Create references for multiples controls with one clic

[gosaure]

I am quite surprised not to find this idea allready here.

When you want to create a reference for many controls, you have to do it for each of them.

It would save a lot of time if, when selecting a collection of similar controls, you could  get a more complete context menu.

Allowing to create a reference for each terminal with one clic. Actualy, even with LV2010, you only get "property" in the context menu.I'll be glad if i cant find there "create/reference" and maybe others as for a single terminal

[tst]

It has been suggested before - http://forums.ni.com/t5/LabVIEW-Idea-Exchange/Every-GUI-Programmer-s-Dream/idi-p/1009531

Be sure to check the links in the comments for ways to do this today.

[gosaure]

Existing behaviour

What i wish

[Michael_78]

The JKI Right Click framework has a Plugin which will create an array or cluster of references for all selected controls in a VI. See http://decibel.ni.com/content/docs/DOC-5565.

[CrystalTech]

I just wonder why NI has to rely on other sources (like JKI) to provide features that are so obvious.  NI is also relying on customers to come up with new FP designs.  Come on NI, start a full redesign of the FP with all the new twenty first century features... Please.  The longer you wait, the more difficult (and costly) it will be.

[Michael.Proctor]

This idea should be expanded to include eg create(property_node:Visibility) - all selected controls/indicators would have a visibility property node created for them

michael

[AristosQueue (NI)]

> Come on NI, start a full redesign of the FP with all the new twenty first century features...

> Please.  The longer you wait, the more difficult (and costly) it will be.

Really? It seems like the longer we wait, the more customers will have done for us. 🙂 Just kidding, of course. We are definitely aware of the lagging appearance of the front panel, and it is receiving attention. It just takes longer than anyone (R&D or our users) would like to update things like that.

> I just wonder why NI has to rely on other sources (like JKI) to provide features that are so obvious.

Because as large as our development team is, the set of desired features is even larger.  And I would replace "has to rely" with "gets to rely." Not every company is lucky enough to have dedicated customers who build extension tools to increase the power of their application. We do. Would the right-click framework be more powerful if it had an NI logo on it instead of a JKI logo? I doubt it. Would a UML diagram from NI be more expressive than the UML Editor from Symbio? I doubt it. There are many more examples on the LabVIEW Tools Network.

When a new LV version comes out from NI, I don't hear a lot of, "Why did they waste time developing that?" There are one or two features in that category, but the vast majority are highly desired by our users. As long as the features we are building are well received, I (and I'm guessing the rest of NI, though here I speak for myself) don't feel bad having third-parties extend that feature list. We have spent a lot of time on features that specifically open up the language and the editor to extension because we want the community to be able to aid in development.

Now, perhaps your question should be taken more as, "Why are NI's priorities so out of line with those of the community?" I mean, if JKI thought the right-click framework was so important, then shouldn't NI have been working on it at the same time? I can certainly see that argument. I think the split is more a reflection that there are lots of "top priorities", and which ones get worked on depends on what developers are available, which is always going to leave other "top priorities" for our partners to develop.

We're very lucky to have third-party help. And by "we," I mean both NI and our users. NI because our platform grows ever more valuable. Our customers because you're not dependent upon the development schedule of a single company.

[TomOrr0W]

LabVIEW has gained several multi-control right-click options since this idea was created, likely as part of completing this idea: https://forums.ni.com/t5/LabVIEW-Idea-Exchange/Every-GUI-Programmer-s-Dream/idi-p/1009531.

I believe this idea should be either closed as completed or as a duplicate (see tst's comment above).

[wiebe@CARYA]

It's completed since at least LV13. I right lick on a selection to create references on a regular basis (in LV13).

[Darren]

Available in LabVIEW 2012 and later. You can right-click a selection of multiple controls/indicators and create references for all of them as a single operation.