LabVIEW
Darren's Weekly Nugget 05/04/2009
One of the nifty features of LabVIEW 8.6 was the ability to edit the properties of multiple objects at the same time. Most of the literature on this feature focuses on editing front panel objects, but did you know you can edit the properties of block diagram objects as well?
For most diagram objects, the property list is pretty limited (or nonexistent). For the functions above, the only properties you can change are the adapt to source option on the Output Configuration of the functions, and whether or not the functions' labels are visible. There are other objects (particularly constants) with more useful configuration options. For example, you can change the items in multiple enum and ring constants at the same time. For string constants, you can change several formatting options.
How has the ability to edit properties of multiple objects (either FP or BD) been particularly useful to you LabVIEW 8.6 users out there? And what properties would you like to see be editable on multiple objects that aren't there yet?
Darren wrote:One of the nifty features of LabVIEW 8.6 was the ability to edit the properties of multiple objects at the same time. Most of the literature on this feature focuses on editing front panel objects, but did you know you can edit the properties of block diagram objects as well?
I actually found this out the other day by accident 
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It is really useful, I wish it wound have come out sooner.
Darren wrote:And what properties would you like to see be editable on multiple objects that aren't there yet?
Select a couple of terminals and (de)select "view as icons".
Sorry to be a downer, but I have an application where this would have been really useful - but it's soooo slllloooooowwwwwwww 
I have a fairly large collection of controls on my front panel, all identically based on the same type-def. If I select them all and use the Properties shortcut item, it takes minutes to populate the Properties window, and hours to apply just one change. In the end, it's still quicker for me to select each control one at a time, setting their properties singly.
I created a mock-up of my application's panel (one of them, anyway) that has 48 identical controls within a large tab of an otherwise empty vi. It uses the same type-def for the controls. I tried using multi-property, and it worked with lightening speed! So, on the second tab pane, I created another 48 controls, from a second type-def. I tried multi-property for this new set of 48, and it worked, but slower. I re-selected the first 48 controls, and although it worked again, it was slower still.
So I created a third tab pane (my application has six panes by the way), and another 48 controls. Now it's starting to grind to a halt. Multi-select takes a long time to populate the Properties window, and a good long time to affect any changes too. A disproportionately long time. In fact, as I look at it now, LabVIEW has frozen 
I do get trouble with my LabVIEW installation, with things like Quick Drop crashing occasionally, so maybe this slow behaviour won't be seen by others?
(Actually, while I've been writing this and playing with the multi-property tool, LabVIEW has frozen on me three times. I wonder if something more serious is amiss...)
I don't have 8.6, but is it possible to edit properties from the search results window? Highlight the ones needing to change and then right click instead of finding them in the block diagram.
