Displaying Configuration Settings in the Context Help Window

Use the genHelp VI to display the current configuration of an Express VI in the Context Help window. The genHelp VI specifies the controls whose values you want to display in the Context Help window when you hover over the Express VI on the block diagram. You also can specify text, such as the control names, to precede the control values in the Context Help window. The genHelp VI appears as a subVI in the configuration dialog box VI for all Express VIs you create using the Express VI Creator wizard. The name of this subVI is genHelpExpressVIName.

Complete the following steps to edit the genHelp VI so the Context Help window updates automatically to display the current configuration of the Express VI.

  1. In the Reconfigure section of the configuration dialog box block diagram, double-click the genHelp subVI to open it.
  2. On the block diagram of the genHelp VI, in the Context Help Name constant, enter the text that you want to precede the value of the first control in the Context Help window. For example, you can enter the name of the first control, followed by a colon and a space.
  3. In the Control Name constant, enter the name of the first control whose value you want to display. Delete any other text in the constant.
    Note  You must enter the exact string, including the correct case, as it appears in the Control Data array. To ensure accuracy, copy and paste from the front panel label.
  4. If the control is enumerated, create a constant from the Enum & T/F Strings input of the ex_PPGetProp subVI and enter the enumerated strings in the exact order they appear in the control.
  5. If you want to display the configuration for a second control, copy the ex_PPGetProp subVI and place the copy to the right of the original subVI. Otherwise, skip to step 14.
  6. Wire the Output Cluster control to the Output Cluster input of the copy of the subVI.
  7. From the original subVI, wire the output that corresponds to the data type of the first control to the Previous String input of the copy of the subVI. For example, if the first control is enumerated, wire the Enum Result output of the original subVI to the Previous String input of the copy of the subVI.
    Note Note  If the first control is a double-precision, floating-point numeric data type and you want to display the value of the control directly, wire the dbl String output of the original subVI to the Previous String input of the copy of the subVI. However, you might want to format the value before displaying the value in the Context Help window. In that case, format the dbl output of the original subVI, for example using the Format Into String function, and wire the resulting string to the Previous String input of the copy of the subVI.
  8. Create a constant from the Prefix input of the copy of the subVI.
  9. In the Prefix constant, enter the text that you want to precede the value of the second control in the Context Help window.
  10. Create a constant from the Control: input of the copy of the subVI.
  11. In the Control: constant, enter the name of the second control whose value you want to display.
  12. Repeat step 4 if the control is enumerated.
  13. Repeat steps 5 through 12 for all controls whose values you want to display in the Context Help window.
  14. From the last ex_PPGetProp subVI, wire the output that corresponds to the data type of the last control to the Help Description indicator.
  15. Save and close the genHelp VI and the configuration dialog box VI.

When you place the Express VI on a block diagram, the Context Help window updates with the latest control values each time you close the configuration dialog box.