[Greg McKaskle]

I can't be sure of what you are doing because I can't see your diagram, but it sounds like you are using continuous run, and you either have state data that isn't inited when you don't wire to the init terminal, or is always the initial value when you do.

The continuous run is simply running your entire diagram again and again including the init code. If you want better control over initialization, which you do, place your own loop around this with a button to exit the loop. You can then init on entering the loop and have state data inside the loop.

Personally, I then prefer to switch over to the loop shift registers. They aren't necessarily better, but they are what I learned, and to me are simpler to explain things like initialization.

When you are ready to use the code you are writing as a subVI called from other locations, if the loop doesn't belong inside the subVI, but the state data does, then set the loop to a constant to run only once.

Greg McKaskle