How to Align Plot Areas in LabVIEW Graphs?

This article provides steps to properly adjust the plot area size of graphs in LabVIEW using the correct property settings. It helps avoid common issues such as disappearing axes, misaligned display areas and distorted scales, especially when programmatically moving and resizing the graphs.

To programmatically adjust the plot area size of graphs in LabVIEW, follow the steps stated below:

1. Open your VI in LabVIEW and add a graph to the front panel of LabVIEW.
2. On the block diagram, right-click on the graph and select Create >> Property Node.
3. Expand the property node to include the Plot Area Size property.
4. Use the Plot Area Size property to set the width and height of the plot area. This ensures consistent sizing across all graphs without affecting the overall graph indicator size.
5. You can use the XScale.Visible and YScale.Visible properties to set whether the axes are visible or not.
6. Wire constants or control values to each property node input to define the desired size, position and visibility settings.
7. Run the VI and verify that all graphs display uniformly with visible axes and properly aligned scales.

This method is especially important for stacked graphs, which do not respond correctly to changes made using the Plot Area Bounds property.