Front Panel Free Labels should not default to Transparent

[JÞB]

This one may have been overlooked before.  Often experienced users will enable FP gridlines to help with object placement.

Tools>>Options--Front Panel Grid section offers some very useful usability enhancements.  But, when you move away from the default settings you miss one thing.  The Gridlines are the same color as default text and free labels become difficult to read.

Now go check out the Block Diagram section 

I have an option to use Transparent free labels.  Which, of course, I use even though it is NOT the default because I use wire labels and transparency is desired to avoid hiding wires!

Going one step further and thinking about it, why would transparent free labels be the default for FP but not BD? and why can I only change the behavior for the Block Diagram and not for the Front Panel?

Looking at the first picture again.  Is the 1 pixel border really needed?  a "Non transparent" free label does not need a border.

[altenbach]

I strongly prefer transparent backgrounds for any labels, including free. I have never had readability issues. The grid color is much ligher than the default text. What good is a grid if we cannot see it? (no grid on tab controls is annoying too, but that's another disucssion).

Have you tried lowering the contrast of the grid lines?

Unfortunately we cannot have a grid that is lighter than the front panel background or a different color, but that could be a seperate idea.

[RavensFan]

Transparent for me.  If I want a free label on the front panel, it is to identify something for someone using the VI while it is running and the gridlines are not there in run mode.  I don't want the edges of the free label showing, even if, or especially if, the background of the label matches the panel's background color.

The need for a background to hide the grid lines for readability of the front panel in edit mode is a much less common occurrence.

[JÞB]

Have you tried lowering the contrast of the grid lines?

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As a matter of fact, I had them reduced from the default and still managed to miss read instructions on an example (note another thread on a different forum inspired the idea with some help from Bill)  The FP Gridlines on my work installation did get an even lower contrast this morning and readability did improve.

My concern however, is primarilly readability of the shipping examples regardless of ini gridline configuration.  I seldom use free text on the FP (VI Documentation, Tip-strips etc.. for most of that)  

There may be times I would chose a Transparent FP free text label and prehaps a tweek to the style guide of this one use case would be sufficient but, then there still is a disconnect between FP and BD Options (Even if the default remains the same).  I would still argue for the option to exist.  

[altenbach]

Did you also try a different monitor (or reset the current one to defaults)? Maybe the contrast or gamma settings are way out of whack.

[Darren]

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