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VI Properties Editor

**Note: This tool is now an open-source project available on a bitbucket repository so everyone can contribute to features and bug fixes.  You can join the project and/or download the updated VI Package for LabVIEW 2016+ here:

https://bitbucket.org/merecsengineering/vi-properties-editor

 

When you find any bugs or you want to have some new features, everyone can add this on the Bitbucket "Issues" page.

 

 

This VI Properties Editor can be used to edit the VI Description, Help Tag, Help Path, and Name/Description/Tip for Controls & Indicators from a single window.

 

Requirements

  • LabVIEW 2013 or later for package ni_labs_lib_vi_properties_editor-1.0.0.15.vip or newer (older package versions provide support for LabVIEW 2009+)
  • VI Package Manager from JKI (installed with LabVIEW 2013+)

 

Installation

To install the VI Properties Editor package, you will first need to install VI Package Manager (VIPM) from JKI.  Once VIPM has been installed, simply download the attached .vip file below, double-click, and follow on-screen instructions to complete the install. 

 

Once the install through VI Package Manager is complete, restart LabVIEW to refresh the menu options.

 

How-to

  1. Launch the VI Properties Editor from the LabVIEW Tools menu, under Tools > VI Documentation > Update VI Properties...
    VIPE menu option.png
  2. Specify the directory of VIs you would like to document
    VIPE select folder.png
  3. Select a VI from the list on the left to populate the Icon, VI Description, Help Path, Help Tag, and Name/Description/Tip for Controls & Indicators. (Note: The Icon and Control/Indicator properties are disabled for polymorphic VIs)

    VIPE edit items.png

    • VI Description - If you want to format text in the VI Description field as bold, use <B> and </B> tags around the text.
    • Help Path and Help Tag -
      • If you want to link to a stand-alone HTML file from the Context Help window using the blue Detailed Help link, complete the following steps:
        • Enter the path or symbolic path to the HTML file in the Help path field
        • Leave the Help tag field empty
      • If you want to link to a help topic within a compiled HTML help file, such as a .CHM, from the Context Help window using the blue Detailed Help link, complete the following steps:
        • Enter the path or symbolic path to the CHM file in the Help path field
        • Enter the HTML filename of the topic in the Help tag field
    • Controls and Indicators - These tables contain entries for the Name, Description, and Tip (scroll to the right) for each control and indicator on the front panel.

  4. From this tool, you can modify VI properties (excluding the icon) and when selecting 'Apply' or 'OK' these changes will be saved to the VIs.

 

Limitations & Known Issues

  • Cannot apply changes to password-protected VIs (for next release).
  • Missing a field for the VI Name/Window Title to allow users to remove ".vi"
  • Cannot resize or minimize window (fixed in v1.0.0.5)

 

Support

Please post a comment below to report an issue and I will add it to the list of known issues (or fix it and add it to a list of 'Bug Fixes').

Comments
MikeC3
Member
Member
on

Hey Robert,

When I attempt to install this, I get the following error in VIPM:

"This package is not compatible with your operating system or any LabVIEW version installed on your computer".

I'm using Win7 Pro 64bit and LabVIEW 2010 SP1.

Thanks for your help,

Mike

David_L
Active Participant
Active Participant
on

Mike,

Are you using LabVIEW 2010 64-bit or 32-bit?  I just installed it on 2010 SP1 32-bit and it worked with no problem at all. 

David

MikeC3
Member
Member
on

So here's a wierd thing, when I double click it, I get the error message as above, but when I open the package from within VIPM, it works fine.

Anyway, the main this is that it works now.  Thanks for the sanity check.

vishots.com
Member
Member
on

Are you double-clicking from a shared network drive and are you using an old verison of VIPM?

MikeC3
Member
Member
on

Michael,

Just posted this on JKI forums as well:

http://forums.jki.net/topic/1700-error-when-opening-vip-files-directly-from-windows

We can continue there if you prefer, but to answer your question, yes (on a network drive) and yes (2010).

Active Participant
Active Participant
on

This is pretty nice. There are two things I'd like to see changed to make it even more useful:

  • Can we add some kind of click-through to the VI currently in view? Maybe catch a double-click on the VI path to open the file directly.
  • Why is it modal? This really inhibits the utility for me, because I'd like to be able to switch back and forth between the utility and other LV windows. Can we make it floating instead of modal?
Daklu
Active Participant
Active Participant
on

Any chance of releasing a version of this (and the VI to XML Documentation Tool) for 2009?  I lot of my code still needs to support that environment.

RDR
NI Employee (retired)
on

I updated the package to support LabVIEW 2009, have at it!

Daklu
Active Participant
Active Participant
on

Thanks Robert!

smithd
Active Participant
Active Participant
on

Quick bug report--I forgot to check out some files from source control, so they were locked. There is no error message, so I ended up losing about 30 minutes of work that could have been resolved by a simple right click . I fixed it on my version but I hope nobody else runs into the same problem.

Other than that this is a pretty amazing tool. Thanks!

vishots.com
Member
Member
on

Hey folks. Would it be helpfull to add something like this to the package build process from within VIPM?

crelf
Trusted Enthusiast Trusted Enthusiast
Trusted Enthusiast
on

We have a post-build hook that creates and binds documentation to our packages - if VIPM did that for us, that'd be super.





Copyright © 2004-2023 Christopher G. Relf. Some Rights Reserved. This posting is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 2.5 License.
vishots.com
Member
Member
on

Hey Chris. Contact me offline with the details.

MountainClimber
Member
Member
on

Great tool, very useful !

Just 3 comments :

- when working on medium and large projects, it takes a long time to load and then save all VIs ... (about 2 minutes to load or save 500 VIs !!)

- it misses a button to load VIs when you need, instead of only at startup

- Not possible to (easily) add a carriage return on VI documentation, because there is toggle on "apply" button with enter key

I fixed these points on my own version... but I can't see how to share it ? Please, contact me if you're interested to get it and build a new vip...

Thanks a lot !

Christophe | qmt | Certified LabVIEW Architect
RDR
NI Employee (retired)
on

Thanks for the update!  If you want me to post your package on this doc, I'd be happy to add it - send it over to robert.des.rosier@ni.com.

RDR
NI Employee (retired)
on

Added the update from Saphir in v14 - thanks!

FabiolaDelaCueva
Active Participant Active Participant
Active Participant
on

It would be great if VIPM would do this. I have a post-build hook that adds at the bottom of all the VIs in a package the package name and version number, so when developers are using Ctrl+H they can quickly see what version they have without having to go to VIPM to double check.

Michael_Aivaliotis wrote:


                       

Hey folks. Would it be helpfull to add something like this to the package build process from within VIPM?


                   
For an opportunity to learn from experienced developers / entrepeneurs (Steve, Joerg, and Brian amongst them):
Check out DSH Pragmatic Software Development Workshop!

DQMH Lead Architect * DQMH Trusted Advisor * Certified LabVIEW Architect * Certified LabVIEW Embedded Developer * Certified Professional Instructor * LabVIEW Champion * Code Janitor

Have you been nice to future you?
vishots.com
Member
Member
on

Fabiola. That's a great idea!

soupy
Member
Member
on

i second fabiola's idea!

justin.goeres
Member Member
Member
on

It would be great if VIPM would do this. I have a post-build hook that adds at the bottom of all the VIs in a package the package name and version number, so when developers are using Ctrl+H they can quickly see what version they have without having to go to VIPM to double check.                  

To the VIPM Idea Exchange!

FabiolaDelaCueva
Active Participant Active Participant
Active Participant
on

Great minds think a like... sorry for hijacking this thread... I posted the idea here: http://ideas.jki.net/topic/397188-/

justin.goeres wrote:


                       

It would be great if VIPM would do this. I have a post-build hook that adds at the bottom of all the VIs in a package the package name and version number, so when developers are using Ctrl+H they can quickly see what version they have without having to go to VIPM to double check.                  

To the VIPM Idea Exchange!


                   
For an opportunity to learn from experienced developers / entrepeneurs (Steve, Joerg, and Brian amongst them):
Check out DSH Pragmatic Software Development Workshop!

DQMH Lead Architect * DQMH Trusted Advisor * Certified LabVIEW Architect * Certified LabVIEW Embedded Developer * Certified Professional Instructor * LabVIEW Champion * Code Janitor

Have you been nice to future you?
GregFreeman
Trusted Enthusiast Trusted Enthusiast
Trusted Enthusiast
on

After a control label is updated on a VI via the MC Listbox, the image in the picture control isn't updated for the new label.

Loving the tool though!

LoCa
NI Employee (retired)
on

Creat and usfull tool -> just one issue we run into:

ni_labs_lib_vi_properties_editor-1.0.0.15.vip (144.8 K) -> is build for LabVIEW 2013 SP1 + If your System is LabVIEW 2013 or older you have to yous ....14 or older.

Thanks for that usfull tool!

Christian_L
Active Participant
Active Participant
on

Can you add this to the LVTN repository so that it is easier to install? Thank you.

authored by
Christian L, CLA
Systems Engineering Manager - Automotive and Transportation
NI - Austin, TX


  
Active Participant
Active Participant
on

Have you seen how many hoops you have to jump through to get something published there?! This will never pass muster.

James@Work
Member
Member
on

Christian,

I downlaoded the package a published a copy to our internal VI Package Repository so our entire team has visibility and can install it quickly.  And, by adding it to our repository it is listed next to all of our other VI Packages when sorting bym the Repository column in VIPM.

Just thought I'd share my work around.

I agree with david regarding the requirements to publish on the toolsnetwork.  ;o(

James

Tech Advisor - Automation
LabVIEW 5.0 - 2020
Christian_L
Active Participant
Active Participant
on

Well if the OP (RDR) can not get this added to the Tools Network repository, then noone can, since he is one of the admins of the repo.

authored by
Christian L, CLA
Systems Engineering Manager - Automotive and Transportation
NI - Austin, TX


  
Active Participant
Active Participant
on

Guess it depends on whether he thinks this is a good representation of the quality of software to be found on LVTN, then.

RDR
NI Employee (retired)
on

We are working to prep a number of LVTN products for NIWeek releases, but maybe after NIWeek one of us can run through a review for this tool and post it to the repo…we will likely not create a model page for it and would treat it like a number of the NI Labs/Systems Engineering libraries we host on the repo.

-R

From: David_Staab

Reply-To: "ni-966180868-2q9-2x-xx3@community-mail.ni.com<mailto:ni-966180868-2q9-2x-xx3@community-mail.ni.com>"

Date: Monday, July 6, 2015 at 9:50 AM

To: Robert Des Rosier

Subject: Re: - VI Properties Editor

Community<https://decibel.ni.com/content/index.jspa>

VI Properties Editor

new comment by David Staab<https://decibel.ni.com/content/people/David_Staab> View all comments on this document<https://decibel.ni.com/content/docs/DOC-17043#comment-43959

Active Participant
Active Participant
on

Good idea! Can I host "Staab Labs" libraries on LVTN without meeting all the requirements, too?

RDR
NI Employee (retired)
on

Bring it! Just make sure you meet the LVTN requirements like the Systems Engineers and other community contributors have done:

https://decibel.ni.com/content/docs/DOC-8981

I’ll do the same.

See y’all at the LAVA BBQ!

-R

From: David_Staab

Reply-To: "ni-966180868-2q9-2x-xx5@community-mail.ni.com<mailto:ni-966180868-2q9-2x-xx5@community-mail.ni.com>"

Date: Monday, July 6, 2015 at 11:01 AM

To: Robert Des Rosier

Subject: Re: - VI Properties Editor

Community<https://decibel.ni.com/content/index.jspa>

VI Properties Editor

new comment by David Staab<https://decibel.ni.com/content/people/David_Staab> View all comments on this document<https://decibel.ni.com/content/docs/DOC-17043#comment-43961

StefanLemmens
Member Member
Member
on

Great tool but I am missing the controls/indicators that are on a tab-control.

CharlesB64
Member
Member
on

I need help, openning the package file in VIPM it tells me that it's "not compatible with any version of LabVIEW installed on this computer". I have LabVIEW 2011 and 2014, both 64 bit, and VIPM 2012.

arevh
Member Member
Member
on

Hello Charles,

Try to update VIPM to a newer version. I think version 2014 should help.

CharlesB64
Member
Member
on

Thanks! Problem is that I can't upgrade VIPM to a newer version because I need pro edition and didn't renew my VIPM licence yet, so I'm stuck with version 2012...

RDR
NI Employee (retired)
on

Hey Charles, did you try one of the older package files included above?

-R

E.Schneider
Member
Member
on

Hi,

I did some improvements and also found a bug.

Improvements:

NEW: Save only VIs, which properties has been changed. LV 2013 Code can be found here(In this version I also fixed the bug)

The bug description:

Bug found using ni_labs_lib_vi_properties_editor-1.0.0.15.vip:

I have accidently named a *.ctl as *.vi. Now in the "Properties Editor" the following happens:

Now we have an empty listbox entry and to the "DataSet Array" we add just "Invalid VI Type"

capture20170725085458818.png

 

When I apply my changes and we are indexing this entry we

1) get an empty path,

2) get an open VI error and

3) all following VIs will not be saved because of the shift register and also

4) you don't get any error message

 

capture20170725090052593.png 

 

--
Certified LabVIEW Architect
www.merecs.de
E.Schneider
Member
Member
on

After talking with RDR we now improved the VI properties editor, added some new features and created a bitbucket (like github) repository so that everyone can join this project.

You can also download a new VIP from this site. (>LV2016 atm needed)

 

https://bitbucket.org/merecsengineering/vi-properties-editor

 

When you find any bugs or you want to have some new features, everyone can add this on the Bitbucket "Issues" page.

--
Certified LabVIEW Architect
www.merecs.de
Contributors