Subject: Re: Complete list of Labview Options
From: Greg McKaskle
Date: Thu, 27 May 1999 05:59:17 -0500


To: info-labview@pica.army.mil
Organization: National Instruments

> ... I was
> told by tech support that it is not an option but what was a bit
> disturbing was that I could not get a complete list of preference
> options. I was told that this *may* be part of LV 6.0. Sheesh.
>
> So, with my usual approach I compiled a *complete* list of LV options
> for version 5.1. I provide it here as a gift to the LV community.
...
> Isn't resedit wonderful?
>
...
> BTW what the heck are "exoticcontrols"?


WOW, we already have archaeologists digging up LV dirt. Most people
only use resEdit to change which finger the operating tool uses.

As mentioned, most of these configuration options are available from
within the Preference dialog. There are also configuration options that
aren't in that list because they are needed so early in LV's launch that
the resources aren't open yet; so this isn't the complete list. The options
that aren't in the preferences dialog are generally considered to be not
useful or even harmful. They are sometimes there to allow us a backdoor
or a workaround for when we change a behavior. They are also used to
turn on obscure development features that we, the LV developers, use to
make or debug LV. These obscure features are typically kind of like the
attic or basement of a house, not finished out, not very interesting, and
potentially harmful.

We have never tried to hide any of these strings, and I don't believe you
will gain any benefit from trying out various combinations of the settings.
If you ask technical support what a setting is, they will likely tell you that
they have no idea. They are telling you the truth. I don't even know what
some of them do without checking the code. Others, such as exoticcontrols,
no longer do anything. It was once used to show a control palette submenu
that contained controls that were still in work and not ready for prime-time.
They were experiments, unsupported features, and guaranteed to crash if
you did much with them. Just the sort of thing that we need for development,
but not useful to even advanced LV users unless they have a death-wish.

If you experiment with the .ini file and you crash mysteriously losing hours
of work, I'd suggest putting the file back to the way LV left it. Don't
ask tech
support to fix it or complain that the LV attic has rusty nails and splinters.

As for whether or not Resedit is wonderful, I personally prefer Resorcerer,
but that is a different story. It is a low level tool that in the right
hands is
useful, in the wrong hands, well, its in the wrong hands. For the person that
likes taking a multimeter and a soldering iron to computers and household
appliances, its exactly what you always wanted. If you start monkeying
with things in the resources or the .ini file, use common sense and do it on
a copy or you will just end up reinstalling LV.

Once the fun and experimentation is over with, I think you will agree that
the useful options, with very few exceptions are in the Preference dialog.

Greg McKaskle