Reintroducing...Darren's Weekly Nugget! 01/19/2009

[Ben]

I may be wrong about the version where they were released but here are some of my thoughts on this usbject.

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Daren Listed

LabVIEW 5.1 - Save for Previous

LabVIEW 6.0 - Tab Control

LabVIEW 6.1 - Event Structure

LabVIEW 7.0 - Tree Control

LabVIEW 7.1 - Radio Buttons Control

LabVIEW 8.0 - LabVIEW Project

LabVIEW 8.2 - Auto Save for Recovery

LabVIEW 8.5 - For Loop with Break

LabVIEW 8.6 - Quick Drop

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5.1 When was multithreading introduced?

6.0 When where attribute node replaced with property nodes and control references added?

6.1 When was the now defunct SDE released?

7.0 VI Analyzer

8.0 The DSC Panel wizard was dropped

8.2 LVOOP (?) Enhanced re-cursion A calls B that calls A ....

8.6 Quickdrop

Re: Quick-drop

I wrote a Quick-drop Tutor that reads the user defined short cuts and displays images of the object defined one at a time and times how long it takes for me to respond with the proper key sequence. It took me a couple of days of on-and off practive but I can now drop my 53 most used operators in less than 3 minutes. I like it SOOOOO MUCH that I even got a copy of my ini tokens cleared into a high-security govnerment facility so I can code like "the Wire-Slinger" when I am working there.

Ben

[Darren]

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Ben wrote:

5.1 When was multithreading introduced?

6.0 When where attribute node replaced with property nodes and control references added?

6.1 When was the now defunct SDE released?

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I believe multithreading was a feature of LabVIEW 5.0.

You are correct that control references and the disappearance of the attribute node was 6.0.  In fact, now that you mention it, I may have to reconsider my vote for LabVIEW 6.0...I probably use Control References way more on a daily basis than the Tab Control.

I'm pretty sure the original State Diagram Toolkit 1.0 released with LabVIEW 7.0.

I'm glad you're enjoying Quick Drop!  At this point, I can't imagine trying to program LabVIEW without it.

-D

[Ben]

Hi Darren!

Re: Quick Drop

I have one request that I hope would be easy to implement in QD. The QD drop menu is shown where ever my mouse is when I do the ctrl-space. If you are just geting started with QD and/or LV this is convenient in that it reduces how far we have to move our mouse to select the option we want from the list.

But now that I have my short-cuts memorized, I really don't need or want that window to appear. This means I have to change my mechanics a bit to use QD. When I recognize I will be using QD I...

1) Move my mouse to a part of teh screen where I will NOT be dropping the fucntion.

2) ctrl-space, type three letters

3) Move mouse to location where I want to drop the object

4) Left click mouse

If the QD window was offset from my mouse location I could just

1) ctrl-space, type three letters

2) Left click mouse

So that change would make me even faster!

One more Q re QD

What is it with structures that I need to click three times to drop them? Once to say I want what ever is at the top of the list, once for one corner and again for the the diagonal corner. It would be cool if we could interpret the first click as both "yes that is the structure I want" AND "this is one of the corners".

Loving QD!

Ben

[falkpl]

My List would also inclue Diagram disable for LV 8.0 Finally a true comment out which should be required by any modern programming language).  I inherit lots of code with questionable coding style.  I Almost always drop a disable plave holder to keep broken code in while I refactor code.

[Darren]

Hi Ben,

Quick Drop doesn't pay attention to your mouse position.  It remembers its last window position, and that's where it comes up next time.  I moved my Quick Drop window into the lower corner of my screen long ago.  That's where it always comes up.  If I were to move it somewhere else, that new location would be where it comes up from now on, until I move it again.  I don't even look at it when it comes up most of the time.  So try moving it to a more "out of the way" position on your screen, and that should be its new launch location.  Let me know if this isn't the behavior you're seeing, and we can try to figure out what's up.

Regarding your other point, I think it would be cool if Quick Drop started the structure drop when you click, but I'm not sure how we would accomplish this easily, since the drop mechanism that Quick Drop uses is pretty much the same as what the palettes use.  As you mentioned, it requires 3 clicks...one to dismiss Quick Drop, one to start the structure, and one to end it.  In Quick Drop's defense, dropping a structure from a temporary palette also takes 3 clicks (right-click to bring up palette, click structure in palette to select it, click and drag to create structure).   I'll talk to some people and see if there's any way we could easily reduce the number of clicks required.  I guess ideally, it would only take one click...the same click that dismisses Quick Drop also starts the structure, and if you drag after the click, you can create the structure without a second click.

-D

[Darren]

Hi Paul,

I agree that the Diagram Disable structure is a really great feature.  I don't use it very often, however...mainly in occasional debugging situations.  The LabVIEW Project window, however, has completely redefined how I organize my large projects and interact with them.  That, coupled with the built-in SCC of the LabVIEW Project, make it much more of a "must-have" feature for me, and that's why it got my "vote".

-D

Message Edited by Darren on 01-23-2009 01:39 PM

[Underflow]

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Darren wrote:

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P.S. - Check out past nuggets here.

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<stage whisper> Click the Nugget tag! </stage whisper>

[Ben]

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Darren wrote:

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I'm glad you're enjoying Quick Drop!  At this point, I can't imagine trying to program LabVIEW without it.

-D

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I don't have to imagine it, I am living through it!

I am enhancing a LV 8.2 DSC app and every couple of seconds I am trying to quick-drop or am reaching for the diagram clean-up button.

AAArrrrgggghhhhhh!

I want my LV 8.6 back!

Done whining,

Ben