"Disconnect this terminal" and "This Connection Is" items should also appear when right-clicking the particular control or indicator

[Petru_Tarabuta]

Problem
Using the "Disconnect This Terminal" and "This Connection Is >> Required/Recommended/Optional" menu items can be tedious due to it being too easy to right-click on a different terminal than intended. This is especially true in VIs whose connector pane is densely populated with many inputs and outputs, or VIs that use one of the connector pane patterns that have more terminals than the standard 4-2-2-4.

To check that I applied the change to the terminal I intended, I often press Ctrl+S and Ctrl+H to quickly bring up Context Help and check that the terminal is indeed required, recommended or optional.

Solution

It would be useful if the two menu items would also be available in the shortcut menu that pops up when right-clicking the control or indicator in question, as shown in the screenshots below.

Notes

• The new menu items would be in addition to the current menu items. I'm not suggesting removing the menu items from where they are now, just adding a second way of accessing them.
• The two items should appear only in the menus of controls and indicators that have been connected to the connector pane.
• I'm aware that the functionality can probably be implemented with a shortcut menu plugin, but it'd be nice for it to be built-in.
• This idea is similar to Disconnect Connector Pane Terminal with ALT + Left Click, which I support. The two ideas are not mutually exclusive. I'd use both.

Thanks

[wiebe@CARYA]

How would you select the position in the connector pane from that menu?

[Petru_Tarabuta]

I am proposing that the menu appears when right-clicking those UI objects that have already been connected to terminals in the connector pane. When right-clicking such an item LabVIEW would be able to determine whether the UI object is connected to the connector pane, and which terminal it is connected to.

For example if a string control is connected to the top-left terminal of the connector pane, you could right-click that string control and select "This Connection Is >> Required". This would be functionally equivalent to right clicking the terminal in the connector pane and selecting the same thing.

Right-clicking the UI object is less prone to mis-clicks than right-clicking connector pane terminals. But I wouldn't want the current method to be removed (I think this would be out of the question anyway, for good reason). My suggestion is for an additional method to access the same menu.

[KiwiWires]

Your problem is accurately accessing the connector pane. Putting it in the default right click menu is already busy and long. NXG I thought was an improvement in this regard with how it handled the connector pane and all VIs expandable. 

Perhaps a IDE option that when you mouse over that area it enlarges (x2) with a menu window would help. 

[wiebe@CARYA]

"Perhaps a IDE option that when you mouse over that area it enlarges (x2) with a menu window would help. "

Windows key + "+" is undervalued. Not as smooth as a build in feature, but always there.

[Tom_Hawkins]

"How would you select the position in the connector pane from that menu?"

Connecting a connector pane terminal to a control/indicator already involves entering a special mode where the first click selects a terminal then the next click chooses which control/indicator it connects to, so I don't see anything wrong with the reverse:

1. right-click on control or indicator, choose 'Connect To Terminal…'
2. cursor changes to wire spool icon
3. click on a connector pane terminal to complete the operation.

If the second click isn't on the connector pane, exit the wiring mode and no connection is made.