Turning off automatic tool selection

[DiDi]

NI seems to LOVE this feature, every new release it gets more and more difficult to turn it off. Personally I HATE it. I tried to get used to it, but my blood pressure just keeps increasing as it constantly picks the wrong tool.

So far it seem to me that the only way to turn it off is to EVERY TIME I open the program to go to the wire diagram, select view tool palette and click to turn it off. Now that gets old very fast. They even made a short cut to turn it back on, but it isn’t a toggle! Why are they so in love with this thing? Why can’t they just let Stone Age me prefer the good old tab version that I started out with looooong ago?

Sorry, needed to vent a little, but mainly I am looking for a solution….

[LAVA 1.0 Content]

QUOTE(DiDi @ Mar 10 2008, 03:44 PM)

NI seems to LOVE this feature, every new release it gets more and more difficult to turn it off. Personally I HATE it. I tried to get used to it, but my blood pressure just keeps increasing as it constantly picks the wrong tool.

So far it seem to me that the only way to turn it off is to EVERY TIME I open the program to go to the wire diagram, select view tool palette and click to turn it off. Now that gets old very fast. They even made a short cut to turn it back on, but it isn't a toggle! Why are they so in love with this thing? Why can't they just let Stone Age me prefer the good old tab version that I started out with looooong ago?

Sorry, needed to vent a little, but mainly I am looking for a solution….

Go to Options/Enviornment/Lock automatic tool selection and uncheck. This will leave the automatic tool selection in whatever state you have it in when you exit labview.

[DiDi]

QUOTE(van18 @ Mar 10 2008, 01:13 PM)

Go to Options/Enviornment/Lock automatic tool selection and uncheck. This will leave the automatic tool selection in whatever state you have it in when you exit labview.

Thank you! Sorry for being so blind, I looked though the options MANY times.

[Aristos Queue]

90% of loving the autotool is knowing this one little known fact:

If you don't like the tool you've got, holding down the Control key gives you "the second most useful tool". Armed with that little tidbit, virtually every customer I've ever visited who was unhappy with the autotool has come to like it.

[TG]

QUOTE (DiDi @ Mar 10 2008, 09:44 PM)

... Sorry, needed to vent a little, but mainly I am looking for a solution….

Thats OK DiDi. Using LV long enough can do that sometimes. All the features can be perceived as annoying when they are not used or considered.

But I will say this if I may. If you begin having tendonitis issues from all the repetitive clicking. (most of you LV freaks will eventually discover this

depending on your age ) It would help to force yourself to get used to the tool as early as possible.

I resisted for many years only to be forced to consider it, I actually like it better now. Stupid me all these years; that tool was sitting there and all I could think of was " get out of my way stupid little tool."

At least consider slowing down on the lightspeed TAB TAB click drag drop connect way of coding long enough to consider how the tool works. Fast coding with extreme focus can damage your hand and that is a serious issue!

It's your hand... your decision.

[crelf]

QUOTE (TG @ Mar 11 2008, 09:22 AM)

I resisted for many years only to be forced to consider it, I actually like it better now. Stupid me all these years; that tool was sitting there and all I could think of was "get out of my way stupid little tool."

:thumbup: I was the same, until a colleague introduced me to a couple of neat keyboard shortcuts, and now I can live without it. Yes, it did take me a couple of weeks of swearing, but all is forgiven now.

[LAVA 1.0 Content]

QUOTE (crelf @ Mar 11 2008, 09:47 AM)

:thumbup: I was the same, until a colleague introduced me to a couple of neat keyboard shortcuts, and now I can live without it. Yes, it did take me a couple of weeks of swearing, but all is forgiven now.

I still find myself in the tabbing camp. Everytime I load up a new release of LV, I try out the auto-tool. Sooner or latter I find myslef in a crunch for time and I end up shutting down the auto-tool. I actually went a day or two under LV 8.5!

I just find it to be much faster to switch to the next tool while the cursor is moving to my next target, rather that waiting until after I get there.

I'll keep trying the new versions, but until LV figures out what tool I will be using BEFORE I get there, I suspect I'll be repeating the phrase "Grrr... Just a second let me shut this off so I can code faster."

Ben

[crelf]

QUOTE (neB @ Mar 11 2008, 10:01 AM)

Everytime I load up a new release of LV, I try out the auto-tool. Sooner or latter I find myslef in a crunch for time and I end up shutting down the auto-tool. I actually went a day or two under LV 8.5!

See - there's your problem - you need at least a couple of weeks. The trick is not so much getting used to the autotool, but more getting rid of the old tabbing habit.

[LAVA 1.0 Content]

QUOTE (crelf @ Mar 11 2008, 10:15 AM)

See - there's your problem -...

"problem" sigular?

Woo-whooo! I'm down to one. Wait until my wife hears the news.

I will keep trying. On this same topic. I was involved with helping an in-house group of LV developers fix their code so it could ship (you know, "make it work"). While doing so, I watched one of their developers coding using the auto-tool selection. What seemed extremely un-natural was watching someone VIagraming with one hand in his pocket.

So are any of YOU "pocket-programmers"?

Ben

[Justin Goeres]

QUOTE (neB @ Mar 11 2008, 08:01 AM)

I just find it to be much faster to switch to the next tool while the cursor is moving to my next target, rather that waiting until after I get there.

I'll keep trying the new versions, but until LV figures out what tool I will be using BEFORE I get there, I suspect I'll be repeating the phrase "Grrr... Just a second let me shut this off so I can code faster."

I mouse left-handed, and LabVIEW before auto-tool was an almost impenetrably right-handed world. I'm a huge fan of it.

QUOTE (neB @ Mar 11 2008, 08:28 AM)

What seemed extremely un-natural was watching someone VIagraming with one hand in his pocket.

So are any of YOU "pocket-programmers"?

Are we still talking about auto-tool, or did you mistakely cross-post from the sex toy thread?

[crelf]

QUOTE (neB @ Mar 11 2008, 10:01 AM)

I just find it to be much faster to switch to the next tool while the cursor is moving to my next target, rather that waiting until after I get there.

If you land in the right place, it switches instantly. The trick is to know where the right places are Yes, I know it'll take you some time, but it's worth it!

[BrokenArrow]

Add me to the Tabbing camp. Armed with the Ctrl button tidbit, I'm going to give auto a try again. I'm not too concerned with the time I'm wasting hitting Tab, but I do waste 45 minutes a week telling people to turn autotool on if they sit at a computer I've been on.

[Dirk J.]

QUOTE (neB @ Mar 11 2008, 04:28 PM)

What seemed extremely un-natural was watching someone VIagraming with one hand in his pocket.

I saw somebody driving a car once with one of those automatic transmissions.

What seemed extremely un-natural was somebody being able to drive with only one foot.

:beer:

[TobyD]

QUOTE (Aristos Queue @ Mar 10 2008, 03:19 PM)

90% of loving the autotool is knowing this one little known fact:

I think the auto-tool is great, but I'm new enough to LV that I learned with it. That said, I couldn't survive without the keyboard shortcut that AQ listed or these other 2:

Shift + Right Click - brings up the Tool Palette (useful for selecting the paint tool for example)

Shift+Control - changes the cursor to the diagram drag tool (not that any of my code requires scrolling around the screen )

[jdunham]

I stuck with the tab key and auto-tool off, because it seemed like the hot-spots were too sensitive. I know which tool I want and it is easier to make it happen with the tab key then to try to find the hot-spot with my mouse hand.

I also end up using a trackpad more than I'd like, and I think it is more of a pain with the autotool.

However if some of you are saying it's better, maybe I should give it another go.

[crelf]

QUOTE (jdunham @ Mar 11 2008, 01:17 PM)

I also end up using a trackpad more than I'd like, and I think it is more of a pain with the autotool.

I can see how that would be difficult...

QUOTE (jdunham @ Mar 11 2008, 01:17 PM)

However if some of you are saying it's better, maybe I should give it another go.

I am - as I said, it'll take some getting used to, but I find it difficult going back...

[Yair]

QUOTE (neB @ Mar 11 2008, 05:28 PM)

So are any of YOU "pocket-programmers"?

Yep.

In fact, I'm often lazy enough to go the select -> Edit Menu -> Copy -> Edit Menu -> Paste path instead of the much faster Ctrl+C -> Ctrl+V.

Also, I may have been known to program while lying on my side. Theoretically, at that position, one of your hands is usually neutralized, either because it's inconvient to use or because it's holding the laptop.

QUOTE (Dirk J. @ Mar 11 2008, 07:00 PM)

I saw somebody driving a car once with one of those automatic transmissions.

I think you need to explain to some of the Americans here that an automatic is not the only option available on cars. :laugh:

[jzoller]

QUOTE (jdunham @ Mar 11 2008, 11:17 AM)

I stuck with the tab key and auto-tool off, because it seemed like the hot-spots were too sensitive. I know which tool I want and it is easier to make it happen with the tab key then to try to find the hot-spot with my mouse hand.

I also end up using a trackpad more than I'd like, and I think it is more of a pain with the autotool.

However if some of you are saying it's better, maybe I should give it another go.

I agree, the hotspots seem a little too sensitive at times, especially as screen resolution climbs (and my eyes age!). I also find the lack of wiring hotspots on large block diagram structures a bit of a hinderance with the autotool.

Joe Z.

[PaulG.]

I stayed away from automatic tool selection for years, but a couple of years ago I forced myself to give it a couple of weeks and I never looked back. Coffee in one hand, mouse in the other. Nirvana.

[Dirk J.]

QUOTE (Yen @ Mar 11 2008, 08:04 PM)

I think you need to explain to some of the Americans here that an automatic is not the only option available on cars. :laugh:

First time I drove an automatic I thought it was shit. No "control".

Now, for -say- 90% of the time, I would prefer the convenience. Same with the auto-toolthing.

/d

QUOTE (Aristos Queue @ Mar 11 2008, 12:19 AM)

... holding down the Control key ...

that only works on the BD (right?)

[Aristos Queue]

QUOTE (jdunham @ Mar 11 2008, 12:17 PM)

I also end up using a trackpad more than I'd like, and I think it is more of a pain with the autotool.

I code on my laptop with the touch pad and have zero issues with it. Except for boolean buttons on the front panel, I'm even to the point of rarely using the control key.

[Val Brown]

QUOTE (Aristos Queue @ Mar 12 2008, 08:30 AM)

I code on my laptop with the touch pad and have zero issues with it. Except for boolean buttons on the front panel, I'm even to the point of rarely using the control key.

Same here - I haven't used a mouse in years.

[Yair]

QUOTE (Aristos Queue @ Mar 12 2008, 05:30 PM)

I code on my laptop with the touch pad and have zero issues with it.

Have you tried using the compound arithmetic primitive recently? That's the one place where the auto-tool really has a problem. Getting it to change the behavior of the node is tricky.

QUOTE

I'm even to the point of rarely using the control key.

I never use it. What do you need it for?

[Aristos Queue]

QUOTE (Yen @ Mar 12 2008, 02:01 PM)

Have you tried using the compound arithmetic primitive recently? That's the one place where the auto-tool really has a problem. Getting it to change the behavior of the node is tricky.

I assume you mean by left clicking. I actually didn't know about that route until recently -- and right click is easy to do. But I can do the left click, though I definitely understand what you mean about it being tricky. Basically, just aim for the left side of the symbol and it works. And it does seem like a control key modification would be useful in this case to expand the region that the left click works.

QUOTE (Yen @ Mar 12 2008, 02:01 PM)

I never use it. What do you need it for?

See my post above.

[Daklu]

QUOTE (neB @ Mar 11 2008, 07:28 AM)

So are any of YOU "pocket-programmers"?

Not a pocket programmer, but I frequently code with my elbow on the desk and my chin resting in my left hand. It's terribly inconvenient to have to move my head so I can ctrl-shift to the grabby tool.