Dual Monitors

[FLAnatic]

I have been wondering if anyone has tried developing LabVIEW applications using a dual monitor setup, 1 monitor dedicated to the front panel and the second monitor dedicated to the block diagram. I have not tried this myself but have wondered whether it would increase(or possibly decrease) productivity while coding and debugging.

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QUOTE (FLAnatic @ Dec 2 2008, 09:12 AM)

I have been wondering if anyone has tried developing LabVIEW applications using a dual monitor setup, 1 monitor dedicated to the front panel and the second monitor dedicated to the block diagram. I have not tried this myself but have wondered whether is would increase(or possibly decrease) productivity while coding and debugging.

I use a dual monitor set-up and I love it for development. Ww have only dipped our foot in the water using dual monitors in an app. THis get very complicated since the user can use different screens resolutions on each, and the orientation of the monitors can also manipulated. That can amount to a bunch of conditions that have to be handled.

Ben

[Gary Rubin]

QUOTE (FLAnatic @ Dec 2 2008, 09:12 AM)

I have been wondering if anyone has tried developing LabVIEW applications using a dual monitor setup, 1 monitor dedicated to the front panel and the second monitor dedicated to the block diagram. I have not tried this myself but have wondered whether it would increase(or possibly decrease) productivity while coding and debugging.

I love my dual monitor setup. I get very frustrated when I have to work with just one monitor.

[orko]

What??? There are people developing on one monitor still? :laugh:

I've been in many different places of employment, and have always made it a top priority to whine until I got my second monitor.

Seriously though, having one monitor to handle project windows, front panels, mail, IM, etc, and another to develop the block diagrams makes life *so* much easier. The only beef I have is that as far as I know, there isn't a way to have LabVIEW default to try opening BDs and FPs in your monitor of choice (when available). I would love to be able to always open up FPs and project windows in monitor 1 and BDs in monitor 2, for example. As it stands, each VI appears to have the monitor it was opened up (saved in?) last as it's default.

[AndyDm]

ZITAT(FLAnatic @ Dec 2 2008, 03:12 PM)

I have been wondering if anyone has tried developing LabVIEW applications using a dual monitor setup, 1 monitor dedicated to the front panel and the second monitor dedicated to the block diagram.

Hi,

I have triple monitor setup. Three same DELL 2007FP 20" monitors, and very happy with this. You can have front panel, block diagram and debug window at the same time. This really increases my performance. What I will not recommend is using different monitors (different sizes or resolutiuons, such as notebook with additional monitor) - this produces troubles with mouse - you should always search pointer on the screen when it moves from one screen to another.

Andrey.

[mike_spacex]

I definitely noticed a productivity increase when I added a monitor about a year ago. It also comes in handy when I have to refactor code from another developer who had no notion of keeping block diagrams compact. I just stretch it out over both screens to help get the 'big picture' then start workin' it down.

[crelf]

QUOTE (FLAnatic @ Dec 2 2008, 09:12 AM)

I have been wondering if anyone has tried developing LabVIEW applications using a dual monitor setup, 1 monitor dedicated to the front panel and the second monitor dedicated to the block diagram. I have not tried this myself but have wondered whether it would increase(or possibly decrease) productivity while coding and debugging.

Do it! Not only will your productivity increase, you'll find programming much easier. A note on being able to see the FP and BD simultaneously: it's very very useful when using execution highlighting, probes, etc.

[Val Brown]

QUOTE (orko @ Dec 2 2008, 07:53 AM)

The only beef I have is that as far as I know, there isn't a way to have LabVIEW default to try opening BDs and FPs in your monitor of choice (when available). I would love to be able to always open up FPs and project windows in monitor 1 and BDs in monitor 2, for example. As it stands, each VI appears to have the monitor it was opened up (saved in?) last as it's default.

Yes, AFAIK that's the behavior so I always save the BDs on mon2 and they start up on mon2 when I next open up that project -- provided, of course, that both monitors are connected.

I also use a different screen resolution on my external monitor. Since I use a laptop and have traveled a fair bit, I'm stuck with a 15" native TFT display on the laptop. My external monitor is 24" and I use its maximum resolution to maximize my screen "real estate".

My primary system uses XP under Fusion on a MacBook Pro but I also have a Vista system for development as well as other Vista systems for testing builds of deployed apps.

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QUOTE (FLAnatic @ Dec 2 2008, 09:12 AM)

I have been wondering if anyone has tried developing LabVIEW applications using a dual monitor setup

When I work on one screen only, I usually smash my window on the side of the screen while I'm trying to drag it to the other screen.

QUOTE (FLAnatic @ Dec 2 2008, 09:12 AM)

I have not tried this myself but have wondered whether it would increase(or possibly decrease) productivity while coding and debugging.

If your are afraid of increasing your productivity, you can open LAVA on the 2nd screen then increase your ability with the same productivity.

[FLAnatic]

QUOTE (pdc @ Dec 2 2008, 01:44 PM)

If your are afraid of increasing your productivity, you can open LAVA on the 2nd screen then increase your ability with the same productivity.

How can I say no to that?

[jhoskins]

When I got my second monitor about two years ago, I found that my productivity increased by about 60%. Not only for devloping in LV but for daily activities as well. If you do use a second monitor i would suggest a program called MultiMon. this utility allows you to have a toolbar on each monitor. it also makes it easier to put hings on the 2nd monitor. If you do not have a second toolbar you have to shrink your application then move it to the 2nd mon. and then maximize it again. With MultiMon all you have to do is hit the arrow that it places on each window and it automagically puts it on the opposite monitor.

I love my dual monitor setup. I absolutely hate it when I am forced to work on a computer that only has one monitor. (ie At home)

[BobHamburger]

I've been using a dual monitor arrangement for at least the past 4 years. Everybody in the software group where I work also has the same setup... it boils down to needing more horizontal real estate than is available in a single monitor. Maybe the folks who manufacture displays should make something with a 3:1 aspect ratio, along the lines of 3000 x 1000, because that's in effect what we're all working with now.

[Minh Pham]

How is it possibly decrease the productivity , I think 2 monitors is the minimum for programmer nowadays.

my life would be much harder if i have to develop projects using a single monitor now i guess.

2 is enough, 3 sounds abit luxury

[Dan DeFriese]

I enjoy a dual monitor setup myself. However, sometimes some of the applications I use "remember" that they were on display 2, then, and when I take my laptop into a meeting have trouble getting my applications back on display 1.

With respect to LabVIEW... Occasionally I'll forget to set the runtime postion properties of subVIs (Dialogs) and they'll open halfway off the display when I run my software on the target PC (which usually only has one display).

[FLAnatic]

QUOTE (Minh Pham @ Dec 2 2008, 10:36 PM)

How is it possibly decrease the productivity , I think 2 monitors is the minimum for programmer nowadays.

my life would be much harder if i have to develop projects using a single monitor now i guess.

2 is enough, 3 sounds abit luxury

Well you never know, there could be people out there for whatever reason found that they worked better on a single monitor. While overall the forum highly recommends the dual monitor setup, some people have pointed out certain issues they have had with it.

[AndyDm]

My dream looks like this:

http://www.ubergizmo.com/15/archives/2006/...el_desktop.html

[Sergey Kolbunov]

QUOTE (AndyDm @ Dec 3 2008, 09:29 AM)

My dream looks like this:

http://www.ubergizmo.com/15/archives/2006/...el_desktop.html

http://lavag.org/old_files/monthly_12_2008/post-1163-1228318126.jpg' target="_blank">

Great!!! I like it.

IMO Using of one monitor is like using only one hand for programming

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QUOTE (skof @ Dec 3 2008, 12:48 PM)

...

IMO Using of one monitor is like using only one hand for programming

I once had to worth side-by-side with a developer from a competing company that actually coded with one hand in his pocket! It drove me nuts watching him try to get things wired etc. Iusually just said "Here let me do it!" right up until he started to run the mouse at the same time I was running the track-ball.

Ben

[FLAnatic]

QUOTE (neB @ Dec 3 2008, 12:56 PM)

I once had to worth side-by-side with a developer from a competing company that actually coded with one hand in his pocket! It drove me nuts watching him try to get things wired etc. Iusually just said "Here let me do it!" right up until he started to run the mouse at the same time I was running the track-ball.

Ben

Assuming now that he was using a single monitor...Ctrl-E alone should take that extra hand out of his pocket.

[asbo]

I sure would like to have dual screens to work on ...

[Dan DeFriese]

QUOTE (FLAnatic @ Dec 3 2008, 08:53 AM)

... some people have pointed out certain issues they have had with it.

Just to clarify, I just wanted to point out some minor pitfalls one may run in to... IMO the benefits far outweigh the periodic hassles (most of which have simple workarounds). I would never go back to using a single monitor again.

BTW, thank you jhoskins for pointing out the Multimon utility. I downloaded it last night and it works great.

[carlover]

I also have dual monitors and don't know how I would do it all on one screen ( spoiled). I also multiple computers which can complicate things .... Instead of bunch of KVMs I run Synergy app (free) which lets me seamlessly share wireless mouse and keyboard across computers -no clutter....

[crelf]

QUOTE (carlover @ Dec 3 2008, 11:22 PM)

Instead of bunch of KVMs I run Synergy app (free) which lets me seamlessly share wireless mouse and keyboard across computers

There's a guy in our office that uses that to work across four different screens each attached to a different PC (including two laptops). Freaky to watch, but he's used to it and doesn't think twice about it

[hooovahh]

QUOTE (crelf @ Dec 3 2008, 11:54 PM)

There's a guy in our office that uses that to work across four different screens each attached to a different PC (including two laptops). Freaky to watch, but he's used to it and doesn't think twice about it

Yeah it was also kinda weird, he would have a desktop and 2 laptops running Synergy, then one day I had to remote desktop into one of his 2 laptops, and it got weird when he would move his mouse off the screen and move my mouse.

On a side note I sure wish that I had dual monitors for development, I wonder what that would be like, hmmm, crelf do you know what it's like developing on 2 monitors?

[crelf]

QUOTE (hooovahh @ Dec 4 2008, 12:49 PM)

On a side note I sure wish that I had dual monitors for development, I wonder what that would be like, hmmm, crelf do you know what it's like developing on 2 monitors?

I do - it's awesome.