Share your favorite tips and shortcuts

[Yair]

But i am now convinced to stay with the autotool...

Agreed. It's great.

Why don't you use an enum for the selection so that your code is auto-documented, as the enum string will end up in the selector case?

For one thing, not all case structures use enums. You might use a numeric or a string because you can build that dynamically. For another, Didier refered to listing the main tasks in the case. Doing that would make your enum string too long.

This only changes the properties of this particular instance...

Thanks, I hadn't noticed that.

[Aristos Queue]

I don't see this posted, if it is, oh well. Make your coercion dots stand out by making them bright red:

Enough folks liked this so red is now the default color in LV8.2.

New tip that may not be known:

Common frustration: Have a structure node on diagram. Drop a string control inside it and start typing. At some point the string reaches the boundary of the node. If you have autogrow turned on, your structure will start stretching. If you have autogrow turned off, your string will vanish under the edge of the structure. Either way, not desirable. So you click away from the string, resize it, maybe turn on scrollbars, then start typing again.

But... from LV7.0 forward...

After you drop the string control, type for a while. When the string reaches the max width that you want, hit shift+Enter. Keep typing. The string will now wordwrap at the current width, and grow vertically. When you reach the maximum desired height, hit shift+Enter again. The vertical scrollbar will appear and the string will now scroll instead of growing any further.

Sorry... the trick doesn't work on free labels. Perhaps someday...

[Grampa_of_Oliva_n_Eden]

Enough folks liked this so red is now the default color in LV8.2.

New tip that may not be known:

Common frustration: Have a structure node on diagram. Drop a string control inside it and start typing. At some point the string reaches the boundary of the node. If you have autogrow turned on, your structure will start stretching. If you have autogrow turned off, your string will vanish under the edge of the structure. Either way, not desirable. So you click away from the string, resize it, maybe turn on scrollbars, then start typing again.

But... from LV7.0 forward...

After you drop the string control, type for a while. When the string reaches the max width that you want, hit shift+Enter. Keep typing. The string will now wordwrap at the current width, and grow vertically. When you reach the maximum desired height, hit shift+Enter again. The vertical scrollbar will appear and the string will now scroll instead of growing any further.

Sorry... the trick doesn't work on free labels. Perhaps someday...

Thank you Stephen!

You have made at least four developers very happy today. Myself and the first three engineers I talked too.

I also added a link so the Nugget Master can find his way here.

Ben

[torekp]

Use Ctrl-Z to undo changes after the mouse button is released. I sometimes find it useful to have more than just the default 8 undo steps (I have it set to 50). To change it go to Tools -> Options... -> Block Diagram and remove the check next to "Use Default" and enter your own value.

In LV 8.2, it's under Options... -> Environment. Excellent tip by the way.

[PaulG.]

I like using the "disable code" structure as a cool little "scratch pad" in my block diagram. If I need something in there I can either drag it into my code or drag copy and paste. It's especially useful when working with mulitple property nodes on mulitple controls and indicators.

[Jon Sweeney]

If you view the radix of a numeric on a control or indicator you can change the formatting by clicking the radix and selecting a new one (hex/oct/bin/decimal/etc). This comes in really handy sometimes while debugging since you can change the radix on the fly without having to stop everything and start over.

Speaking of which, a 'p' is used for SI notation... anybody know what 'p' is for?

My guess is that it stands for "prefix", since the symbol used with the number represents a prefix (eg, milli-).

[PJM_labview]

As we all know, we can run a VI by clicking the run arrow button

, Ctrl+R, the stepping arrows buttons

or finally the run continously button

. I just found out that in LV 8.2 there is another way to directly run the stepping arrows buttons using a keyboard shortcut.

There is a direct mapping between CTRL + Direction Keys

(Ctrl+down, Ctrl+up and Ctrl+right) and

(the stepping arrows buttons).

This is pretty cool :thumbup:

Note: too bad the Ctrl + Back does not reverse the execution!

PJM

[Grampa_of_Oliva_n_Eden]

As we all know, we can run a VI by clicking the run arrow button

, Ctrl+R, the stepping arrows buttons

or finally the run continously button

. I just found out that in LV 8.2 there is another way to directly run the stepping arrows buttons using a keyboard shortcut.

There is a direct mapping between CTRL + Direction Keys

(Ctrl+down, Ctrl+up and Ctrl+right) and

(the stepping arrows buttons).

This is pretty cool :thumbup:

Note: too bad the Ctrl + Back does not reverse the execution!

PJM

Nice tip PJM!

Thank you.

BTW:

p = pico

P =Peta

I believe...

Ben

[LAVA 1.0 Content]

My guess is that it stands for "prefix", since the symbol used with the number represents a prefix (eg, milli-).

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/SI_prefix

I guess "p"refix might be right I had posted on LAVA a year or two ago that I thought it was for positional; but hey, we learn something new every day

[Bobillier]

Hi all

Have you see that we have a free (i think) graphics library with labview (exist in 7.0, after i don't know) .

Look at : National Instruments\Shared\Graphics and run symfac1.exe

Regards

Eric

[crelf]

(exist in 7.0, after i don't know)

Yup - still there in 8.20.

PS: check out "Long-haired freaky people need not apply" under the "Safety" section :laugh:

[PeterB]

PS: check out "Long-haired freaky people need not apply" under the "Safety" section :laugh:

Yes, NI has humourous employees, although having said that I'm assuming that one of them (Colin) probably wasn't laughing when he tried out the experimental diet cola. (hint: Ctrl+F)

Cool app. I never knew it was there.

Peter

[crelf]

I'm assuming that one of them (Colin) probably wasn't laughing when he tried out the experimental diet cola.

:laugh: He doesn't look well - he needs a higher colour depth

[David Boyd]

Hi all

Have you see that we have a free (i think) graphics library with labview (exist in 7.0, after i don't know) .

Look at : National Instruments\Shared\Graphics and run symfac1.exe

Regards

Eric

OK, folks, what am I missing here? I have PDS 8.0 and 8.20 installed on my laptop, and I don't have a 'Graphics' folder under my 'Shared' folder. Does this come with a toolkit I don't have, like Vision?

Somewhat puzzled,

Dave

[PJM_labview]

OK, folks, what am I missing here? I have PDS 8.0 and 8.20 installed on my laptop, and I don't have a 'Graphics' folder under my 'Shared' folder. Does this come with a toolkit I don't have, like Vision?...

I though it was part of the LabVIEW DSC package, but I may be wrong.

PJM

[Barrie]

I though it was part of the LabVIEW DSC package, but I may be wrong.

PJM

Can't confirm for sure but you're probably right. I have the DSC package and symfac is installed.

B.

[crelf]

I though it was part of the LabVIEW DSC package, but I may be wrong.

PJM

I don't think it's part of DSC - I've got the Symbol Factory, but I don't have DSC installed... Are you sure you're looking in the Shared folder under National Instruments, and not one somewhere else (like under LabVIEW)?

[Omar Mussa]

Here's one that I wouldn't even consider a trick until somebody I was debugging some code with was recently wow'd by it...

While executing a VI:

If you right click on an Array Index Display of a control, indicator or probe, you can select 'Show Last Element' to go to the last element of the array.

In development mode:

If you want to look at the last element of an array control or indicator, right click on the Index Display and select Advanced-->Show Last Element (there is no 'Advanced' menu for probes so it always works by just right clicking).

[Jim Kring]

Here's one that I wouldn't even consider a trick until somebody I was debugging some code with was recently wow'd by it...

OK, I'll fess up -- it was me, Omar wow'ed with this trick. I guess I'm starting to fall into the "old dog" learning (not so) new tricks, category.

Thanks, Omar!

-Jim

[boone_93]

Count me in as "wowed" also. This little tip could have saved me a couple thousand mouse clicks over the years

Dan

[Bobillier]

New tips

If you hold ctrl key and right click on the right border of flat sequence, the sequence size increase symmetriquely.

In fact it's not specific of flat, if do that on all dots borders of structure you increase size (up and low in vertical direction,right and left in horizontal and in the corner in the both direction).You must have something in structure

Eric

[Michael Aivaliotis]

You can configure properties in XControls so they appear nested when selecting them from a right-click.

See here.

[MartinD]

Hi all,

When I want to test a bit of the diagram in isolation: I select it, then <Ctrl> + C, N, E, V to paste into a new VI diagram (just a handy combination).

Guess someone has already mentioned <shift> + Enter for adding a new entry in a enum after the current one.

Bye for now.

-Martin

[Michael Aivaliotis]

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