Cleaner block diagrams

[vt92]

"One question Ben, is your Front Panel (GUI) still customizable to the way you want it to look after using the clusters."

Yes, I was wondering the same thing.  I have used Ben's technique, but it is difficult when you have controls and indicators that need to be close together or when you need to have controls in logical groupings.  I am working on a LabVIEW app that was "inherited", so I don't have the luxury of adding a whole bunch of cluster shift registers to the state machine.

[Ben]

Hmmm.....

I am sorat at a loss as to what aspect of the GUI would be difficult to customize.

My only guess is that the cluster definitions is what you are asking about. If so then the solution for changing cluster definitions is to use type-def'd clusters. I wrote about cluster type-def in my Type-Definition Nugget.

If that is not the naute of your question then please elaborate. We still be able to help.

Still trying to help!

Ben

[altran]

Let me give you an example:

I have this GUI with several controls and indicators.  If I used your method of using clusters to clean up the block diagram, would I still be able to have the front panel (GUI) look exactly the same way I have it as in the following picture?

[Ben]

Well of course!

This is the GUI of the code I showed previously.

I beleive it was Michael Aivaliotis  (one of the other LabVIEW Champions) on LAVA who once wrote something to the effect "Your GUI appearence does not neccesarily have anything to do with how your data is structured."*

Ben

* THis is not an exact quote. It is just my memory of what I recall.

Message Edited by Ben on 01-23-2008 01:23 PM

[altran]

Excellent.  Thanks Ben.  Is there any place I can get further insight on how this is done? 

[altran]

Nevermind, I've found the "Control References: Overview" on the mainsite.  Thanks again.

[ohiofudu]

Ben,
Will you like to share???? I will be very glad if you can post a Zip


Thank


CLAD

[TCPlomp]

I think what everyone is mistaken is that Ben does not use clusters on it's frontpanel!
In the code he uses a cluster that contains references to all the controls, so he's passing them by ref.
This enables him to have a very customizable FP with clean code.

Ton

[vt92]

I'm sorry, but I'm still missing something.   I understand putting the refnums into a cluster, but how is Ben generating the initial cluster?  The front panel property node gives you an array of references.  How do you generate a cluster with the correct refnum names?

[Ben]

"... but how is Ben generating the initial cluster? "

That Q was answered in the the Nugget I posted on Monday.

If you have not read my nugget on Type Definitions (linked in the above thread), I recomend you do so.

Ben

PS what does your user name signify? I only ask because that used to be the model number of terminal that DEC used to build.

Message Edited by Ben on 01-24-2008 10:41 AM