More elaborate VI Icons and Documentation

[djpritchard]

I've been working to build more modular code, and want to be able to build some more elaborate Icons for VIs, from what I've been able to do within the Icon editor built in to LV.  Is there a way to do something in say Paint, and then port it in?  I also am having trouble working to get some User Help.  I did use the Documentation option, but haven't been able to get it to pop up when I drop a sub VI in to a new VI.  What I want to be able to pass to the user is what the connectors are that I've made available in the VI.  The ones I've been making lately are just an Error In and Error Out, but the User can't discern this from the simple two terminal view of the Icon.

[LV_Pro]

As to the icons, to see something "kewl" drag an image from your "My Pictures" folder over the icon on a vi you have open and drop it. Of course the icon will only be able to display the normal icon resolution, but it will scale it down. I have seen a Main vi example where the developer had a recognizable photo of himself. Of course when you open for editing it is just an incoherent matrix of colors.

[Ben]

For each control pop-up and select "Descrition and tips" to get help on the terminals.

For the VI do a ctrl-i and select documentation to enter the help for the VI.

Ben

[aeastet]

I use fireworks to do my icons. That is only useful if you have micromedia software. I do a little web development when Ihave to and I have the development suite. It is fun for develpoing icons.

GIMP is a free version that does most of the same stuff.

http://www.gimp.org/

[Ben]

Just remebered this is a good opertunity to hsare a quote from Michael Avaliotis that I teach to my rookies.

"An icon is worth evey seocond you spend creating it, not every minute."

Ben

[aeastet]

I think if you are generating modular code and you want to be able to see what is going on in an instant then they are worth spending time on. If you are going to use the vi once then Ben is correct as fast as possible. That is why I only have really nice icons on my user llb files.

[LV_Pro]

Some of us are paid by the hour!    Make the icon meaningful, not too complex and generally not too cute. I try and use "group" icons that are similar for similar functions, color coded by function. Please don't do like one program that I was asked to "upgrade" and use all black icons with some contrasting colored lettering. That wasn't the worst of the vi's issues, but definitely made it harder to figure out what was supposed to be going on and correct it.

[aeastet]

Here are the icons that I use for my MS Excel llb. (for those of us that do not get the money to get all of the cool tool kits).

I think these are very useful and intutive

Here is a different LLB for unit conversion where only the polymorphic VI's get the nice front end and the subs do not.

Subs

[Ben]

Nice...

What does the "XML Tag sniffer" do?

Ben

[ssk]

I used to spend ages designing icons in various colours. I now have a simple black and white template that has the company name at the bottom and a brief description of the vi's function above.

I know we live in an age of high resolution graphics but I like the uniform look of my icon style (although some will call it boring!), and each one takes about 20 seconds to draw. I prefer to spend a bit more time on the vi documentation.