DAQmx - Make Selection of Multiple Physical Channels More Intuitive

[Mr._Jim]

Hello,

For those of us who develop using DAQmx all the time, this might seem silly.  Nonetheless, I'm finding that users of my software are repeatedly having a tough time figuring out how to select multiple physical channels for applications that use DAQmx.  Here's what I'm talking about:

Typically a user of my universal logger application wishes to acquire from ai0:7, for example.  They attempt to hold down shift and select multiple channels, only to assume that one channel at a time may be aquired.  For some odd reason, nearly everyone fears the "Browse" option because they don't know what it does.

While, as a developer, I have no problem whatsoever knowing to "Browse" in order to accomplish this, I was just asked how to do this for literally the fifth time by a user.  Thus, I'm faced with three choices: Keep answering the same question repeatedly, develop my own channel selection interface, or ask if the stock NI interface may be improved.

I'm not sure of the best way to improve the interface, but the least painless manner to do so might be to simply display the "Browse" dialog on first click rather than displaying the drop-down menu.

Please, everyone, by all means feel free to offer better ideas.  What I do know for certain, though, is that average users around here continually have a tough time with this.

Thanks very much,

Jim

[wildcatherder]

I have been frustrated by this particular interface several times.  It is so much more intuitive if I could select one or multiple channels from the very first channel list displayed. It just doesn't make sense to have one way to pick a single channel and another way to pick multiple channels.  This is a GREAT suggestion.

[X.]

Replacing "Browse..." by "Select Multiple Channels..." maybe :-?

That would certainly be an easy fix!

[Jokelnice]

This idea is good. I've had the same drawbacks as JIM

[James@Work]

Great post Jim!

This has been a UI problem for too long.

I like X.'s suggestion of "Select Multiple Channels", but maybe just replace "Browse..." with "Custom..."?

I wish more people watched this Idae Exchange, not enough Kudos to get NI's attention?

[StudentWorker]

As a student I needed to try and figure that out just today while making a VI for an experiment. Would be very helpful to have known that I could select multiple physical channels rather than trying to mess with the global concepts function that is placed next to it.

[NikoNR]

Great idea, Jim!!! 

[RavensFan]

NikoNR,

If you like the idea, then you should click the kudos button to give it a vote.  (As an NI employee, you should be familiar with the forums.)