Can I change an older VI so the controls and indicators are the style of LabView 7.1?

[Scott P]

Hello,
        I have LabView 6i, 6.1, & 7.1 installed on my PC.  In using LabView 7.1 I use the function pallet to select a VI to use.  I selected "system exec.vi" under communications for example.  This particular VI appears to be made in an earlier version of LabView.  I place it in my program.  When I need a control for an input I usually point to the input and then right-click the mouse and select "create" and then "control".  The creates an exact copy of the control that exists in the VI I'm connecting to.  In this case, the control is an older style that doesn't match with the new 7.1 controls.  The same is true for the indicators. 
        This method of creating the indicators works well since I get exactly the correct input type that is needed.  Otherwise, to get the control that looks like the 7.1 version, I would need to identify the correct type and then go to the control panel and then select one and then find it on the diagram and then connect it.
        Of course, one way around this is to have LabView provide all of the sub-VI's in the current version - as far as appearance.  The other way is to be able to change them.  Both would be advantageous.  If I can change the VI controls appearance, then I can change all of my previous versions.  I would want to be able to do this on many at one time.  It would work well if this happened with the "mass compile" but it doesn't appear to work for me. 
        Recall that I do have multiple versions on my PC.  I would think that wouldn't make a difference and that it would not interfere with this but I can't be sure.

Please advise.

[Darren]

Hi Scott,

There is currently no way to automatically convert the control appearance of existing "classic"-style controls to the new 3D control appearance.  I will submit a suggestion to LabVIEW R&D for this functionality to be added in a future LabVIEW version.

-D

[Travis_M.]

Thanks Darren,

Also, for those reading this, please submit any feedback you have to us -- check out the "Product Feedback" section of the "Contact NI" section of the webpage.  Thanks to all thsoe who continue to help make LabVIEW the best programming platform around!

[Pablop]

Is this why I have some indicators that different from eachother as in the attached jpeg?

[Pablop]

attachment:

[Darren]

That could be the cause, yes.  Another possibility is that you customized the appearance of some of your indicators.  Also, I've noticed that if you do a "Replace" operation on some controls and indicators, the resulting control/indicator may not have the same appearance as one dropped directly off the palettes, because the Replace operation sometimes tries to mimic the appearance of the old control in the new control.  Oh, and another possibility still is that you used the Create > Control or Create > Indicator option when right-clicking a terminal on the diagram...if you create a control or indicator from the terminal of a SubVI in this case, the created control or indicator will be an exact copy (including cosmetically) of the control/indicator inside the subVI.

If you want the indicators in the screenshot to have the same appearance, it's pretty easy with the coloring tool in LabVIEW.  If you hold the Ctrl key down while using the coloring tool, it will turn into the "color sucker" tool, and you can click any color on your panel, and it will cause the coloring tool to use that color.  So you can "suck" the color from the "good-looking" indicator, then simply click in the "bad" one to copy over the color of the other one.  Voila...they both look the same.

-D

[altenbach]

Actually, LabVIEW 8.0 apparently has made a major cleanup of the front panels of system VIs, and the very huge majority now contain 3D controls. (LabVIEW 7.1 still had many more "legacy panels", e.g. compare "ramp pattern" for 7.1 and 8.0.)

Still, there are some leftovers that should get updated, for example "system exec" and "TCP listen". NI just needs to send that new intern to catalog all of them and do some more cleanup. 😉

Maybe there should be a way to generate default controls/indicators when doing a "right-click...create.." instead of copying the style of the subVI. (Programmers who prefer (and have the default set to) "System style" still get everything wrong!). Maybe a "shift-right-click...create" or similar? Maybe a preference setting or LabVIEW.ini entry?

... and Darren: that color sucker would make a nice Nugget 😄

[Darren]

Good call, I'll add that to my nugget list (which is starting to dwindle, by the way...)   🙂

-D