Anything in Labview like an MS GroupBox?

[john_c_m]

I want to organize my controls on the front panel into categories. My usual Windows programming way of doing this is labeling the groups with a GroupBox Control, which puts a nice text label on the recessed line that encloses the controls.

Is there something handy in LV with the same functionality - A sort of decoration that visually groups controls into categories that includes a text label?

And I would like to avoid clusters, since it changes the way you can work with button latching, etc.

Also, I'm using LV 7.

[Greg_McKaskle2]

>
> Is there something handy in LV with the same functionality - A sort of
> decoration that visually groups controls into categories that includes
> a text label?
>
> And I would like to avoid clusters, since it changes the way you can
> work with button latching, etc.
>

You can group any number of objects using the circling arrows on the
toolbar. If you like, you can group then with a graphic box and a
label. You could also group them in something like a tab control with
its tabs hidden.

Greg McKaskle

[john_c_m]

Thank you for the reply.

This answer was what I was afraid of. If there are any NI engineers listening, then this is one of the things that iritates me about Labview, the fact that it doesn't incorporate the Windows Look and Feel at all. I realize that it is a cross platform product, but a simple GroupBox would be a great feature to have.

With a GroupBox you don't have to worry about whether the box is in focus, or the stuff within it. The label is part of the box, placed on the upper left hand corner of line. Saves the programmer effort by not having to figure out where it looks nice and moving two things all the time instead of one.

I realize that VI's are supposed to look like instrument panels instead of GUI programs, but obviously users want t
he typical GUI stuff as well (hence the addition of native treeview, progress bars, etc.)

How about a simple GroupBox next time?

[Greg_McKaskle2]

> How about a simple GroupBox next time?
>

There are lots of NI engineers on this list, including me. In fact, I
was the head of the team that developed the UI controls for LabVIEW and
developed a few of them myself. The groupbox that adapts to the
platform, and draws like in the Windows style on Windows is on the
Dialog palette along with platform adapting buttons, numerics, etc.

And in a perfect world, I suppose the grouprect would include a built-in
label, though I'd often hide it. To me the grouprect is a graphical
nicety and independent of grouping and labeling.

We will consider adding it, but as you mentioned, there are lots of
instrumentation and more advanced UI things that will likely take
precedent, so the grouping
that I mentioned will only take a few
seconds, and once grouped, it works pretty much like what you describe.

Greg McKaskle

[john_c_m]

I hadn't used the grouping function before, but I am now using it for this, and it's a really handy feature.

Maybe its just me, but I want my VI's to look like any other standard program out there, so that the learning curve isn't so steep for new users.

Thanks for the consideration, perhaps there's a good intern there who could produce a GroupBox control in a couple of hours or so? 😉

[VladimirP]

We have year 2012 and I can't still find the groupbox. Groupbox with integrated label groups controls in logical named groups. If it is not part of LabView, it is either my problem that i can't find it, or NI do hot aceept users requests.

[TiTou]

I am a bit surprised, you just dug out a discussion that's more than 8 years old...

Plus, I am not too sure what your need is, but I think it it possible to build a cluster and replace it's border with the nice thin system line. If this is what you need, we can show you how to do that.

If what you need it something else, explain with more details and if really it doesn't exist, you can place an suggestion on the LabVIEW Idea Exchange, because yes, NI does listen to customers (of course that doesn't mean they'll do everything you request).

Hope this helps

[dkfire]

Is it something like this you are missing:

It is found in the palettes under Decorations.

You just have to add a label your self, also found under Decorations. 

[VladimirP]

I am so sorry, but it is not what I wrote. I wrote about INTEGRATED check box. It mewans, tha t the label is part of box. I want not build this control from two objects. Even if I group them together. Try to resize it and you see, that the distance of the label from left side changes as change the size the the whole group. There is no alignment tool for the label. LabView is not only knobs, slides and gauges for GUI.

[RavensFan]

Well, an "integrated" groupbox doesn't exist yet.  You can suggest it as an Idea in the LabVIEW Idea Exchange.

But honestly, it really isn't that much more work to make do with what is available now which are the decoration and label.  I don't understand your complaint about alignment.  You don't have to group the two together.  And once you have these items placed on your front panel, how often are you planning on changing there size and position?

Instead of using a hard label, you could use a classic string indicator and color the background to match the the front panel.  This will let you do some things more programmatically with the label.