Tips and Tricks for Editing Diagram Code

Create constants, controls, and indicators using the shortcut menu.

You can save time when adding constants, controls, and indicators by using the shortcut menu to add the object instead of navigating the palette.

Right-click any input or output of a node and select one of the Create options from the shortcut menu. For example, to create a constant, select the Create Constant icon.

Create a subVI from existing code.

You can use the Create SubVI from Selection option on the document toolbar to automatically generate a new subVI from a section of existing code.

Refer to Creating a SubVI from a Section of Existing Code for more information.

Replace a diagram object with a similar object without using the palette.

You can replace an object on the diagram, such as a node, terminal, or constant, with a different type of the same object without navigating the palette. For example, you can replace an Add node with a Subtract node, a Numeric Terminal with a Boolean Terminal, or a True Constant with a False Constant.

Right-click the object, select Replace from the shortcut menu, and select the desired replacement object.

Remove a structure without deleting objects in the structure.

You can remove a loop, Case Structure, or Flat Sequence from the diagram without deleting the code it contains.

Right-click the border of the structure and select Remove Name of Structure from the shortcut menu.

Align or distribute diagram objects to improve the organization of the diagram.

On the document toolbar, click Order, Align, or Distribute to organize a set of selected objects.

Delete all broken wires at one time.

On the document toolbar, click Remove Broken Wires to delete all broken wires on the diagram.

Clean up wires.

You can automatically route a selected wire to decrease the number of bends in the wire and avoid crossing objects on the diagram.

Right-click a wire and select Clean Up Wire from the shortcut menu.

Move a terminal label to improve diagram readability.

To change the position of a terminal label, select the terminal and update the Label Placement option in the Item tab.

Show a node label to improve diagram readability.

To show a node label, select the node and enable the Show Label option in the Item tab.