Improve the file dialog default path when saving new files

[rolfk]

The very first time that you save a new project, the file dialog defaults to the My Documents directory (on Windows; similar on other platforms). While it is sometimes a good idea to put all the user docuements in the My Documents folder, my company uses a different approach where the currently active projects are in a distinctive folder on a seperate encrypted volume. It would be nice if we could set the configuration file of LabVIEW to start there instead of in MyDocuments. For all other file types, when you save them for the first time, ... ... if you are working outside of a project, the file dialog would also default to the specified location. ... if you ware working inside of a project, the file dialog would default to the directory where the project file is saved. This is similar to the behavior that exists today for items inside libraries -- the file dialog defaults to the same directory as the library.

[AristosQueue (NI)]

Ctrl+o for me goes to whatever directory I last opened from. Are you saying there should be a way to configure this on the very first launch of LabVIEW?

[MaxCrunch]

I like this idea, since I don't use "My Documents" for code.

It would be useful to me to be able to set this differently for each project, rather than globally.

[rolfk]

AQ, yes ctrl+o goes to the last location that was acknowledged in the file dialog. But that is for projects usually not where I was last when browsing for a VI in one of my libraries, or whatever else. And if I have browsed for a project but decided to cancel the dialog for whatever reasons I'm back at the location that I started (for instance in vi.lib or such, and can go through the entire disk hierarchy again to get to the folder on a seperate volume where we keep our projects. This volume is in fact a virtual volume encrypted with TrueCrypt to keep the project sources under some form of safeguard.

So while the file dialog does remember the last location that was acknowledged wth OK, it does not make any difference if it is getting invoked for a project, a VI or what else.

[AristosQueue (NI)]

So no matter where you browse, the next time you hit ctrl+o you always want to open from the same location?

[rolfk]

Actually it's a bit more complicated than this. Ctrl+o is in fact the wrong example as LabVIEW couldn't know if I want to open a VI, a vi lib or a project or what else but it's more about when you have created a specific file, especially a project and would like to save that now. Starting at whatever was the last file dialog operation is more often than not the wrong place. Same for saving new files that are part of an existing project. They should almost always be stored inside the file hierarchy of that project, at least that is how I organize my code. I'm sure it is a topic that can get heated discussion in the devlopment team, but for a start I would be happy to start for project save dialogs at a preconfigurable location, and for items inside the project at the project folder. Possibly you could start at the last location for project items if that location is underneath the project location itself.

[AristosQueue (NI)]

Ah. Gotcha. That makes more sense. Thanks.

[Michael_78]

Could we have a more advanced file dialogue like TestStand, with a drop down list if recent paths and common paths like userlib? This would be very useful when working on multiple projects at once. It can get tedious browsing between long network paths