What to consider
- Does your installer support multiple LabVIEW versions?
- Does your installer place files in the correct LabVIEW directories?
- Does an uninstall remove all traces of your product?
- Have you documented any special installation steps outside of either running an installation exe or VI Package Manager package installer?
Recommended: VI Package Manger
When developing a LabVIEW add-on it is important to consider which LabVIEW versions you will support, and how you will support installing to multiple LabVIEW versions (with a single installer or with mutliple installers). The Application Builder, while a useful tool for building installers for LabVIEW applications, does not currently provide support for installing to multiple LabVIEW versions -- a common feature for LabVIEW Add-on developers. We recommend VI Package Manager from JKI Software as the preferred method of distributing LabVIEW add-ons and you can learn more about how VI Package Manager will work for your customers on the LabVIEW Tools Network:
Other Installation Options
Aside from using JKI VI Package Manager, there are other options including a wide variety of third-party installer frameworks. When using one of these products, you will need to read from a registry key to determine the LabVIEW path to install into. We recommend the following approach:
- Enumerate all of the sub-keys under HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\National Instruments\LabVIEW
- Decide, or let the user decide, which versions the add-on should be installed to
Whatever installation solution you choose, the following rules apply:
- Do not modify, remove, or replace any files or registry entries installed by other software vendors including National Instruments
- Your installer should remove all traces of your add-on
Installation Documentation
In some cases it is necessary to document installation steps which can either be confusing to a customer or difficult to accomplish. We recommend documenting any required steps outside of a standard installation or VI Package Manager dialog; for example, if your product requires the user to install support files onto a Real-Time target these steps must be documented.
For add-ons which require additional configuration for using Real-Time targets, please document these steps as part of your setup process. Consider offering a utility or MAX installation script to help automate this process. Here is an example you can refer to for integrating a deployment utility into the LabVIEW Tools menu:
