LabVIEW™

Quick Reference Card

Take advantage of the following resources to help you during each phase of using
LabVIEW – from installation through advanced development. Use the following
resources for our most comprehensive documentation.

Online Resources
HELP MENU
For the simplest, most integrated approach to using the
LabVIEW Help, select Help»Show Context Help or
press Ctrl-H. Move your cursor over an object.

Search the LabVIEW Help

Select Help»Search the LabVIEW Help to access information about LabVIEW programming
concepts, step-by-step instructions for using LabVIEW, and reference information about
LabVIEW VIs, functions, palettes, menus, and tools.

Find Examples
Select Help»Find Examples to browse hundreds of example VIs. You can modify an example
VI to fit an application, or you can copy and paste from one or more examples into a VI you
create.

Web Resources
Select Help»Web Resources to access links to LabVIEW resources on ni.com including
upgrades, training and seminars, customer solutions, example VIs, LabVIEW support and
documentation, user groups, and discussion forums.
LabVIEW Navigating the LabVIEW Environment
Keyboard Shortcuts Ctrl-E Displays block diagram or front panel windows.
Enables or disables grid alignment.
Ctrl-# (Mac OS) Press the Command-* keys.
Objects and Movement
Ctrl-/ Maximizes and restores window.
Shift-click Selects multiple objects; adds object to
current selection. Ctrl-T Tiles front panel and block diagram windows.
Moves selected objects one pixel at a Ctrl-F Finds objects or text.
KLJI(arrow keys)
time.
Ctrl-G Searches VIs for next instance of object or text.
Moves selected objects several pixels
Shift-KLJI at a time. Ctrl-Shift-G Searches VIs for previous instance of object or text.

Shift-click (drag) Moves selected objects in one axis. Ctrl-Shift-F Displays the Search Results window.

Ctrl-click (drag) Duplicates selected objects. Ctrl-Tab Cycles through LabVIEW windows.
Duplicates selected objects and moves Ctrl-Shift-Tab Cycles through LabVIEW windows in reverse order.
Ctrl-Shift-click (drag)
them in one axis. Ctrl-Shift-N Displays the Navigation window.
Resizes object while maintaining
Shift-resize aspect ratio. Ctrl-I Displays the VI Properties dialog box.
Ctrl-L Displays the Error list window.
Ctrl-resize Resizes object while maintaining
center point. Ctrl-Y Displays the History window.
Resizes selected object while Ctrl-Shift-W Displays the All Windows dialog box.
Ctrl-Shift-resize maintaining center point and aspect
ratio. Displays the Quick Drop dialog box.
Ctrl-Space
(Mac OS) Press the Command-Shift-Space keys.
Ctrl-drag a rectangle Adds more working space to the front
in open space panel or block diagram.
Selects all front panel or block diagram Navigating the VI Hierarchy Window
Ctrl-A
items.
Ctrl-D Redraws the window.
Performs last alignment operation on
Ctrl-Shift-A objects. Ctrl-A Shows all VIs in the window.

Performs last distribution operation on Ctrl-click VI Displays the subVIs and other nodes that make up
Ctrl-D the VI you select in the window.
objects.
Adds a free label to the front panel or Enter † Finds next node that matches the search string.
Double-click open space block diagram if automatic tool Shift-Enter † Finds previous node that matches the search string.
selection is enabled.
† After initiating a search by typing in the VI Hierarchy window.
Scrolls through subdiagrams of a Case,
Ctrl-mouse wheel
Event, or Stacked Sequence structure.

Spacebar (drag)
Disables preset alignment positions File Operations
when moving labels or captions.
Ctrl-N Creates a new, blank VI.
Ctrl-U Reroutes all wires and rearranges
block diagram objects automatically. Ctrl-O Opens an existing VI.
Ctrl-W Closes the VI.
Debugging Ctrl-S Saves the VI.

Ctrl-L Steps into node. Ctrl-Shift-S Saves all open files.

Ctrl-J Steps over node. Ctrl-P Prints the window.

Ctrl-L Steps out of node. Ctrl-Q Quits LabVIEW.

Basic Editing Help

Displays the Context Help window.
Ctrl-Z Undoes last action. Ctrl-H
(Mac OS) Press the Command-Shift-H keys.
Ctrl-Shift-Z Redoes last action. Ctrl-Shift-L Locks the Context Help window.
Ctrl-X Cuts selected objects. Ctrl-? or F1 Displays the LabVIEW Help.
Ctrl-C Copies selected objects
Refer to the LabVIEW Help for keyboard shortcut variations on other
Ctrl-V Pastes last cut or copied objects.
system locales and keyboard layouts.
Tools and Palettes Text
Ctrl Switches to next most useful tool. Double-click Selects a single word in a string.
Shift Switches to Positioning tool. Triple-click Selects an entire string.
Ctrl-Shift over open Switches to Scrolling tool. Ctrl-J Moves forward in string by one word.
space
Ctrl-I Moves backward in string by one word.
Toggles between two most common
Spacebar† tools. Moves to beginning of current line in
Home string.
Shift-Tab† Enables automatic tool selection.
End Moves to end of current line in string.
Cycles through four most common tools if
you disabled automatic tool selection by Ctrl-Home Moves to beginning of entire string.
Tab† clicking the Automatic Tool Selection Ctrl-End Moves to end of entire string.
button. Otherwise, enables automatic
tool selection. Adds new items when entering items in
enumerated type controls and constants,
KLJI Navigates temporary Controls and Shift-Enter ring controls and constants, or Case
Functions palettes.
structures.
Enter Navigates into a temporary palette.
Esc Cancels current edit in a string.
Esc Navigates out of a temporary palette. Ctrl-Enter Ends text entry.
Displays a temporary version of the
Shift-right-click Tools palette at the location of the Ctrl-= Increases the current font size.
cursor. Ctrl-- Decreases the current font size.
† If automatic tool selection is disabled. Ctrl-0 Displays the Font dialog box.
Ctrl-1† Changes to the Application font.
Ctrl-2† Changes to the System font.
SubVIs
Ctrl-3† Changes to the Dialog font.
Double-click subVI Displays subVI front panel.
Ctrl-4† Changes to the current font.
Ctrl-double-click Displays subVI block diagram and front
† In the Font dialog box.
subVI panel.
Drag VI icon to block Places that VI as a subVI on the block
diagram diagram.
Wiring
Places that VI as a subVI on the block
Shift-drag VI icon diagram with constants wired for controls Ctrl-B Removes all broken wires.
to block diagram
that have non-default values.
Esc, right-click, or While wiring, cancels a wire you
Ctrl-right-click block click terminal started.
diagram and select Opens the front panel of that VI.
VI from palette Single-click wire Selects one segment.
Double-click wire Selects a branch.
Triple-click wire Selects entire wire.
Execution While wiring, disables automatic
A
Ctrl-R Runs the VI. wire routing temporarily.

Ctrl-.† Stops the VI. While wiring, tacks down wire

Double-click
without connecting it.
Ctrl-M Changes to run or edit mode.
While wiring, switches the direction
Ctrl-Run button Recompiles the current VI. spacebar of a wire between horizontal and
vertical.
Ctrl-Shift-Run button Recompiles all VIs in memory.
While moving objects, toggles
Ctrl-L† Moves key focus inside an array or cluster. spacebar automatic wiring.
Ctrl-K† Moves key focus outside an array or cluster. Ctrl-click input on function Switches the two input wires.
with two inputs
Navigates the controls or indicators
Tab†
according to tabbing order. While wiring, undoes last point
Shift-click
where you set a wire.
Navigates backward through the controls
Shift-Tab† or indicators.
Note: The Ctrl key in these shortcuts corresponds to the Option or
† While the VI is running Command key on Mac OS and the Alt key on Linux.
Printed Resources
INSTALLATION & UPGRADE USAGE

DVD Installation Instructions Getting Started with LabVIEW

(Windows) Complete quick tutorials to learn about
Outlines the DVD installation, which gives building data acquisition and instrument
you access to nearly all products in the control applications.
LabVIEW platform.
LabVIEW Fundamentals
LabVIEW Release Notes Learn about LabVIEW programming
Provides additional installation concepts and techniques, features, VIs,
instructions for LabVIEW. Also describes and functions.
the system requirements for LabVIEW,
including the LabVIEW Application
SUPPORT
Builder.
LabVIEW Readme
LabVIEW Upgrade Notes
Last-minute information about LabVIEW
Describes new features and issues you
that did not make it into other resources.
might encounter when you upgrade Includes bug fixes, possible installation or
LabVIEW to the latest version on compatibility issues, and changes from
Windows, Mac OS, and Linux.
previous versions of LabVIEW.

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