possible BUG in subvi

[Hatef.fouladi]

Hi again for all labview experts
I  think that maybe this issue that I want to explain is some kind of bug for report
and I want to know my friends opinion inside the forum 
the issue is that 
if we use a vi as subvi inside the other vi but for this subvi in icon editor we disable all user layers 
this subvi will be transparent insde the block diagram and also not selectable part for drag and drop or move inside the block diagram 
I think if we regard being transparent is reasonable but being unselectable is not reasonable and  NI should be fix this problem 

[Bob_Schor]

Hatef,

     A good catch!  I went into one of my Projects, opened a VI, and simply deleted the components of the Icon (I cleared the Icon Template I used, and erased the Icon Text) (that was all there was -- this VI had nothing in the User Layers, just Template and Text).  Presto, it "disappeared" from my Block Diagram.  I couldn't even double-click where it "used to be" to re-open it to fix it.  The only thing I could do was to remember its name, open the so-named VI in the Project, and recreate its Icon.

    I suspect this is not so much a "bug" as an "unanticipated, unexpected Consequence".  NI supplies an Icon with every VI and function, and gives you an Icon Editor to create your own Icon.  They probably never anticipated we'd use the Editor to remove the entire Icon.  Talk about a Stealth Program -- the only way you know "something is there" is if you see a gap in a wire that "tunnels" through the VI.

Bob Schor

[Hatef.fouladi]

I think It is better if any body make subvi transparent for any reason should also
could click on this subvi on block diagram and could able to edit it
there is no reason that this subvi become undetectable for click or select on block diagram just reason could be for labview roots code Bug for showing GUI of BD
what is your idea about it Bob

[Ben]

I had written previously the challenge involved in declaring a bug.

In the context of LabVIEW a bug is a behaviour that fails to adhear to the specification. It not when LV fails to meet our expectations.

VI icon can be edited to be smaller than the default size and that lets us develop sub-VIs that look like some of the fucntions that ship with LV. When one of those sub-VI's appears on a diagram, we can run wire beside them traversing the part of the diagram that WOULD have been covered by a standard sized icon. When I select a portion of the diagram that includes a close wire but exclude the small-sized icon, I would not expect the sub-VI to be included in that selection.

I am bring up that point becuase we do not have the "spec" for LV, but rather only have the application that is the result of those specs. So it SEEMS to me that selection spec may read something like "all of the enclosed visable items..." since we do not want to select nearby items. So I would not be suprised is "visable" is part of the way the selection works.

That makes me lean toward "not a bug" until I concider ctrl-a" to select all. That is were it gets a little fuzzy and maybe bugish.

Even if we get it declared as bug the priority would be very low since there is an obvious work-around and it affects very few users.

Short story before I close...

A man went to the doctor complaining that every time he drank his morning tea he felt a pain in his eye. The doctor asked him to explain what lead up the pain ... Eventually the doctor suggested that next time he drink his tea, he should remove teh spoon from the cup before he drank it. I reminded my son of that joke when he was young and would do somthing silly and get hurt. The phrase was "Don't do that!"

So if this does get reported as a bug it would be a

"Don't do that!"

bug.

Ben

[Hatef.fouladi]

thank you for your answer Ben it look rational answer esp short story part and the part that you mentioned this is an obvious work-around and it affects very few users
but for last defence of my claim that is maybe bug
we use spoon in cup for mixing sugar and that  man just forget to remove spoon  but i do not know  why labview should make subvi unclickable or unselectable when we disable all user layer in icon  and make it transparent there is no usage and no application 

[Ben]

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@Hatef.fouladi wrote:

... there is no usage and no application 

---

Fair enough.

I have been fooled by NI and what gets delcared a bug in the past. Predicting if this well be declared as a bug or not quoting from Rogers and Hammerstein "The King and I"

It is a puzzlement!

Ben

[crossrulz]

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@Hatef.fouladi wrote:

i do not know  why labview should make subvi unclickable or unselectable when we disable all user layer in icon  and make it transparent there is no usage and no application

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I would argue the fact that you can make the icon transparent is the real bug.  Not being able to select it is just another symptom.

[Hatef.fouladi]

indeed I agree with you crossrulz
that icon for subvi should not be transparent
to make such problem

[johnsold]

Without getting onto the discussion of whether this is a bug let me ask one question: Suppose someone wants an "invisible" VI. It is created with one visible pixel located at where an input or output wire connects. The pixel is colored to match the wire type. Now do you have a VI which does not show - because its icon is identical to the end of the wire - but is still accessible by clicking on the "magic" spot?  Obviously this will not work for a VI with not conpane connections.

Lynn

[Blokk]

I might suggest a workaround. If for some very special reason (never needed, but i can imagine would be good way to hide "easter eggs" in a VI 🙂 ) you need to use "invisible" subVI(s) in a VI, you could use the following trick to make it clickable and shown. Test it yourself: create a subVI, and place it in a VI. Make it invisible as you described. After this step, go to the taskbar of your MAIN VI, and click on "View" --> "VI Hierarchy". Voila, your invisible subVI is shown with an empty rectangular, and also clickable: