Customizable toolbars and/or CAD style interface with icons

[Kyle_M]

Currently, it takes LabVIEW user the same amount of time to find and select commonly used functions as ones they never touch. The function palette requires the user to interface with all of the hundreds of functions, including the vast majority which they do not use on a regular basis to select ones they use often. If, for some reason, the user was working with the "NI435X configure port in.vi" regularly, it would take clicking through 7 menus every time they wanted to drop the block. It also makes it very difficult to find, as there are 7 levels of places the user could go wrong trying to find it.  

Example:

Many other programs, particularly CAD and CAM, have minimized this difficulty by allowing the user to add in customizable toolbars to his GUI. They can be either floating or attached as well. For instance, Solidworks allows the user to create custom interfaces which can look like this: 

:

A large portion of the regularly used functions are all displayed at once on the customized toolbars on the top. For regularly used (or self explanatory) functions, like "multiply" in LabVIEW, no space is wasted in the description area, and the icons can be scaled down quite a bit. For multiply, it takes the click count from 4 to 1 (right click, programming, numeric, multiply to simply a drag and drop). Much more time can be spent coding, instead of looking for blocks.

Furthermore, there are many ways to customize the Solidworks GUI, which can be seen below. The first window allows the user to select which toolbars are on the screen, as well as set hotkeys for any action in the program, also a great feature. The second window (from right clicking the toolbar) allows the user to select which icons in each toolbar are actually on the screen. The toolbars can also be dragged to various locations, be seen with -or without- large icons and text, and be floating or attached, all great features. 

.

I would love to see a labview that looked like this:

Also, Im not suggesting getting rid of the functions palette, only allowing the user to place SMALL (preferribly smaller than on the FP), perminent icons where they need them instead of only using the rather unweildy functions palette for everything.

For reference, here is a good article which covers the Solidworks Command Manager:

http://www.solidmuse.com/2008/01/customizing-the-solidworks-2008-command-manager/

Regards,

Kyle Mozdzyn

Applications Engineering

National Instruments

[SimonH]

Could you not just use the Favorites palette and keep it pinned open?  It won't be docked on the side of the window like your mockup but would you really want to burn that real-estate on every single open block diagram?

[crossrulz]

You obviously haven't seen one of my coworkers working with LabVIEW.  He has all of his favorite palettes pinned down and using his complete second monitor for nothing but these palettes.

[PaulG.]

I use a diagram disable structure in a template to put all my "favorites" in.

[kent.wedeking]

so on the flip side of this, I'm slowly in the process of a creating my own "palettes" within solidworks so I don't have to use the toolbars across the top, and i have more room for drawings.  I can see where there could be handy though.  I do the same thing with the disable diagram structure, but that can be a pain ....

[Kyle_M]

I know you can make a favorites palette, but it really doesn't offer the same functionality and is bulky. It also makes you burn the real estate for every block diagram, considering youre suggesting keeping it open for every file . 

It is also yet another window to have open in labview, and not a particularly efficient use of space. My VIs are much more often long than tall, and its hard to place the VIs on the top or bottom with the favorites palette because of the space taken by the "customize" button and the window header. It also cant get very narrow (~3 icons wide) and is hard to organize efficiently.   

[vitoi]

Great idea. Can I suggest a slight twist - don't make them customisable. Put on a single strip the most commonly used functions. There are several reasons for this:

1) When I get LabVIEW, the "likely" most used functions are already laid out for me. Sure I'd use certain functions more than the general user, but that's a small inconvenience

2) When I get a new vesion of LabVIEW I don;t have to worry about reconfiguring (although I'm sure this information can pass to new versions, but not likely to new computers)

3) When I have to help someone with their LabVIEW code, I'm perfectly at home. The functions on the strip are exactly where I would expect them.

While we're at it, why not put the tools pallet as the top few entries.

One of my frustrations with LabVIEW is the number of floating windows - help (handy to see the names of function terminals (maybe just this could be in a corner?), tools (put them on the strip) and functions (which I right-click so not usually up). I do however spend a bit of time juggling floating pallets around and isn't it fun when the help window suddenly expands just over what you were about to click on (yes, I know it can be made fixed size, but that's an even bigger problem). All in all Kyle, some work in this area would be great. Great idea.

[vitoi]

The more I think about it, the more I like this idea. I think it's the greatest productivity improvement I've seen on the Ideas Exchange - and I've read many.

How about this for implementation:

1) Only have a single strip (real estate is important)

2) Strip contents from top to bottom are Tools (the tools pallet items), Functions (the most common functions followed by a hierarchical icon for all the other functions (that is, as you mouse over it expands and you only need to make one-click to select (except for those that are sub-items). The tools pallet and functions pallet are now fully accommodate (still leave them there for people that prefer them and allow the "strip" to be turned off and on). There would probably be room on the strip to add more items if required (Don't forget RT and FPGA will add more icons/functions).

3) Hierarchical strip items open by passing over them not clicking. This way, it's only one click to select any function.

4) Put the strip on the left side. This is not a matter of preference, but an efficiency item. We typically start drawing form left to right, so we need fresh functions early on. As I progress across the screen to the right, I often don't grab functions off the pallete (or strip in this case), but rather option drag and use one I've already drawn, which is usually nearby. So the left side reduces mouse travel.

I should add that I walked past your idea several times before I noticed the drawing at the bottom and then I realised what you are proposing. Amazing how an idea is presented, affects its popularity.

I'd be surprised if your idea doesn't find it's way into LabVIEW 2011 or LabVIEW 2012. Relatively easy to implement, speeds up coding and gets rid of some of the floating clutter. I haven't upgrades since LabVIEW 8.6.1 (and I have al the latest versions) since there has ben no compelling reason to upgrade (with it's associated compatibility issues). This feature would make me leap to an upgrade.

[Kyle_M]

Vitoi,

While having the basic functions laid out by default, I would find it quite annoying if we couldnt customize to what the user needed. If I was doing .net all day and had a portion of my screen taken up by DAQ, it would become cumbersome after a while.

And if you look at most CAD interfaces, you can have the icons wherever you want, floating or attached. Very slick in general. They have default settings for toolbars available, such as a standard set of features on the 'sketch' toolbar, but each icon can be removed to suit the individual. 

-kmoz