Request for Feedback: New Projects Created with “Use Editor Version”

[Christina_R]

I’d like to hear your thoughts on a particular aspect of the “Project Save Version” feature...

First, I want to clarify that a LabVIEW project (.lvproj) file can optionally contain a tag that defines the desired save version (e.g., "20.0") or a sentinel value that means “Use Editor Version.” Obviously, projects created in older versions of LabVIEW (that didn’t have this feature) won’t have this tag.

Based on feedback here in the forum, we intend to make LabVIEW 2024 Q3 use the project’s “last saved version” for the desired save version, when opening a project that doesn’t have this tag. So, if you open a project that was written in LabVIEW 2020, it will stay in LabVIEW 2020 unless you modify the project property.

When you create a new project (including a project from a template) in LabVIEW 2024 Q3, we intend to set the tag to “Use Editor Version.” However, we also considered setting it the version that created the project (i.e., "24.0").

If you prefer one of these options, can you please let me know your reasoning?

Thanks!

Christina

[crossrulz]

I think it makes sense to only "upgrade" the project when explicitly told to (ie, change the project property or mass compile).

The more I'm thinking about this, do you even need the extra flag?  Just use the save version.

[PNR]

Second that.

The project file already contains a tag for the saved version and should be used for this feature. An additional tag is not needed.

There should be an option in the project settings to change the save file version ("language version"). Any unsupported features should result in an error (broken run arrow, warning dialog, etc.).

[jyoung8711]

I'm glad to hear that the you're planning on using the "last saved version" as the default.

For the "new project" I agree that setting to the version that created the code would be preferable.  Having to manually go through and change that option for any new project (and to remember to do so) will be tedious and error-prone.  This behavior will also be in-parity with the decision in making "older" projects open with the "last edited version" as the default.

I think in 99% of places, the preference is going to be that any LabVIEW version migration should be VERY intentional. 

The biggest advantages (I see) of this feature in general are (a) harder to unintentionally update LabVIEW version and (b) being able to take advantage of editor enhancements without updating the LabVIEW version (i.e. zoom, and some of the dialog enhancements).... both of those would intentionally desire the LV version to not change.

[Jim_Marihew]

On this subject, why does my project say that the LVVersion is 2000, when it was last saved with 2020?

Using the correct LVVersion is very important here, because we must maintain old systems with hardware that NI has deprecated in newer installs.

[Darren]

It's the first two digits in the version number that indicate 2020, 2021, etc. Here's the same line from my project, saved in LabVIEW 2024 Q3:

<Project Type="Project" LVVersion="24008000">

[Jim_Marihew]

Thank you Darren!

[Jim_Marihew]

Does that mean we have to worry about a Y3K problem 😉