© National Instruments | B-3
X Series User Manual
Microsoft Visual Studio Support
You can use the NI-DAQmx .Net class library to communicate with and control an NI data 
acquisition (DAQ) device. Documentation for the NI-DAQmx .NET class library is available by 
selecting Start»All Programs»National Instruments»NI-DAQmx»NI-DAQmx 
Documentation and then opening the NINETDAQmxFxXX.chm help file corresponding to the 
version of the NI-DAQmx .NET Framework language support you have installed.
• Measurement Studio Support for NI-DAQmx-If you program your NI-DAQmx 
supported device in Visual Studio using Visual C# or Visual Basic .NET, you can 
interactively create channels and tasks using Measurement Studio and the DAQ Assistant. 
Additionally, you can use Measurement Studio to generate the configuration code based on 
your task or channel. Refer to the DAQ Assistant Help for additional information about 
generating code.
To create an NI-DAQmx application using Visual Basic .NET or Visual C#, follow these general 
steps:
1. In Visual Studio, select File»New»Project to launch the New Project dialog box.
2. Choose a programming language (Visual C# or Visual Basic .NET), and then select 
Measurement Studio to see a list of project templates.
3. Select NI DAQ Windows Application. You add DAQ tasks as part of this step. Choose a 
project type. You add DAQ tasks as a part of this step.
4. .NET Languages without NI Application Software-With the Microsoft .NET 
Framework, you can use the NI-DAQmx .NET class library to create applications using 
Visual C# and Visual Basic .NET without Measurement Studio. Refer to the NI-DAQmx 
Readme for specific versions supported.
ANSI C without NI Application Software
The NI-DAQmx Help contains API overviews and general information about measurement 
concepts. Select Start»All Programs»National Instruments»NI-DAQmx»NI-DAQmx Help.
The NI-DAQmx C Reference Help describes the NI-DAQmx Library functions, which you can 
use with National Instruments data acquisition devices to develop instrumentation, acquisition, 
and control applications. Select Start»All Programs»National Instruments»NI-DAQmx»
Text-Based Code Support»NI-DAQmx C Reference Help.