Modify refnum icon to indicate reference to typedef

[sbus]

I'd really like the blackened left-upper corner that you see on control icons to also be present on refnums if they point to a control that is a typedef...

This has the additional benefit (besides just being helpful) of letting you know if you accidentally diconnected the typedef and the refnum is no longer typedef-constrained...

Basically this would take effect when you drop a typedef'd control on the refnum...

[RavensFan]

Actually, that is already implemented.

A red star is present on the icon to show a typedef.

Unfortunately, for some controls, the icon of the control covers up all or most of the red star.  You can see it peeking out from behind the lower left corner.

[Darin.K]

The red star shows that the refnum is strictly typed (includes data type), not that the refnum is pointing to a type def. In other words, all refnums to type defs will have red stars, but not all refnums with red stars are pointing to type defs.  But it is a rather fine distinction between LV definining the data type and a user defined type.

The red star hiding is the subject of this idea, but really seems like a bug:

http://forums.ni.com/t5/LabVIEW-Idea-Exchange/Fix-Hidden-Strict-Reference-Stars/idi-p/1554504

[RavensFan]

I knew that was already proposed as an idea, but I couldn't find it upon searching.  I must not have had the magical combination of words.

I searched for "red star" using the NI search box at the top of the page.  It found message threads in the discussion forums, but not that idea.  Why not?

I think that idea is probably one of the highest kudoed ideas to never have a comment on it.

[Mr.Mike]

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@Ravens Fan wrote:

I think that idea is probably one of the highest kudoed ideas to never have a comment on it.

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Well, I fixed the no comments problem.  Let me know what you think of the various options.

In the mean time, I'm going to request this be closed as a duplicate of the other

[MaryH]

Dupe of: http://forums.ni.com/t5/LabVIEW-Idea-Exchange/Fix-Hidden-Strict-Reference-Stars/idc-p/1966445

[X.]

I don't think this is a duplicate. It would be indeed useful to know that a reference is to a Typedef control rather than just a strictly typed control.

[RavensFan]

It is essentially a duplicate.  The idea is showing that a reference is a typedef.  It is already implemented by way of the red star.

The problem is that you can't see the red star, and the thread marked as the duplicate would solve the problem of this idea if it was implemented.

[X.]

Nope. The red star, as Darin. K mentioned only says that the refnum is for a strictly typed control (a Float by contrast to a Numeric only).

I think there is value in knowing that a refnum is associated with a Typedef. But that's just my opinion and I only dropped that comment as I looked for something else and found this old thread.

[Darin.K]

I also say not a duplicate (I just discovered that it was not Kudos blocked so I could give it Kudos anyway), but I think the title is perhaps misleading.  It is not just any modification that is desired, but a specific modification to match the terminal indication.  I think the consistent scheme is a good idea.

[AristosQueue (NI)]

I'll agree it isn't a duplicate. But it should be closed as Rejected. We do not note any control as being part of a typedef on the panel. Why would we do it for refnums? If you want to argue that this triangle should be visible on all controls, ok, but that's an entirely different request. Obviously they would only draw during edit time, not run time... I think that idea has been made somewhere but I cannot find it... I do remember folks having debates about it at the same time that the typedef markers on the block diagram were added... pretty sure it got rejected.