Changes to Text Ring Items in Type Def not Updated in Copies

[dbaechtel]

In LabVIEW 2010, I have Type Definition which is a Cluster that contains several Controls including a Text Ring control.

If I go into the Type Definition and Edit the Items in the Text Ring, those changes to the Items in the Text Ring do not show up in the "copies" of the Type Definition control on my Front Pane, even though the "Auto-Update from Type Def." feature is checked.

How do I get changes to the Items in a Text Ring in a Cluster in a Type Definition Control to show up in all of the "copies' of the Type Definition on my Front Panel?

I shouldn't have to edit the same Items in the same Text Ring in multiple places.

[F._Schubert]

What you see is normal behaviour of rings. The general advice is to use an enum instead of a ring. Rings are useful as FP elements which you want to populate during run-time.

I guess this is the best option you have, replace the ring by an enum inside your type def and hope it's all fine...

Another option you can try if you need to have it as a ring, is to make it a strict type def. I'm not sure but I would expect it to propagate the ring text to all instances. On the other hand, you can't programmatically set the ring text as long as it's a strict type def, so to get the bahviour of a ring again, you will need to revert back to a normal type def.

Felix

[PhilBr]

dbaechtel and Felix, I transformed my Type Def. Control to a Strict Type Def control and it does propagate the Ring content (Strings and Values) to the Indicators and Controls in the other VIs.  Unfortunately, it does not propagate the changes in the constants in the Block Diagram.  To update those, I simply converted the Constant to a Control (or Indicator) and converted it back to a Constant.

Do you think it's an unwanted behaviour for the ring constant?

Philippe.

[nathand]

The best explanation I've seen of the difference in behavior between a Ring and an Enumeration.