LabVIEW Idea Exchange

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Hi,

I have several Labview versions, and some files are in 2010, others in 2011.

I often work with both version launched, and when I want to open a file, I have to do File=>Open and choose the file (with the good Labview version). Opening a 2010 file with both version 2010 and 2011 launched open my file with 2011, whereas it has been saved in 2010... (maybe a bug ?)

I would appreciate if I could drag and drop the file I want to open on the LV icon on taskbar (+1000 to the following idea : here)

Best regards,

Hi,

Today LabVIEW 2010 has the option "Save for previous version" because it upgrades automatically the VI to the current LV version (this happens since I use LabVIEW).

This behavior may cause headache when you are working with different projects that uses different versions of LabVIEW. If your last used version was LV 2010 and you double click a LV 2009 VI, it will be saved as LV 2010 VI and your LV 2009 project will crash.

My suggestion is, change the default behavior by keeping the current VI LabVIEW version and provide an option to upgrade to the new version.

Doing this everybody will be able to work with LV 2009 projects in LV 2012 without have LabVIEW 2009, 2010, 2011 and 2012 installed in the same computer.

Cheers,

Situation:

I have to support several production lines which are using different LabView versions (currently LV 8.5.1 and LV 2009). On my office PC I would like to use always the latest LabView.

If I open a project which was created in LV 2009 in a newer version of LabView, LV will try to convert all files to the new version. If I transfer it back to a PC which uses LV 2009 I can not open it.

Suggestion:

I'd like to suggest a new project parameter that changes to storage format of all the files contained in the certain project (excluding those coming out of the LV program folder and maybe from some other excluded folders).

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Front panel Text color change

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How come you can't tell which version a .vi was created in until you open it? How come you can't just tell whether it was created for 7.1 or 2010? An idea is to have it save a different .vi extention, much like in Microsoft Office, for exampe, a 2003 version would not open a 2007 version, and you can tell before opening because of the .xls or other extension. For labview, it could be like for 7.1 it was .vi71 and for Labview 8.2, .vi82, and for 2010, how about .vi2010?

Maybe this could come in handy for those who are looking for certain vi's of a certain version.

Applications Builder

I think the application builder should be able to generate a standalone applicationwithout the need to install the LabVIEW runtime engine, to reduce the user to install anduse the program to do the steps are too complicated or complex to install, or can becalled "hidden install" or "incidental installation", and will install all the files are placed in a program (such as VIPM installer). Best to install the non-LabVIEW files (like DOCdocuments, pictures, msi installation package, etc.).

Support for 64-bit linux

Currently in LabVIEW if you build an installer you end up with a hierarchy of files that look like this:

If you want to distribute this installer via the web, you need to use a third party program to zip it up, or create a self-extracting zip file. Since LabVIEW can already create zip files with no problem, I propose the ability for LabVIEW to create a single file installer that can easily be distributed, like this:

This can be as easy as a checkbox in the current installer Advanced page:

Hi All,

I truly hope this hasn't already been inquired about in some manner, but if it has I'm not even sure what to search for. Here it goes:

Up until now, I've kept a backup of labview.ini around so that if my computer dies or if I move to a new PC I don't have to spend time reconfiguring options. It dawned on me tonight that there are a lot of other customizations that LabVIEW developers use. If heavily relied upon, these customizations can be painful to lose. For instance:

Palette customizations (Including "Place VI Contents" or Merge VIs)
user.lib
custom icon templates

...you get the idea. (This is a pretty lame list, but it's all I could think of off of the top of my head)

There really ought to be a tool to consolidate all of these options down to the nitpicking details so that they can be exported in the form of a single file. (let's say a zip file, hypothetically) The user could then access this tool under "Tools-Advanced->Import or Export user settings" or some similar option.

This way, if the user's PC becomes unusable or they are forced by IT department mandate to move to another PC, they could simply import their user setting file and the whole development environment would be configured to their liking, complete with customizations.

Did someone already think of this?

Thanks,

Jim

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Time Based Evaluation Software

For all NI software that has an evaluation license available I propose that instead of a number of days the evaluation would be good for a number of hours. Whenever the software detects user activity it will start to decrement the hours remaining. If no activity is detected after some number of minutes the timer will stop decrementing.

I installed the Test Stand evaluation and ran out of time even though I only got to play with it for maybe a few hours. I did get an extension from our sales representative. I am hoping I will get the time to thouroughly check out this software before trying to get funds from the boss.

This idea is not specific to LabVIEW but all NI software for which evaluation licenses are available. I am posting this here since the LabVIEW idea exchange is the most visible.

I have used Labview for about 10 years, the last 4 years complete full time as my actual job requires it, several times I have gotten a tired sight which made difficult to read Labview code, I really wonder if there are plans to add some zoom functionality.

In fact it would be nice to have a magnifying glass on the tools pallet, with a sort of resizeble frame that let you follow the code. There should be an rights explanation, because I feel this idea is kind of obvious, and also I am sure that tons of new users quit trying because this lack of functionanlity.

anyway let me know your comments,

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As of this quarter, the NI developers suite DVDs will only be sent out on a bi-annual basis. See the text in the current Dev Suite donwload site for the text on this (Dev Suite Download Site).

With that in mind, I forsee using the donwload links to get my Dev Suite updates more and more often and using the DVDs less and less.

What I am asking is that a better method be implemented to allow customers to download the software that they need. If you attempt to download any package from the Dev Suite download site, listed above, you must click through between 3 and 4 linked pages to actually arrive at the download link. Given the 46 packages on the page that is a minimum of 138 pages that must be navigated to download Dev Suite.

How about updating the downloader to allow selection of all of the packages you wish to download, press the button and the downloader will take care of getting all of the selected packages.

This downloader should allow download of particular versions of the software (i.e All packages that were released with LV2009 SP1 and the applicable drivers at that time). These should be "presets" that would allow quick identification of which drivers shipped with which version of LV.

Jim Kring had a related post (here), however I think that the two ideas are somewhat different

Developer Suite Installer Enhancement

I did a search and did not find this. Hopefully it is not a dupe.

The event structure has become an almost integral part of LabVIEW programming. It should no longer be considered an advanced tool that is only needed in the full development system and higher. Events should be included in the base package. Maybe it means slightly increasing the cost of base and slightly decreasing the price of full. I don't know. But there should not be a LabVIEW that does not include the event structure. I own (my company owns) the development suite so I get nothing out of this. But if I were to buy my own copy I could almost see spending $1,249 but definately not $2,599. I am not going to spend over a grand for events and I am not going to program in LabVIEW without them either. So maybe someday, if this idea is accepted, I will get something out of it. And so will National Instruments.

LabVIEW Idea Exchange

drag vi, llb, ctl, lvproj... on getting started window

Upgrade from previous version. New LabVIEW behavior

Automated LabView version cross saving

Front panel Text color change

Install driver DVD drive other than c:

Labview Version-Dependent name extention, not just .vi

Applications Builder

Report Generation Toolkit - Power Point Addition

Notification about Compatibility of Modules with 64 bit Labview 2010

Support for 64-bit linux

Single File Installer from LabVIEW

Export All Development Environment Customizations for Portability or Backup

Create shortcuts to folders when configuring an installer

Add option to the application installer to prompt the user if ini file should be replaced

Time Based Evaluation Software

Why Labview doesnt have ZOOM tools on the Blockdiagram side?

Better download experience for labVIEW and associated NI tools

Installer build spec option: Let User "Run Installed Application After Installation Completes"

Developer Suite Installer Enhancement

Include Events In Base Package