System and method for generating an application domain specific graphical program. A graphical user interface (GUI) for specifying functionality of a graphical program in an application domain is displayed, where the GUI corresponds specifically to the application domain. User input to the GUI specifying the functionality of the graphical program is received, and the graphical program generated in response, where the graphical program is executable to perform the specified functionality, and comprises multiple interconnected graphical program nodes that visually represent the graphical program functionality. The GUI includes graphical interface elements operable to indicate and/or specify, e.g., via user input, respective attributes of the graphical program such as timing, triggering, analog and/or digital input/output (I/O), resource allocation, processing option, inclusion of one or more external files, and one or more target devices, among others, and may determine the graphical interface elements based on the specified one or more target devices.