The analysis and presentation of data from scientific experiments have been simplified by the use of personal computers (PCs) and the available software. PCs also allow one to set up flexible measurement systems. The development of graphical user interfaces also permits scientists who are not information scientists to develop complex controlling software. An introduction is given to the concept behind the graphical programming environment and the use of the software Testpoint(TM) as an example. (C) 1998 Elsevier Science B,V. All rights reserved.