Control Editor Modes and Behavior

Use Control Editor edit mode to change a control or indicator appearance and use customize mode to modify individual control parts. The Control Editor reports when changes you make to a control or indicator are invalid.

Control Editor Modes

A mode indicator button on the Control Editor window toolbar shows whether you are in edit mode Edit mode icon with a wrench symbol. or in customize mode Customize mode icon with a feather symbol.. Click this button to toggle between the two modes. You also can switch between modes by selecting Operate » Change to Customize Mode or Operate » Change to Edit Mode. The Control Editor window opens in edit mode.

  • Edit mode—Change the size or color of a control or indicator and to select options from its shortcut menu, just as you do in edit mode on a front panel.
  • Customize mode—Make extensive changes to controls or indicators by changing the individual parts of a control or indicator.

    • In customize mode, a shortcut menu for each part replaces the shortcut menu for the control or indicator as a whole. Different parts have different shortcut menus. Use the shortcut menus to perform the following operations:

    • Customize cosmetic parts, such as objects from the Decorations palette added to a custom control or indicator.
    • Customize text parts, such as the name label.
    • Customize controls or indicators as parts, such as the numeric control used for the digital display of a slide control. Knobs, meters, and charts also use a numeric control for a digital display. Some controls are more complicated. For example, the graph uses a tree control for its cursor display part.

    Control Editor Behavior

    Even though the Control Editor window looks like a front panel, you use it only for customizing a single control or indicator[1]1 For a LabVIEW class, this single control must be a cluster.. The Control Editor window does not have a block diagram and cannot run.

    The Control Editor window can contain only one control or indicator. You can customize an array or cluster control or indicator that contains other sub-controls or sub-indicators. The array or cluster itself is the single control.

    The Invalid Control button Invalid Control button with a red circle and slash over OK. appears on the Control Editor window toolbar while you move controls or indicators in and out of an array or cluster. Click the Invalid Control button to display an explanation of the error in the Error list window.

    1 For a LabVIEW class, this single control must be a cluster.