Ex Table that resizes ALL cells not just the top row

[Le_Gross_Bill]

I am using Labview 8.5.

Front panel has an Ex Table that is written to in a while loop. Collect single reading, display in table, wait x minutes, repeat

Couple of things I want to change about the table's appearance:

1. I want ALL cells to be large enough for 24pt font. This includes those newly created cells as data fills the table and the user scrolls down. At present, if I have 10 visible rows and resize them all for 24 pt font, then start displaying data, the 11th row reverts to 13pt size as do all subesquent rows. I have tried using a property node - active cell - font size - 24pt and ticked the automatically resize row height setting. The result is that the first cell is affected, the others are not.

2. I'd like the most recent data to be at the top of the table. eg. if the display shows 10 rows, the first entry should start at the top. The next entry should bump entry one down a row. The 3rd entry should shift entry 1 and 2 down and so forth. My thinking on this is that as data is collected in a standard table when the number of rows exceeds the number of rows displayed, in order to read the newest value, you have to scroll down to the last entry. Wouldn't it be better to have the latest entry displayed at the top so the user does not have to scroll down?

Any assistance - even a "don't use an Ex table, use this...." - would be most appreciated.

Thanks,

Dean

[RavensFan]

Okay.  Don't Use Ex table!

Seriously,

1.  How are you resizing the 10 visible rows you have now?  Are you doing that manually or programatically?  Since the Express VI doesn't do anything to your actual table (it outpus a string array, but that just gets wired into a table indicator), you will need to add functionality to you program to resize the other rows of the table as the table gets larger.

2.  The Ex Table is an Express VI.  It does what it does well, but it is designed to be a simple VI to do a basic task for a new LV user.  Once you have additional requirements, the Express VI's aren't going to be flexible enough to do what you want to do.

I would recommend you right click on the express VI and "Open Front Panel".  Drill down to the subVI and you'll see the underlying code that is built into the Express VI.  Once you see how it is done, you can figure out how to modify that subVI to suit your own purposes.  Basically, it is a matter of built the new data into the string array ahead of the old data rather than after it.

Message Edited by Ravens Fan on 03-17-2010 10:30 PM

[Le_Gross_Bill]

Thanks Ravens Fan. I have tried both manually changing the size of each cell and tried programatically to change the cell using the active cell property node. both without much success.

I'll open that front panel on the express vi and try to see how to modify it.

Thanks again.

[Le_Gross_Bill]

Problem 2 solved! Delved into the express vi inner workings and changed the order data is sent to the build array. Voila! Newest data goes in row 1 and subsequently shifts down to row 2 and downwards as new data arrives. Thank you very much Ravens Fan.

As for the formatting - no joy there yet. Might have to settle for each cell being 13pt font high unless someone has any other suggestions. I even changed the default font of my LabView environment to 24pt and then created the table - same result - 13pt font high rows.

Message Edited by Le Gross Bill on 03-18-2010 02:08 AM