LabVIEW Idea Exchange

                                                                                    but ...

                   same problem for all functions from the Exponential Functions Palette

                                        much more clear, readable and explicit

The VI documentation window could use some improvement and several additions could be made to make editing the text a lot easier.

Improving adding control and indicator name.

Typically the text in the documentation window does refer to the control and indicator connected to the connetor pane.

It would be very convenient to have this information already in that window so we don't have look it up when needed. Additionally, the control and indicators are typically bolded in the resulting text using the <b></b> tag. It would be convenient if this would be done automatically for us.

In the propose idea (see image below) the VI icon with the controls and indicators is shown and the controls and indicators when clicked do insert their name into the VI description. 

Note: The control name may be made to look like an hyperlink to indicate that there are click able.

For example, in the image below, clicking the "Items to filter" will insert the "<b>Items to filter</b> tagged text in the VI description.

Improve general text editing

While fancy text editing is limited in the VI description, adding a toolbar to improve text formatting would be useful.

I think it would be nice if LabVIEW was smart enough to know that when I drop a For Loop around scalar inputs it doesn't auto-index output tunnels - but rather uses Shift Registers - for matching inputs and outputs.

The common use case for this is with the Error input/output - it annoys me how it becomes an Array output.

As it is already wired, inline and not broken, dropping a For Loop around it should not break my code! 

Reference or Class inputs are other use case too - I want to pass the same thing around not create an Array. 

Shift registers are better than non-auto-indexed tunnels (other option) as they protect the inputs on zero iterations.

This would remove one step required for most use cases, speeding up my development experience.

Cluster Size as a Wired Input:

• Easier to see
• More implicit
• Nearly impossible to forget to set it (if it were a required input).

Today, the enum data type in LabVIEW only allows having sequential numeric values (0, 1, 2, 3, etc.).

It would be very useful to have sparse enums, meaning enums which can have custom numeric values assigned to their strings, just like you can do today with rings.

If you want an example where this will be useful, think of error codes - this would allow you to use an enum on the diagram to select the error, or in a case structure.

It has come up here in a different discussion, but I think it should be a separate idea, so here it is!

If we disable part of the code using the diagram disable structure, the disabled code gets lighter in color. The new compiler is good at eliminating dead code (i.e. things that don't need to be computed because there is no output), so it could be useful if these code parts are also bleached in a similar way to indicate that fact.

Here's how it could look like.

I would even suggest this to be enabled by default. Of course there also needs to be an option to turn it off....

(I was about to write up this idea, but then, searching for "dead code", I found comment by SynchronizationOverhead. So the original credit goes there, of course ;))

Since most (if not all) controls and indicators can be moved around with "position" property node programatically, the X and Y coordinates on the front panel are useful information to have.

As of right now, users have to adjust the position values by trial and error to know what values suit the UI, or maybe make a program to capture the mouse position programatically.

So I've been getting feedbacks from customer about a function where one can view the coordinates of the mouse all of the time. (meaning no programming is necessary)

I was thinking about two methods (see attached)

1. Show coordinates along with the mouse

2. Show coordinates at the bottom of the pane

Thanks,

Current it is very hard to reliably manipulate decorations using VI server.

LabVIEW need to be able to create explicit decoration references (like it is possible to do on other objects through right click Create>>Reference).

Note: Thanks to TonP for the idea.

Today, if we want a FOR loop with a fixed number of iterations, we need to wire a diagram constant to N. We could probably save a few clicks if we could click on N and type in an integer directly. It would also unclutter the diagram. This should of course only work if N is unwired.

Of course the N-Box would grow to the right to accomodate all digits

To later change the loop back to "normal", we would type N into the box or simply wire something numeric to N from the left.

As an example how it could look like, here's a simple cross product implementation (Yes, I know, LabVIEW already has a cross-product, so this is just to show the idea!)

Top: current implementation

Bottom: Same code after this proposed idea has been implemented

As mentioned at the end of my comment here, editing text is a bit clumsy. There should be a text toobar that is similar to what we can find in any other application.

Maybe it could be dynamic so it only appears when editing text.

Here's the quote from the other thread:

One thing that should be improved is the font pulldown which feels so early 1990's. When working with text, we want a text toolbar like anywhere else, (even in the post editor here in the forum!) with a bold, italic, etc. buttons, font and size rings, etc. You know what I mean!

Same information as the '\' Codes Display but easier to read.

Tools like Word and Notepad++ allow you to view the hidden symbols in a string, it would be great if LabVIEW did as well.

Normal Style

'\' Code Style

Symbol Style

Why dont wires have an optional label associated with them.  Style guides have use label long wires but wires have to be moved often during development, and the labels are not fixed to the wire.  This should be maintained for us.  Right click on wire and add label, with ability to lock label to wire source, wire midpoint or wire destination.