Suggested improvements of waveform charts

[finn.haugen@hit.no]

Hi

The waveform chart should be improved. I teach LabVIEW programming to students. It is seldom that the students create well-configured charts. Several of the default settings are inappropriate, and some new options should be added. 

Here are some suggestions for improving the waveform charts:

1. The default size of the Chart History Buffer should be increased considerably, from the present value of only 1024, to, say, 10000.
2. A checkbox should be added under an appropriate tab in the Properties window to activate/deactivate emptying the history buffer at VI start (presently this must be implemented progammatically using the Property Node / History property to which you connect empty data).
3. An option should be added under an appropriate tab in the Properties window to select using real time or the time index along the x axis. By default, real time x should be selected. Actually, the default x axis label is "Time" despite the fact that the x axis does not show time but time index.
4. The default grid colours should be weaker than the present strong yellow colour. I suggest grey colours.
5. By default, grids should be shown in the plot.
6. By default, the lower left option under Scale Style and Colors should be selected.
7. By default, the Visibility checkbox in the plot legend should be displayed.
8. By default, Digital Display should be displayed.

Regards,

Finn

[Henrik_Volkers]

Here are some suggestions for improving the waveform charts:

1. The default size of the Chart History Buffer should be increased considerably, from the present value of only 1024, to, say, 10000.

Does that make sense? Why store more points by default than a monitor can display?

(OK, maybe increase to 2k with recent monitors ;)) The Chart is made for recent history .. for more I vote for data logging not in the chart

1. A checkbox should be added under an appropriate tab in the Properties window to activate/deactivate emptying the history buffer at VI start (presently this must be implemented progammatically using the Property Node / History property to which you connect empty data). Personal preference IMHO, If you load the vi it's empty (unless you stored data by default) The Chart is made for recent history .. If you run the vi intermitted, it keeps the history (like a not init. shiftregister) the operator can clear it with a rigth click ....

1. An option should be added under an appropriate tab in the Properties window to select using real time or the time index along the x axis. By default, real time x should be selected. Actually, the default x axis label is "Time" despite the fact that the x axis does not show time but time index. Personal preference IMHO
   
2. The default grid colours should be weaker than the present strong yellow colour. I suggest grey colours. Personal preference IMHO
3. By default, grids should be shown in the plot. Ack 🙂 but personal preference IMHO
4. By default, the lower left option under Scale Style and Colors should be selected.  Ack 🙂
5. By default, the Visibility checkbox in the plot legend should be displayed. Personal preference IMHO
6. By default, Digital Display should be displayed. Sorry, No

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finn.haugen@hit.no wrote:

[finn.haugen@hit.no]

Sure, my suggestions are based on personal preferences (based on experience with LabVIEW for 15 years) 😄

About increasing the history buffer from present value of 1024: In control system applications, there is often desirable to look at data which are older than the last 1024 samples. If you have a sampling rate of for example 0.1 sec, you can only browse back to data which are 102.4 sec old. 

Finn

[GregSands]

Almost all of these suggestions can be achieved by customizing the control and saving it.  Then just drop your own custom control instead of the default, and everything's the way you want it.

[finn.haugen@hit.no]

GregS:

My suggestions are about default settings and options for configurations to be provided to the user (e.g. students and engineers) - not about the technical possibilities for implementation that exist, so your comment does not address my point.

After teaching LabVIEW programming to a large number of students, given a very limited amount of time for instruction, I see quite clearly what is missing about waverform charts. 

Finn

[X.]

As the others said: Bob's default are not Alice's. GregS's suggestion is reasonable. I am not saying it is simple to distribute a custom control on multiple installs but it's a once per installation step.

At the same time, provide a "Chart Helper" VI (as done for the 3D graphs, for instance), which will reset the chart when you start the VI. The diagram looks like this:

and has the Waveform Chart on the FP set exactly as you want it. Then put this VI (not Control) in your Favorite Control palette (you'll have to change the file selector to "All Files" in order to see the VI). Your palette will look like this:

When you (or your student) will drop this "Custom Chart"  on their diagram, the diagram above (which you should wrap up into a VI - something I didn't do because one cannot attach stuff to a IE post comment) will also be dropped and connected to the reference of the Chart.

[Darren]

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