Waveform attributes: Document the existing, allow to change plot properties

[Henrik_Volkers]

When using waveforms you sometimes find suprising undocumented (or well hidden) features in the attributes.

Some waveform generating (or outputting) vis add additional attributes like NI_xxxxxxx_name->"ABC"

Some waveform accepting vis are able to use defined attributes (the string attribute name will be accepted by writeTDMfile)

I remember graphs showing dedicated plotnames due to waveform attributes.

BUT these features are not documented!
 

And expanded: each plot property should be accessed by a waveform attribute!

[AristosQueue (NI)]

The problem with documenting all of them on the Waveform type itself is that the attributes aren't part of LabVIEW per se. They're added by third party groups and would be documented on those third party VIs only. Other applications or other toolkits may add any attributes they like, and they don't even have to be with National Instruments.Given that the set is open ended (any arbitrary string is a new attribute), we can't really produce a finite list of them all. Having said that, those attributes should (at least in my opinion) be documented on the individual functions that add those attributes. Have you checked the node documentation for the nodes that generate or accept the attributes in question? That definitely seems like something we should fix.

Can you explain what you mean by the statement "each plot property should be accessed by a waveform attribute" ? Are you saying that you want the ability to apply properties to a waveform that the graphs interpret for things like "plot color"? If so, that sounds worthy of its own Idea Exchange entry.

[Henrik_Volkers]

AristosQueue wrote:

Can you explain what you mean by the statement "each plot property should be accessed by a waveform attribute" ? Are you saying that you want the ability to apply properties to a waveform that the graphs interpret for things like "plot color"? If so, that sounds worthy of its own Idea Exchange entry.

YES 🙂 Extended idea: If there is a attribute that match the long name property and type : Use it!

Enums and type defs: up to NI , just document it.

And I don't know if it a bug or new idea: Document for each vi what attributes are used, supported and set!!!

Ah: and document what types of attributes are not supported! If you try to save a waveform as a TDM(S) file and the waveform contains a cluster you get an error!!

[Darren]

Any idea that has not received any kudos within a year after posting will be automatically declined.