New LabVIEW Wiki article (tips and tricks)

[Michael Aivaliotis]

This post reminded me that we still don't have a good repository of tips and tricks. So... I decide to create one on the Wiki. Our initial goal should be to weed through this thread and pull out the gems from there. Eventually that thread will redirect to the article. I've already started by adding the first tip. I think this will be awesome and should be a good article to point to for newbies or all of us in general.

Link to Wiki Tips and Tricks Article:

http://wiki.lavag.org/Tips and tricks

[Aristos Queue]

I added one.

[David Boyd]

QUOTE(Aristos Queue @ Sep 12 2007, 10:13 PM)

I added one.

Doggonit, Stephen, now that one (the Shift+Enter on string constant entry) I really never heard before anywhere. :thumbup: Most of the others I've seen here are the ones that I either use already, or would if I could remember which modifier to hold down while dragging, etc, but this one is new to me, and immediately useful.

Can you tell us in which version of LV it made its debut?

Dave

[PJM_labview]

Ya, this (the Shift+Enter on string constant entry) is pretty usefull and I wish it would work on floating label.

I constantly catch myself trying to shift+enter floating labels...

PJM

[Aristos Queue]

QUOTE(PJM_labview @ Sep 12 2007, 11:32 PM)

I constantly catch myself trying to shift+enter floating labels...

Same here. I actually wrote this feature (David: I *think* it first appeared in LV8.0) out of frustration with the string constants. Unfortunately, free labels have a different code path, and I've never gotten back to the project to learn that section of the code. Perhaps someday I'll get around to it. Or someone else will. I filed a CAR at the time so that I'd keep thinking about it. You know, in my spare time. ;-)

[Jim Kring]

QUOTE(Aristos Queue @ Sep 13 2007, 06:01 AM)

Same here. I actually wrote this feature (David: I *think* it first appeared in LV8.0) out of frustration with the string constants. Unfortunately, free labels have a different code path, and I've never gotten back to the project to learn that section of the code. Perhaps someday I'll get around to it. Or someone else will. I filed a CAR (4229R4F2) at the time so that I'd keep thinking about it. You know, in my spare time. ;-)

Here's some ammunition that might help push it through. Just say...

"Anyone (using LabVIEW) who doesn't see this as a critical feature (for free labels) is obviously not commenting thier code enough!"

[LAVA 1.0 Content]

QUOTE(Jim Kring @ Sep 13 2007, 11:24 AM)

Here's some ammunition that might help push it through. Just say...

"Anyone (using LabVIEW) who doesn't see this as a critical feature (for free labels) is obviously not commenting thier code enough!"

My LabVIEW coding style is so elegant that the code is 'self-documenting'. No need for additional comments :laugh:

[Jim Kring]

QUOTE(LV Punk @ Sep 13 2007, 10:29 AM)

My LabVIEW coding style is so elegant that the code is 'self-documenting'. No need for additional comments :laugh:

Yes, it's saying "this section of the code needs coments and/or rewriting"

[Grampa_of_Oliva_n_Eden]

QUOTE(Jim Kring @ Sep 13 2007, 01:38 PM)

Yes, it's saying "this section of the code needs coments and/or rewriting"

[OT]

I taught myself to code in C prior to taking a college course in same.

After submitting my first project and anxiously awaitng feedback I was disappointed that the only comments the T/A had about my code was;

"Too many comments! It is hard to find the code." :headbang:

I have yet to see "self-documenting code" that revealed the "big picture".

Ben

[LAVA 1.0 Content]

QUOTE(Ben @ Sep 13 2007, 01:46 PM)

I have yet to see "self-documenting code" that revealed the "big picture".

And we never will, at least until Alfa starts showing us his code.

[Aristos Queue]

QUOTE(Jim Kring @ Sep 13 2007, 10:24 AM)

"Anyone (using LabVIEW) who doesn't see this as a critical feature (for free labels) is obviously not commenting thier code enough!"

Or you've started using string constants on the diagram for documentation.

[Grampa_of_Oliva_n_Eden]

QUOTE(Aristos Queue @ Sep 13 2007, 02:36 PM)

Or you've started using string constants on the diagram for documentation.

Just popped into my head....

Durring the very first LabVIEW Coding Challenge (bit banging?) I beleive it was Jim that posted after we saw the general trend that the speed of the VI approximately follows the size on disk (smaller VI smaller run time) that a VI with no comments will run faster than a VI with comments. I did a quick check at that time and was suprised it was true! I wonder if that is still true...

I guess I will just have to test it huh?

Ben

[Jim Kring]

QUOTE(Aristos Queue @ Sep 13 2007, 11:36 AM)

Or you've started using string constants on the diagram for documentation.

Oh yes, that's a great way to document your compiled binary code

[Yair]

QUOTE(Jim Kring @ Sep 14 2007, 12:22 AM)

Oh yes, that's a great way to document your compiled binary code

Plus, with a string constant you can't double click an empty space in the diagram and then start typing, which is something you can do with a standard comment if you use the auto tool.

[Aristos Queue]

QUOTE

Oh yes, that's a great way to document your compiled binary code

In LV8.5 the unwired constant won't be in your final compiled code. I don't know when this behavior was added to LV.