Fixed Iteration FOR loop option

[altenbach]

Today, if we want a FOR loop with a fixed number of iterations, we need to wire a diagram constant to N. We could probably save a few clicks if we could click on N and type in an integer directly. It would also unclutter the diagram. This should of course only work if N is unwired.

Of course the N-Box would grow to the right to accomodate all digits

To later change the loop back to "normal", we would type N into the box or simply wire something numeric to N from the left.

As an example how it could look like, here's a simple cross product implementation (Yes, I know, LabVIEW already has a cross-product, so this is just to show the idea!)

Top: current implementation

Bottom: Same code after this proposed idea has been implemented

[AndyRR]

I think this idea would mostly bring confusion and only very limited benefits. In my own expreience it's not so common to know how many times a for loop will loop. Much more often the for loop will loop through an array or the number of iterations depends on some other variables. When I know the number of iterations then I think it's no problem to connect an interger to N as it's done now.

[James_McN]

I'm afraid I'm with the naysayers on this one. I'm concerned with some of these types of ideas that individually they seem like a nice ease of use feature (and I don't disagree with that) but if every one is followed we will end up 10 different ways of specifying how a for loop runs and every context menu will require a 50" screen to avoid scrolling. 

[altenbach]

> and every context menu will require a 50" screen to avoid scrolling

Fortunately, this is a feature that does not need any right-click options or context menus, and it is immediately intuitive what it means. The code remains complety readable, even if printed on papyrus. 😄

A similar change could be implemented with the timeout value of an event structure.

[SteenSchmidt]

> ...but if every one is followed we will end up 10 different ways of specifying how a for loop runs...

Then combine it with this to get back to an acceptable number of permutations

> ...and every context menu will require a 50" screen to avoid scrolling.

There shouldn't be any huge context menus anyway, just simple context menus/ribbons that only display the actually available options for your immediate use case. And they should appear automatically, not activated by right-clicking. I'll elaborate on this in another idea.

/Steen

[SteveChandler]

Beautiful! Just like the Boolean constant redesign, it is simple and obvious. Well it is only obvious NOW 

[Darren]

National Instruments will not be implementing this idea.