LabVIEW Idea Exchange

Wire a Case Structure with an enum. Now pop up on it and select "Add Case For Every Value." In today's LabVIEW, this adds new frames to the structure so that every enum value is handled by a unique frame. This makes creating the structure initially easy, and it gives you a way to walk through and make sure that you've filled in code for every frame. But today, the Case Structure has includes the "Default" case when the Case Structure is first wired. That is done so that wiring a Case Structure with an enum does not result in a broken VI. When a programmer provides a unique case for every value, the Default state is now redundant, and the only thing it does is create the potential for error if you ever add to the enum. Thus I would propose that if you use "Add Case For Every Value", then LV should remove the Default tag from the first case.

Once in a while I encounter a case or event list that forces me to grow the structure

- in order to keep the list readable:

It would be nice if the item-list would automatically "wrap" instead.  

I like to collapse long string and path constants to consolidate diagrams.  Showing the string or path value in the tip strip is useful but tedious to update.

I suggest an appearance property that would automatically display the current value in a tip strip for string and path constants.

This property would be most useful if the Block Diagram Options page was also modified to allow a global setting.

On the front panel of a VI, there is an origin dot (if you show the grid) that indicate the origin (0,0) of the panel.

I try to design all my VIs so that this dot is always in the upper left corner of the panel (it's starting point when you open a new VI).  This is key for dialog VIs where you might have a lot of controls and indicators that are 'off screen' but you need to scroll the panel to them while editing and testing.  Once you are done, you need to return the panel to this origin so only the items you want the user to see are in view.  Scrolling the panel with the scroll bars to get this dot exactly in the upper left of the panel is not always easy.

What I want is a right click menu option on the panel that is called 'return to origin' or 'reposition to origin' or 'scroll to origin'.  This would save me some unnessesary frustration and help keep my VIs neat and organized.

The "system OK" button has a predefined key navigation assignment for "Return (set focus on toggle)".

I argue that this automatic assignment is not a good idea and can lead to problems. Key navigation should never be automatic, but should be willfully assigned by the programmer when designing the front panel. A small extra step, which makes things predictable!

Lets see what happens if we place three OK buttons on the front panel. Can anyone guess which one will have the "Enter" key navigation assigned? (don't cheat!) As it turns out, it's the one we placed last! (Who would have guessed! :o). This also means that if we have a carefully constructed front panel with the enter key already assigned to a dedicated control, and we later add a "system OK" button to the panel, the existing assignment will get lost and transferred to the new OK button without warning. Greedy, greedy button!!!

This existing behavior has caused me problems numerous times in the past and I cannot remember a scenario where I wanted that automatic key assignment.

Suggestions: no control should have a predefined key navigation assignment. Ever!