Make the LabVIEW "resource" folder a symbolic path

[Jim_Kring]

There are many VIs located beneath the "<LabVIEW>\resource" folder that need to be called as subVIs of LabVIEW add-ons (e.g. project providers need to call provider API VIs located there).  However, because the resource folder is not a Symbolic Path this introduces many challenges for LabVIEW add-on developers.  LabVIEW add-ons that link to VIs beneath the resource folder cannot be moved to a new location (for example as part of a source distribution build step), otherwise they will not be able to find these resource subVIs (since they link via a relative path between the caller and subVI, rather than a relative path between the resource folder and the subVI).  Note that NI doesn't really feel this "pain" since most of the add-ons NI develops are developed "in place" beneath LabVIEW and ship with LabVIEW -- they don't get "built" and they don't get "installed".  However, for 3rd party add-on developers, it's critical that the resource folder be a symbolic path.

Note: This would make building packages of project provider plug-ins possible with VIPM.

[TCPlomp]

Wouldn't it be better to make the 'LabVIEW' folder a symbolic path?

This could off course be dangerous since the same file can resolve to different symbolic paths:

<labview>/vi.lib/start.vi equals <vi.lib>/start.vi

[Jim_Kring]

Hey, GregR.  Thanks for the comments.  I'm happy we have the "right guy" in the discussion 🙂

I see that you've also responded to the related thread I started in the LabVIEW Add-on Dev Center.  I'll probably focus on responding in that thread, since the discussion forums there are a little more user friendly and we seem to have a good dialog going with a lot of people.

Thanks,

[Jim_Kring]

@crelf no, "wonky" is just regular word 😉

[Darren]

Available in LabVIEW 2012 and later