I have been making a concerted effort to use LabVIEW lately, trying to learn the "Graphical" way of programing. Due to Carpel Tunnel Syndrome I use my left hand to mouse a lot. I've tried the, so called, "Keyboard" shortcuts ("Keyboard" as defined by NI), but since they still involve the mouse, they aren't as helpful as I need them to be.
But continuing to work with the pain, my left hand is just not as dexterous as my right. It's hard to hit the small wire Connections. It's annoying trying to figure out which vi to use for what functions.
Some of the features that would be VERY helpful to get us LabVIEW handicapped people working in LabVIEW is:
- a zoom feature. I could make a vi bigger and actually hit the terminal.
- Or have it where, when I miss hitting a terminal, I can use tab or shift tab to move the connection from the current terminal to the next or previous terminal.
- Have LabVIEW be able to select the end of a wire and then drag it around using the arrow keys instead of the mouse.
- Have the pallet navigable with the arrow and tab keys. Make it where you can select the pallet, then with the arrow and tab keys move about in the pallets to the vi you want. From there, be able to select it and drag and drop with the arrow keys.
Have the LabVIEW developers ever heard about Test Driven Development (TDD) or automated Builds? Here's some more features.
- For automatic builds, have VI's able to be Compiled (or whatever happens to them) from the command line and verified none of them are broken (with the broken arrow for the run button)
- For Test Driven Development, have an automated test frame work. Frame works similar to the NUnit test development suite.
One more suggestion...have a cheaper copy for use by anyone. MS have copies of things like Visual Studio C++ for $100 or so at computer stores.
It's still easier to think in C (LabWindows CVI) than it is in LabView and until I can develop LabVIEW as I can develop C code, I'm sure I'll still be using CVI. But I will always keep trying to learn new stuff.
Now as soon as NI comes up comes up with telepathic programming interface, I'll be there!
About Me
- JAV
- I'm currently a test engineer. I'm mainly a software engineer but I've been in the Hardware and systems group. Currently I'm in the Test Engineering Group.
I have another blog about work and life other than Testing.
This blog is learning experience. It helps me practice writing and getting a point across. (Disclaimer: this blog is written completely on my personal time and my personal experience)
1 comment:
After 5 years of mouse-intensive LabVIEW programming, I got CT in my wrist. Therefore, for the last two years, I've been using the Logitech TrackMan Wheel (trackball mouse). It took about a week before I was proficient, but now I'm better with the trackball (and my wrist doesn't hurt). Make sure you move the trackball 12" from the edge of the desk to prevent pressure on your wrist. If you have dual screens, you'll especially like the trackball. BTW, I suggest the wired version over the wireless.
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