Right clicking can find and change any attribute.

[rgvandewalker]

I'm a first-time user of labview, but a very experienced programmer in other languages. 

It was impossible for me to find a complete, modifiable list of the changeable properties associated

with an icon on the block diagram.

I kept expecting this to be available when I right-clicked the middle of an icon in the block diagram, or a control on the control panel.  At first I expected to be able to right click connection nodes and get connection properties, as well.

The expectation was initially almost unconscious, so I believe it is deeply ingrained, and might be common in other users.

This is the predominant mode of interaction in MS Windows applications, and I think it can be convenient in other UIs.

If so, Labview would be more intuitive if it leveraged this preexisting user training.

[tst]

Most "icons" on the BD don't have many changable properties. Those that are changable are available from the right click menu (which is already pretty long) or from the properties window (almost irrelevant for most BD objects).

The main interaction you have for nodes in the BD is to connect wires to their different terminals, and that's done using the wiring tool.

Can you provide specific examples? There are certain actions (such as copy and paste) which users do expect to find in the context menu (and there are already ideas for that here), but those are actions, not properties.

[rgvandewalker]

Sure.  For my project I modified an existing one that reads data in hex via a serial port, converts the data to floating point, does some arithmetic and then uses a waveform chart.

There are unavailable properties for the VISA serial ports (all the standard serial port configurations), waveform charts, and error reporting operations.  In many cases, not all, these are available as wires, but the icon does not show all of its connections, has no property list, and has no "pull down" arrow like the ones in the tutorials.  Nothing describes the types of connections, or how to set them (e.g. offering a numeric palette and telling you "flow control" does not describe which values do what). 

Likewise, the waveform chart seems to have numerous undocumented features.  The code I'm using has waveform charts with something called a "history" which is somehow attached to the chart via a "reference".  It appears that references permit one to access attributes, if only one knows the attribute names.  Which are not in the property sheets, certainly not with names or defaults.  Charts have some attributes set in the property list.  And, of course, don't have the pull-down arrow.  I think I just found the lists for attributes and the other list for methods; it's attached to the reference... 

Anyway, I imagine it's all there somewhere (I'm a newbie, right?), but it does not all work in the same way.  Why -aren't- there connections directly to all the object's attributes? (That's why I call it an icon; it lacks enough expressive power to be anything but a graphic placeholder)  Why -aren't- attributes all listed in the properties, so one could directly set all their defaults?  Why -don't- all items have a pull-down arrow to find all these connections, or a right-clickable list or properties with names?  It's just such a hodge-podge. (Eww)

[RavensFan]

They are called property nodes.  If you drop a property node on the diagram, then wire a reference to one of the objects on your front panel.  Then you can get to all the properties that pertain to that class of object by clicking on the property that appears.

You can't right click on VISA function and expect to get to the properties of the VISA resource such as baud rate  The function is only an action that can act on the VISA resource that is wired into it, it is not symbolic of the VISA resource itself because exactly what resource is wired in is not determined until runtime.   You an programmatically change the VISA resource just by using VISA controls, or building from strings, or the use of case statements and select structures.

I would recommend looking at the online LabVIEW tutorials
LabVIEW Introduction Course - Three Hours
LabVIEW Introduction Course - Six Hours

[Darren]

Any idea that has not received any kudos within a year after posting will be automatically declined.