Add a zoom function (yes, I said zoom. So sue me)

[tst]

Add a slider on the toolbar which would allow changing the zoom level on the diagram. This should also be controllable more easily (for example, by using shift + mouse wheel scroll).

Personally, I want this less for zooming out and more for zooming in. It's sometimes convenient to have a larger display of a specific area.

I know some people feel that a zoom is a terrible idea because it will encourage people to create huge diagrams. Personally, I doubt that (since you can't work on zoomed out code and zooming out and in repeatedly isn't that convenient), but I don't mind if people do that. It's their code (as long as I don't have to work on it later).

If people really insist, this can also be prevented by setting the maximum value of the slider to 1, so that people can't zoom out, but I doubt this would have any value.

The zoom should snap to 1 when you get near it and should center on the mouse cursor.

[Sdserlin]

how about the ability to call quickly the microsoft magnifier? The issue is my dang eyesight getting worse over time as I age and spend hours coding. 

[MichaelBalzer]

Windows Key + Plus Sign should bring up the magnifier. Press the key combo again to zoom in, and Windows Key + Minus Sign to zoom out.

[Sdserlin]

Thanks for the tip however I'm already aware of it. I use the magnifier and have it programmed in a faster key sequence on my Logitech G910 programmable gaming keyboard (I use it for work). Btw, selecting windows key + escape key quickly closes the magnifier.

However, I want something even faster. The magnifier's lag time coming up and going away as well is too long even on a engineering work station with I7 quad core, 32GB RAM, SSD Hd, etc. I don't know why but it just lags.

Additionally, I cannot figure out how to scroll in and out with the magnifier. The magnifier has a lot of shortcomings which is the problem. If NI put a wrapper on the window's magnifier allowing zoom in, zoom out, zoom to extent functionality like Visio, then no need to integrate these features directly into the code and no worries by the paranoid folk that people will jam more LabVIEW code onto the block diagrams with a feature such as this.  NI could also ask Microsoft to make this change to their magnifier tool but I doubt it will ever happen.

As most of us age, our eye sight get worse, especially spending a lot of hours on computers, phones, driving, etc. This is about ergonomics more than anything. That's why we LabVIEW programmers want these features so much. As least I do anyway.

[danielebonato]

I really like to have a zoom in/out function in the block diagram.

[RavensFan]

If you like the idea, then be sure to click the Kudo star at the upper left of the message.

Read the section called "About LabVIEW Idea Exchange"

[crossrulz]

Also, this idea was completed with LabVIEW NXG.  You will never see this in "classic" LabVIEW just due to the graphics architecture.

[billmac2]

2560 x 1600 30" monitors with 1600 dpi mouse.

Very hard to hit terminals of "+" and "-" functions.

I will try Windows magnifier as it took me about 1/2 hour to swap the leads in the example for Core 1 on the triangle debug.

Total frustration on something that any other package (Autocad, PowerPoint, Acrobat) has had for a long time.

[LM22]

I'm a student with a given task to examine the code of a product that was professionally programmed in order to create something more simple for a project's objective but it is HUGE and immensely complicated. Not having the zoom function certainly did not prevent people from creating complex and large codes with dozens of wires extending for more than six feet. Having a zoom function would make it so much easier for me to look at the big picture and see at a glance where all the wires are going and not waste time scrolling (and lagging as I do so) to look where everything is placed. The zoom function is much needed in my opinion.

[Darren]

Remember that there is the Navigation Window (Ctrl-Shift-N) to give you a birds-eye view of the diagram, and quickly drag within the nav window between one area of the diagram to another.

[Dan_Alias]

I worked at NI 2000-2006 and understood the zoom feature to be a commonly requested (and rejected) feature for LabVIEW. I was bought into the argument about needing to modularize code with subVIs, etc. at the time.  However, in the past 4 years I have now developed two major LabVIEW applications that involve multiple displays & GUIs (for instruction) with varying resolutions;

• 4KUHD (3840x2160) for the main large format 85" TV screen for the students' view
• WUXGA (1920x1200) for the instructor's touchscreen
• HD (1280x720) for a simulated aircraft display
• FHD (1920x1080) for a maintenance screen.

I can't express how difficult it has been to work with LabVIEW in 4KUHD. At my development station I don't have an 85" 4KUHD TV, but rather a 32" Samsung 4KUHD monitor. The wires and terminals are soooo small on the block diagram that it is nearly impossible for me (with 20:20 vision) to see anything... even finding the LabVIEW cursor is very difficult. There are also many issues with having multiple varying resolution monitors.  NI-Max (sorry, know this is a LV forum) menus, icons, etc. does not handle 4KUHD resolution well either. 

However, my main issue now has nothing to do with usage during coding on the block diagram (which is nearly impossible as I mentioned). My application's primary Front Panel is in 4KUHD because the technical schematic that is the subject of the training (the entire point of the GUI) has a lot of detail being displayed.  There is one section of the GUI that needs to be zoomed-in on during instruction to give it focus.  Because LabVIEW has no zooming functionality (on the Block Diagram or Front Panel) I am forced to either attempt to programmatically control a 3rd party zoom tool (which is problematic and so far I haven't found one with a good API that I can control from LabVIEW) ..OR.. I have to create an entirely separate & redundant VI with it's own Front Panel with larger graphics (which causes a lot of unnecessary maintenance in two places for the same GUI items).  I've included a capture from a Zoom Meeting where the GUI was being presented... in the top-left corner for scaling you can see the mouse cursor... There are several areas of this GUI that the instructor would like to be able to highlight to the students via zooming in... which basically is impossible without LabVIEW's inherent support for this feature.  We've explored Window's magnifier, and it's behavior is not good (and zooms all the displays which we only want just the one display and just rectangular areas of that display) to be zoomed.  So... in summary... even though this feature is hard and would require changes to the way LabVIEW works... it is very, very strongly desired by many, many, many of the LabVIEW customers.  It is becoming a showstopper with higher resolutions becoming more common place... I think it is time for NI to invest the R&D time it will take to get this feature implemented.