Please do not create hidden controls/indicators

[X.]

I was trying to create a simple display of my loop iteration progress in replacement of a probe, which I had attached to a piece of wire connected to the loop wall (when will we be able to create a probe directly from the loop index?) and here is what I experienced:

First attempt:

 --------->

Hidden indicator! If you don't catch it right away, it might throw you off for a while, and in any case requires some moving around.

Might have been due to the initial location of my right-click, so I tried this:

------------->

Slightly better, but just as uselessly located as the first case.

Please improve.

Tested on LV 2012.0f3 32 bits (Win XP).

[tst]

Regardless of the question of whether NI could place the indicator in a better position (probably yes), turning auto-grow on will prevent this from happening. Personally, I wouldn't mind seeing the ability to disable auto-grow disappear completely, but I know that there are those who would complain.

[X.]

Don't you ever suggest autogrow to be the only option!

[tst]

The reason I'm not suggesting it is because I realize that many people will object, but IMO not having AG enabled is more evil than stacked sequences. The SSS at least doesn't hide code. I would be willing to accept disabling AG if it meant the VI was broken as long as there was still hidden code, and I think I might just actaully suggest that as an idea.

P.S. If you want NI to actually change this, I would suggest you either treat this as a bug or post it as an idea.

[rolfk]

Classyfying this as bug is likely not going to get anywhere, since bugs are considered in general to have to be more serious impacts. It's certainly an inconvinience, one I have learnt to live with over the about 20 years of working with LabVIEW to the point that I wouldn't worry myself about creating a product suggestion. But the Idea Exchange is open to every signed up user and IMHO the ideal place to go with this, for whomever cares enough about this to create a Product Idea entry there. The votes will show how important other think this to be and if it can garner 200 votes in reasonable time we might actually see something done to this in LabVIEW 2014.

[X.]

I am just pointing out a flaw (among many others) in the algorithm determining where to drop a newly created control.

If  NI decides that this is unimportant, it just shows that they do not care much to provide the best graphical programming experience.

Not every company can have a Steve Jobs with an obsession for perfection, I'll grant you that.

[Matthew_Kelton]

This problem is exactly why I hate autogrow.  Instead of fitting an object within the visible structure, LabVIEW places it wherever it sees fit and then resizes the structure to fit, which can have a cascading effect if the structure is inside another structure.  Now, after I place the control where I want it, I have to go back and resize everything back.

I would more likely be OK with autogrow if new objects were forced to fit in the strcuture (asusming there was enough room) and allow the user to place it to generate the autogrow.  It would still be annoying, because I tend to find that I like to move the label (or enter the label text) before deciding on final placement - which causes an unnecessary autogrow.

[JoeySpinella]

X. - Please let me know if you post this on Idea Exchange, I will give it a kudos! I agree that our products should be perfect.

[NIquist]

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@j_spin wrote:

.....   ... I agree that our products should be perfect.

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Yeah but you're an Apps guy.  Let's see the software engineers say that! 

[X.]

I think he was being ironical...