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LabVIEW Idea Exchange

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X.

Create Control/Indicator (on FP) from copied Terminal/Variable (on BD)

I thought this feature existed and this led to this aborted bug report.

 

 

Background:

 

Oftentime, I find myself needing to create a control (or an indicator) on a subVI so that I can connect a block diagram object to the subVI.

The object can be a constant, a local or global variable, or of course a terminal.

Right now, selecting and copying the BD object and going to the subVI's FP and trying to paste the object results in nothing, unless it is a constant.

You have to go into the subVI's BD, paste the object (which, if you have selected a local variable, will become a terminal), double-click the terminal to switch to the FP and then manipulate this control/indicator (in my case, connect to the connector pane):

 

Step 1: Source BD

 

ScreenHunter_002.jpg <---- select the terminal and copy it

 

Step 2: Target FP

 

ScreenHunter_003.jpg<---------Oops, that's right, nothing happens if I try to paste it directly on the FP...

 

Step 3: Target BD

 

ScreenHunter_004.jpg<----- The terminal is pasted fine on the BD, but that's not where I want to work

 

Step 4: Go and find the Control on the FP and bring it back where you really want it!

 

The problem with that  approach is that LabVIEW is none too clever in terms of placing a FP object created from the BD.

If your subVI happens to be a carefully layed out UI, the new control might be dropped outside the visible area, and double-clicking the terminal to get to the control/indicator will move the visible part of the FP in order for the control to be visible.

 

It would be preferable to drop the newly created control precisely where you want it to be, hence the idea to bypass the BD altogether.

4 Comments
RavensFan
Knight of NI
X.
Trusted Enthusiast
Trusted Enthusiast

To the extent that the idea you are referring to (which I did not find during my search) limits itself to terminals. I have included variables on the BD, but I would push it further and argue that if I selected and copied a wire on the BD and tried to paste it on a FP, that's because I would want a Control/Indicator of that type there.

RavensFan
Knight of NI

You don't actually talk about copying wires to the front panel in your idea.

 

It's still a duplicate of the other idea.  It didn't "limit" the idea to terminals.  It was just the idea that the person had and the way they typed it up.  If you want to push the idea further, then feel free to add that comment to the other idea as you did.

Darren
Proven Zealot