topic Re: LabVIEW features that nobody uses in BreakPoint

LabVIEW features that nobody uses

altenbach — Thu, 27 Mar 2014 17:46:29 GMT

Maybe there are features in LabVIEW that have been retained from the stone ages that nobody actually uses anymore.

This thread should act as a repository of such lead nuggets. 😄

Re: LabVIEW features that nobody uses

altenbach — Tue, 14 Oct 2025 21:12:36 GMT

Triggered by this thread, We have it on good authority that there are some things that nobody actually uses.

The feature discussed is enabling database access for a subVI.

Is there anyone who actually uses this? What does it actually do? Where is it useful? (Here is an old article [link removed; article no longer available]).

Re: LabVIEW features that nobody uses

Ben — Thu, 27 Mar 2014 18:41:13 GMT

Sorry but VI Logging is used by my boss every chance he gets. See that thread for more.

But I will help out with...

Edits the control icons. I do that but have never seen others do so.

VI hierachy group by library.

I use but based on what it looks like when you colapse a library in 2013 nobody (who Beta Tests) uses that.

Ben

Re: LabVIEW features that nobody uses

crossrulz — Thu, 27 Mar 2014 19:05:54 GMT

@Ben wrote:

But I will help out with...

1)

Edits the control icons. I do that but have never seen others do so.

Glad to see I'm not the only one. I find it especially useful if you view a constant as an icon.

Re: LabVIEW features that nobody uses

JB — Fri, 28 Mar 2014 06:59:30 GMT

Ben a écrit :

1)

Edits the control icons. I do that but have never seen others do so.

Me too.

Each ctl, without exception, receives an icon. Specific templates differentiate them from the VIs.

Re: LabVIEW features that nobody uses

JB — Fri, 28 Mar 2014 07:07:04 GMT

I can't remember the last time I used :

LV menu >> Operate >>

Print at Completion
Log at Completion
Data Logging

Do you use these features of LV ?

Re: LabVIEW features that nobody uses

crossrulz — Fri, 28 Mar 2014 12:20:31 GMT

I used Print at Completion for one project. Ok, I actually just inherited the project. But still, the print out looked horrible. All that needed printed up was a graph. So I rewrote the VI to just print the graph. I'm pretty sure it was just a simple invoke node is all I had to do. Don't get me started on the Rube ridden code set...

Re: LabVIEW features that nobody uses

PaulG. — Fri, 28 Mar 2014 12:25:32 GMT

Stacked sequence structure. NI doesn't even claim it any more. Notice the sequence frame is gone on the LV 2014 icon.

Re: LabVIEW features that nobody uses

Bob_Y. — Fri, 28 Mar 2014 13:03:36 GMT

Units.

On occasion I have tried to use units in numerics but it gets so complicated to do anything that I quickly give up.

Re: LabVIEW features that nobody uses

Thoric — Fri, 28 Mar 2014 13:23:58 GMT

@Bob_Y. wrote:

Units.

On occasion I have tried to use units in numerics but it gets so complicated to do anything that I quickly give up.

The units feature is awesome! However, I agree it can get complicated so it's been a long time since I used it.

Re: LabVIEW features that nobody uses

Thoric — Fri, 28 Mar 2014 13:25:35 GMT

I propose: Tools > Security > Login

Does anyone use the LabVIEW Account Management stuff?? I presume that's what this is afterall!

Re: LabVIEW features that nobody uses

JÞB — Fri, 28 Mar 2014 15:23:35 GMT

Interesting thread. Witch prompted me to scan through some of the less frequently used menu items and generated a possible "Feature" request.

View>>Getting Started Window...

Handy if you want features accessable easilly from the GSW like; Rss scroll, Access to "Pinned" items, Instant access to Tech support, IDN.... Basically all the reasons the GSW is in it's current form.

BUT, the GSW launches Modal from View>>Getting Started Window...

Now, how hard would it be to launch it "Floating" from that entry point instead? (About two minutes for an intern plus all the documentation time) I should have thought about that before! It would easilly promote the selection to one I would have a custom menu short-cut assigned to. As it is.... not so handy.

What do you guys think? Should this go to the Idea Exchange or the CAR database?

Re: LabVIEW features that nobody uses

johnsold — Fri, 28 Mar 2014 16:31:50 GMT

Jeff,

That is a good idea. It will need to go to IE because the current behavior is undoubtedly "expected" behavior, even if it might be better described as expected mis-behavior.

Lynn

Re: LabVIEW features that nobody uses

Hooovahh — Mon, 31 Mar 2014 19:50:51 GMT

@Thoric wrote:

I propose: Tools > Security > Login

Does anyone use the LabVIEW Account Management stuff?? I presume that's what this is afterall!

Believe it or not I actually used this on a program once. Generally I try to stick with Windows security for applications, and just ask Windows what level, or groups the user is in to enable features. For some reason that wouldn't work for a particular customer (can't remember really) so it was either use the in house user management software, or use this and rely on NI to do it for me. In the end I think the customer didn't really want or need security and would just always login with the highest level but as long as I gave him the tools to lockout others he was happy.

I was also going to say the units feature but someone else beat me to it.

What about Revision History? I believe there are some people that use it but I've never met them. I remember seeing an SVN addon that would read the SVN revision and write it into the VI's revision. I thought how cool and all but would never use it.

Re: LabVIEW features that nobody uses

bsvare — Tue, 01 Apr 2014 14:50:17 GMT

@Thoric wrote:

@Bob_Y. wrote:

Units.

On occasion I have tried to use units in numerics but it gets so complicated to do anything that I quickly give up.

The units feature is awesome! However, I agree it can get complicated so it's been a long time since I used it.

I absolutely love units specially to do conversions. Some of the simpliest code for really complicated events comes from that. For example. This VI converts any number/unit string into the base unit (Not 100% SI, but close for what we needed)

Re: LabVIEW features that nobody uses

Hooovahh — Tue, 01 Apr 2014 14:57:33 GMT

I'm not saying units are useful. I'm saying few people use them because it feels like an incomplete feature. Not all math functions support it, and when one doesn't it might take some time figuring out where your equation went wrong. Here is one recent post where it fell short on the posters expected functionality.

This got me thinking about other features that I don't use because they aren't complete in my opinion. The Silver controls is one of those. Don't get me wrong I have used silver controls a few times on UIs. But because there are controls in other palettes that aren't in the silver, I try to avoid them. I'd rather have all controls of the same type then 90% silver and 10% other.

Re: LabVIEW features that nobody uses

altenbach — Tue, 14 Oct 2025 21:13:59 GMT

A very serious problem with the convert unit tool is that it looks absolutely identical to an expression node.

This can lead to serious miscommunications.

For example, Gerd posted the following image here

and the OP reconstructed it using an expression node instead of convert unit.

So, what's the problem? Well, the expression node accepts any kind of long string without error and simply treats it as variable.

For example the following expression node does not break the VI and simply returns the original value on the output. When the OP entered "deg" into the expression node, seemingly faithfully copying the code in the picture, all he got was a NOOP. No broken VI, no indication of errors.

I think it would deserve a LabVIEW idea (stay tuned) to make "convert unit" and "expression node" visually distinguishable to avoid problems like this. In a worst case scenario, a mistake like this could cost a few hours of debugging time.

Both nodes below are valid. One is an expression node and one is convert unit. you tell me which is which!

Re: LabVIEW features that nobody uses

GregSands — Tue, 01 Apr 2014 20:35:05 GMT

I agree they should not look the same, however I get around it by (almost) never using an expression node. I don't use units all that often either, but in some situations they are incredibly useful - just need to watch for the holes in what is supported.

Re: LabVIEW features that nobody uses

altenbach — Thu, 03 Apr 2014 21:19:34 GMT

@altenbach wrote:

...

I think it would deserve a LabVIEW idea (stay tuned) to make "convert unit" and "expression node" visually distinguishable to avoid problems like this. In a worst case scenario, a mistake like this could cost a few hours of debugging time.

New idea posted here.

Re: LabVIEW features that nobody uses

Thoric — Fri, 04 Apr 2014 09:21:07 GMT

I'm looking at the expression node myself, out of curiosity, and see from the Help that you can use "sizeOfDim" to return the array dimension size. However, the expression node doesn't accept arrays, so how can you use this command?

I was wondering if it would make a simpler/tighter way to get the nth dimension size of an array, instead of pairing Array Size and then Index Array primitives, which is quite real-estate hungry.