Customize a control and property nodes

[gnappo]

I don't know if and how it is possible. Is it possible to customize a control, but having access to property nodes too? 

I explain better: if I create a control and I customize it, the customized control is a file.ctl, which has only front panel, but not block diagram. So that I cannot customize it using property nodes. Is there a way to bypass it?

[RavensFan]

You don't need to create a .ctl file to customize a control.  It is just there so you can save a control you have customized to a file.

Yes you can customize a control using property nodes.  You just use property nodes that are implicitly linked to a specific control, or you explicitly link to a control by passing a reference to the control to the property node.

If you want to programmatically save a customized control to a .ctl, or open a .ctl file and customize it further, I think you'll have to look into LabVIEW scripting.  But I wouldn't do anything like that if I were you until you get thoroughly comfortable with using regular property nodes, which I don't think you are otherwise you wouldn't have asked this question.

[gnappo]

My aim is the following. I would like to customize the xy graph because the default one is not suited to prepare figures for a paper I have to submit to a scientific journal. But, since I have several graphs I wouldn't like to modify one by one, but have a sort of template in order all of them are affected if I change something. 

I think it is possible just with a .ctl file. But in a .ctl file property nodes to modify the appearance of the graph are not possible to be used. 

Which strategy would you suggest to me? 

[johnsold]

You can change the appearance properties of a typedef control so long as it is NOT a STRICT typedef.  That is the definition of strict typedef: the appearance cannot be changed except by modifying the typedef (.ctl file).

If you want to change appearances via property nodes at run time but still want to preserve your template, use a non-strict typedef.

Lynn

[paul_a_cardinale]

Withing the VI that contains the graphs, you can use property nodes to change the graphs.

Also, it is possible to have a VI open a reference to a .ctl file, then make changes to the control.