User defined wire appearance indicating communication functionality in a graphical programming environment

1. A computer-accessible memory medium comprising program instructions, wherein the program instructions are executable by a processor to implement:

specifying a first communication functionality between nodes in a graphical program in response to user input defining a new communication functionality;

creating a first wire appearance for representing the first communication functionality in response to user input defining the first wire appearance, wherein said creating comprises storing the first wire appearance to be subsequently used for a wire that is configured to implement the first communication functionality, wherein the first communication functionality comprises one or more of:

timing; or

data transfer, comprising one or more of:

data transfer semantics,

a data transfer mechanism, or

a data transfer medium, and

subsequently displaying a first wire in a first graphical program, wherein the first wire is configured to implement the specified communication functionality, wherein the first wire is displayed with the first wire appearance, and wherein the first wire appearance visually denotes the specified communication functionality of the wire.

2. The memory medium of claim 1 , wherein the program instructions are further executable to implement:

creating the first graphical program, wherein the first graphical program comprises a plurality of interconnected icons which visually indicate functionality of the first graphical program, including a first icon and a second icon, and wherein said creating the first graphical program comprises:

connecting the first icon to the second icon in response to user input; and

wherein said displaying the first wire comprises displaying the first wire between the first icon and second icon in response to said connecting.

3. The memory medium of claim 2 , wherein the program instructions are further executable to implement:

modifying the first wire appearance in response to user input, wherein said modifying produces a modified first wire appearance; and

displaying the first wire between the first icon and the second icon with the modified first wire appearance in response to said modifying.

4. The memory medium of claim 2 , wherein the first wire appearance is inheritable, and wherein the program instructions are further executable to implement:

specifying a second communication functionality between nodes in a graphical program in response to user input, wherein the second communication functionality is derived from the first communication functionality;

including a third icon and a fourth icon in a second graphical program, wherein the third icon and the fourth icon are configured to communicate in accordance with the second communication functionality, wherein said including comprises:

connecting the third icon to the fourth icon in response to user input; and

displaying a second wire between the third icon and the fourth icon in response to said connecting, wherein the second wire has the first wire appearance.

5. The memory medium of claim 4 , wherein the program instructions are further executable to implement:

modifying the first wire appearance for the second communication functionality in response to user input; and

displaying the second wire between the third icon and the fourth icon in response to said modifying, wherein the wire has the modified first wire appearance.

6. The memory medium of claim 2 , wherein the first wire appearance is inheritable, and wherein the program instructions are further executable to implement:

specifying a second communication functionality between nodes in a graphical program in response to user input, wherein the second communication functionality is derived from the first communication functionality;

creating a second wire appearance for the second communication functionality in response to user input;

including a third icon and a fourth icon in a second graphical program, wherein the third icon and the fourth icon are configured to communicate in accordance with the second communication functionality, wherein said including comprises:

connecting the third icon to the fourth icon in response to user input; and

displaying a second wire between the third icon and the fourth icon in response to said connecting, wherein the second wire has the second wire appearance.

7. The memory medium of claim 2 , wherein the first graphical program comprises a block diagram portion comprising the plurality of interconnected icons, and a user interface portion.

8. The memory medium of claim 2 ,

wherein the first graphical program comprises a graphical data flow program.

9. The memory medium of claim 1 , wherein said creating the first wire appearance comprises:

displaying a graphical user interface on the display; and

receiving user input to the graphical user interface specifying the first wire appearance for the first communication functionality.

10. The memory medium of claim 9 , wherein said specifying the first wire appearance for the first communication functionality comprises specifying one or more of:

a wire pattern;

a wire thickness;

a wire shape;

one or more wire colors; or

at least a portion of the wire to be configured with the first wire appearance.

11. The memory medium of claim 9 , wherein said specifying the first wire appearance for the first communication functionality comprises specifying one or more of:

a wire label; or

a wire icon to be displayed on or proximate to the wire.

12. The memory medium of claim 1 , wherein said specifying the first communication functionality between nodes comprises specifying a model of computation to be followed or implemented by the wire.

13. The memory medium of claim 1 ,

wherein said specifying the first communication functionality between nodes comprises specifying functionality of at least one endpoint of the wire; and

wherein the first wire appearance includes a specified appearance of a portion of the wire proximate to the at least one endpoint of the wire.

14. The memory medium of claim 1 , wherein the first wire appearance is inheritable.

15. A method for configuring a wire appearance in a graphical program, the method comprising:

utilizing a computer to perform:

specifying a first communication functionality between nodes in a graphical program in response to user input defining a new communication functionality;

creating a first wire appearance for representing the first communication functionality in response to user input defining the first wire appearance, wherein said creating comprises storing the first wire appearance to be subsequently used for a wire that is configured to implement the first communication functionality, wherein the first communication functionality comprises one or more of:

timing; or

data transfer, comprising one or more of:

data transfer semantics,

a data transfer mechanism, or

a data transfer medium, and

subsequently displaying a first wire in a first graphical program, wherein the first wire has the first wire appearance, wherein the first wire is configured to implement the specified communication functionality, and wherein the first wire appearance visually denotes the specified communication functionality of the wire.

16. The method of claim 15 , further comprising:

creating the first graphical program, wherein the first graphical program comprises a plurality of interconnected icons which visually indicate functionality of the first graphical program, including a first icon and a second icon, and wherein said creating the first graphical program comprises:

connecting the first icon to the second icon in response to user input; and

wherein said displaying the first wire comprises displaying the first wire between the first icon and second icon in response to said connecting.

17. The method of claim 16 , wherein the first wire appearance is inheritable, the method further comprising:

specifying a second communication functionality between nodes in a graphical program in response to user input, wherein the second communication functionality is derived from the first communication functionality;

including a third icon and a fourth icon in a second graphical program, wherein the third icon and the fourth icon are configured to communicate in accordance with the second communication functionality, wherein said including comprises:

connecting the third icon to the fourth icon in response to user input; and

displaying a second wire between the third icon and the fourth icon in response to said connecting, wherein the second wire has the first wire appearance.

18. The method of claim 16 , wherein the first wire appearance is inheritable, the method further comprising:

specifying a second communication functionality between nodes in a graphical program in response to user input, wherein the second communication functionality is derived from the first communication functionality;

creating a second wire appearance for the second communication functionality in response to user input;

including a third icon and a fourth icon in a second graphical program, wherein the third icon and the fourth icon are configured to communicate in accordance with the second communication functionality, wherein said including comprises:

connecting the third icon to the fourth icon in response to user input; and

displaying a second wire between the third icon and the fourth icon in response to said connecting, wherein the second wire has the second wire appearance.

19. A system for configuring a wire appearance in a graphical program, the system comprising:

a processor; and

a memory medium coupled to the processor, wherein the memory medium stores program instructions which are executable by the processor to:

specify a first communication functionality between nodes in a graphical program in response to user input defining a new communication functionality;

create a first wire appearance for representing the first communication functionality in response to user input defining the first wire appearance, wherein said creating comprises storing the first wire appearance to be subsequently used for a wire that is configured to implement the first communication functionality, wherein the first communication functionality comprises one or more of:

timing; or

data transfer, comprising one or more of:

data transfer semantics,

a data transfer mechanism, or

a data transfer medium, and

subsequently display a first wire in a first graphical program, wherein the first wire has the first wire appearance, wherein the first wire is configured to implement the specified communication functionality, and wherein the first wire appearance visually denotes the specified communication functionality of the wire.

20. The system of claim 19 , wherein the program instructions are further executable to:

create the first graphical program, wherein the first graphical program comprises a plurality of interconnected icons which visually indicate functionality of the first graphical program, including a first icon and a second icon, and wherein said creating the first graphical program comprises:

connecting the first icon to the second icon in response to user input; and

wherein said displaying the first wire comprises displaying the first wire between the first icon and second icon in response to said connecting.

21. A system for configuring a wire appearance in a graphical program, the system comprising:

means for specifying a first communication functionality between nodes in a graphical program in response to user input defining a new communication functionality;

means for creating a first wire appearance for representing the first communication functionality in response to user input defining the first wire appearance, wherein said creating comprises storing the first wire appearance to be subsequently used for a wire that is configured to implement the first communication functionality, wherein the first communication functionality comprises one or more of:

timing; or

data transfer, comprising one or more of:

data transfer semantics,

a data transfer mechanism, or

a data transfer medium, and

means for subsequently displaying a first wire in a first graphical program, wherein the first wire has the first wire appearance, wherein the first wire is configured to implement the specified communication functionality, and wherein the first wire appearance visually denotes the specified communication functionality of the wire.