Introducing the lamination layer to protect your diagram from damage!

[X.]

It's sort of half serious...

But, as an extension to what I think is a (very) clever use of the Sequence Structure as diagram carpet aiming at hiding all those distracting pass-through wires, I am proud to introduce the transparent label as a  "lamination layer".

Example.

Unprotected diagram:

Now drop a label that you expand to the size of the inner case structure and paint it Transparent:

If you (or someone else) inadvertently click in side the diagram, you will get this:

which will remind you that this is an part of the diagram you probably don't want to mess up with.

Of course, you can combine this with a nice carpetting Sequence too, to get the best of both tricks:

Enjoy!

[P@Anand]

Kudos man!. Initially I thought this guy is just trying some funny things, but when I gave a try it was wonderfull. Simple and really usefull at times.

[X.]

You can of course use a Lamination Layer™ for other parts of the diagram, such as a Formula Node for instance:

which results in this if you mistakenly click in it:

[Dennis_Knutson]

Wouldn't any developer be able to quickly remove the label? Under what circumstances would a developer be able to edit parts of a block diagram and not others? Why not password protect the entire block diagram?

[X.]

Of course.

As I said, I am only half-serious about it, but I think it could have some use, which made it worth advertising (pretty obvious too, but sometimes, the most obvious thing is not visible - pun intended).

I am actually not using this trick at this time, while I am using the "Carpet Sequence" all the time now.

BTW, have you ever tried the transparent While Loop? Lots of fun!

[altenbach]

The right way would probably be to have a mechanism to "lock" certain structures (or even password protect). The "lock" menu entry is already there, even though it is currently only enabled on the front panel. If the functionality would be extended to the block diagram, we would be almost there: select structure...Reorder(button)...lock. 😄

Maybe I write it up as an idea, (if not already suggested). Of course a "locked" structure should not be editable until unlocked.

EDIT:

some existing related ideas:

Block diagram object from accidental editing

Grouping blockdiagram objects

See also my very old comment here.

[altenbach]

... and what would the cleanup button do to your lamination layer 😮

[X.]

I am going to post a link here in the first idea. I think that is pretty much it.

And THIS trick is just a convenient workaround with no need to set a password.

Again, it is only intended to avoid one of these oops moment were you thought you were typing in your Word document but in fact were messing up with a complex MathScrip node... By the time you realize it (when back in LV) it might already be too late for an Undo.

[X.]

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@altenbach wrote:

... and what would the cleanup button do to your lamination layer 😮

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Couldn't care less, I never clean my diagrams 🙂

EDIT: I mean "using the Clean Tool", obviously. Otherwise, I am pretty organized. In my own way, at least.

[altenbach]

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@X. wrote:

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@altenbach wrote:

... and what would the cleanup button do to your lamination layer 😮

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Couldn't care less, I never clean my diagrams 🙂

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Well, as long as you only need to protect the structure from yourself, you're OK then. 😄

(... and looking at the posted diagram, I can gurantee that diagram cleanup would make one huge mess out of it all 🐵