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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.

From the 2014 upgrade notes:

Reviewing and Updating Type Definition Instances
In LabVIEW 2013 and earlier, when you apply changes from a type definition to instances of that type
definition, LabVIEW may lose or incorrectly preserve the default values for the instances you want to
update.
In most cases, LabVIEW 2014 automatically preserves the default values of each instance you update
from a type definition. When an instance cannot be automatically updated, LabVIEW places the instance
in an unresolved

If the typedef instance is unresolved I think it would be better for the 'Review and Update from Type Def' dialog to instantly appear once the edited typedef is saved.

The typedef currently visible on the block diagram that I right clicked to edit the typedef isn't necessarily the typedef with a problem. It could be hiding anywhere on the block diagram!

I could click the broken arrow, but I would always want to sort out this problem before proceeding so this idea would make life easier...

This could be a click box in the options?

Any thoughts?

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Sometimes when passing multiple values into "format into string" to build a complicated string e.g. a chain of commands for a device, it is possible that the format specifiers may become hard to notice if they aren't all aligned in the same column. I would like to propse that when a string constant is wired to the string formatter terminal of "format into string", the format specifiers be emboldened.

For example:

SOURCE:TRIGGER %s
LINE:WITHOUT:SPEC on
ANOTHER:WITHOUT:SPEC off
SOURCE:ARB %s
SOURCE:ARB:srate %.2f
MORE:LINES 51
AND:ANOTHER:ONE %f

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With the release of labview 2016 the issue of cross-platform support for video becomes critical.

As stated in the "features and changes" page: "NI no longer provides the 32-bit version of LabVIEW for OS X."

Up to now it was possible to use Christophe Salzmann's QTLib to work with video. This was great software because the very same "universal" VIs ran on Windows and OSX systems. However, this tool relied on QuickTime. QuickTime is 32-bit and will not evolve to 64-bit (it has been replaced by newer libraries), and so does QTLib.

Thus all the code developed with labview including cross-platform video handling cannot be maintained and developed!

On the other hand, video is becoming an ubiquitous feature in computer technologies, from mobile apps, to IT, to big data and deep learning. It is a strategic time to push for video on labview across all platforms. It is time for video handling VIs to appear in the standard dev package, just as jpeg or png read/write VIs were added after photos massively entered the computer world.

I propose the addition in the "Programming/Graphics&Sound" palette of a subset of VIs for handling video (open video file for read or write, read file frame by frame, append one frame to file, grab frames from webcam). There is no doubt that such feature will be valuable in a future labview release!

Single control items have "NewVal" and "OldVal" in the Data Node for Value Change events. This is applies for numeric, boolean, and strings. It would be nice if this feature were included for listbox and multicolumn listbox labels for the "Edit Cell" events.

Use case: I use a listbox to show the materials for which the user has defined experiment settings for. These settings are saved in an XML file with the material name as an attribute. In the event that the user wants to edit the name in the listbox, it would be nice if they could just do that directly in the list box and the XML change will be handled automatically in the background. Currently to find the right element in the XML, I use an XPath to search for the label selected from the listbox. If the user edits the name, I need to know the old value in order to replace the existing name. Presently, this does not work as the Event Data Node only supplies me with the new value.

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If you create a strict type def of a numeric control and select radix visible and say change radix to Hex. When you drop the control on a front panel the radix is visible and the number is in Hexidecimal format. However if you drop this control onto a block diagram as a constant, the numeric constant defaults back to Decimal format and you must then right-click toi show Radix and change to Hexidecimal format.

If you strictly define the control to be in Hex format, the 'strict' type should be applied for the constant as well as for the controls and indicators. Cuurnetly it will default as Hex format for control and indicator, but not as a constant on the Block Diagram.

Using LabVIEW 2014

I use an electrical drawing package and on different pages of schematics it is nice to have copied components e.g. potential lines to be in the same position so when flicking through pages you can easily see the differences and it looks prettier.

In an event structure or case structure when I copy and paste an object from one case to another I would like to be able to also copy the position of the copied item. I like to be able to scroll through event structures and see any identical components in the same location.

I propose that the X and Y keys on the keyboard be used to trigger this auto alignment so that after pasting, pressing Y will move the copied item to the same Y position and then X to move to X position.

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For Loop (conditional terminal)

In Front panel and Block Diagram when we place a control (Graph) over another control (Numeric) everything is fine and we don't have any clue that an object is overlapped. The only way to find the control (Numeric) is by going to the BD and navigating to the FP by using the Find Control menu. So it would be nice if we get a shadow for the object which is overlapping any other object. This is also applicable to the BD objects where there are chances where the VIs gets duplicate when we try to create a copy by using Ctrl+Drag.

Using the "Find Control Option" in BD

This would be simple if we come to know that an object is overlapped by a shadow

During the run time this shadow can be removed like how we use controls over the Tab container.

Please ignore if it is already suggested.

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One of the major obstacles to LabVIEW adoption is the difficult learning curve (perhaps it’s easier than learning a text-based programming language, but still). A simple reevaluation of whether certain options are in the most logical place might help make it easier for first-time users.

The two that caught me up the most when I was first using LabVIEW:

I expected to find the Tools Palette under Tools not under View. This tripped me up a number of times, saying, “Where on earth is the Tools Palette!?” Over the last several years I have observed a number of new users have the same difficulty. If the first place the average user looks for something is not where it is, then it is either in the wrong place or perhaps something is poorly named. The things under Tools may be better thought of as “Utilities” or something so I wouldn't keep looking for the Tools Palette there.
I expected to be able to click View>>Block Diagram to view the block diagram, not Window>>Show Block Diagram. Again, you watch someone who is new to LabVIEW poking around trying to navigate and I guarantee they’ll click View before thinking to look for it under Window.

The more I use LabVIEW, the more I find things that just seem to be in weird places. I know this may seem silly, but I think it would be worthwhile to do some new usability studies on things like this.

Insider program?

Auto-label items in a cluster

When adding a control as a cluster constant it's important to see what's the controls name in order to use the constant correcty.

As you can see on the right side of the image there's how a control will be added when you drag&drop it into the block diagram.

To show every label it's quite a lot of work to click on each single item (it's hard enough to hit the control correctly!) open the contect menu and select "Description" to show up.

It'd be a great relief, if you can simply select "Show all labels" to perform the same operation with 3 but 20 clicks.

Also there should be a function to automatically select if the text should be upper, lower, left or right to the constant.

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I wish there was a simple check box or rotation option for the Y-Axis name label on charts/graphs rather than having to do it programmatically.

Here is what I mean:

I emailed tech support and they confirmed there is no direct way but sent me a workaround which I've attached for reference.

Regards

Mitch

LabVIEW Idea Exchange

Time Based Evaluation Software

'Review and Update from Type Def' dialog box instantly appears

Bold/higlight format specifiers in constants wired to "format into string"

Can select Show/Hide Full Name at element in a bundle/unbundle function

Scrolling through Picture Rings using the Mouse Wheel

Video upgrade becomes critical for OSX/linux

Add "old/new" string to "Edit Cell" event data node

Support Fixed-Point (FXP) Data Type in Unit Test Framework

Numeric strict type definition with radix visible, radix is not visible by default on Block Diagram for the type def constant

X-Y Copy Alignment after Copy and Paste on Block Diagram

For Loop (conditional terminal)

Display Shadow for Objects which overlaps other objects

Search Index/Replace Element in In Place Element Structure

Step into subVI Highlight Execution option

Shared memory between RT and FPGA

Consider reevaluating the organization of menu options.

Insider program?

Auto-label items in a cluster

Always display the full value of a control or indicator in the help window

Rotate Y-Axis Name on Charts/Graphs