Implement a "Environment Preferences" dialog for first launch of LabVIEW

[Al.B]

Whenever I install a new version of LabVIEW, I have to wade through the LabVIEW options to change all of the UI settings to what I like. To make the upgrade process easier, I would like to see a dialog that:

• appears on the first launch of the new LabVIEW version
• can be easily skipped by users who would rather configure things manually
• allows users to choose common settings (aimed at users without another version of LabVIEW on the machine)
  
  
  
  
• provides a user friendly way to import settings from an older LabVIEW version (aimed at users who are upgrading LabVIEW)
  
  

This would make the process of upgrading much easier, especially for users who have very particular preferences. Some options that could be addressed in the wizard are:

• control style (icon or not)
• visible palletes
• showing text for VIs on pallete
• broken wire Xs
• etc...

[Al.B]

Another thought - the wizard could have presets aimed at different user levels (beginner, advanced, UI developer, etc) which quickly implement common settings.  this would address the problem of icons as the default for controls (Default Option: Do NOT Place Front Panel Terminal as Icon)

[tst]

I would guess that this type of dialog would be completely useless for a new user, who has no idea what any of these options mean and how to select one which would be appropriate for them. For experienced users, there have already been ideas for automatically importing the settings from previous installations:

http://forums.ni.com/t5/LabVIEW-Idea-Exchange/New-LabVIEW-Installation-Retains-Options/idi-p/1059632

[Mads]

In regards to tst's comment; one solution for new users who do not know what they are deciding upon would be to have a preview frame next to the options. So if e.g. you were deciding upon color settings you would see an image of a front panel and a block diagram which changed their colors according to the selected settings...once you are happy with what the preview shows you move on to the next setting.

But hey, that is already part of the idea....so just make sure such previews cover as many of the options as possible and new users should be fine too.

[tst]

The point is that even with a preview frame and with any number of explanations that you add, a new user will have no idea what the options mean, so this type of dialog will simply annoy and confuse them.

Imagine that you start using a new program which requires quite a bit of learning to operate properly and when you open it for the first time it asks you "do you want the flux capacitors to be fully charged or semi-charged?" or "which tree do you want to display by default?". How are you supposed to know which option works better for you if you have no idea what a flux capacitor or a tree is and how it's used in the program?

[Mads]

Sure, but some of it will be self-explaining (or can be explained for him on the spot) and other things might very well be things that a new user can relate to from the other development environments (New to LabVIEW does not necessarily mean new to programming.)

The preview will allow new users to become aware of the available options - a big plus, regardless of the level of understanding - and many of the options will be things that they will instantly see their preference for. For the things that the user does not understand, nor can decide upon a personal preference for without more experience, the user can always opt for the default/recommended option for a given target audience.

All in all the risk of negative effects is low, and the chance of some added value is high. That's enough for me. However, if it comes down to priorities I agree that this should be low on the scale.

[Darin.K]

Perhaps this could be incorporated into the existing Options dialog.  Assuming NI has done some research into the matter, they could add a new page which contains the most commonly changed options.  This is a good entry point for new users to start tweaking things and allows experienced users to quickly update their settings.  Staring at a dozen pages of options can be a bit disconcerting.

Another page to handle importing from previous installs would be nice as suggested above.