Is there a better way to name cluster elements than making an initially named cluster?

[billko]

I feel your pain.  Your predecessor probably wrote C code with parameters like "a" and "aa" and "ab".

[cbutcher]

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@billko wrote:

I feel your pain.  Your predecessor probably wrote C code with parameters like "a" and "aa" and "ab".

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Just be glad it wasn't "a", "A" and "@" (I know the last isn't a valid identifier, but I don't have any better A characters 😕 )

[Yamaeda]

Create a type def'd cluster with names, then convert the unnamed one with Variant to data. The element types must match, ofcourse.

/Y

[Henrik_Volkers]

Even with a small (not named) bundle cluster you can bundle it without lot of (never wasted) space to something meaningfull 🙂

Just double click the cluster to make it small.

[Bob_Schor]

Following up on Henrik and other posts (including those that say "Make a TypeDef of your Cluster), here is a TypeDef of a Data Cluster I created by the following steps:

1. Make the Cluster on your Block Diagram.  Give it a "sensible" name, e.g. "Data".
2. Right-click it and say "Make TypeDef".
3. Edit TypeDef so that it "looks nice" (I like to use AutoSizing).
4. Make a Simple Icon for the TypeDef, then save it with a "sensible name".  I've adopted the (perhaps silly) convention of calling my TypeDefs "TYPE <whatever>".

Here's a picture of TYPE data.ctl:

Now that you have your TypeDef, you can delete the Control or Indicator you used to create it, as you'll be using the TypeDef from here.  Here is my version of Henrik's example:

In the top Cluster, the Cluster Constant was placed by right-clicking, doing "Select a VI", and browsing to TYPE Data.ctl.  Note if I were working in a Project and using QuickDrop, I could type Ctrl-Space, start typing TYPE Data, and before I got it all typed, it would pop up on the top of the list, so typing "Enter" would place it on the Block Diagram.  The lower cluster was made by simply copying the upper one -- the only difference is I double-clicked the border of the Cluster Constant and it became an Icon, which (since I'd defined the Icon in my TypeDef) had the name of the Cluster, even more self-documenting.

One more note -- notice the top Cluster Constant has the label "Data" showing, but the bottom one does not.  I right-clicked the lower Icon and turned off the Visible Label.

Bob Schor