Show object’s private data on front panel

[mike-o-tronic]

Since the Actor Framework came up, I'm getting more and more into object oriented programming with LabVIEW. But I'm missing one of the biggest strengths of LabVIEW with it:

The ease of bounding your source code with a graphical user interface.

When you create a front panel object from a class object you can neither display nor control data. You can just display the object icon. So this is basically the flipside of the “Cluster as Icon on Front Panel” request. Instead of an icon I want to have my object’s private data in my front panel. So a right click -> show private data would be nice:

This would become handy not only for creating user interfaces but also for debugging, since the probe is often difficult to overview when you are dealing with data strucutres like arrays, clusters and objects.

Right now the workaround is to create a cluster type def and put the cluster into the private data. But this is unhandy. Instead switching back and forth between icon and data, you have to bundle/unbundle and create control/indicator. You have the additional file in your class. And you have the "additional bundle/unbundle mouse maneuver" if you want to access single elements.

[Intaris]

You can do this with an XControl.

[tst]

Related idea - http://forums.ni.com/t5/LabVIEW-Idea-Exchange/Tag-an-XControl-as-the-default-control-indicator-for-a...

[mike-o-tronic]

Yes, but I think it should be as essential for object oriented programming as it is for LabVIEW to have data on the front panel. But developing XControls is an addon, which is neither available in the basic nor in the full edition. So unless "But the honest truth is that OO is not for everyone." doesn't mean OO should be only for LabVIEW developers, who can at least effort the professional version, XControls are not an option to me

[Darren]

Any idea that has received less than 2 kudos within 2 years after posting will be automatically declined.