Quick Drop on Project

[jgcode]

Is it silly to have the thought that I want to be able to Quick Drop (e.g. for a custom plugin) on the LabVIEW Project window or its elements?

?

[NJKirchner]

It's not a silly thought at all.

Because the project API is exposed, there is a TON of functionality users could enable if plugins were created that performed actions on the current project.

For example, imagine you have a variety of VI's that you need to validate the iconography on. Ideally what you would like to do is select all related items in the tree and then display all icons in an organized fashion next to each other. That would require a plugin that opens a new VI, but technically, thats fair game. The image below shows what would be the starting point.

<a href="http://content.screencast.com/users/NJKirchner/folders/Jing/media/eee5aee2-069d-4ce7-a24c-0af3353924d3/2010-05-05_0917.png"><img class="embeddedObject" src="http://content.screencast.com/users/NJKirchner/folders/Jing/media/eee5aee2-069d-4ce7-a24c-0af3353924d3/2010-05-05_0917.png" width="777" height="218" border="0" /></a>

[Darren]

Currently, there is no way to invoke Quick Drop directly from the project window.  I don't know how feasible it would be to make the internal changes necessary to facilitate this (I wouldn't be able to do it...I'd need to get somebody who knows the menu code to work on it).  But for now, there's nothing stopping you from using the VI Server interface to the project from a Quick Drop Keyboard Shortcut plugin VI...you would just need to get the Project reference, and write code similar to what Norm wrote, for whatever it is you want to do with project items.  You would just invoke this operation from a VI within the project, instead of from the project window itself.

-D

[jgcode]

Glad to here I am not crazy

Even tho the functionality is there, sometimes hovering over the project I get an itch to quick drop.

For example if I want to work on a Library I just want to QD on it in the project.

But currently I have to open a member VI and get a reference to its Library.

[jgcode]

Thanks Darren.

Do you think this idea would be a natural evolution for QD?

If you like the idea I will post to the Idea Exchange.

[jgcode]

Hey Norm

Since I remember you like Icons, and you just posted an example about them ...

I finally got to releasing a plugin that makes use of the LVOOP control cube color algorithm you pointed out (end of last year)

You can check it out here - and there are some Vids on the discussion page.

ThSa updated the Icon Editor API to allow me to implement/preserve layers.

(He just updated it again as well so I can expand my plugin).

Anyways did you ever do more work on your Project/library Icon Editor stuff?

[Darren]

I've never had the "itch" to drop things in the project with Quick Drop...  But that doesn't mean other users haven't.  I'm all for posting ideas to the Idea Exchange...it's our best way to gauge interest in potential product ideas, so go for it.

-D

[jgcode]

Ok, here it is posted to the Idea Exchange Forum

I guess I am not looking to always "drop" things in the project

Rather use the Quick Drop interface as a way to implement custom plugins.

Off the top of my head however, I can imagine "dropping" in:

• My company's default build spec for a project
• A standard list of virtual folders for a new Class, all named, scoped and ordered the way I want.

Anything to avoid repetition

I think there would be lots of potential here!