Ability to mark the top level VI in a project and run it from a shortcut key

[jlokanis]

NOTE: This is blatently stolen from a thread I started on LAVA here.

I would like to be able to specify a VI or VIs in my project that would run when some keyboard shortcut (ctrl-shift-R was suggested) was pressed.

Since in most cases a project is used to create a single application, it makes sense that when you open the project, you would want ot run the top level (main) VI in that project most of the time.

[crelf]

Might be nice to have a "run top level" button somewhere on the toolbar.  Rather than all the work would have to be done to traverse up what could be multiple call chains, if we could right click on a VI in the project and selection "set as top level" or the like, then that's the one the would be run if the button is pressed.  I really like this idea - it would be great for debugging subVIs that are way down the call chain.

[Edit] and now that I've actually gone and read the LAVA thread, I see that what I suggested has already been discussed 🙂  I gotta read LAVA more often!

Message Edited by crelf on 07-30-2009 03:09 PM

[fefepeto_kb]

Just reviving this old post with a few additions to an already great idea, with some features that I think have appeared since:

• Allow a project symbol for selecting the active build specification (a lot of other idea in some flavors for this) and launch the main VI from that build spec. This would allow multiple top level VIs from the same environment, like debug, test, deployment etc.
• In lack of a symbol, just throw a pup up with the list of VIs already selected to be top level, maybe even having an add button. This should only appear tough when there are already multiple VIs marked as top level or build specs with multiple top level VIs selected.
• Build specs and VIs targeting another environment, i.e. FPGA, should be omitted from the list automatically.

[Petru_Tarabuta]

+1. The following idea requests essentially the same thing: https://forums.ni.com/t5/LabVIEW-Idea-Exchange/Project-Run-Button/idc-p/4362467 . Below is essentially a copy of a comment I posted on that thread.

A "Project Run Button" is definitely needed. As suggested above, it would be great if the button could be pressed via keyboard shortcut, e.g. Ctrl+Shift+R or Ctrl+F5 (like in Visual Studio).

I have recently been working on a large DQMH-based project. It's time consuming to find the top-level VI, or the launcher VI, immediately after editing deeply nested subVIs. The Project Run button would be more accessible, therefore would save time.

The screenshots below show how this looks like in Visual Studio.