How come you can't put a Tab in a Cluster?

[kmcdevitt]

Nlquist wrote:

Just out of curiosity... Why would you want to do that?

Kevin:

"Just out of curiosity... Why would you want to do that?"

Thats the very first thing at the top of the LabVIEW support flow chart.

Every LabVIEW support persor will always start off with that.

[smercurio_fc]

Well, it took you 2 and a half years to respond, but better late than never, I guess.

Ben can stop checking his email every 15 minutes now.  

[kmcdevitt]

Sima wrote:

I'm wondering that, too. I don't see why it'd be useful. The Tab control is more of an aesthetic feature, and isn't associated with data like a cluster is. Why not put a cluster in each page of the tab control?

Kevin:

If you had a 5 page tab, then you would need 5 clusters, and much more code to handel the GUI event queue and then when you wanted one element from the 5 clusters you would have to check which page, then you would know which cluster to get the element from.  Ditto for an indicator tab of clusters.  If you could put a tab and all the elements inside one cluster, then you would have dirrect access to any element, including the tab.  Best of all, all the aesthetic gui stuff would be taken care of for you automagically.

[kmcdevitt]

agill wrote:   Best Post Ever.

Kevin:  I thought so myself, but I am modest as was not going to say anything.  Thank you, agill, I will give you a Kudo.

[kmcdevitt]

tbob wrote:

You are right about the clutter.  I use a cluster to hold a whole bunch of local varibles.  Ususally I will use a state machine structure and put the cluster inside a state called "local defs", and this state never gets called.  It is just wired to a shift register so that any local can be accessed in any other state.  Don't have to call the state, just the wiring defines it within the vi.  Then I can make the cluster as big as the entire case structure that holds the state machine.  Hope this helps.

Kevin:

My desire to use a TAB within a CLUSTER is for aesthetic purposes on a front panel.  Does you idea do this?  Can you post a reply with a super simple example of your "Local Def State Machine Shift Register Structure"?

[kmcdevitt]

Sima wrote:

Repeat this 10 times really fast:

A complex configuration of clusterable items can clutter ones clode, I mean, code.

Kevin:

Thanks for being so understanding.

Some of the others can be so mean spirited.

I appriciate you response.

 

[kmcdevitt]

tst wrote:

If I have a lot of values (or stuff which will be called in other places) I prefer to create the cluster as a typedef and then place it inside a stub VI which does nothing other than return the cluster typedef. Then, doesn't matter how many changes you make to the cluster, it will always be the same size on your diagram.

Of course, you can't say the same for the stub VI and it has the disadvantage of creating more files which you have to manage.

Kevin: But you still can not put a Tab inside your cluster which is inside you typedef which is inside your stub VI.  I like your typedef idea, and use it from time to time.  But I still think it would be splendid to be able to put a Tab inside a cluster.  As I have said before, it would solve all the world's troubles.

[kmcdevitt]

smercurio_fc wrote:

Well, it took you 2 and a half years to respond, but better late than never, I guess.

Ben can stop checking his email every 15 minutes now.   

Kevin:  I'm sorry smercurio and ben, but I have been very busy solving all the world's problems without the help that Tabs inside of Clusters would have provided.  I am glad to have been able to respond to you smercurio in a more timely fashion.  Again, appologies to ben.

[smercurio_fc]

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kmcdevitt wrote:

Kevin:  I'm sorry smercurio and ben, but I have been very busy solving all the world's problems without the help that Tabs inside of Clusters would have provided. 

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That has got to be one of the best responses I have ever heard. 

[tst]

I've created my fair share of large clusters (and nested clusters), so I can't say I would object to the idea, although probably only as a purely visual organizational tool (e.g. if the tab wasn't visible in the hierarchy of the cluster elements, or if it was visible, but didn't actually affect anything other than how you select a cluster element in lists). I don't know what the technical issues are, but if you want LV R&D to actually get this, you should use the Product Suggestion Center.

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kmcdevitt wrote:

If you had a 5 page tab, then you would need 5 clusters, and much more code to handel the GUI event queue and then when you wanted one element from the 5 clusters you would have to check which page, then you would know which cluster to get the element from.

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Can't say I understand this, though. Doesn't seem to make any sense to me.

P.S. The Quote Message button is pretty handy and makes your posts easier to read (see above).

P.P.S. Who was mean spirited, exactly?

P.P.P.S. The varying casing of LabVIEW may not be disrespctful, but using the Check Spelling button isn't disrepctful either. 😉 (not that I use it myself usually, but...)