To be able to view the block diagram through the front panel

[Sivadas]

It will be nice to have a button on the front panel of a VI (may be in the top right corner, near the window-minimize / close buttons) that provides a quick, "X-Ray view" into it's block diagram. After opening a VI if you press this button down on the front panel, you would get a quick glimpse of the block diagram behind it  while the front panel becomes semi-transparent. When you release the button the "X-Ray view" disappears. This will help the developer to quickly check the code behind any panel (when not needing to edit anything) without having to do a Ctrl+E and later closing the diagram. Also by pressing down the button, the developer should be able to drag the semi-transparent front panel around, over large swaths of the block diagram (typically larger than the front panel) to inspect all parts of the diagram.

[Intaris]

If this means viewing the BD at the same size as the FP then I think the idea is fundamentally flawed.

I don't know about anyone else but my BDs tend to be consistently larger than any FP I use.

[Norbert_B]

Additionally, terminals are usually not placed on a similar position as their control/indicator counterpart on the FP.

Having the BD aligned with the FP will not result in any readable thing.

Honestly, i see no advantage from this idea as LV is not a PCB layering tool where a FP is the top level layer and the BD some underlying wiring layer!

Norbert

[Manzolli]

Long time ago I started using a 2nd monitor for programming. I use it even with my notebook when I'm at home.

[AristosQueue (NI)]

This works for that purpose.

Does this suffice to mark the idea as complete or do you still want an explicit mode within the editor?

[Sivadas]

Replying to Intaris: My idea is to view the BD in its original size (not shrunk as you thought). Of course, nobody can read it if the BD is shrunk. I assume that everyone's BD will be bigger than FP. That's why in my original posting I suggested that the developer should be able to press the "X-Ray button"  down and pan the FP (which turns into a translucent window) across large swaths of the BD to view all the parts clearly.

Replying to Norbert_B: The intent is not aligning BD with FP. It is about viewing the BD through the Front Panel which turns into a translucent window that can be panned across the screen. Sizes/ alignments or nothing changes.

Replying to Manzolli: I also use a 2nd monitor to view BD. In that case viewing the BD involves (1) Doing a Ctrl+E (2) Moving the BD to the 2nd monitor (3) Working the sidebars of the block diagram window to view various parts of the BD (4) Closing the BD window after done. If my suggestion is implemented, I can use a single button on the FP to do all the above by pressing, panning and releasing it.

[Sivadas]

Repying to AristosQue: Thank you for letting me know about that property. I could use them in my VIs. But what if I'm just exploring someone else's VI which has no built-in code to modify transparency ?

[AristosQueue (NI)]

You can open a reference to their VI and adjust it.

[Sivadas]

Well, what if I don't want to do any coding?

Please refer to my reply to Manzolli, for a clear idea of what I want to achieve.

[AristosQueue (NI)]

> Well, what if I don't want to do any coding?

Then the answer to my question is, "That helps, but I still want something in the editor environment so please leave the idea open."  🙂

[Sivadas]

Please keep the idea open ! In my opinion, having a code preview tool (such as the one I suggested) enhances productivity tremendously. Thank you very much.