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kosist90

Display class method type icon (static, dynamic dispatch) in project/class tree

Status: New

Currently, VIs in project tree have custom icons to show:

- their scope (public, private, protected, etc.);

- if they are property nodes.

 

It could be useful if there would be the same approach for static and dynamic dispatch methods - or just for dispatch methods would be enough. Then, when one looks at project tree/library tree, he immediately sees which methods are overridden, and which are static/or ordinary VIs by icon.

 

It could help to improve readability of the code, especially when one faces with the code, written by someone's else; also for refactoring - because then it would be easier to find some redundant dynamic dispatch methods, with not proper scope, etc.

4 Comments
fabric
Active Participant

It will always be hard to get traction regarding adding more glyphs to the IDE. There are just too many issues with visual noise.

However, I do think that the sentiment of your idea is worthwhile. I proposed this idea long ago, and something like that could easily handle additional properties such as dynamic dispatch. 

wiebe@CARYA
Knight of NI

Showing if inputs are DD will not tell you if a method is overwritten or not. You'd still have to look at the project tree to see if a method is overwritten. If it is, you already know it's DD, as static input VI's can't be overwritten.

 

So the solution (a DD icon) will not solve the problem you describe (is a VI overwritten or not).

 

I'd see some value in a "Is overwritten" icon.

 

kosist90
Active Participant

I didn't mean exactly that I'd like to see which methods are overwritten - based on idea name, it's about exactly whether method is static, or dynamic. Small mistype, though - "which are overriden" vs "which are (for) override" =)))
But idea is to visually separate static and dynamic methods in the project tree in general.

AristosQueue (NI)
NI Employee (retired)

As I have typed several times in this forum: I do not think this kind of property glyph is appropriate for the project tree. What about reentrancy? What about thread affinity? What about Run When Called? There are thousands of icons we could include. We included access scope and property-node-accessibility because those are properties that are set from the project window. But loading the glyphs down with more stuff seems particularly unhelpful to me, especially when there's no sort ability. I think some completely different editor is appropriate -- and that is something I've been lobbying for in LabVIEW NXG.