Darren's Weekly Nugget 05/03/2010

[Darren]

LabVIEW 2009 shipped with an enhanced icon editor.  Among the new features were easier text entry, a built-in glyph library, and layering of the icon image.  Many users prefer the new icon editor (I really like how I can create a properly-spaced text icon in 5 seconds or less), but some prefer other alternatives.  Here's a list of some different icon editor options:

• Built-in LabVIEW 2009 Icon Editor - This is the one I use.  Super-fast text icon creation.  And the glyph library comes in handy on occasion.  The main disadvantage is that the first launch in a LabVIEW session takes several seconds (since the enhanced icon editor is VI-based, it takes a while to load its hierarchy into memory the first time).  Also, there were several bug fixes that didn't quite make it into the LabVIEW 2009 release that you can download here.  There is also an NI Community page devoted to the enhanced icon editor here.
• PJM's Version of the LV 2009 Icon Editor- Philippe took the LabVIEW 2009 enhanced icon editor and ran with it.  Since the vast majority of the icon editor codebase ships without passwords, users can modify the shipping icon editor with their own changes.  Check out what Philippe came up with here.
• Original Icon Editor - This is the one that shipped with LabVIEW 8.6 and previous.  If you wish to use this editor in LabVIEW 2009 and later, simply go into [LabVIEW]\resource\plugins and rename lv_icon.vi to lv_icon.bak.  And if you wish to restore the enhanced icon editor, just rename the file back to a .vi extension.
• Mark Balla's Icon Editor - Mark's icon editor is tailored for creating text-based icons.  You can download it from LAVA here.  I got an in-person demo from Mark himself at the CLA Summit!
• Zühlke's Web-based Icon Editor - I just found out about this one today. You can create a very simple text-based icon on their website, then just drag it directly into your VI!
• Write Your Own Icon Editor - Either start with the NI Icon Editor like Philippe did, or start with our icon editor template (which includes instructions).  The template is at [LabVIEW]\resource\plugins\lv_icon.vit.

 So as you can see, there are plenty of different ways to edit your VI icons.  Which do you prefer?

[RavensFan]

I've been using PJM's version from early on.

I think I started because he quickly got some of the early bugs taken cared of.

But mainly, his arrangement of the screen seems more natural to me.  Having the edit window to the left feels more like Paint, and having the the properties and layers over to the right feels more like when I have a properties dialog pop up when using AutoCAD.

[tst]

I use PJM's version as well.

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Darren wrote:

I really like how I can create a properly-spaced text icon in 5 seconds or less

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 How about voting for this idea which, if implemented, will probably cut that number down to around 1 second.

[altenbach]

Not quite related, but there is also the editor in the application builder to create icons for executables.

(Sometimes, I wish there was a quick way to convert the existing VI icon to an exe icon that retains most of the look.)

[Broken_Arrow]

The new editor is a big improvement, but I think using layers is going a bit far. Anyhoo, to answer your question, I use the built-in editor. 

[Yamaeda]

Can that editor somehow be used with older LV? (8.2 namely)

/Y

[Ben]

Since I do "Stand-up Programming Routines" I don't have the luxury of using anything custom and have to work exclusively with what ever ships with LabVIEW (You don't get very many laughs when you start telling stories like "If I was on my own machine at work..."). So all of those other editors are at best interesting distractions.

The text layer in the shipping editor seldom puts the text where I need it since I do use graphic layers from templates I save as part as I go.

Q:

THe templates saved for the icon editor all go to a single location of disk. For people that work on only one app this may be Ok but for people that that can cylce between 5 or more apps a week and have to final adjustments when on-site, I'd like to be able to save the templates as part of my project. Anyone figured out that trick yet?

But I digress...

The text layer is only really good if you are doing only blank icons with text only. So I edn up doing free text on one of the layers. That is still alittle buggy in that typing one line then clcik to a new location and start a new line, the icon editor get confused and puts the text in the wrong layer.

My icon are definatley pretier now than they have ever been.

Ben

[blawson]

^ I too, would like project-based templates or something.  Right now I keep that directory under source control so I can sync it between computers.

 I find that the text layer works quite well if you use a template like the default where there is a rectangle label above and a box below.   

[tst]

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Ben wrote:

...I'd like to be able to save the templates as part of my project. Anyone figured out that trick yet?

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Vote for this idea and the one it links to.

[Darren]

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Ben wrote: 

The text layer is only really good if you are doing only blank icons with text only.

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I find it to still be useful with right-justified text on the read/write glyph-based icons for LV class data member access VIs: