Context Help: Terminal Data Type of SubVI

[jusaca]

I createt a SubVI today and now I'm a little bit confused, because the context help shows not only the VI description, but also the Terminal Data Type of one of the outputs of the VI.

In all my other SubVIs there is only the Icon and my description.

Is there a way to enable/disable this? I guess I accidently clicked something I didn't want to click?

[Bob_Schor]

Why would you want to disable this?  The purpose of Help, Context or otherwise, is to "provide Help", i.e. assistance in how to use the function or VI appropriately.  Knowing the expected data types for inputs and outputs, as well as whether the inputs are required or not (indicated by bold type in the Help) are important parts of providing Help to the user.

Bob Schor

[udka]

I think only optional terminals can be hidden, check item 6 :
https://zone.ni.com/reference/en-XX/help/371361J-01/lvdialog/context_help_window/

[jusaca]

Yes sure, but my question is, why I get the information on this new VI permanently, while typically there is only the VI description visible (if I go over a terminal of a VI with the cursor, then I want to see the data type. But if I only want to read the description the additional information is more distracting 😉

[udka]

I never felt it as distracting especially when using subvis it is helpful to see the datatype it takes and gives.

Maybe if you can explain clearly with some more info i might get.

[Alexander_Sobolev]

If it is only _one_ terminal of VI, it does not seem like general setting. Can it be something simple like type specified in terminal label or caption?

[billko]

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@Alexander_Sobolev wrote:

If it is only _one_ terminal of VI, it does not seem like general setting. Can it be something simple like type specified in terminal label or caption?

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We can sit around guessing all day, or you can share that VI with us.

I'm GUESSING that all the terminals are "optional" except for that one?  If I'm right, all the others have lines but no data type?

I agree with thte others that it is extremely helpful to know the datatypes.  This isn't just limited to LabVIEW either; why do you think it is common practice to notate a variable in a text-based language with a first letter representing the data type?  Because it's good to know.

[Gombo]

I've been wondering about the same question, but I've managed to solve the puzzle.

The answer is that the "Terminal Data Type" section appears in the Context Help whenever you hover Connect Wire tool over a terminal of your VI.

If you once did it and then change tool to anything else, then you'll see the last "Terminal Data Type" whenever you hover over this VI again.  

If you never used Wire tool to check the type of a terminal for the VI, you won't see the "Terminal Data Type section"

[RavensFan]

Gombo,  thanks for posting this message.

I had never really noticed that behavior before where the the info is sometimes there and sometimes not.  It just always seemed to be there when I needed it.

I didn't really understand what the original poster on this thread was getting at, but your message describing the behavior made sense of it.