block diagram cleanup != substitute for organization

[GregFreeman]

I just need to vent.

/*on soapbox*/

Just because LabVIEW 2009 has this new and improved block diagram cleanup, does not mean you need to disregard all aspects of organization when wiring that was necessary in earlier versions. This diagram cleanup is causing people to not think logically when they code. When bd cleanup did not work as well, it forced you to think "is there a better way to do this", among other things. Now, i noticed people just throw together the first thing that comes to mind, finish, ctrl+a, right click, clean up. Drives me nuts. While it may look ok on smaller VIs, as you get to larger ones it can cause large expansion in the horizontal direction, bd that take up multiple monitor screens, and inefficient code, etc. But hey, the wires are straight! That said, think first, program smart, then use bd cleanup as it was intended. It was not a substitute for smart, well-thought-out programming. I think of it like global variables, use them how they were intended, not in every way possible.

/*off soapbox*/

Thank you for your time.

Disclaimer: everything here is in my opinion and from certain things I noticed. I'm sure it does not apply to many people, but it definitely is out there..

Message Edited by for(imstuck) on 03-04-2010 12:28 PM

[smercurio_fc]

We have a winner for the grumpy old man of the day contest.

[PhillipBrooks]

VI Analyzer has a test for front panel size and position.

It seems to me that the test could be adapted to check the size of the block diagram and report a failure. This could be part of the code review process.

"Hey, your block diagram is > 1200 pixels wide and 980 high!"

(left some room for frames and toolbar)

[Darren]

VI Analyzer Toolkit 2009 ships with a Diagram Size test (under the VI Metrics category)...it checks the size of the diagram itself (i.e. the total space the nodes take up) and not the window.  This should be a good start.

[PhillipBrooks]

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Darren wrote:

VI Analyzer Toolkit 2009 ships with a Diagram Size test (under the VI Metrics category)...it checks the size of the diagram itself (i.e. the total space the nodes take up) and not the window.  This should be a good start.

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That's good to know.My group just finished upgrading all our code from LV 7.0 / TS 3.0 to LV 8.6.1 / TS 4.1. I do not think they would be amused at this point if I suggested updating to 2009 at this time. Maybe we'll upgrade again when LV 2020 is released.