Introduction to generic programming with type parameters
Many modern programming languages implement generic programming support with the concept of type parameters. Generic programming using type parameters is the feature I have been missing the most in LabVIEW. Generic programming is about writing reusable blocks of code in terms of types that are specified in later time. In LabVIEW terminology type parameters would specify the type of wires and terminals of generic type. Type parameters can either be implicit or explicit. Implicit type parameters are determined by the compiler automatically where as explicit type parameters are specified by the developer. Furthermore type parameters can have variation limits, specifying what kind of type are accepted. Type parameters could be in principle applied to a VI, to a class, to a library, to a mixin class (trait), to an interface or any other kind of module that includes executable code or front panels. (EDITED Introduction & title 10/25/2009 9:36 GMT)

