Project should support links (like bookmarks) to main VI

[fabric]

In a simple project, the main entry point into an application is usually easy to find:

However, for more complex projects (particularly those utilising libraries/classes) it may not be obvious where to begin:

Proposal:

LabVIEW should provide a mechanism for tagging one or more VIs such that they are easily accessible to someone unfamiliar with the project. 

One possible implementation:

• Display tagged items as links at the top-level of the project.
• Links would be pinned to the top row
• Link names would be editable and need not correspond to the name of the item they link to. (e.g. The link "main" may point to "WidgetTester.lvlib:GUI.lvclass:launcher.vi")
• For minimal confusion, developers should be encouraged to name the first link "main" (or similar)
• In principle links could point to anything interesting, not just the main VI.
• Double-clicking a link should open (or navigate to?) the target item

[thols]

Just create a VI with a disable structure in it and put the VIs you want to link to there. That's what I do. I sometimes have a few different VIs where on VI could be called "Views" or and another "actors" or something like that.

You can also use bookmarks and use a/the bookmark manager to go to the links.

[wiebe@CARYA]

Shortcuts in LabVIEW project tree - NI Community

Duplicate?

[OneOfTheDans]

If implemented, I'd like to see a superset of pinning VIs (the other idea wiebe linked) but also traditional links that can have arbitrary names pointing to external files/URLs.

This would be especially nice for driver libraries where it's useful to link to the manufacturer's PDF manuals and product info website.

[Mads]

When projects did not exist in LabVIEW we typically had all VIs saved in a library (.llb) file and the main.vi was easily distinguishable from the rest as we marked it as top-level which is then shown in a separate section. Perhaps projects could have a top level section too.

(The convention of having a "main.vi" is useful by the way. It should be encouraged by the IDE. I brought it with me to where I work 25 years ago just because I was used to main() from working in C...)

[crossrulz]

The links to top level VIs can be easily gathered from the executable build specifications.

[wiebe@CARYA]

If you make a shortcut (to any file or URL) in Windows, and add the file to the project explorer, the link will open when you click.

So, links to manuals are already possible, although you can't make them in LabVIEW.

Links to VIs should work in the same way, but 'normal' shortcuts are absolute paths, so your project can't be moved or copied. This might work (I didn't try hard before I gave up), but it's a hassle: How to create a shortcut with relative path - Microsoft Community

[fabric]

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@thols wrote:

Just create a VI with a disable structure in it and put the VIs you want to link to there. That's what I do. I sometimes have a few different VIs where on VI could be called "Views" or and another "actors" or something like that.

You can also use bookmarks and use a/the bookmark manager to go to the links.

These are both reasonable workarounds, but they don't address the issue of discoverability. Neither the "VI index" nor the bookmarks present an unambiguous signpost to the main entry point of the application.

What I'm really proposing is a standardised, unambiguous way of pointing an arbitrary developer to any top-level VI. Sure, the feature could be extended to support other links, but I believe the main utility of this idea would be in directing someone unfamiliar with the project to the main entry point.

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@crossrulz wrote:

The links to top level VIs can be easily gathered from the executable build specifications.

Yes, but only if a build spec exists! 🙂

[Loïc_fr]

Recently I developped a package based on wizzards under the File menu that does something similar.

I use of the project description to own the reference to the MainVI.

The purpose was to be abble to quickly return or execute the VI setted as "MainVI".

Set as Main:

Project description update: 

You also can Run or Remove the MainVI configuration.

We can imagine using these feature though QuickDrop...

That's my try for this... Not fully testing, try it if you want : 

GitHub - Loysse/Show-Main-VI: LabVIEW IDE Extension for quickly accessing to Main / Top Level VI

Edit :

A quick search on Github pointed me on another project based on project provider that's the same mention earlier by wiebe@CARYA : 

GitHub - BenjaminRLabVIEWExtensions/lvshortcut_provider: Adds Shortcut item into the LabVIEW project...

Loïc

[thols]

Following Wiebe's tip of shortcuts for any files, I tried adding a shortcut to a VI in a project. I thought to myself: "why didn't I think of that, when I already have used shortcuts to documents". It sounded like a great idea, but it was not. The shortcut gets added like a VI, with the name of the shortcut, which means I get a duplicate of that VI. Also, if the VI is member of a class or lvlib, LabVIEW complains about the shortcut not being part of the library. Other files work though. It looks like this in the project:

[JimB.]

@Mads wrote:

When projects did not exist in LabVIEW we typically had all VIs saved in a library (.llb) file and the main.vi was easily distinguishable from the rest as we marked it as top-level which is then shown in a separate section. Perhaps projects could have a top level section too.

(The convention of having a "main.vi" is useful by the way. It should be encouraged by the IDE. I brought it with me to where I work 25 years ago just because I was used to main() from working in C...)

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I think my thoughts here are similar, and also influenced by text based IDEs like Visual Studio...

I could see some people wanting a section, but personally I be happy enough in most cases if the lvproj format supported designating a specific "startup" VI.

I don't necessarily need this VI to appear anywhere special in the project tree if it is implicitly linked to a Run button on the Project Manager UI.