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LabVIEW Idea Exchange

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Herbert

Opt out permanently from "maintain wires connected"

Status: New

Please let me opt out from this new feature, introduced in LabVIEW 2017, permanently in the setup dialog.

Using LabVIEW for a very long time (since LabVIEW 2.0), I never wished such a feature (it got only 27 Kudoes) - and - I am even using it's "anti feature", implemented up to now, constructively to detach objects (Pull control into a structure, connect it to the new target - and "Ctrl B").

This new feature, forced onto everybody, would be less annoying, if pressing "W" would reliably disable the feature. However,  at least in vritual windows machines (Parallels) on a Mac, it does not work 50% of the time.

 

37 Comments
Bob3571
Member

I hate this feature.  It should be 'click W while wiring' to enable this OR it should be something that could be toggled from the options window.

Cepera
Member

In my experience, when moving a chunk of code outside of a structure, this new feature is helpful in about 10% of cases and it hurts in about 90% of cases. Please make it a configurable setting or remote it altogether, or best of both worlds, make it work both ways, e.g. "mouse move" works in legacy mode (broken wires), Ctrl+move works in legacy mode (copies the code), Ctrl+Shift+move works in the new mode (moves while maintaining connections).

MichaelBalzer
Active Participant

+1 for making it a configuration option. Same goes for NXG.




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crossrulz
Knight of NI

Cepera,

The Ctrl+Shift+drag is already implement as a copy and move in a single direction (up/down or left/right).  Maybe an Alt+drag could be used to enable this feature.  I would just never instantly think to use W to enable/disable.


GCentral
There are only two ways to tell somebody thanks: Kudos and Marked Solutions
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"Not that we are sufficient in ourselves to claim anything as coming from us, but our sufficiency is from God" - 2 Corinthians 3:5
BoulderKen
Member

I agree - PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE add the option to turn off "maintain wire connectivity across structure boundaries" within  "Tools>>Options>>Block Diagram" 

I have used LabView for 20 years now since 5.0 and have tried the learn (old dog/new trick) the "hold w to disable wire connectivity" keystroke thing (with inconsistent success/failure...is it just me? I especially find it difficult when trying to CTRL+drag copy things??) but overall I agree with Cepera's and Herbert's sentiment:  1) it's rarely helpful and 2) I also often use it's "anti-feature" WAY more often (i.e. PURPOSELY dragging things across an object to detach them and break connections).  In the least, I agree with Crossrulz's suggestion of an "ALT+drag" to ENABLE the new connectivity feature. 

Thanks.

 

crossrulz
Knight of NI

I actually found myself wishing I had this feature a few times today (actively working in 2016) as I had to add a case structure and then decided some belonged outside of the structure.

 

BouldenKen,

You do not hold down w.  You just tap it once during the drag operation.  If you hold it down, you are actually switching back an forth and then it is pretty random which way it will go.


GCentral
There are only two ways to tell somebody thanks: Kudos and Marked Solutions
Unofficial Forum Rules and Guidelines
"Not that we are sufficient in ourselves to claim anything as coming from us, but our sufficiency is from God" - 2 Corinthians 3:5
Cepera
Member

Just did some experiments with "w". It seems to work in a subset of scenarios. You have to start dragging, then while dragging, momentarily press and release "w". Continue dragging. Autowiring through the edge of a structure will be disabled. Unfortunately this does not work while shift-dragging, probably because shift-w is W )). I would still vote for making the new feature configurable (and making "w" or "W", or both modifiers to your configuration choice).

BoulderKen
Member

Ahhhh, TAP the "w". 

Thanks, Crossrulz; I'll give it a shot 😉

daveTW
Active Participant

Yes, same for me. I'd like to turn it off via the options dialog. Or introduce a shortcut to toggle the behaviour

Btw., the feature to turn on the block diagram grid via shortcut (Ctrl+#) should also be changed to toggle this feature, not only to turn it on. I sometimes hit accidentally the keys Ctrl+#+Return (on german keyboards these are very close together), then the grid is switched on. And it's annoying to have to go to the options dialog to switch it off.

 

Greets, Dave
BoulderKen
Member

Okay I am going to eat a bit of crow here - I still feel like this should be added to the "block diagram" options list but I have (especially now that I have been schooled by Crossrulz on the "w" TAP and not HOLD) found this maintain-wire-connectivity feature handy in these past few days...so yeah, "Hi I'm Ken and I'm a hypocrite..." (or at least a grumpy old LabVIew programmer Smiley Very Happy )