Also, are there any more detailed exercises or manuals I could follow to study Worker framework in depth?

For example, I have a HAL for switch instruments, but only some switch models support attenuation functionality. I'm exploring the best way to expose attenuation-specific APIs without adding them to all switch implementations. Have you encountered a similar design before, or do you have any recommendations?

Thanks.

The workshop is a condensed, hands-on version of the official Workers for LabVIEW training course and will cover modular application architecture, typed Request/Response APIs, practical LVOOP, runtime debugging, and Hardware Abstraction Layers.

Participants will also receive the official Workers Training Course Manual and Exercise Workbook to continue with the guided exercises after the workshop.

More information and registration:
https://gdevconanz.org.au/workers-intro-workshop/

“Workers let us focus on functionality instead of infrastructure, while keeping our application scalable.”

APPLICATION BUILT

We built a centralized machine vision platform used on our assembly lines. The application manages cameras, PLCs, databases and image processing tasks within a single system.

GETTING STARTED

Getting started with Workers was surprisingly straightforward. The provided documentation on the website made it easy to learn.

IMPACT ON DEVELOPMENT

The modularity allows multiple developers to work on different parts of the application simultaneously while keeping Git merges simple and manageable.

The built-in Debug Server, which provides excellent visibility into the application's communication and behavior, makes it much easier to isolate problems, and quickly identify bugs.

RECOMMENDATION

Absolutely. I would recommend Workers to any LabVIEW developer building medium to large-scale applications. The framework encourages good software architecture, promotes separation of concerns, and provides a robust foundation for scalable systems.

APPLICATION WORKER CALL-CHAIN DIAGRAM

Rafal

Quick question on a small trick.

Inside a single Worker, I'm thinking of taking a multi-line text block, splitting it into a string array, filtering out empty lines and // comments, then pushing the whole array into the queue for sequential execution. The command strings carry no parameters – parameters are stored in the Worker's private data, and commands just trigger actions.

This is mainly to get a more "text-based programming" feel.

Just wondering: is this okay to do? Any risks I should be aware of?

Thanks!

"Workers allowed us to design a clean, modular HAL-based system. Fully abstracted, easy to scale, and simple to extend."

APPLICATION BUILT

We developed a modular PXI-based validation platform using PXIe-148x Chimera cards for GMSL1 and GMSL2 SerDes communication, with migration plans toward GMSL3 support in LabVIEW 2025 Q3.

The system was designed with a strong focus on abstraction and modularity, allowing the application to remain scalable and maintainable as the platform evolved.

Hardware Abstraction Layers (HAL) were used to decouple hardware-specific implementations from the core application logic, making it possible to add new boards and hardware configurations without modifying the main codebase.

Communication between modules was handled dynamically, avoiding direct dependencies and increasing overall system flexibility.

IMPACT ON DEVELOPMENT

This architecture made it much easier to:

• scale the system with new functionality

• support different testing modes such as Capture and Passthrough

• modify individual subsystems without affecting the rest of the application

• maintain responsive performance through background processing

The modular approach also simplified long-term expansion and reduced the effort required to adapt the platform for future testing requirements.

RECOMMENDATION

Workers is especially valuable for applications that require long-term scalability, modularity, and hardware abstraction. The framework encourages clean separation between system components and makes it significantly easier to evolve applications over time.

APPLICATION WORKER CALL-CHAIN DIAGRAM

"Whenever I work on a legacy system or something built without Workers, I immediately think, “This would have been so much easier with Workers.”

APPLICATION BUILT

I use Workers as the architectural foundation for industrial automation and measurement applications developed for multiple clients. During the requirements phase, I already structure the application around the planned Worker architecture, which makes both implementation and testing significantly easier later in the project.

This approach also allows individual parts of the system to be developed early or simulated independently when hardware is not yet available. The abstraction capabilities introduced in Workers 5.0 have been especially valuable for remotely developed systems and projects that need to support future hardware upgrades, such as replacing IO modules or switching DMM hardware.

GETTING STARTED

The examples and training material made it much easier to understand the architectural concepts behind the framework. One of the best ways to learn Workers was by rebuilding existing applications using the framework and then reviewing the architecture with experienced Workers developers.

This helped reveal better abstraction strategies and improved overall application structure.

IMPACT ON DEVELOPMENT

Workers significantly reduced my debugging workload and gave me confidence that applications start up and shut down reliably. Most debugging now focuses only on smaller interface or implementation details rather than large architectural problems.

The Debug Server became an essential tool throughout development, especially for validating initialization behavior, timing, and module interaction. The Call Chain Viewer is also extremely useful when returning to projects after long breaks.

The scripting tools, API Builder, launcher VIs, and modular Worker architecture greatly improved development efficiency by allowing modules to be tested independently and integrated incrementally.

RECOMMENDATION

I would strongly recommend Workers to developers building modular or long-term LabVIEW applications, especially when abstraction, simulation, maintainability, and hardware flexibility are important.

The framework encourages cleaner architecture from the very beginning of the project and makes it much easier to scale and evolve systems over time.

"Workers was both easy to learn and powerful enough to build a multi-module EV battery tester with clean APIs. I have zero regrets choosing it."

APPLICATION BUILT

I developed an application for an EV battery module tester capable of testing up to six battery modules independently. One of the major advantages of the Workers architecture was the ability to create a reusable test-channel UI Worker once and then scale it across all six channels with minimal additional effort.

The application was successfully deployed to multiple customer locations and delivered as part of a production testing system.

GETTING STARTED

The framework was easy to learn thanks to the short explanation videos, sample projects, and documentation. The familiar QMH-style architecture also made the transition approachable.

The Workers Debug Server quickly became one of the most valuable tools during development and debugging.

IMPACT ON DEVELOPMENT

The modular Worker-based architecture allowed each hardware subsystem to be developed and debugged independently. Once a Worker’s public API was functioning correctly in isolation, integrating it into the larger application became significantly more reliable and predictable.

The framework’s scripting tools also accelerated development while reducing coding mistakes and repetitive boilerplate work.

The final application received very positive feedback for its fast loading times, responsive UI, and quick shutdown behavior.

RECOMMENDATION

I would definitely recommend Workers to other LabVIEW developers. The framework is approachable for newer developers while still being powerful enough for advanced architectures and scalable applications.

The active community support was also extremely helpful whenever questions came up during development.