LabVIEW Idea Exchange

Post an idea

The Lego NXT software release (not toolkit) is a wonderful interactive environment, that should be provided as an add-on application

on its own, call it "block application builder". I see many useful applications in a variety of different industries where businesses wish to extend to their customers interactive and intuitive interface that they can program in their desired configuration of the product's behavior according to their own use cases.

That means we need an environment where we can prepackage blocks that is functionally specific to their applications, with ability to sequence them, run them in parallel, add conditional runs, and iterative loops. The blocks themselves could be computational in nature, or additionally provide user interface popups for interrogating the user, and have access to the full range of Labview functionality. Each block properties settings can appear as front panel settings for user to customize the behavior of that block. This is exactly how the

Log mindstorm software was configured, except we ask that you extend the availability of that functionality for the general users to develop their own intuitive applications using the same environment framework design. This application can target building the customer created sequence of operations as a windows .exe or .dll. We also would like to customize the menus in the application. In other words, make the Lego mindstorm application a generic template for us to develop our own applications with similar intuitive framework.

LabVIEW uses 5 types of operation behavior for push buttons. However, I have come accross a rather annoying obstacle, whenever I need to execute an event for once (turning on a simple LED AND keeping lit AND keeping the button released, for instance), I need to run through Loops or structures which consumes the space of the block diagram. Although this may sound very simple, after all I am a newbie when it comes to LabVIEW, it really helps in certain places, namely in my very simple project. Here are two of the ways that demonstrate what I am doing at the moment:

And here is how the new pressonce/execute once and for all/release block diagram looks like (excuse my English, I believe the digrams must illustrate what I want to say)

As I have said, maybe it doesn't make a difference to you, but it does to others and I am one of them, well you can either go with a while loop or without, let's keep it to the big guys to decide (this is if my suggestion gets accepted). And I am choosing a random label 😄

Thank you for your time.

🙂

Message Edited by toniaz on 28-11-2009 12:46 AM

View All (8)

Hi,

This is my first thread in the Idea exchange. The other "demands" are already put by others so didn't need to start a thread. I don't know if there is already a thread with this subject. My brief search didn't show any results.

Well, I have come across this requirement, and I am sure many of you must have in the past.

I think it would be nice to have "free labels" on the front panel whose text values can be set programmatically.

There are labels which come with a 3D frame by default, and there are free labels without these 3D "raised" background. But these cannot be set programmatically.

I know, we can customize the String Indicators, and make them transparent etc, and remove their borders also, so they appear like label, yet with properties.

But, like many other demands here, I guess this one would be good too, to have shipped with the next LabVIEW. This will reduce unnecessary burdern of controls, if I have many instances of this object on my FP.

Looking forward to comments.

I like very much the possibility to cycle between "wire" and "select" by pressing the space bar, when editing the block diagram. But usually, I need to edit string or path constants: so I'd like to select the "text edit" tool if I press the space bar again.

The same should apply to front panel editing: cycle should be:"operat value (finger)", "select (arrow)", and text. That's useful to edit labels.

I don't like using the "auto selection tool" when editing BDs or FPs, because you need to be very accurate when pointing the mouse.

Right now, you can only set a single variant attribute at a time. You can get "all" variant attributes, but it would be nice to be able to get a specific "group" of them. (the same could be said for delete)

From a programmer standpoint, the nice way to accomplish this would be to wire in an array of strings for the variant attributes you are interested in, instead of placing the function in a for loop. It would also be nice to wire in the data type for all of those attributes, so you don't have to call the variant-to-data.

A multiple case structure is always difficult to navigate to and understand. A toggle option like the below will add clarity

Please note the Case summary text option suggested in the right of each case in this view. In the present view you have to navigate to each case to get a glimpse of what is done. A simple summary like below will add a lot of clarity and help in understanding what is actually being wired in the subsequent cases (just an example)

Will be helpful while dealing with multiple case structures isnt it?

View All (3)

View All (2)

None of the existing synchronization VIs work for "instantaneous" many-to-one notification, (or do they?)

Notifier is one-to-one or one-to-many,
Rendezvous is many-to-many
Occurances is one-to-many
Semaphore handles a different sync issue!

In many cases, one VI may need to wait for several other VIs before performing a task, simple example is on closing,

Even more specifically, other VIs could do the "notification" and continue, but the one VI must wait until those VIs have met (and passed) the "notification" point.

Although the mechanism can be built easily, it could be defined by NI as a standard VI.

Sia

It would be very useful to have a way of automatically create subvis when a single vi become too large. What we usually do is :

1. Select the portion we want ton encapsulate in a new vi.

2. ctrl-X.

3. Create new VI, save as, chose name, change icon.

4. ctrl-V.

5. Connect the front panel.

6. Add the new vi to the original diagram.

7. Connect the new vi.

8. Debug mistakes.

I think steps 2 to 8 could be automated with a single function (e.g. 'transmute selected code into a single vi'), saving a little time many times.

View All (2)

Sorry if this is a duplicate. I though I posted this a couple of days ago, but it hasn't appeared.

These are suggestions for this site:

Add a label: "Ideas Exchange Enhancements"

Put "Previous" and "Next" at the top of the page as well as the bottom. Better yet allow us to go to the first, last, or particular pages like other forums (ex: << 1 2 3... >>). Put this interface at top and bottom.

In advanced search give the option to go to the PAGE the idea appears on rather than the idea itself. Currently if I search for a particular date (the last time I looked at ideas) I get a list of ideas for that date. If I click on an idea I go to the idea itself and any posted comments. There doesn't seem to be a way to get to that day's page of ideas short of starting at the first and clicking on "Next" over and over.

View All (2)

LabView Control and Simulation Design Toolkit

-A simulation subVI fails to compile if an initial condition of zero exists on an integration block.

IDEA: Run a zero initial condition check on a system before attempting to compile. If the condition exists, don't attempt to compile and report the problem to user.

-A simulation subVI fails to compile if a change is made after the subVI is created.

IDEA: If a change is detected in the subVI, force the subVI to recompile every time a file command is implemented.

View All (1)

What do you need our team of experts to assist you with?

Request a quote Find the right product Place an order Get support on a product

How can we help?

Please enter your information below and we'll be intouch soon.

This field is required

Preferred communication method

Email Phone call

What do you need our team of experts to assist you with?

Request a quote Find the right product Place an order Get support on a product

LabVIEW Idea Exchange

"Block Application Builder" Toolkit for Labview

Make label invisible in BD with a single key press

New Operation Behavior for Push Buttons in LabVIEW

Auto-wire structures tunnels

Rain Flow Analysis in LabView

Memory Management, Preserve memory buffer

paste behavior changed in 8.6?

Programmatically Set Free Label Texts

space bar should cycle also "text edit" when editing

Set/Get Variant Attribute for Multiple Attributes

Cascaded Case-View

custom control xcontrol

Tabs or Sheets like Microsoft Excel

Many-To-One Notification

Automatically create new vi from selection

Conditional terminal for individual frames of sequence structures

User Dialog that doesn't keep the rest of my code waiting until OK is pressed

Idea exchange enhancements

Compiling errors in Control & Design Simulation SubVI

Standardising the color constants in Labview and Excel