Controls as icons?

[AnalogKid2DigitalMan]

Large clusters as an icon could be useful. I hate sizing down cluster constants but sometimes you have too. I have observed that sometimes in 8.01 they tend to re-expand themseleves to full or partial size when they are moved around on the block diagram. Paul- I like your workaround of putting them in a sub-vi, may give it a shot.

-AK2DM

[falkpl]

I use this workaround all the time.  The big pet-peeve is when you change the typedef your small resized constant resizes and obscures the code.  To make a constant into a "get sub-vi"  is easy but I have thought about making an automated tool to find all identical constante (type and value) and replace it with the new subvi.  It really makes the code much more readable and maintainable.

Paul

[Jaegen]

I'll chip in and say I, too, dislike them.  As soon as I saw how much real estate was taken up, I turned them off.  However, I have to admit I'm never patient enough with these new features - I tend to not test them out enough and turn them off too quickly (autowiring, automatic wire routing, etc.), and them I'm never sure that I've made the right choice.  I have, on ocassion, gone back and given things another shot and found them to have their uses.  This, for instance:

can be useful, since it is better documenting (at a large cost of course).

Jaegen

Message Edited by Jaegen on 09-08-2006 11:02 AM

[PaulG.]

My biggest problems come from lack of documentation and readability of code. I started working on a 600+ vi application years ago that was initially well-written and documented but incomplete. Subsequently after 3-4 more LV programmers got their little mitts on it (and left for greener pastures) did I finally inherit this big nightmare. I also work on multiple projects in parallel and sometimes just not working on a project for a few weeks makes me forget what this vi is doing or why I did this this way.

Documentation is very important but it takes real effort to do it and do it well, so I'm the first to admit that anything that makes that part of the job easier I'll use it.

So ... the controls as icons might work for me for arrays and clusters. I'll probably still leave scalars as a terminal. However, I may even go a little further and start expanding my vi's on the block diagram much the way Jaegen did. It would result in a dramatic change in the way a vi block diagram appears, but from a readability perspective it might be very helpful. Also, taking up too much room might not be a bad thing, if the extra room is for self-documenting code and connection descriptions. When things get crowded then it must be time to create a sub-vi, anyway.

[Wiebe@CARYA]

The only advantage I can think of, is that you can edit the icon of a control, just like a normal VI. In the diagram, the created icon is visible. That can be nice if you have lot's of custom controls. Never use it though, too much work...


Regards,


Wiebe.




"PaulG." <x@no.email> wrote in message news:1157573408416-412977@exchange.ni.com...
I've noticed a trend ... in books (namely LabVIEW for Everyone), CLAD/CLD/etc. practice tests, and here&nbsp;where I see controls&nbsp;viewed as icons on&nbsp;block diagrams. Maybe I've never gotten used to it because I always view controls as&nbsp;CONTROLS, not icons.
&nbsp;
Don't mean to&nbsp;nit-pick, but can a case be made that this is bad form or style? Icons take up more room than they need to, they are the same size as subvi's, and&nbsp;that makes any large block diagram just a little harder to read.
&nbsp;
Opinions? I'm curious.
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&nbsp;

[altenbach]

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wiebe@CARYA wrote:
The only advantage I can think of, is that you can edit the icon of a control, just like a normal VI. In the diagram, the created icon is visible. That can be nice if you have lot's of custom controls. Never use it though, too much work...

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Can you elaborate?

Even if I change the icon in the control editor (e.g. of a knob), the diagram icon is still the same old default knob. Maybe I am doing something wrong.... 😉

[Jaegen]

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@altenbach wrote:

 ... Even if I change the icon in the control editor (e.g. of a knob), the diagram icon is still the same old default knob. Maybe I am doing something wrong.... 😉

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I think this only works with type defs.

Jaegen

[Wiebe@CARYA]

"Jaegen" <x@no.email> wrote in message news:1157994611986-414511@exchange.ni.com...
altenbach wrote:


&nbsp;... Even if I change the icon in the control editor (e.g. of a knob), the diagram icon is still the same old default knob. Maybe I am doing something wrong.... 😉



I think this only works with type defs.
Jaegen


Indeed, could be only with type defs. Sorry about that.


Wiebe.