/user-documentation

The user documentation and tutorials for MyLibreLab software

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MyLibreLab User Documentation and Tutorials

Abstract:

MyLibreLab software is a visual programming environment, especially to control and communicate with microcontrollers (MCU) and microprocessors. Using blocks, which carry specific functionality and connections, the user can implement an algorithm. The software includes elements to communicate with the commonly used MCU development/expansion boards and single-board computers, such as Arduino®, Raspberry Pi®, and Android™ devices. MyLibreLab can be considered as a Free, Libre, And Open Source Software (FLOSS) alternative to National Instrument™'s LabVIEW™. The user can design graphical user interfaces (GUI) to control electronic hardware through serial communication (USB UART).

MyLibreLab is a hard fork of the parent project MyOpenLab with the specific goals of reviving the international community, as well as using modern development practices and tools. The MyOpenLab project was initiated by Carmelo Daniel Salafia, a German developer, in 2006. In 2017, the development was handed over to Robinson Javier Velásquez, a Spanish developer.

The MyLibreLab code base has a licence of The GNU General Public License v3.0 and this documentation is licenced as Creative Commons BY-NC-SA.

If you have just started learning the software please read the FAQ section first and then follow the Tutorials.

Community:

There are several ways you can get in touch with the community. If you have questions you are encouraged to ask them via GitHub issues using the tag [Question] at the beginning of the title and post the link to the Discord group. If you want to stay in touch with the community install the Discord app on your computer or mobile phone. Alternatively, you may use the ##MyOpenLab or #MyOpenLab IRC channels on Freenode, post questions on MyOpenLab Forum or its SourceForge issues.

Before asking new questions please consult the internet using search engines (e.g., Google) to be sure that it hasn’t been asked before. Duplicate questions are not appreciated.

Installation:

MyLibreLab is a Java program so basically, you should be able to download the latest version and run it on all Operating Systems (OS) such as GNU/Linux, macOS, and Windows. But we highly recommend that you use a package manager.

  • Windows: On Windows OS please use Chocolatey package manager:

    choco install mylibrelab
  • macOS: On macOS please use HomeBrew Cask package:

    brew cask install mylibrelab
  • GNU/Linux: using AppImage…​?

FAQ:

  • Who is this software for? MyLibreLab is a software for students, educators, and makers who want to do visual programming and hardware communication (i.e., serial UART).

  • Is it a complete LabVIEW alternative? Not at all. LabVIEW is an expensive proprietary software designed and maintained by a big group of developers at National Instrument for the last couple of decades. MyLibreLab is a community-driven project maintained by volunteers. You can not open LabVIEW files in MyLibreLab or vice versa.

Tutorials: