Data Acquisition Idea Exchange

[#1]

Hello,

For those of us who develop using DAQmx all the time, this might seem silly.  Nonetheless, I'm finding that users of my software are repeatedly having a tough time figuring out how to select multiple physical channels for applications that use DAQmx.  Here's what I'm talking about:

Typically a user of my universal logger application wishes to acquire from ai0:7, for example.  They attempt to hold down shift and select multiple channels, only to assume that one channel at a time may be aquired.  For some odd reason, nearly everyone fears the "Browse" option because they don't know what it does.

While, as a developer, I have no problem whatsoever knowing to "Browse" in order to accomplish this, I was just asked how to do this for literally the fifth time by a user.  Thus, I'm faced with three choices: Keep answering the same question repeatedly, develop my own channel selection interface, or ask if the stock NI interface may be improved.

I'm not sure of the best way to improve the interface, but the least painless manner to do so might be to simply display the "Browse" dialog on first click rather than displaying the drop-down menu.

Please, everyone, by all means feel free to offer better ideas.  What I do know for certain, though, is that average users around here continually have a tough time with this.

Thanks very much,

Jim

[#2]

I have been frustrated by this particular interface several times.  It is so much more intuitive if I could select one or multiple channels from the very first channel list displayed. It just doesn't make sense to have one way to pick a single channel and another way to pick multiple channels.  This is a GREAT suggestion.

[#3]

Replacing "Browse..." by "Select Multiple Channels..." maybe :-?

That would certainly be an easy fix!

[#4]

This idea is good. I've had the same drawbacks as JIM