A universal conversion bullet.

[altenbach]

My goal is to reduce palette bloat!

Let's look at the conversion palette. Certainly looks impressive, but why do we need so many different bullets??? They are basically all the same function:  A universal input and an output type.

I suggest that the 16 marked bullets on the image, plus some others (e.g. "to variant"), be combined into a single universal bullet where we can select the desired output type by a simple right-click. Whatever we select will determine the actual icon, so once things are in place, everything will look exactly as before.

When we first drop the universal icon on the diagram (or insert it into a wire), the context menu appears and we must select the desired output.

[AristosQueue (NI)]

> the context menu appears and we must select the desired output.

And here I thought you weren't a fan of Express VIs... but that's essentially what you've just asked for. 🙂

[PJM_Labview]

Or maybe he was talking about the mytical non existant XNo.. 😛

[altenbach]

> And here I thought you weren't a fan of Express VIs...

There's nothing wrong with express VIs 😄

Still, there is a big difference between a tiny captive context menu as suggested here and an express VI with an entrance accompanied by a 20 second HD churn drum roll, full windows decorations, and accept/cancel buttons, etc. 😄

[crossrulz]

Or even better would be a simple Polymorphic VI that could determine the output type automatically or you can select with a right click menu (and show the actual VI, not the poly VI).

[altenbach]

I see a problem with determining the output type automatically. This can only work if we connect directly to an indicator with a "non-adaptive" representation setting. In most other cases, only the programmer knows what the output type should be. 😉

[MikeS81]

I like the idea with the polymorphic vi, but without the automatically type selction from the output, and it's already possible.

[GregR]

I must have missed this at the time, but in case anyone is still paying attention. There is an arbitrary coercion bullet starting in 8.20. It has never been exposed in the palette though.

Instead of being configured you wire the desired type to a middle terminal. This is a lot like typecast, but much safer. Instead of trying to reinterpret the bytes of the data, it does the same kind of conversion that a coercion dot would do.

Here is a code snippet containing the node. (You may be able to drag from the browser to a 2009 diagram.  If that doesn't work, try saving the image locally, then dragging the file.) I can't upload a VI here so if you want the node in an older version, you'll have to save a VI for previous from 2009.

[Darin.K]

Another good idea posted about a month before I joined. I agree with it all except I think the operate tool should pop up the choice as well. Easy XNode to implement.

[Manzolli]

A question to GregR: Why still not exposed in the palette?

[ghighuphu]

A question to GregR and devs: Why is the "coerce to type" not in the Palette? (and no documentation of it in the Help either)

A question to GregR: Why do you think this is safer than Type Cast?

I miss Kudos for Idea comments.. Glad, I can give Kudos to images.. 🙂