Is there any way to make sub vi icons larger than 32 x 32 pixels?

[Root_Canal]

Is there any way to make sub vi icons larger than 32 x 32 pixels?

[altenbach]

Not really, I think. But you can uncheck "view as icon", so they take the shape of express VIs on the diagram.

What exactly do you have in mind?

[Root_Canal]

It’s desperate bid to be able to place more text into the subVI icon. I am finding it difficult to clearly document subVIs on LabVIEW block diagrams.

In order to help skip past some of the obvious suggestions, here’s what I’ve tried:

 

I find that hidden subVI documentation is a bit too clunky. It forces the reader to memorize, one by one, the associated description for every subVI on the block diagram in order to get the gist of what's happening. I’d like the VI descriptions to stay in view, not popping up and disappearing one by one as you poke around with the mouse pointer.

 

Free labels become an absolute mess when I’m reworking a diagram. I can’t find a way to attach free labels to the object or group of objects that they belong with. Inevitably, they end up somewhere they don’t belong as I move things around the block diagram (especially if I use the clean up diagram tool, God forbid, which shuffles them to pseudo-random locations.)

 

The User VI label seems to be stuck as the VI name with no option to edit it. This is the best option, but I’ll be darned if I understand why I can’t edit the label! If I want a nice, descriptive label, I have to give the VI a ridiculously long name.

 

The 32 x 32 pixel icon is most often too small for a really good description. The icons are just too itsy bitsy, even for monosyllabic verbiage. Don’t get me wrong; you won’t find a bigger fan of retro 8-bit Nintendo video game style hieroglyph art than me. It’s just that it would be super cool to be able to squeeze a few words into that icon. For example, I have a VI that models multi-scale parameters as independent beta distributed random variables. How do I draw a stamp-sized picture of that? It’s like devil’s Pictionary.

 

I’m sure there’s an easy way to write a nice description of each subVI onto the block diagram and attach it to the subVI, but I’m too dumb to figure it out!

[smercurio_fc]

Your post has got to be one of the funniest I've run across in quite a while on this forum because I agree with you 100%.

"retro 8-bit Nintendo video game style hieroglyph art"

"I have a VI that models multi-scale parameters as independent beta distributed random variables. How do I draw a stamp-sized picture of that? It’s like devil’s Pictionary"

That's just hilarious. 

Usually what I end up doing is just use text. I use Small Fonts 8-pt which gets me 4 lines of text. One line that's the header, and 3 lines of text, 4 if I squeeze. Still, sometimes I just end up throwing up my hands and say "well, can't really do much more than that."  Believe me, I feel your pain. 

I would suggest making your voice heard over at the  Product Suggestion Center. 

[altenbach]

I see your point, but I am not sure if I would want to go that way.

Once we have gigantic icons, they will take expensive real estate in the upper right corner of the FP and BD. Soon after, people will demand more connectors (e.g. a 128x128 icon with 250+ terminals :o), creating even more problematic code.

I guess in the far future, the 32x32 icon will go the way of the 8.3 filename. Still, I cringe if I see coworkers put the entire very detailed sample description, including the acquisition date, into their filenames. 😮

Maybe if NI would allow the addition of "captions" to subVI icons, it would bring you closer to a better solution.

Also, if they would allow grouping and locking on the diagram (the menu is already there, just greyed out!) things might be more manageable. The cleanup tool would not be allowed to move grouped objects relative to each other or touch locked code, for example.

[Kant84]

"you won’t find a bigger fan of retro 8-bit Nintendo video game style hieroglyph art than me"

Let's play Tetris !!

3 years later, labview 10.0 32 bits (for 32 px ) and the problem is still there...

We don't want 128x128 icon with 250+ terminals but just more than 4 lines of 8 char each...

[falkpl]

I would like the captions on a vi.

This allows linking a comment to a vi (ie moves with cleanup)

also grouping a free lable to a vi would be nice if it was allowed.

[paul_a_cardinale]

Right click on the sub-vi.  Select properties.  You can enter anything you want into the label field.

[Yamaeda]

Assuming you have good file names you can r-click the sub-vi and Show Label.
If you need more than 4 lines to describe your sub-vi it's probably too complex. 🙂
The detailed description should be in VI Properties - Documentation.
Personally i like nintendo graphics in icons.
If you think of it, most functions/icons disregard the inputs and simply mentions the result. "independent beta distributed random variables" Personally i'd steal some icon from Probability and Statistics and modify it. 😉

/Y

[T-REX$]

For what it's worth, I agree with Yamaeda. By editing the Documentation of the VI, you can get as detailed of a description as you want, and it is all visible through the context help window, which I find to be incredibly useful when trying to really describe my VI properly, and am not feeling creative enough to come up with a good icon.