Create references and use property nodes with grouped controls

[20Syl]

Hi everyone,

Actually, I've already found the answer to my question in an old thread in which I saw the following picture. Problem is : I can't find how to create a reference to a group of controls and neither can I find the "Grouped" property used below.

The old thread dated from 2006. Was this feature removed in more recent releases of LV or I'm just too dumb to find it? Is there another way to interact with group members?

Thank you!

[Darin]

Both of those properties still exist, however they are private. They are amongst my favorite private properties so I can only hope there is a good reason for the privacy.

Read the VI scripting page for the ini key to turn on the private properties, but I would be very hesitant to put them into production code.

[Darren]

They are amongst my favorite private properties so I can only hope there is a good reason for the privacy.

I don't think there's a particularly good reason why these are private. I have filed CAR 380592 and CAR 380593 to see about getting them changed to public in a future LabVIEW version.

[20Syl]

Read the VI scripting page for the ini key to turn on the private properties, but I would be very hesitant to put them into production code.

I have activated the scripting in the options, but I can't find what is that ini key you are talking about and how to activate private properties...

Also, I don't know if this is necessary for my LabVIEW version, but I downloaded the VI package manager and installed the scripting toolkit, but it never showed up in NI license manager so I could activate it...

Further help would be appreciated!!

Thanks

[Darin]

Sorry I was a bit vague there. See this page:

http://labviewwiki.org/LabVIEW_configuration_file/Miscellaneous#SuperPrivateSpecialStuff

Nobody, especially NI, implies any warranty guarantee, expectation for future use, etc. for these private methods. Let common sense be your guide! If (when) your hard drive explodes, you did not hear this from me...

That said, have fun, and IMO it is a service to NI for users to identify which of these properties and methods are useful so they can be promoted.

[20Syl]

Don't worry! This application is not meant for production but for hardware DVT. I'll be careful I promise

I have written "SuperPrivateSpecialStuff=TRUE" at the end of the "labview.ini" file. Is this the only thing I have to do? Because I didn't see any changes...

[Darren]

I have written "SuperPrivateSpecialStuff=TRUE" at the end of the "labview.ini" file.

You may want to double-check that INI entry.

[20Syl]

I copy/pasted it from LabVIEW Wiki. Is this change supposed to automatically update my palettes with the new properties and methods the next time I open LabVIEW or is there something else I need to do?

[Darren]

Hah, I just checked the link...the LabVIEW Wiki INI token is wrong. It's close, but it's wrong. I would tell you the right one, but since I work for NI, it's secret.

[Darin]

I just checked my ini file, and I do not work for NI so I will tell you it is "super secret..."

SuperSecretPrivateSpecialStuff=TRUE

[20Syl]

This is more than secret stuff... it's super secret private special stuff! Seems it was a lot less secret 489 topics ago though...

Thanks for your help!

[20Syl]

Any reason why using the "Grouped" property works in simulation but not when I build the executable?

[Rolf Kalbermatter]

Any reason why using the "Grouped" property works in simulation but not when I build the executable?

Most likely since it was added as a quick hack by someone from NI, to be used in a tool, that did not need to run as build executable. The person doing that

1) either didn't think it was useful in a build app

2) wasn't sure there might be certain implications in a build app, that might require extra work for this to work properly

3) made a mistake when adding that property so it does not work properly in a build app

4) or there may have been even some brainstorming and some very bright guys in the LabVIEW developer group identified at least one reason that this feature can't be working as intended in a built app without a lot of extra effort, and so the feature was intentionally disabled for build apps, and that might also be the reason that it was made private, since it is in fact an unfinished feature.

[20Syl]

Any workaround possible?

[JamesMc86]

This is common across scripting methods as well. In many cases it is a practical issues that the changes are modifying something that can't be changed post compile. In this case as a read only i guess this doesn't apply but perhaps has simply not been added to runtime due to it being private

[20Syl]

Ok thanks.

Instead I'll use arrays of control labels tested individually in an auto-indexing for loop. Takes much more time to implement and is less versatile than groups but still, it works.

Best regards,

20Syl.