Native GUI Report Cluster : Space Efficient display / printable cluster that can be a typedef

[RMThebert]

Here's an idea to make better use of front panel pixels and printer paper.

Problems Solved:

1)  Too much data to show on one screen using regular controls, instead of tabs, Show at-a-glace highlightable data in a configurable cluster format.  Before LabVIEW 2014 the typedef table inside a typedef cluster would do thes fairly well.

2) Use same panel as print format since it is at-a-glance and one panel, WYSiWYG printing made easy

3) LabVIEW2014 crashes when table typedef is nested in a cluster typedef - this suggestion is improvement, not just workaround.

Suggestion:  Bring back super space efficient (flat plain) controls and indicators, so I don’t need to worry about NI dropping support for the classic plain text one.  This will allow me to make my own table like displays using individual fields in a typdef cluster.  I could just format a big string control and write code to fill it in by row-column position, but that looks so DOS.  How about marketing it as a report builder cluster like panel builders available in many text based languages?

Implementation:

1) Add space efficient flat controlls and indicators to current palette, similar to flat string control in classic palette.

2) Allow these to be placed into a flat cluster that can be typedef

3) Provide a fast way to lookup controls contained in this cluster by name, similar to get array of references and loop through for name match.

4) If desired make an Express VI to build a GUI / Report cluster similar to the way text baased programs do it.

5) Provide for setting printable paramters - shape designed for portrait or landscape and with about the right number of pixels so it fits easily into the printer (no extreme zoom in or out to fit, no half of the printed page left blank, etc..), using this shape as a starting point, nice printable panels will be easier to make.

Thank You

Robert Thebert

[jcarmody]

Makes sense to me.  I'd buy one.

[tst]

At least the flat controls have already been suggested - http://forums.ni.com/t5/LabVIEW-Idea-Exchange/Flat-controls-indicators-and-containers/idi-p/919361

If you get a crash, you should report it separately so that it can be fixed.

As for the other things, it seems to me that with the exception of the flat controls, you can do them in LV today with a bit of code. Maybe you should provide more detail on how you actually expect such a tool to look and what kind of work it would save us.

[Darren]

Any idea that has received less than 3 kudos within 3 years after posting will be automatically declined.