front panel controls show up one at a time

[bobcook40]

When I first open my main vi the controls on the front panel appear one at a time over 20-30 seconds.  The problem was compounded when a second front panel was made switching between the two the controls for the second panel pop up one at a time and after they all appear the first panels controls go away one at a time.  Any ideas on why this ocurs and how do I fix it so the transition happens quickly?

[Ben]

Did it behave that way BEFORE the changes were made?

Are you using LV8 and by "Panel" are you refering to tabs?

Can you post a zip of the code so we can take a look ourselves?

Just trying to help,

Ben

[bobcook40]

Ben

The code is modeled on a vi that was done under LV5 and was also ported over to new computers and LV8.  We had to install the traditional drivers to get that code to run on the new systems.  The original vi transitions fairly quickly.  The new vi is modeled on the original code with efforts being made to strip it of the overhead bagage.  ie.the sequence structures and controls no longer needed.....  The new code from the begining has sequentially brought up each control with each new control being added it progressively gets worse.  With the addition of the second front panel in the same vi the protracted transition of the controls became a significant issue.

Bob

[Dennis_Knutson]

I haven't looked at all of your VIs but the one called fixTest is absolutely unreadable. There are an enermous number of hidden wires. Mainly the wires that go to the case statements. I don't know how you can debug this and certtainly impossible for someone who has never seen it before. Fixing this and re-posting would be welcome.

I did notice a very large number of controls/indicators and property nodes to control visibility. It would be much simpler to place them on separate tabs and then you could get rid of all the property nodes. That large number is certainly a drain on resources. The same can be said for the large number of local variables. My guess is that most if not all could be eliminated with a better programming style.

[Kalin_T]

bobcook40,

I looked at your fixTest VI and I have to agree with Dennis's suggestions.

1. Use tab controls instead of multiple property node to control the visibility of your controls. This will reduce the resource usage. Simply search for "tab controls" on our website and you will find tutorials and example programs that show you how to use them.

2. Reduce the number of local variables by using direct wiring when possible.

3. Cluster variables together to reduce the number of wires on your block diagram and make your code more readable. Use the bundle and unbundle VIs for that.

Hope that helps,

Kalin T

Applications Engineer

National Instruments