Why do very few programmers use LabVIEW unit labels

[Wise_Owl]

The coincidence with the Nugget is simply that, a coincidence.  It is interesting that one comment was that someone took beginner, intermediate and advanced courses and units were not taught.  Perhaps this goes some way to explain why they do not appear to be used often, especially be instrument driver suppliers.

[PaulG.]

I use units quite often. Very handy when working with systems that utilize both imperial and metric units of measure.

[niel_malan]

I was in heaven when I first discovered units. Halleluja! I often want to change displays from minutes to seconds, and this makes it super-easy. But now I'm being crippled by bugs when I write subVIs that use generic units.

[Albert.Geven]

Like all functions in software.. If it is not complete (having too many bugs) It is better not to use it.

So NI, please flag all bugs with units and either solve them, or at least forbid units to be used with buggy functions.

[Wise_Owl]

I've not experienced a bug wrt units.  I've never used the square function though, but this would be easy to recognise as the use of this data would not have the expected units.  What other bugs are there?  Are they fixed in versions after 7.1.  

I find myself writing code for others in my company now (and here no one else uses units), and I constantly have to ask about what units their data is in!  Units everyone!

[Albert.Geven]

An other approach is to use in your software only base units, so all data are in Amps or Volt, or degrees Kelvin

And only on the user interface translate to the units people want to see.

[niel_malan]

My main problem with units come when I write subVIs with polymorphic units. Then I get errors like "The source is degC but the sink is $11", when my polymorphic unit is $1. The final straw was "polymorphic unit too complex" or something similar, a phrase that didn't even turn up in Google.

Formula nodes can't take inputs with units.

Maybe these things have been updated since LabVIEW 7.1, but that's what I have to use.

[DFGray]

I would strongly suggest that Albert ask for working units in the LabVIEW Idea Exchange, and the rest of you kudo it.  This is a tough problem to do correctly, but it is more likely to get done if there is a demonstrable demand.

[Wise_Owl]

I'm not sure what you suggesting.  Please clarify, as I feel that this is an important topic.  

Related, I recently created a company wide database and dictated that all data would be stored in SI units.  I consider this problem solved, but then I am able to tightly control the inputs and outputs: something I don't have for LabVIEW code.

[Albert.Geven]

Thanks DFGray

http://forums.ni.com/t5/LabVIEW-Idea-Exchange/Make-units-work-all-the-way-or-skip-them/idi-p/1803510

I understood and filed a very simple Idea although it is in fact a bug report.