View TypeDefs (in addition to Clusters) as Icons

[Bob_Schor]

An earlier suggestion to view Clusters as Icons was accepted and implemented in LabVIEW 2010.  I use it when I define a cluster as a TypeDef by giving the cluster a Custom Icon (NI does this, as well), which helps when I need to drop the cluster on the Block Diagram to, for example, allow me to Bundle By Name.

I'd like to see this extended to other (all?) TypeDefs, such as Arrays, Enums, or even "named constants".  It would allow the LabVIEW Developer to produce more "self-documenting" code.  For example, if I have a type called "Samples", defined as an Array of I16, and want to create a Queue for it, I could wire the TypeDef to the Create Queue input and, if I had an icon that I created for it that said [Samples] (or even [I16]), I could instantly see what was going on, what the purpose of the Array was, and what the Type was (the wire would be Blue, indicating an integer, but I'd need to click on it to know if it was I16, U32, or a User TypeDef).

Veering a bit outside the title of this Idea, I notice that certain LabVIEW constants, such as the Error Cluster Constant, can be right- clicked into and out of Icon form.  Why not do this for all Constants?  For example, a "natural" icon for an Array of I16 would be a small box with [16] as a label.  If you are using it as a constant, the Index Display is not necessary and takes up space, and, as above, you can't easily tell just what the base type is.  One could carry this to extremes, I guess, but even a numeric 0 (plunked down to initialize a Shift Register, for example), might helpfully be iconized to show, not its value, but its type.  The point is that the Developer would have more flexibility to design a VI that visually encapsulates the desired function with less clutter.

BS

[X.]

Yes! That shouldn't be too difficult to implement and would solve a slew of similar requests for different BD objects...

[X.]

Just to hammer on why the absence of this option is not logical: if you have array of clustosaurus as typedef, there is no way to "iconize" it, unless the clustosaurus is itself typedefed. Even then, you still get an array of the clusosaurus icon on the diagram. I don't want to have to create classes just for the benefit of being able to see objects as icons...

Another use case (in addition to the queue example of the OP) is variant to data conversion. The data type + the primitive itself take a lot of real estate in the absence of iconification.

[Bob_Schor]

I frequently have Arrays of Clustosaurus (I love that expression!).  I deliberately do not create a TypeDef for them, but rather plunk the Clustosaurus down, right-click it to "iconize" it, put this into an Array (which brings along the Index clutter), then render the Index not Visible.  If Arrays were Iconizable, I would willingly create the Array of Clustosaurus TypeDef!

Bob Schor

[Darren]

Any idea that has received less than 5 kudos within 5 years after posting will be automatically declined.