LabVIEW Array Creation and Operations Tutorial

Working with and manipulating arrays is a fundamental part of LabVIEW development. Arrays are incredibly powerful tools, and you’ll likely use both one-dimensional and two-dimensional arrays in most of your applications.

On the Front Panel, you can create an array using the Control palette, specifically the “Array, Matrix & Cluster” sub-palette.

Drag and drop the empty Array onto the Front Panel. Then, find a Control or Indicator (Numeric, String, Boolean, etc.) and drag it inside the empty Array. You can create an Array of virtually any kind of Control or Indicator.

Want a 2D or multidimensional Array? Simply drag the mouse in the Index display to the left and increase the dimension.

On the Block Diagram, the Array palette is available from the Functions palette in LabVIEW:

Use these Array functions to create and manipulate arrays. Some of the most useful Array functions include:

• Array Size: Returns the number of elements in each dimension of an array.
• Index Array: Returns the element or subarray of an n-dimensional array at a specific index.
• Replace Array Subset: Replaces a portion of an array with a new subset.
• Insert Into Array: Inserts elements into an array.
• Delete From Array: Removes elements from an array.
• Build Array: Concatenates multiple arrays or elements into a single array.

These are basic, yet incredibly useful, array functions you’ll likely use in almost all your applications and VIs.

2D Array Creation Using For Loop

The figure below illustrates how to create a 2D array using a For Loop:

Array Operations

Let’s delve into some fundamental array operations, such as Build Array, Index Array, Array Size, and auto-indexing.

Build Array

Build Array concatenates multiple arrays or individual elements into a single, larger array.

Index Array

Index Array returns the element or subarray of an n-dimensional array at a specific index. It’s invaluable for retrieving specific values from an array. The Index Array function is extendible, so you can drag its bottom border to access multiple elements simultaneously. Try this simple example:

Array Size

Array Size returns the number of elements in each dimension of the array. It’s helpful for determining the dimensions of an array programmatically. Try the simple example to determine the size of any array.

Auto-Indexing

If you wire an array to a For Loop, you can automatically read and process each element in the array by enabling auto-indexing. You can also enable auto-indexing on the output of a For Loop to create an array containing every value generated by the loop. Create a simple example to see the difference in behavior.