Michael Aivaliotis

Actually, I think that feature went into LabVIEW 8.5

QUOTE (crelf @ Aug 29 2008, 08:08 AM)

I've seen tag clouds that are 3D, but not as you might imagine: the font of the tag is proportional to the number of instances of the tag. It's pretty simple, but it's very effective.

This is the case for the LAVA tags as well. The reason that the fonts haven't changed (yet) is because there are not enough duplicate tags yet. It's still new.

Also, I'd like to mention another use for the tags. Usually a thread here on LAVA starts off on one topic, which is included in the topic title (usually, if the poster thinks about it) and then eventually goes off into another topic. This is fine but it's hard to find the subtopic of the thread in a search. If you tag the sub-post with relevant tags then google search will see those tags and they may come up on your next search. In other words, you tags become part of the page contents which google picks up. So I see tagging as a smarter human way of adding keywords to our web content so that the next Google search will work better. Also, as mentioned in the beginning. Most posters choose poor topic titles. Adding several tags to the top of the thread improves the thread relavence to the topics discussed.

So, for now, don't think of it as away to improve the navigation but as a way to improve the searchability of our content.

PS: Another use of the tags is to categorize. For example, I've started using the tag: "Memorable Post". I think we should all tag the entire thread with this tag when the topic seems to be attracting a lot of replies and several passionate responses. In other words, a "hot" topic. Having topics grouped like that allows LAVA to link to them as a group later.

QUOTE (Ton @ Aug 27 2008, 10:37 AM)

I can't tag, the little popup comes up, if I click go I get a blank page. :headbang:

I fixed this now.

Can you try now? Also, how do the expressionflow forums look like?

According to NI's marketing, if you want to share code between projects, the best way is to use library (*.lvlib) files. At least that was the initial reason for libraries. On the other hand, NI changes their message every few months so it's possible that libraries are a thing of the past already.

Of course an even better way is to create VIPM packages.

QUOTE (ASTDan @ Aug 24 2008, 04:46 PM)

... Also another issue is how do you manage a number of different reuse libraries i.e. versions etc.

VIPM has solved this problem with the concept of project package configurations. Package configurations are like snapshots in time for the current project you are working on. They contain the package libraries that are used in your project for that LV version. When you need to work on that project you simply "apply" the package configuration and VIPM configures your environment with the exact set of package libraries you need to get your work done. So as long as you have a package configuration created, you can experiment with any library you want. You can always go back to the known working package configuration.

So, using the wrong library version for your project and risking broken code is a thing of the past.

Link

The LAVA tagging system was installed a while back however it's been a little buggy. I've just installed a bugfix release to the tagging system here on LAVA which should fix most issues. The main one was you were not able to tag posts you did not create. Now tagging should work for all users on all content. If you notice any issues please respond on this thread.

QUOTE (LV_FPGA_SE @ Aug 22 2008, 08:06 AM)

...and needed transparency inside the loops, both of which could not be done in LV.

Isn't there an ini key that will give you transparent structures?

QUOTE (ASTDan @ Aug 22 2008, 08:29 AM)

Is there anyway to force the tip strip on in LabVIEW when you want to?

I have been looking on NI's website, the tip strip seems to be a function of Windows. Is there an Active X or .net way to have more control over the tip strip? I think it is called the ToolTip. However when trying to google this I get tips on tools for windows. :headbang:

Dan

You mean you want to show the tip strip without the user having to hover the mouse over a control? If so then it's not really a tip strip is it? Sounds like just a floating text you can programmaticly position. Can you elaborate on what kind of control you want?

That diagram and your last reply makes no sense to me but the important thing is that it works for you and you can move on. have fun.

QUOTE (TobyD @ Aug 21 2008, 01:50 PM)

Can you describe the flow of your program and the interaction between TestStand and LabVIEW? Maybe post a flowchart if you have one. I'm curious what you are trying to do. There may be a better way to do it.

No, the solution TobyD presents is how you should pass data from LabVIEW to Teststand. It is the official NI party line sorta speak. Isn't that great? (that was sarcasm).

One thing to note is that this solution is typically used to pass data from a LabVIEW operator interface into TestStand, not for VI calls in a TestStand step, however there is nothing preventing you from doing this. Now the other question still left is how do you pass data from Teststand to LabVIEW. Well instead of a Set Property, you do a Get Property.

There is one more method not mentioned. You can use TestStand ActiveX Callbacks. This allows your LabVIEW operator interface to respond to a TestStand event and receive a payload of data via Custom UIMessages. Again, a best practice. See here.

QUOTE (neB @ Aug 20 2008, 05:36 AM)

Have you ever tried to file a CAr without being able to reproduce the issue on demand?

I agree. Reporting this to NI is a futile exercise. Not reproducible at all.

QUOTE (neB @ Aug 20 2008, 05:36 AM)

Ben, there's a thread for this issue here.

To Aristos and the other NI folks arguing that the 3 button dialog VI is fine. All I have to say is, you just don't get it. This type of coding is not acceptable in my books regardless of how much pixie dust you sprinkle over it.

QUOTE (eaolson @ Aug 21 2008, 01:38 PM)

So this version first hides the window from view, then closes it, and there is no flickering issue.

That's a valid point.

QUOTE (neB @ Aug 21 2008, 11:37 AM)

I had out-lawed multi-frame stacked seq structures in our shop until I saw how another developer had used a two frame seq structure. She put all of the code in the first frame and she pasted an image of the code's design in the second. This was really clever since all I had to do was reach up and switch frames to refernce her design.

Not very practical. You can't view the code and the design side-by-side making it very limited.

QUOTE (eaolson @ Aug 21 2008, 08:08 AM)

Actually, I don't see the point in all that code before the exit. You are exiting. Hiding the panel makes no difference. Just put the exit and that's it. Simplify.

Chris Relf is no longer helping administer the LAVAcr. I'm looking for any volunteers to help administer the LAVAcr. This requires checking for new submissions once a day. Reviewing submissions and if necessary delegating submission reviews to other LAVAcr team members. In general, helping apply the LAVAcr guidelines listed here (read the top 5 pinned items in that forum) and making sure the whole process runs in a timely manner. Note: existing LAVAcr assessors are also eligable for this position.

We currently have two submissions in the list that need to be reviewed and the backlog is growing. Please send me a PM if you are interested.

The current salary for this position is: $0. But the ability to put it on your resume as a bullet point: Priceless.

Here's a video that shows how you can have a broken VI on the diagram of a non-broken VI. No I'm not using a disable structure. If I click on the run arrow of the caller it breaks and shows the error list. The arrow then stays broken.

QUOTE (Maca @ Aug 19 2008, 04:13 AM)

So in short, bloody good work NI.

There is a lot of positive in this, however I'd rather have people just learn and use LabVIEW. In any case, it's all about the hardware I guess.

QUOTE (crelf @ Aug 19 2008, 11:03 AM)

Innappropriate, and (at least in the USA) I think asking marital status is illegal.

I agree again. Once they're hired, you can unleash your local office gossip hound on them, but during an interview, it's a no no. Of course there are exceptions, but I don't think anyone here falls under that category... or do they?

QUOTE (Ton @ Aug 19 2008, 11:11 AM)

I disagree. I was married with kids when I had to do exactly that. So what?

QUOTE (Ton @ Aug 19 2008, 10:40 AM)

I never use strict type defs, unless I put them on a GUI I am going to show to my user.

I have always the feeling why use a strict type def? Could you enlighten me?

Ton

The purpose of a strict type def, as you probably know, is to maintain the look and feel of the control across all VIs where it's used. I'm talking subvis here. So if you open two VI's that have the same control side by side, you can quickly tell that both controls refer to the same datatype because they look identical. You can even add some details such as a specific color border on the cluster and such. If you allow the developer to alter this control in any way, then this indicates to someone else that it's not the same datatype. LabVIEW is very visual and the more visual cues you give out in your program, the better.

On user interfaces, this has the same affect but for different reasons. You want to make sure the control is consistent throughout. For example, if you create a Cancel button with a special glyph on it then you want to make sure all your UIs use this cancel button so they all look the same. User interfaces must be consistent. It also helps to collect all your strict type defs in a dedicated Controls folder and label them appropriately. For example "Cancel Button.ctl", "Data Export Cluster.ctl" and such.

QUOTE (BobHamburger @ Aug 18 2008, 07:21 PM)

I always like to ask them when and why they would use a type definition, and then to distinguish cases where a strict type def might be more advantageous. I've had more than one supposedly "experienced" LabVIEW programmer respond with a blank stare.

I always strict type def my clusters and enums. There are also some other instances like rings and of course customized controls. However, I see no point in a plain type def.

QUOTE (neB @ Aug 19 2008, 05:58 AM)

I also agree that this question is not appropriate. It's possible that the candidate may volunteer such information on their own to prove a point on how resourceful they are, but it shouldn't be asked by the employer.

I ask them if they are members of LAVA and how many posts they have. Of course this is purely academic since I would only interview someone who is a well known contributor on LAVA.

Ya, I guess exporting to a text file or clipboard may be useful to somebody. Can you explain the usefulness of this list outside of LabVIEW? The whole idea of this list is to double-click the highlighted error item and it automatically takes you to the location with the problem.

Other than some corporate documentation policy, I don't see what other use it may have.

I came across this app from CodeWeavers which essentially allows you to install any Windows app on the Mac (without requiring a Windows OS license). Has anyone tried this with any of the LabVIEW versions?

Well, I can tell you it's not as a result of anything I did on my part. This appears to be a "feature" of Firefox 3.0. IE works fine.

Dis you upgrade FF recently?