Configure the run button

[NRS@CIM]

When working on VIs that require large arrays or images for input, I often need to run a calling VI rather than the VI I'm currently working on, which involves a lot of tabbing between windows and clutter from having more open windows. I realize it is possible to set default values for controls, but I would rather avoid that as I often use optional connections to my SubVIs and therefore don't want to change default values.
In my opinion it would be useful to have the option to configure the run button to run a different VI than the currently open one, when working on VIs specifically developed to run as subVIs in the context of a higher-level caller.

[AristosQueue (NI)]

You might not think of it this way, but this idea is essentially a duplicate of this one:

https://forums.ni.com/t5/LabVIEW-Idea-Exchange/Ability-to-mark-the-top-level-VI-in-a-project-and-run...

The reason I call these duplicates is they both speak to the same problem: in this session of LabVIEW, I have some VI that is the one I need to run for debugging, but it is not where my focus is while I'm debugging. LabVIEW, please stop making me keep track of my top-level VI. (I have worked on LV for 20 years come August, but I don't work in all the parts of the code, and so I still end up begging for things.) I really want this feature. A lot.

I think the per-VI version that you request here would not be particularly useful -- it would be easy to forget per-VI configuration and to have lots of temporary debug VIs linked from the actual source code... that's a recipe for problems when building applications or source distributions, in my opinion.

NRS@CIM, it is your idea... I'm happy to leave it open if you really think this is the way to go. But if you like the project variation, say so here, go add kudos to the other idea, and I will get someone to close this as a duplicate.

[NRS@CIM]

I had missed that idea in my search for duplicates. While I did give it a kudos, I do not think the two are identical. What I am searching for is the possibility to run my subVI in a number of different contexts, so not always with the same caller or toplevel VI.

I'm not quite certain what you mean about lots of temporary debug VIs, but maybe I was not clear on what I had in mind. I only wanted the run button to act differently, so when the VI was called as a subVI it should behave as usual.

Essentially, what I suggested is a functionality similar to the run button in MATLAB. The run button there has a drop-down button that allows you to define code snippets to run when pressing the button. When the run button has a changed functionality it changes appearance to emphasize this. 

Along those lines, I would like to be able to configure the run button to point to a different VI, but only when the VI is called manually from the button or ctrl+R.

I understand that this may be a niche suggestion as it is mostly an issue for people working with reference values.