Reverse the list of controls in the Event Sources dialog and collapse clusters by default

[Jarrod_S.]

The Edit Events dialog has seen a number of improvements, but it is still very cumbersome to use when adding events for a newly added control. It requires too much effort to find the control in the Event Sources list. This problem can be easily and quickly addressed simply by reordering the controls section of the Event Sources tree in a more intelligent manner. There are two key problems:

1. The controls in the Event Sources tree are listed in the order they are added to the VI front panel. So the most recently added control is at the bottom of the list. Consider the following scenario, which is very common: You are editing a VI dialog that already has many controls. You want to add a new control and configure events for that control. Doing so requires scrolling all the way to the bottom of the Event Sources list to find the control. This is the exact opposite of the desired organization. The newest controls should be at the top, because they are the most likely ones that you will be configuring events for!

2. Clusters are expanded by default in the Event Sources tree. This bloats the list and makes it difficult to find the controls you really care about. When searching through the controls list, the first thing I have to do is collapse the clusters to filter down the list. But then next time I open the dialog, they are expanded again! It is relatively rare that a user wants to configure events for controls contained within a cluster. Generally the cluster controls are error inputs and outputs, or hidden off-screen clusters containing configuration data. They don't generally require event handling. Obviously there are some use-cases for it, but I think that it is appropriate to have clusters collapsed by default. It is not hard to expand them when searching specifically for a control within a cluster.

So my proposal is simple and straightforward, and would greatly increase most developers' efficiency when creating VI front panels requiring events. Sort the controls in the Event Sources list with the newest controls at the top instead of the bottom, and collapse all cluster controls in the tree by default.

[X.]

I suppose you did a search for "Event Structure Cluster"?

You would have found this then as well as many others...

In any case, agreed, the Event Structure needs a rejuvanation in more than one way!

[fabric]

There have been MANY ideas about improving usability of the event editor... But what I like about this idea is that it offers two very simple suggestions that could likely be implemented very easily. Longer term, I would love filters and sorting and all the other cool stuff, but in the short term the suggestions in this idea would reduce my pain wonderfully! 🙂 Kudos.

[X.]

OK, I'll say it in plain English: this is a duplicate of a duplicate...

[GregSands]

Instead of thinking of this idea as a duplicate, think of it as a specific subset - as fabric says, the two simple suggestions here would be very useful, and easily implemented.  So kudos from me also.

[Mads]

Good suggestions.

About the order of controls; I think I would prefer to have them alphabetically sorted instead. The order in which the controls have been created is often arbritrary, and decreasingly intuitive as a reference over time.

[Jarrod_S.]

I understand there are many versions of this type of idea. But please consider that I have two very specific (and hopefully trivial to implement) ideas. I don't think it's accurate to say that this is duplicate of other ideas that have to do with adding search capabilities or something along those lines. Those may be great ideas, but this is intended as a quick and highly valuable modification to the existing workflow.

[X.]

From the pasted link (deemed itself as a duplicate by more knowledgeable than me) : "Proposed solutions : a selector to order the list alphabetically, type off control, or order of placement.

a selector to collapse every category directlly."

I couldn't care less personally if the idea is officially stamped duplicate, triplicate or the most original idea of the year and gets its author a major promotion, as long as it motivates NI to put some effort (hopefully with consultation with the community) into improving this (and other) interface(s). I think we all agree that it has shortcomings.