Neatly Label A Wire

[Pawel_Kowalski]

I recently got a labview styles book and I noticed some of the neater programs use the following label on wires:

http://forums.ni.com/attachments/ni/170/295350/1/WireLabel.png

(I am looking at the bottom label with the arrows).

I can not find any documentation for how to do this. I can add a free label without problems but that appears with a yellow background (I cant find where to change this background) and does not attach to the wire. Is there a good manual for how I could do this? any help would be appreciated.

[Ray.R]

You're half way there.

Use a free label and type:   > my_comment >

Then on the tools palette (view > tools pallette), select the brush tool.  Choose the white color (I think it is right click on the brush tool) for both background and box color.  The use the brush tool to change the free label background and box to white. 

Select the free label (with the pointer/selector tool) and move it on top of the wire.

That's it..

R

[corys]

Shift-right click on the block diagram to bring up your tool selection palette. On there is a paint brush tool. Select it to change the colors of various objects.

When you have this tool selected, if you left-click on something, its color will change to the currently selected color. You can also right-click on something to bring up a color selection palette, where you can choose what color you want that object to be. So, after you create your free label, you can right-click on it with the paint brush tool, and select white as the new background.

[jon_mcbee]

The image you attached tells you how to do this.  You need to use the toolbox, from the title bar under View>>Toolbox (I think, dont have labview in front of me now)  Use the paint brush to paint the background of the comment, in the top right hand corner of the color selection there is a box to check for transparent (once again this is from memory so it may not be 100%).  Play around with it, you will get it.

[smercurio_fc]

Now that you've gotten the same answer 3 times I think it's sunk in.

Also, note that unlike labels for functions, controls, and indicators, the label is not actually "attached" to the wire - it just sits on top of it. You can also provide a description for the wire by right-clicking on it and selecting "Description and Tip". This only appears in the Context Help window (if you have it open).



Message Edited by smercurio_fc on 08-08-2008 03:43 PM

[Pawel_Kowalski]

Thanks for all the help. I did try it this way but I was hoping that there was a much better way of doing this. As pointed out the label doesn't attach to the wire so when the wire's position changes you have to move the label. Thanks again.

[corys]

Aye, but as smercurio_fc pointed out, you can add a description of the wire that will appear in the context help. It's not quite the same as the label (especially in trying to get a quick, "big picture" type of documentation), it is quite useful as a descriptor, as it not only follows the wire's position, but can easily be viewed from anywhere along the wire.

*edit* Unless the wire goes through a tunnel or such, in which case the description would have to be added to the other sections of the wire (but, that would be expected for a label as well).

Message Edited by corys on 08-08-2008 03:55 PM

[tst]

Also, if you drop a system label on the front panel and then drag it to the diagram, you get the added benefit of having it automatically adapt to the diagram color (this is only relevant if you actually change the diagram color).

[747]

Pawel,

I'm new to LabVIEW, but I'd add a comment.  If you use the selection tool (arrow) on the tool pallet to select a box around the free lable and part of the wire, you can move both together.

Best of luck,

Jake

[Dennis_Knutson]

Old thread and obsolete information. With 2010, you simply right click on a wire and select Visible Items>Label.