Add a zoom function (yes, I said zoom. So sue me)

[tst]

Add a slider on the toolbar which would allow changing the zoom level on the diagram. This should also be controllable more easily (for example, by using shift + mouse wheel scroll).

Personally, I want this less for zooming out and more for zooming in. It's sometimes convenient to have a larger display of a specific area.

I know some people feel that a zoom is a terrible idea because it will encourage people to create huge diagrams. Personally, I doubt that (since you can't work on zoomed out code and zooming out and in repeatedly isn't that convenient), but I don't mind if people do that. It's their code (as long as I don't have to work on it later).

If people really insist, this can also be prevented by setting the maximum value of the slider to 1, so that people can't zoom out, but I doubt this would have any value.

The zoom should snap to 1 when you get near it and should center on the mouse cursor.

[hfettig]

If I had a penny for every time I heard this request in the LV Basic and Intermediate courses I taught I would be rich.

Especially since most CRT screens are being replaced by LCD screens that should be run at native resolution this is becoming a real problem. On a 17" LCD with a native resolution of 1280x1024 it is almost impossible to properly wire a VI that has 10 or more terminals.

I think the danger of huge diagrams can be avoided by only allowing a zoom in but not allowing a zoom out.

[crelf]

I'm not sure what you're after - is it that you want a portion of the code to look bigger so it's easier to wire up a 16x connector pane?  If so, the I agree (short of changing the resolution of the monitor) - I'd be fine with a zoom as long as wouldn't xoom out beyond 1.

[altenbach]

I agree, but don't limit this to the diagram! 😄

For me it is often more difficult to modify FP object (either on the front panel or control editor), because the handles and structures are sometimes way too small. and operating on single pixel shifts while coordinating mouse button actions is very tedious. (I am currently working on a 15" laptop with 1400x1050 pixels!! :()

While a smooth zoom is of course most luxurious, I would be happy with a simple x2, x4, x8, x16 zoom_in, where pixels are simply represented by a square area of an integer multiple size.

[tst]

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altenbach wrote:

I would be happy with a simple x2, x4, x8, x16 zoom_in

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Yes, that's fine.

As for zooming out, I'm reasonably certain that if NI doesn't implement it, they will find customers requesting it all the time.

[John80]

I think that the LabVIEW user Community (including myself) is getting older with time and we are now having a hard time wiring up with all those small vi connectors!

I think this is a great idea!  You have no idea how silly I look when I show LabVIEW to a non-LabVIEW programmer and I sit there trying to figure out where to connect a wire and waiting for my hand to finally hover over the right spot.

Even a simple button that you press that simply blows up everything within a certain area (kind of like the zoom button on some mouses) would be great!

[AristosQueue (NI)]

Zoom works for all applications on the Mac, including LV. Perhaps I could interest you in a change of platform? 🙂

[Omar_II]

More than once I have used the Windows Magnifier (intended for the vision impaired) to zoom IN to pick a border to change it's color (only 3 pixel wide) and other tasks that I need precise pointing.

So I agree, I some times have a need for a zoom IN

But do not see the need for a zoom OUT.

I have been using LabVIEW from the first release on Windows, my eyes are not as young as they used to be.

[tst]

> Perhaps I could interest you in a change of platform? 🙂

Sure. Just show me the Mac which supports all the stuff I want and costs at much as I'm willing to pay. 😉

FWIW, I think the Windows magnifier is pretty useless. It works very slowly and takes up an inordinate amount of real estate. That said, I manage to use most apps without zooming, and I do use the zoom often on those where it's relevant (e.g. I use Internet Explorer and on my 24" screen it's usually at 150% all the time). I would love if the OS supported this natively, but it doesn't.

P.S. My eyesight is probably better than 99% percent of LabVIEW programmers. If I want it, it's a desirable feature.

[tst]

By the way, one argument for having the zoom in the app, not the OS, is that sometimes only parts of the app need zooming. For example, in LabVIEW the main use case would be zooming in the BD (or the FP). The toolbars, scrollbars, etc. don't need it as much.

[yenknip]

I also feel that with the advent of high resolution, small screens; a zoom in function would be very useful.

The best app I've found for magnifying, is the microsoft intellipoint magnifier. It pops up a square around the mouse pointer and zooms in that area. Something like this built in to LV would be perfect.

I find that separate windows such as the inbuilt MS magnifier detract from productivity as you have to look away from where you are working.