Feedback Requested: New Default Object Shortcuts

[Darren]

My proposal to ship default shortcuts in LabVIEW 2016 has been approved, and I have completed the code changes for the feature. As part of this feature, I would like to standardize the object shortcuts that will ship with LabVIEW 2016. This includes shortcuts that will be used for non-English LabVIEW. Below is the list of object shortcuts I plan on shipping in LabVIEW 2016. Note that this list has the following requirements:

1. Objects that are commonly dropped. I don't want to have a shortcut for every single item in the palettes.

2. Objects that are part of the default LabVIEW Core palette set for Windows, Mac, and Linux. That means I have excluded things like Timed Loop (Windows only), New VI Object function (requires scripting to be enabled), etc.

3. Shortcuts can be easily typed with the left hand only.

Please let me know if you have any feedback on these shortcuts. Note that they are slightly different than my original list that has been available for many years, so I'll be re-learning a few things myself as well.  I'd like to have the "final" list available in the LabVIEW 2016 beta, so if you find anything glaringly offensive or absent in the list below, please reply to this thread soon.

As a reminder, you will not be forced to use these shortcuts. If you copy over your LabVIEW INI file from 2015 or earlier into 2016, your existing shortcut list will be used. This list is only the *default* set, i.e. the set that gets installed if the user doesn't have any pre-existing shortcuts defined. There will also be a button in the Quick Drop Configuration dialog to reset whatever existing shortcuts are present to the default set.

Thanks everybody for all your feedback so far, I'm really excited and hopeful that we'll see even more Quick Drop adoption take place as a result of this feature in LabVIEW 2016.

Proposed Default Front Panel Object Shortcuts (rev2)

ac	Array
athc	File Path Control
athn	File Path Indicator
bc	Push Button
bn	Round LED
cb	Framed Color Box
cc	Cluster
cr	Control Refnum
en	Enum
erc	Error In 3D.ctl
ern	Error Out 3D.ctl
nc	Numeric Control
nn	Numeric Indicator
sac	Select a Control...
sc	String Control
sn	String Indicator
vr	VI Refnum
wc	Waveform Chart
wg	Waveform Graph
xg	XY Graph

Proposed Default Block Diagram Object Shortcuts (rev2)

1dg	One Button Dialog
2as	Matrix Size
2dg	Two Button Dialog
3dg	Three Button Dialog.vi
aae	Add Array Elements
ac	Array Constant
ad1	Increment
as	Array Size
asb	Array Subset
atch	Match Pattern
athc	Path Constant
ats	Array To Spreadsheet String
avg	Mean.vi [NI_AALBase.lvlib]
ba	Build Array
bath	Build Path
bbn	Bundle By Name
car	Compound Arithmetic
cb	Color Box Constant
cbr	Call By Reference
cc	Cluster Constant
ccat	Concatenate Strings
cds	Conditional Disable Structure
cerr	Clear Errors.vi
cf	Close File
cmd	System Exec.vi
cr	Close Reference
crf	Open/Create/Replace File
cs	Case Structure
csc	Class Specifier Constant
cv	Current VI's Path
dbl	To Double Precision Float
dc	DBL Numeric Constant
dds	Diagram Disable Structure
dec	Decrement
dfa	Delete From Array
dq	Dequeue Element
dv	Divide
ea	Empty Array?
eath	Empty Path Constant
ec	Error Cluster Constant
ecf	Error Cluster From Error Code.vi
eq	Equal?
eqz	Equal To 0?
er	Error Ring
erg	Merge Errors
ess	Less?
esseq	Less Or Equal?
esseqz	Less Or Equal To 0?
essz	Less Than 0?
estr	Empty String/Path?
estrc	Empty String Constant
evstr	Event Structure
ext	To Extended Precision Float
fb	Feedback Node
fc	False Constant
fca	First Call?
fs	For Loop
fss	Flat Sequence Structure
fstr	Format Into String
fxp	To Fixed-Point
geq	Greater Or Equal?
geqz	Greater Or Equal To 0?
gr	Greater?
grz	Greater Than 0?
i16	To Word Integer
i32	To Long Integer
i64	To Quad Integer
i8	To Byte Integer
inf	Positive Infinity
-inf	Negative Infinity
na	Initialize Array
nae	And Array Elements
nan	Not A Number/Path/Refnum?
nc	Numeric Constant
ndx	Index Array
neq	Not Equal?
neqz	Not Equal To 0?
nes	In Place Element Structure
nq	Enqueue Element
nt	Not
nv	Invoke Node
qr	Quotient & Remainder
ra	Reverse 1D Array
ras	Replace Array Subset
rbf	Read from Binary File
rn	Property Node
rndd	Round Towards -Infinity
rndu	Round Towards +Infinity
rtf	Read from Text File
s1d	Search 1D Array
sath	Strip Path
sav	Select a VI...
sb	Subtract
sc	String Constant
se	Select
seng	String Length
serr	Simple Error Handler.vi
sgl	To Single Precision Float
sqr	Square Root
srt	Sort 1D Array
sss	Search/Split String
sta	Spreadsheet String To Array
svr	Static VI Reference
tc	True Constant
tcase	To Lower Case
tct	Tick Count (ms)
tra	Transpose 2D Array
tsc	To More Specific Class
tvar	To Variant
u16	To Unsigned Word Integer
u32	To Unsigned Long Integer
u64	To Unsigned Quad Integer
u8	To Unsigned Byte Integer
ubn	Unbundle By Name
vae	Or Array Elements
vc	Variant Constant
vr	Open VI Reference
vsr	VI Server Reference
vtd	Variant To Data
wat	Wait (ms)
wbf	Write to Binary File
wc	Waveform Constant
ws	While Loop
wtf	Write to Text File
x	Multiply
xae	Multiple Array Elements

[Hooovahh]

Block Diagram Functions

For me I prefer constants to have a shortcut that is the one letter for that data type, and then the letter c.  There are a few exceptions but for the most part this helps discover shortcuts to constants you may have forgotten about.  So for me I would make the following changes to be consistent

ac - Array Constant

pc - Path Constant

cc - Cluster Constant

ec - Error Cluster Constant

nc - Numeric Constant

sc - String Constant

vc - Variant Constant

wc - Waveform Constant (not on the list)

Here are a few I'd also change, or have changed in my personal config.  For me being able to remember them is more important thant only using my right hand.  If I can't remember it, it doesn't matter how useful of a shortcut it is.

ce - Clear Error (you have cerr)

me - Merge Error (I can see a preference to right handedness)

mul - Multiply (ex?)

cat - Concatenate String (currently ccat)

in - Invoke Node (right handed preference)

pn - Property Node (right handed preference)

tv - To Variant (currently tvar)

div - Divide (currently dv)

sp - Strip Path (currently sath, wasn't it always sp?)

bp - Build Path (currently bath, wasn't it always bp?)

rdf - Read From Text File (currently rt)

wrf - Write to Text File (currently wt)

db - To Double Point Precision (currently tdb)

And here are a few new functions that I don't think you have that I find useful.

cmd - System Exec.vi

sl - String Length

vi - VI Server Reference (this drops a "This VI" reference)

i8 - To Byte Integer

i16 - To Word Integer

i32 - To Long Integer

i64 - ...

u8 - ...

u16 - ...

u32 - ...

u64 - ...

ti - To Time Stamp

tra - Transpose 2D Array

inf - Positive Infinity

Front Panel Controls

Similarly to the comment about the constants earlier, I also prefer things like one letter then the letter c for control, or one letter then the letter i for indicator.

ac - Array

cc - Cluster

ec - Error Controls (this is a VI that merges both a modern Error In and Error Out)

pc - Path Control

pi - Path Indicator

sc - String Control

si - String Indicator

ni - Numeric Indicator

If we haven't already discussed this, I think you know my general opinion is that remembering the function is much more important than being able to do it with one hand.  If it takes 8 seconds to find it on the palette, or takes 1.5s to type "bp" then move my hand back to the mouse, or if it takes 1.0s to type "bath" I'd still prefer typing "bp" because I'll actully use it.  Maybe the other people brains are wired different, and maybe I'd remember the new method. 

Actually I just noticed several of your right handled shortcuts use the right hand of the keyboard, I can't actually type bath without using my left hand since my two keyboard halfs are about 4 inches apart.  Anyway glad to hear there will be some kind of standard, even if it is one I don't fully agree with.

[D*]

I lean towards Brian's direction, but since quick drop can have more than one shortcut for an item, maybe make shortcuts for both styles?  i.e. both "bp" and "bath"?

I'll upvote these conversion types:

i8 - To Byte Integer

i16 - To Word Integer

i32 - To Long Integer

i64

u8

u16

u32

u64

sgl

dbl

ext

fxp

Also, because it is natural :

sqrt     square root

/      quotient

=     equals

=>     greater or equal

=>0     greater or equal to zero

...

mean        mean.vi (instead of getting "mean ptbypt.vi" as the top hit)

fft              fft.vi (instead of getting "fft ptbypt.vi" as the top hit)

sum          add array elements

product     multiply array elements

round down Round towards - Inf    

round up     Round towards + Inf

v2d          Variant to data

[crossrulz]

Brian Hoover wrote:

ac - Array Constant

pc - Path Constant

cc - Cluster Constant

ec - Error Cluster Constant

nc - Numeric Constant

sc - String Constant

vc - Variant Constant

wc - Waveform Constant (not on the list)

I prefer the idea of having the "c" at the end of these as well.  Just extra letter does make it easier for my brain to remember what the shortcut is.

Brian Hoover wrote:

rdf - Read From Text File (currently rt)

wrf - Write to Text File (currently wt)

I would prefer these instead:

rtf - Read from Text File

wtf - Write to Text File

rbf - Read from Binary File

wbf - Write To Binary File

Going with the first letters of each main word is the easiest to remember.

[SercoSteveB]

Consistency is the key for me. I see what you did with "vae - Or Array Elements" but shortcuts like that are a deviation from how the majority are constructed and require an addtional bit of knowledge to use that should ideally be avoided.

Going with the first letter of each main word, as crossrulz suggests, works for me but suspect even this method will have issues as letter combinations get used up.

[jcarmody]

This news makes this IE idea relevant again - quick drop shortcut context help.

[Hooovahh]

crossrulz wrote:

I would prefer these instead:

rtf - Read from Text File

wtf - Write to Text File

rbf - Read from Binary File

wbf - Write To Binary File

Going with the first letters of each main word is the easiest to remember.

I don't feel strongly one way or another, it's just Read in my mind can be shortened to RD, and Write to WR, maybe it is years of icon editing, and trying to squeeze every character I can.

I'd suggest that the vae for Or Array Elements may have came from the nae for And Array Elements, because aae was taken for the Add Array Elements. 

[Darren]

Thanks for the feedback, everybody! After taking into account y'all's feedback, I have posted rev 2 of the proposed default shortcuts above. Here are some notes regarding the changes:

1. I decided not to include shortcuts for multiple objects ('bath' and 'bp' for Build Path, e.g.). The reason is that, if you're moving your right hand over to the keyboard to type, then you've already incurred the penalty of the hand switch, and typing additional characters to auto-complete the object name is a negligible increase in the time it will take to specify the object. Plus, we're currently at 126 shortcuts on the diagram, which seems like a lot to me. Cutting out shortcuts for duplicate objects seemed like the easiest way to keep the size of the list down.

2. I included some shortcuts that require the right-hand to type. These are shortcuts like "i32", "cmd", etc., that don't have a legitimate left-hand-only counterpart, but are still useful shorthand for commonly-used objects.

3. I agree with the suggestions that constant shortcuts should all end in 'c', so I made that change. And to be consistent on the panel, I also made Array and Cluster be 'ac' and 'cc', respectively.

Let me know if y'all have any additional feedback on the 'rev2' lists.

[Hooovahh]

Sweet, rev 2 looks pretty good.  Obviously there are some things I don't agree with, but other things I can get used to.  Besides some things I'm going to want a specific way that maybe no one else will want, which is where I can customize my setup.

[User002]

Forgive me if I've missed the discussion elsewhere, but have there been any requests for single-key shortcuts? I'm not sure if I just execute the query too soon, or if there's some lag in the quick drop lookup but I find that I frequently drop a CAR when I intended a CS (the S didn't make it in). Sometimes it's a WAT instead of a WS. For the common ones I've written single-key shortcuts. Anyone else had this trouble? Any appeal for single-key shortcuts?