LabVIEW Idea Exchange

If I'm the first to post this Idea then I'll be shocked.

The Idea is simple. We all love programming in LabVIEW, and I'm sure that we've all at one time or another had a colleague, friend or family member ask if we know how to do something on the PC. The immediate thought is I don't know where to get the software to do that, but I could write a simple LabVIEW app  in a few hours that does the job.

E.G hunt through someone's PC and move all of the jpg files over a certain size to a specific location so they can easily find their holiday snaps.

You can't create this simple function for them, because if you do, and build an exe, they still need the Runtime engine.

Surely for REALLY simple stuff (File IO, basic comms stuff in the Base LabVIEW edition ...) - not DAQ or anything like that it is possible to create an EXE that INCLUDES the runtime components that it needs and is stand alone.

This would open up LabVIEW for the use of making quick gadget like apps for the office as well as test and measurement.

I can't se how this could be a bad thing.

There is a logical glitch in the App.Version property; If you read App.Name you get the name of the built application...but if you read App.Version it's not the version of the application - it's the version of the RTE.

I use the application version in splash screens etc. - however today I have to manually write this multiple places because I cannot read the version number I used when building the application.

Could it be possible for LabVIEW (even if only for versions 202{1,2,3} onwards etc) to make an attempt to open newer files and just break them when new features are used?

The comments in this Idea (LabVIEW Compatibility Modes) suggest this and related ideas, but it isn't the main part of that idea, so I'm posting it separately here.

An ideal solution for me would be for VIs to automatically save back in the 'oldest' version that they would support (and perhaps not be 'up-compiled' on load), but this idea has been discussed a few times and doesn't appear to be something NI will support.

An alternative (perhaps only possible in currently unreleased versions?) might be to have LabVIEW 202x try and open a VI saved in 202<x+n>, and then give the symbol for missing VIs (ideally with the name, if possible) for anything that isn't supported.

As an example, trying to open a VI using Insert into Map (if this were available for existing LabVIEW versions) in LabVIEW 2018 could produce something like

with the Context Help giving me a clue as to what was lost - I could then Google "Insert into Map LabVIEW" and try guess how I might replace it (here, probably with Variant Attributes).

I'm posting this idea in relation to some comments I've recently heard regarding sharing and packaging code with LabVIEW, and how even when other (text) languages add new features and so code using them will fail to compile, their users/developers can still open the code, try fix bits, or generally workaround issues (and evaluate the benefits of upgrading, if the changes are large).

New versions of LabVIEW continue to have significant new features, so upgrading seems like it will continue to be at least my preference, but not everyone has the same requirements/situation/SSP/blah blah blah.

For LabVIEW users,

How many of them need "Delete Option" on Right Click Context Menu?

I feel providing an delete option in right clicking context menu for any Indicator or Control deleting will make developers easy and fast assessable and avoid too-much use of keyboard.

We use our left hand for control and Shift more offen but for pressing delete button which is at right top corner in keyboard, all of a sudden we will remove our right hand from mouse and press Del which is uncomfortable.

So, Developers share your point of view for the same and request to add Delete Option in upcoming version.

Later we will ask even Cut Copy Past... He! He! He!