Problem with a Front Panel - printing image VI

[NeilJohn]

Hello NI Support,

I have a report VI based on a Front Panel which has been working very happily – and automatically printing this Front Panel to file using a Front Panel – printing image VI. However, one day I amended the Front Panel and then from that moment on only a few indicators now get printed out – but no graph, no title! – and yet the Front Panel – saving image is still producing a JPEG file as before – an identical picture of the Front Panel I require. Of course, I can still obtain a report by printing off this saved JPEG file. However, it was very neat when at the end of test a print off of the test appeared at the printer.

So I would be grateful if someone could look at the attached Vis to see why the Front Panel – printing image VI is not working properly and whether there is anything I am doing wrong to cause this problem.

Thanking you in anticipation, Neil Barker

[Tom O]

Hi John,

There was a bug like this in LabVIEW 8.2 which was fixed in 8.5. I'm seeing the problem in 8.5.1 though, so this is probably new! Can I ask what version you're using?

What changes did you make to cause this problem?

Have a go at mass compiling the VIs to see if this helps.

As a workaround right now, you can print to an HTML or RTF file (using the invoke node you're using now, Print » HTML/RTF)  which will give a PNG of your front panel as a supporting file. You can then print this out instead.

Regards,

[NeilJohn]

Thanks for looking at this - I am using version 8.5

Re: What did I do - I moved the position - of one or two indicators. Perhaps put some individual indicators into a cluster, perhaps I added one or two property nodes to make different ones visible for different criteria? I do not remember doing anything very drastic.

NeilJohn  

[NeilJohn]

I attach an earlier version of the VI where the indicators are not quite in the right place - but printed out using "Front Panel -printing image VI" fine - you will see the "nominal value" indicator over part of the "heat output" cluster - but when I tried to correct their position then alot of the page was not printed out using the "Front Panel - printing image VI". As I said in an earlier email the jpeg file produced and saved was fine and could be used to print off the page.

I also now remember that some vertical and horizontal lines appeared on my front panel on the screen but do not appear on any print off. I didn't know whether they were anything to do with the problem. I don't know where they came from or how to get rid of them!

[Tom O]

Hi NeilJohn,

Sorry for the delay in getting back to you. I've been trying to analyse the issue on lots of different versions and computers and one of the things I've been waiting for has been LabVIEW 8.6. Unfortunately, the new release doesn't seem to fix the problem.

However, I've taken your VI "Report Page which works but when try and correct indicator position does not.vi" and have moved and resized a number of controls in efforts to reproduce the problem - so far, I've not been successful. Attached is a copy of the VI with the front panel rearranged slightly - you should find that this still prints. This leads me to believe that it's the version of LabVIEW that's making the changes that is at fault. A few questions:

• What version of LabVIEW are you using to make the changes (not print)?
• Can you try to make the changes on another version?
• Have you tried reinstalling that copy of LabVIEW?
• Do you have any other computers with LabVIEW on and if so, can you use them to modify and print the VI?

Thanks,

[NeilJohn]

Tom - thanks for the time you have put into this. The VI you sent back to me did have "nominal values" indicator still over the "heat output" - which I thought perhaps you had moved? If you had left it there then fine - if you had moved it then for some reason it had found its way back over the "heat output" indicator.

However, with the VI you sent back I was able to move the "nominal value" indicator to the right so that it is was on its own and not covering any other indicator I was able to save it and when I ran the program an exact print of the front panel was produced. This is what I could not do before - so I am not sure now how we can reproduce the original problem! But at least I can go back to this point and create my current Report Page from that.

I see there are still two vertical grey parallel lines about 2cm apart on the right of the front panel and then another pair of parallel grey lines about 1cm apart at the bottom of the front panel. Did you have these appear on your computer? If so, do you know what these are? and how I could remove them? - they do not appear on the print out though - so they are not a real problem but I wondered whether they were anything to do with problem I was having.

Another thing I have just noticed that I think links with these parallel lines is that when I "restore down" the front panel from the full "maximise" position then the nominal value indicator that I have placed on its to the right of the "heat output" indicators are displayed quite some way to the right and also the "unburnt fuel / residue " indicators are extended to the right. The two vertical parallel lines which were 2cm apart are now about 20cm. I wonder whether you can reproduce this? It works like this on two different computers here.

In answer to your questions:

We have been using LabVIEW 8.5 since 6th Sept 07 - this problem appeared for the first time on 12th May 08.

I am not too keen on putting an old version of LabVIEW on the computers here - and anyway as said above it seems I am now able to do the change I wanted to do without causing the problems. But I am still concerned about those grey lines!

I have used the VIs on two computers here and reproduce the same problem.

Regards, NJ

[Tom O]

Hi NJ,

The Grey lines, the resizing of objects when you "restore down" and the fact that the indicator was incorrectly placed in my attached VI are all linked to the same issue. One of the elements on your front panel is set to "scale object with pane". The item is actually the "Fuel Burnt %" element of the cluster in light blue.

Setting an object to scale with the front panel means that if you resize the front panel, that object and others around it can change size and position with it. If you right-click the element in question and un-tick "scale object with pane" then the grey lines should disappear, and the other issues should clear up.

With relation to your original printing issue, since we can't replicate the problem now I would put the problem down to some kind of isolated file corruption. If you experience it again then don't hesitate to get in touch with tech support, but for now I think that we can put it down to a one-off problem.

I hope all this makes sense! Let me know if you have any more questions on any of these issues.

All the best,