a digitizer that does not support probe compensation, InstrumentStudio returns an error until you disable probe compensation or revert to a default setup.

Workaround: n/a

Reported Version: 18.0  Resolved Version: N/A  Added: 5/28/2018
694150

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Moving cursor positions by dragging the cursor lines clears persistent waveforms on the graph.
If you move cursor positions on a graph while you have the Persistence Mode set to "Infinite", the persistent waveforms are cleared from the graph.

Workaround: n/a

Reported Version: 18.0  Resolved Version: N/A  Added: 5/28/2018
693838

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Devices named with non-English characters cannot be used in InstrumentStudio.
If you attempt to use a device with non-English characters in its name, InstrumentStudio either does not display the device in the Edit Layout window or returns an error when you attempt to create a panel using the device.

Workaround: n/a

Reported Version: 18.0  Resolved Version: N/A  Added: 5/28/2018
693733

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Attempting to export a configuration to a folder with non-ASCII characters causes an error and does not export configuration files.
If you use Export Configuration to export a device configuration to a folder named with non-ASCII characters, InstrumentStudio returns an error and does not export the device configuration files.

Workaround: Export device configurations to folders with only standard ASCII characters.

Reported Version: 18.0  Resolved Version: N/A  Added: 5/28/2018
693731

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Device names with certain characters cause InstrumentStudio to crash.
If a device used by InstrumentStudio has certain characters in the device name, InstrumentStudio crashes when you try to use that device.

Characters that cause the error include Japanese characters on an English OS and non-ASCII characters on a Japanese OS.

Workaround: n/a

Reported Version: 18.0  Resolved Version: N/A  Added: 5/28/2018
693532

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Japanese OS: When using Export Configuration on a device or .SFP file whose filename has Japanese characters, subsequent exports overwrite the original export instead of creating a new file.
If a previous export of a device configuration exists and you use Export Configuration to create a new device configuration export, the default behavior is to create a new configuration file that appends a number to the configuration file title. For example, if you had a configuration file called My Configuration.sfp, and you select Export Configuration on the same device, InstrumentStudio will create a device configuration file called "MyConfiguration1.sfp" and keep the original export as well as the new export.

When running InstrumentStudio in a Japanese OS, this behavior changes if your device name or configuration file uses Japanese characters. In this case, InstrumentStudio will replace the existing configuration file with a new one without changing the name.

Workaround: n/a

Reported Version: 18.0  Resolved Version: N/A  Added: 5/28/2018
693529

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Non-ASCII characters in file names do not export correctly when using Export Configuration.
If you use Export Configuration on a device or .SFP file that includes non-ASCII characters in its name, the non-ASCII characters will be replaced by the ? character.

Workaround: Rename the .SFP file or device to remove non-ASCII characters.

Reported Version: 18.0  Resolved Version: N/A  Added: 5/28/2018
692941

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In the oscilloscope panel, any waveform that is rendered as points while persistence is enabled may disappear when time per division is changed.
Turn off persistence to prevent the points from disappearing.

Workaround: n/a

Reported Version: 2018  Resolved Version: N/A  Added: 9/12/2019
692466

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When using multiple DMMs in InstrumentStudio, setting the Digits of Resolution to 6.5 or higher causes a slow measurement rate in the other instruments in the layout.
If you launch an InstrumentStudio layout with digital multimeters and set one of the DMM's digits of resolution to 6.5 or above, both devices will take slower measurements than they are configured to take.

Workaround: n/a

Reported Version: 18.0  Resolved Version: N/A  Added: 5/28/2018
692321

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Export Configuration doesn't generate configuration files for SMU devices if debugging is disabled and the SMU is running in an external session.
If you create a layout with an SMU device, disable debugging for the SMU, begin an external session with the SMU, and then select Export Configuration from the instrument header menu, the SMU configuration will not be exported.

Workaround: n/a

Reported Version: 18.0  Resolved Version: N/A  Added: 5/28/2018
692303

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Devices are duplicated when putting the chassis to sleep after selecting Auto-Create Layout.
If you create an Auto Layout then put the chassis to sleep while InstrumentStudio is running, InstrumentStudio creates duplicate instances of each device when you wake the chassis up from sleep.

Workaround: n/a

Reported Version: 18.0  Resolved Version: N/A  Added: 5/28/2018
691516

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Devices go missing after waking the host from sleep when InstrumentStudio is running.
If you put the host into sleep mode while InstrumentStudio is running, devices sometimes go missing in InstrumentStudio when you wake the computer.

Workaround: n/a

Reported Version: 18.0  Resolved Version: N/A  Added: 00/43248/
691347

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InstrumentStudio returns errors when launching automatic layouts from different users.
If you create and run an InstrumentStudio automatic layout, log out and log in as a different, non-administrative user, then create and run a new InstrumentStudio automatic layout, the new automatic layout returns errors for all panels.

Workaround: n/a

Reported Version: 18.0  Resolved Version: N/A  Added: 00/43248/
690758

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FGEN channels fall out of phase with each other if the channel frequencies are changed during operation.
If you generate multiple FGEN channels at the same time and change the channel frequencies at different times during device operation, the FGEN channels will fall out of phase.

Workaround: Restart generation.

Reported Version: 18.0  Resolved Version: N/A  Added: 00/43248/
681717

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In debug mode, Digital Multimeter (DMM) panels can return the cached AutoRange value instead of the current AutoRange value from the driver.
When controlling a DMM device being used by an external application, the AutoRange property always displays the "OFF" status, regardless of the AutoRange status in the external application.

Workaround: n/a

Reported Version: 18.0  Resolved Version: N/A  Added: 00/43248/
680900

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When measuring an FGEN-generated frequency from a Digital Multimeter (DMM) panel, the DMM panel returns an under range message regardless of whether the measurement is under or over range.

Workaround: n/a

Reported Version: 18.0  Resolved Version: N/A  Added: 00/43248/
680205

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Oscilloscope waveforms update slowly when monitoring an auto-triggering session.
If you are using InstrumentStudio to monitor an oscilloscope in an external application that uses auto-triggering, the oscilloscope waveform updates slowly in InstrumentStudio. Configuration modifications and measurements do not appear in the InstrumentStudio panel for a longer amount of time than they should. InstrumentStudio also responds slowly to UI commands in this state.

Workaround: n/a

Reported Version: 18.0  Resolved Version: N/A  Added: 00/43248/
679795

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Cursors used in an oscilloscope panel are reset when the project is saved and reloaded or if the panel is launched in a new tab.
When using an oscilloscope in InstrumentStudio, the oscilloscope panel's cursor locations reset to the 1 and -1 graticule divisions when you reload the project or launch the oscilloscope panel in a new tab.

Workaround: n/a

Reported Version: 18.0  Resolved Version: N/A  Added: 00/43248/
678489

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PXI-5421/5422 devices return an erroneous sample rate configuration error when transitioning from a standard waveform function to a user-defined standard waveform.
When using a PXI-6521 or PXI-6522 device, if a user changes from a standard waveform function (i.e. Sine, Square, etc.) operating with a lower frequency of less than 150kHz to a user-defined standard waveform, InstrumentStudio returns an error stating that the value set for Sample Rate is incorrect. This error is erroneous; transitioning from a standard waveform to a user-defined standard waveform does not configure the Sample Rate.

Workaround: n/a

Reported Version: 18.0  Resolved Version: N/A  Added: 00/43248/
624387

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Putting the host machine to sleep causes all Source Measure Unit (SMU) channels to be removed from the InstrumentStudio layout.
This issue occurs when a chassis is connected with a MXI cable. This issue does not occur on controllers, since they do not support sleep.

Workaround: n/a

Reported Version: 0.8  Resolved Version: N/A  Added: 00/43248/

Contacting NI

Contact NI regarding this document or issues in the document. If you contact NI in regards to a specific issue, reference the ID number given in the document. The ID number contains the current issue ID number as well as the legacy ID number (use the current ID number when contacting NI). You can contact us through any of the normal support channels including phone, email, or the discussion forums. Visit the NI Website to contact us. Also contact us if you find a workaround for an issue that is not listed in the document.

Glossary of Terms

 

  • Bug ID - When an issue is reported to NI, you may be given this ID or find it on ni.com.  You may also find IDs posted by NI on the discussion forums or in KnowledgeBase articles.
  • Legacy ID – An older issue ID that refers to the same issue.  You may instead find this issue ID in older known issues documents.
  • Description - A few sentences which describe the problem. The brief description given does not necessarily describe the problem in full detail.
  • Workaround - Possible ways to work around the problem.
  • Reported Version - The earliest version in which the issue was reported.
  • Resolved Version - Version in which the issue was resolved or was no longer applicable. "N/A" indicates that the issue has not been resolved.
  • Date Added - The date the issue was added to the document (not the reported date).