Front Panel Tests (VI Analyzer Toolkit)

Note  The VI Analyzer tests are available only if you install and activate the LabVIEW VI Analyzer Toolkit. Refer to the National Instruments Web site for more information about the VI Analyzer Toolkit.

Tests in the Front Panel category of VI Analyzer tests analyze front panel design and style. The VI Analyzer groups the Front Panel tests into the SubVI and User Interface subcategories.

SubVI

The tests in the following list check the appearance and arrangement of front panel controls on VIs used as subVIs.

• Array Default Values—Checks charts, graphs, and arrays on a front panel for empty default values. Saving non-empty default values inside charts, graphs, or arrays uses memory unnecessarily. When the VI runs, it overwrites values wired to indicators on the block diagram. If a subVI is using the VI, the VI overwrites values wired to controls connected to the connector pane.
• Cluster Sized to Fit—Checks that front panel clusters are set to Size to Fit, Arrange Horizontally, or Arrange Vertically. If you do not select one of these autosizing options, cluster objects might not be visible to the user.
• Control Alignment—Checks that the alignment of controls on the front panel roughly matches the alignment of controls on the connector pane.

User Interface

The tests in the following list analyze user interface design.

• Clipped Text—Checks that any visible text on the front panel is not cut off. This includes text in control labels, control captions, free labels, and text controls such as strings and paths. The test cannot check the text inside listboxes, tables, tree controls, and tab controls.
• Dialog Controls—Checks that front panel controls are from the System palette. The test ignores controls that do not have a dialog counterpart.
• Duplicate Control Labels—Checks that controls on the front panel do not share the same label.
• Empty List Items—Checks listbox, multicolumn listbox, table, and tree controls to ensure that they are empty. The VI populates the contents of these controls when it runs, so saving a VI with contents in these controls uses memory unnecessarily.
• Font Usage—Checks that front panel controls, indicators, and free labels use user-specified symbolic fonts, such as application, system, or dialog fonts.
• Overlapping Controls—Checks that front panel controls do not overlap. The test does not analyze front panel decorations.
• Panel Size and Position—Checks that a front panel completely resides within the bounds of the screen. The test also checks whether the front panel is larger than the maximum specified width and height. If you are using a multi-monitor system, the test fails if the panel does not reside entirely within the bounds of the primary monitor. This test works only on standard, control, and global VIs.
• Transparent Labels—Checks that free labels, control labels, and control captions all have transparent backgrounds.