Property Node Style Bundle and Unbundle Element

[SteveChandler]

Problem - Bundle by name causes unnecessary wire bends because the type specifier is on the top.

Make the type specifier terminal on the upper left and the output on the upper right. Also right clicking on an item will allow you to select "Change to Read" or "Change to Write".

Would look something like the following.

[SteveChandler]

Now that I think about it this is the same as accessing properties in LVOOP using property nodes. So just apply that idea to clusters in general.

[JackDunaway]

Joining the party with a few concepts:

[X.]

I'd rather "left click" the property and use the space bar to switch from Write to Read, as the current tools window allows doing to switch between most used tools. 

[CrystalTech]

I like this idea, but think there may be an inherent problem.  It would have to be made clear not to use both a read and write of the same data (say Cmd) it must be done in two separate events. Otherwise wires should be broken.  Other than that, a very big Kudos to the idea.  Very clean indeed.

[JackDunaway]

>> there may be an inherent problem.  It would have to be made clear not to use both a read and write of the same data (say Cmd) it must be done in two separate events. Otherwise wires should be broken.

Why is this a problem?

[Darin.K]

I am with Jack here, read before write gives old value, read after write gives new value.

I would take it one step further and suggest that Bundled elements have passthrough capability to save a bunch of branches.

[SteveChandler]

Darin, excellent idea about passthrough! That could really clean up the block diagram in certain situations.

I would create an image but my original one took like 45 minutes. I'm just not the graphics art sort of guy. But it is simple enough to visualize. Now Jack on the other hand could probably whip out an image in the time it took me to reply to this.

[JackDunaway]

[AristosQueue (NI)]

> Darin, excellent idea about passthrough! That could really clean up the block diagram in certain situations.

A passthrough terminal. Very similar to just running the wire behind the node, which you can do today in LabVIEW. However, most developers don't do it because these visuals make a lot of developers twitchy:

  or

A second terminal for passthrough would provide dataflow semantics for the node, but I'm not sure that would help with the visual appearance of a wire passing behind the node.

Adding the output triangle -- as shown in Jack's image -- might help with this.

[JackDunaway]

>>A passthrough terminal. Very similar to just running the wire behind the node, which you can do today in LabVIEW

Passing a wire behind a node is potentially dangerous, because the branch in the wire is not evident. You might assume incorrectly that the node on the left-hand side executes first, but in reality execution order is not guaranteed. A passthrough could guarantee execution order, so there's a functional difference.

(EDIT: I am not necessarily supporting the passthrough or even the PN Style Bundle/Unbundle)