Wrong LabVIEW version alert

[jyang72211]

When I open a VI created in LabVIEW 2011 with LabVIEW 2012, I should get a diialog that tell me the VI is being upgradeded.  Some codes were written on machine A with only LabVIEW 2011.  The codes were modified in another machine with LabVIEW 2012.  A lot of extra work was introduced, since the codes need to be converted from 2012 back to 2011.  

[RavensFan]

You mean like this existing idea?

Warning when saving in LabVIEW later Version

[Darin.K]

This may well be a duplicate (I kind of thought so but haven't bothered to search yet) but I do not believe it is a duplicate of that idea.  There is a very important distinction, I would rather have the warning upon open (this idea) as opposed to upon save (idea linked by RF).

[RavensFan]

A warning to start might be nice.  But I think it is important to get warned before you save.  Depending on how long you've worked on the VI since you've opened it, you might forget that you were originally warned that it started as an older version.

[jyang72211]

I think getting a warning during open would be more useful to me.  I don't want to make a bunch of changes on a VI with the wrong version.  I want to open the VI with the right version to begin with.  However, getting a warning when save would be helpful as well.  

[RavensFan]

Remember when you open a VI, if anything changes (such as upgrading the version), you get the asterisk in the title bar.  And you can hit Ctrl-I to check the VI properties to see what version it was previously saved in.

The information is already there if you take a second to look for it.

I would be annoyed having to close a warning dialog box everytime I open up an older VI from someone's post in the forums.

[JKSH]

@RavensFan: Maybe not a blocking dialog then, but some kind of (non-asterisk) visual indicator that the IDE is newer than the VI source version?

Neither the asterisk nor Ctrl+I are very useful for the OP's use case.

• Many things cause the asterisk to appear upon opening (such as having a dependency altered) -- to me, asterisk means "I've altered this VI"/"I need to save this VI", not "I'm using a different LabVIEW version".
• Ctrl+I requires the developer to remember to check, but the whole point of this idea is to protect a developer who has forgotten to check.

I think warning-on-start makes sense here -- you don't want to spend an hour working on a VI, only to find out that you've been using the wrong version of LabVIEW.

[johnsold]

I am with Ravens Fan on this. The asterisk is a warning that something has changed.  An extra dialog would be highly annoying.  I work with multiple versions a lot.  I think this is an area where the programmer needs to take some responsibility.

Maybe a version indicator in the SCC repo or directory names might be more appropriate.

Lynn

[RavensFan]

Thanks Lynn.  Well put.

[PalleM]

I only partly agree with RavensFan. 

If i use LV12 and then close LabVIEW, work in some other programs and then open a version 8.2 .vi, LabVIEW opens it with LV12 because i used it last. it would be nice with a pop-up that asked, "hey, wanna open this 8.2 .vi with LV8.2 instead of LV12? 'Cause you got 'em both". If the "correct version" is not installed, I agree with no pop-up... but if i have the correct version, then please let me select what version to use 

[Bob_Schor]

Talk about Reinventing the Wheel.  I've been toying with wanting to write a LabVIEW routine that would return the Version Information of a VI, not knowing it might not (yet) be possible.  I came here, found this thread, and thought I'd add my $0.02.

I confess I didn't know about Ctrl-I popping up the General VI Property page, which as Source Version right there available to view.  But it doesn't seem to be available to "LabVIEW" (that's a secret means of viewing a VI, don'tcha know ...).  Interesting, the Location, Revision History, and Icon can be pulled up as VI Properties (with a Property node) -- why not Source Version?

If it were available, I could see myself (and others) possibly writing a little LabVIEW utility called "Tell Me the Version" that take the path to a VI, gets a VI Reference, gets the Version property, and then "does something".  Even if there were a "forward-compatibility" problem, one could build this as an Executable with the Most Recent LabVIEW I Own so this wouldn't be an issue.  If one were really clever, you might even be able to make a LabVIEW executable called "Open This VI with the Correct Version of LabVIEW" (assuming you could get the Executable to start LabVIEW itself, possibly by a System Exec call...).

Clearly, the ability to look at a VI and figure out its Source Version exists within the VI, as LabVIEW shows it to us on the General Properties page (and says "nyaaa, nyaaa, nya nyaaa, nyaaaah").  I don't see a down-side to providing this Property to LabVIEW developers ...

Bob Schor