Creating an Icon

Every VI displays an icon, shown at left, in the upper right corner of the front panel and block diagram windows. An icon is a graphical representation of a VI. It can contain text, images, or a combination of both. If you use a VI as a subVI, the icon identifies the subVI on the block diagram of the VI.

The default icon contains a number that indicates how many new VIs you have opened since launching LabVIEW.

Depending on the type of monitor you use, you can design a separate icon for monochrome, 16-color, and 256-color mode. LabVIEW uses the monochrome icon for printing unless you have a color printer.

Complete the following steps to create or edit a VI icon.

  1. Right-click the icon in the upper right corner of the front panel or block diagram and select Edit Icon from the shortcut menu to display the Icon Editor dialog box. You also can open the Icon Editor dialog box by selecting File»VI Properties, selecting General from the top pull-down menu, and clicking the Edit Icon button.
  2. Click the 16 Colors or 256 Colors box to select which icon you want to create.
  3. Place a checkmark in the Show Terminals checkbox to show an outline of the connector pane on the editing area. The connector pane is only a guide. It does not appear in your final icon.
  4. Use the tools on the left side of the Icon Editor dialog box to create the icon design in the editing area. The normal size image of the icon appears in the appropriate box to the right of the editing area.

Use the Edit menu to cut, copy, and paste images from and to the icon. When you select a portion of the icon and paste an image, LabVIEW resizes the image to fit into the selection area. You also can drag a graphic from anywhere in your file system and drop it in the upper right corner of the front panel or block diagram. LabVIEW converts the graphic to a 32 × 32 pixel icon. You also can use the Set VI Icon method to set the icon of a VI from an image programmatically.

Use the Copy from option on the right side of the Icon Editor dialog box to copy from a color icon to a black-and-white icon and vice versa. After you click a Copy from option, click the OK button to complete the change.