New Feature: Performance Improvements to Building Applications, Packed Project Libraries and Source Distributions

[Christina_R]

LabVIEW 2023 Q3 has improved cache behavior for building applications, packed project libraries, and source distributions.

The first build will populate the cache, and then subsequent builds will be much faster.  

Please test by using the Beta to build EXEs, PPLs, and source distributions. We’re not asking you to report on the speed of these builds, but we would like for you to verify the correctness of the output, especially for the second and subsequent builds of the same build specification. 

[fabric]

I haven't had time to download the beta yet, but is there a way to force-clear the build cache?

If so, would this apply to the current build only (- would be nice!) or would it clear the entire build cache?

[Akash]

Tools>>Advanced>>Clear Compiled Object Cache...

This will clear all builds, not just the current one.

Modifying a build specification, however, will make LabVIEW force rebuild only that build specification.

Thanks for the feedback.

[Jim_Kring]

Is there an option/setting to force clearing the compiled cache before builds?

- global LabVIEW setting for all builds?

- build spec setting for individual builds?

Thanks!

[Christina_R]

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@Jim_Kring wrote:

Is there an option/setting to force clearing the compiled cache before builds?

- global LabVIEW setting for all builds?

- build spec setting for individual builds?

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Can you please help me understand why you want this option? That would mean you're never utilizing the performance improvements that we've implemented.

[Jim_Kring]

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@Christina_R wrote:

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@Jim_Kring wrote:

Is there an option/setting to force clearing the compiled cache before builds?

- global LabVIEW setting for all builds?

- build spec setting for individual builds?

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Can you please help me understand why you want this option? That would mean you're never utilizing the performance improvements that we've implemented.

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Historically, I often have broken builds (due to broken VIs) that are fixed by clearing the compiled cache.
Since builds happen on a CI Server, I can live with the extra time to recompile, relative to the risk of a broken or faulty/corrupt build output.
Right now, I nearly always use a pre-build step that clears the compiled cache. Definitely for a release build.

I suspect many other people do this, too? Anyone else here do the same?

[fabric]

Yes - what Jim said! That was the reason for my question...

I'm more than happy to have the performance improvements for test builds. However, I've been burned too many times with VIs that suddenly break, where the only solution is to force a recompile or clear the compiled cache. (In recent years this type of issue seems most common where .vims are involved.)

My fear is that certain VIs may get stuck with bad code in the build cache, where the easy solution would be simply to reset the build cache.

Ideally, such an option would independently target the *build* cache and NOT clear the *regular* compiled cache, since that would cause unnecessary delays in the editor when loading large projects. I would only clear each cache as required.

[sth]

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@Christina_R wrote:

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@Jim_Kring wrote:

Is there an option/setting to force clearing the compiled cache before builds?

- global LabVIEW setting for all builds?

- build spec setting for individual builds?

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Can you please help me understand why you want this option? That would mean you're never utilizing the performance improvements that we've implemented.

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Because I just spent 2 hours trying to figure out a failed build before I cleared the cache? (LV 20, cRIO RT build)

Automation

Is it worth the time?

Will that 2 hours be made up by speeding up the build?  Or is it a wash?  I don't know, speed is good, but avoiding cache corruption is better!

[Jim_Kring]

The more invidious flavor of this is a corrupt build that succeeds in building but has buggy runtime behavior. I’ve come to distrust the cache enough that I can’t rely on it for anything other than local testing. It feels that enabling caching by default (unless it’s 💯% rock solid) is asking for trouble.

[Andrey_Dmitriev]

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@Jim_Kring wrote:

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I suspect many other people do this, too? Anyone else here do the same?

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Yep, happened two times for me. And at first time was not easy to understand what is really going wrong.