LabVIEW

cancel
Showing results for 
Search instead for 
Did you mean: 

Why UI Control Suite: System Controls 2.0 Not Included

Solved!
Go to solution

Does anyone know why the package from VIPM "UI Control Suite: System Controls 2.0" is not included in stock LabVIEW by default? I understand the fundamental controls are included because they have native windows API counterparts (or very close to it). However, all other UI sets just include all LabVIEW useful controls.

 

Isn't it about time to include the System Controls 2.0 by default? This will maybe make it easier to take LabVIEW seriously as a programming environment.

 

As a side note, what are people using these days? I like the System controls because they don't looks comical or waste space...it adopts the local UI appearance.

0 Kudos
Message 1 of 13
(4,450 Views)

I'm not sure I see the problem here.  NI has decided (perhaps for reasons of backward compatibility) to have a certain set of Controls included with LabVIEW.  For the past half-decade, they've also included (by default) VIPM installation, and have provided additional controls and functions that not everyone might want, but that are available to anyone who wants to use them.  So just install them, already, and enjoy ...  Note that with NXG, this discussion might become moot ...

 

Bob Schor

0 Kudos
Message 2 of 13
(4,405 Views)

My issue is they provided a single set of UI controls in two pieces...one of which you need to get from an external source. Modern, Classic, and Silver are all provided in their entirety, while System gets the half- treatment. If they are going to maintain this stance, then why not just remove System from the built in set of controls and clean up the menus a bit.

 

It is a pain (and needless clutter) to need to open two UI palettes to get to all the UI elements. THAT I think is the biggest issue of all.

0 Kudos
Message 3 of 13
(4,401 Views)

I think you are correct in your observations that Modern, Classic, and Silver are (forgive the unintended pun) "modern" and consistent, while System is (and again, this is an exaggerated comparison) antiquated and in need of updating.  However, I think System is close to the controls that originally shipped, and retains its "ancient look and feel" for compatibility purposes.  To get an up-to-date, not-compatible-with-Old-System "new System" set of controls, NI has turned to VIPM and the NI Tools Network.  If (when?) NI abandons "Classic LabVIEW" for NXG, this will be moot, anyway.

 

BS

0 Kudos
Message 4 of 13
(4,394 Views)

I tend to agree with raceybe.

 

Bob, I think you are not understanding the context of raceybe's complaint.

 

System controls are not antiquated, they are system controls. So a string control would like a normal Windows control on XP, 7, or 10. It adapts to the OS, hence the name system control.

 

The standard set of system controls does not include Plots, Arrays, Clusters, etc, that is why you need to download them from VIPM with the 2.0 set. It would be nice to have them included.

 

@raceybe - The only solution is to make a request to the idea exchange and hope it gets picked up.

0 Kudos
Message 5 of 13
(4,384 Views)

Yup. You nailed it. Nothing I can say to enhance  your response.

0 Kudos
Message 6 of 13
(4,374 Views)
Solution
Accepted by topic author CanadaGuy

This likely started as an experiment.  Someone at NI had some extra time (who also likes UI development, Christina Rogers perhaps? author is Jervin Justin), and thought it would be fun to make some more system controls.  These controls might have been put together quickly, and didn't go through the full NI validation process.  Getting anything new on the palette can be a relatively large undertaking, with lots of discussions internally.  But releasing a package to the tools network has several less hoops to jump through.  This might also be why experimental things like the Hidden Gems package is separate.  

 

If these experiments are popular enough, and get good feedback, then they may become first class citizens with their functions/controls being brought to the palette.  Since these controls haven't been updated since 2009 or so, I wouldn't expect them brought to the standard palette any time soon.  There is also a UI community that had some discussion on these controls a while ago.

 

That being said I love this package and it part of our internal reuse library, and probably has been installed on every LabVIEW IDE I've installed in the last 5 years or more.  I suggest you make an idea exchange item, to which I will vote with all my kudos (which is one...sorry).

 

Also the system controls are one major thing I have said is missing from NXG which will truly hurt UI development.  UI trends change over the years, but your system changes with those trends (for the most part) and developing a UI with system controls makes it timeless.  Where being forced to use one set of controls will look dated in a few years.

Message 7 of 13
(4,370 Views)

Thanks for the inputs.

 

I do a lot of general "tool" programming in LabVIEW and I find the system UI take up the least amount of space, and have a more typical application feel to it, that's why I use it.

 

I too worry about the NXG UI development as well. From what I recall in my limited exploration of NXG, it looks like it took on a modified Silver feel, which has a nice "uniqueness" about it, but that breaks from standard application design.

 

Thanks for pointing out some of the history.

0 Kudos
Message 8 of 13
(4,364 Views)

I will also kudo the idea exchange. Please add that they also include system controls for VISA and other NI I/O. (Philip Brooks made a System VISA control a while back somewhere on this forum.)

 

mcduff

0 Kudos
Message 9 of 13
(4,364 Views)

@raceybe wrote:

As a side note, what are people using these days? I like the System controls because they don't looks comical or waste space...it adopts the local UI appearance.


Personally I don’t like that, because my Users run a range of Windows systems, and I want the application to look the same on Windows 7 or Windows 10.   Also, everyone interacts more with websites these days than OS applications, so being consistent with the OS seems unimportant.  So I instead took the time a year ago to develop more modern-looking controls (Flatline), partly based on Google Material Design, which I now use in all my UI's.

Message 10 of 13
(4,350 Views)