Help with making tables on front panel

[atokad]

Here's what my front panel currently looks like for my cRIO 9035 (Ignore the obvious sizing issues):

I'm currently making the table in Excel then converting it to a PNG then I am placing the numeric and boolean indicators in their corresponding places. Whenever we have to change a label or even placing the indicators it can be a real pain in the ....so I was wondering if there was a more programmable way to do this. 

[Bob_Schor]

I've "designed Front Panels" using a mixture of Controls, Indicators, and Decorations, getting them all adjusted and spaced (using some of the Alignment and Distribution Tools on the Front Panel, rand when they look good, I use the "Reorder" (the last) tool to Group them (select, then Group).  This "locks" everything together so that it moves as a unit.

Some things to consider:

• If you are using a Cluster, you can arrange the placement of Elements within the Cluster, and can include Labels, with placement determined by you (on the side, above, or "invisible").
• If you are displaying an Array of Clusters, you may find it "neat and convenient" to make all Element names "invisible" (which shrinks the height of the Cluster) and put a Decoration on top of the Array with the Element names (I use one long decoration, with spaces to align the Element names, easier to control placement).
• If you are displaying an Array, your spacing options are governed by the size of the Array cell.  You may want to consider individual elements, particularly if the Array size is small and spacing has mnemonic value.

Bob Schor

[atokad]

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@Bob_Schor wrote: 
If you are using a Cluster, you can arrange the placement of Elements within the Cluster, and can include Labels, with placement determined by you (on the side, above, or "invisible"). If you are displaying an Array of Clusters, you may find it "neat and convenient" to make all Element names "invisible" (which shrinks the height of the Cluster) and put a Decoration on top of the Array with the Element names (I use one long decoration, with spaces to align the Element names, easier to control placement).

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So should I make three main groups and fill three clusters? Then output those clusters into a table row by row with the first row as the header, the second being column names, then going down the line with label, data....

Also, does that give you the ability to include the LED indicators like I have them currently?

[Bob_Schor]

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@atokad wrote:

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@Bob_SchorSo should I make three main groups and fill three clusters? Then output those clusters into a table row by row with the first row as the header, the second being column names, then going down the line with label, data....

Also, does that give you the ability to include the LED indicators like I have them currently?

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Actually, I can't answer that question -- you didn't attach your VI, so I have no idea what the Front Panel represents.  When I looked at it, I saw essentially no structure (except some loose organizational structure, such as 4 Controls and 4 similar Indicators under McKenna Burner, with two Boolean LEDs for "Hi and two Boolean not-sure-if-LEDs-or-Controls for On/Off.  What I described could be adapted to an "unorganized mess of controls, indicators, controls, and indicators having a similar-to-the-user functionality" by grouping them in a "locked" (neatly-organized) relationship with Labels and other Decorations as a Front Panel "Sub-Unit" (think of an Instrument Cluster with dials, switches, toggles, etc. that you "plug in" to your cockpit Instrument Panel).  If things are organized in (LabVIEW) Clusters, great, use the Cluster as a design element.

I might have demo-ed what I was talking about had you attached your VI, but you didn't, so now you organize it using the methods I outlined.  Or not ...

Bob Schor