Can't see Source Files in Destination View

[ChrisReed]

I added my executable to the [Program Files] / Dryness Fraction directory and a Help File to the [Public App Data] / Dryness Fraction directory in the Source Files -> Destination View window of my Installer.

However now I can't see them anymore and I can't seem to add them again either - which leads me to suspect that they are there, but are not being displayed for some reason (see Source Files_BAD.jpg attachment).  I can for instance click on some other folder and the little blue transfer arrow is enabled allowing me to add say the Executable files to that particular folder.

What it should look like, in another Installer I did, is the attachment Source Files_GOOD.jpg

Is there a way I can refresh the View so that the files appear again?

Chris

[Josh_L1]

Hi Chris,

Unfortunately, there isn't a refresh button in the installer builder. I believe you are right in thinking that the files have already been added. 

Have you tried building another installer and see if you can replicate this issue? If you went through with the installer builder, could you see the files in the appropriate locations on the target machine after installation?

I would also recommend creating a new folder in Destinations. Then try to add the executable into the new folder in the Source File. Give that a shot and see if you can see your executable in the new folder. Please refer to the attached screen shots for more detail.

I hope this helps,

Josh L.

[ChrisReed]

Hi Josh,

Yes I verified the files were there, because they installed correctly.

I tried adding another file to the [Public App Data] folder, but again when I closed and then opened up the installer it had disappeared.

So I created another installer and the problem didn't occur (ie. I could see the Source Files in the Destination View this time).

I guess something has become corrupted in the first Installer, but it would sure be nice to have a refresh button.

Thanks for your help

Chris.

[Josh_L1]

Hi Chris,

I'm glad things worked out for you in the end. We are always ready to help if you have questions.

Regards,

Josh L.

[mjaspan]

I'm having this problem as well.  I need to remove a Source file from the Installer and cannot because the file does not appear in the Destination View.  This problem appeared for me right after I upgraded to LV2010SP1 (from LV2010), whether that's causally related or not. 

When I add a Source file and then close and re-open the build properties UI, the new file vanish as well.  They install correctly, they just don't display in the Destination View and thus cannot be removed.

Other than not being able to remove the Source File, the installer works fine.

I tried duplicating the Installer Build, which works but the problem is duplicated with it. 

I verified that if I create a new Installer Build, the problem is not there.  I have not applied this technique to fix my installer.  I've been procrastinating taking that on as my installer has a larger number of source files in it.  I'm still entertaining the fading hope that I can find a workaround to the Destination View bug before being forced to recreate the installer build specification from scratch.

Any suggestions appreciated.

Alternatively, if I choose to rebuild the Installer Build specification from scratch, I don't suppose there's a trick to allow me to open two Installer Build specifications at the same time?  I've done this before and it's maddening to have to repeatedly close and re-open each of the build specifications as I traverse the build options to create the new one.

Again, any suggestions appreciated.

I have a LabView Technical Support service contract so I'll phone in tech support as well to look for alternatives.

thanks,

  Martin Jaspan

  LumArray, Inc.

[ChrisReed]

I feel your pain Martin   I haven't upgraded to 2010SP1 from 2010 yet so I don't think that is the problem.

This is probably more for Josh to answer, but the <project>.lvproj contains all the information to the Build Specifications under the TAG

<Item Name="Build Specifications" Type="Build"> and the Installer is under <Item Name=" Installer_v2.6" Type="Installer">.

Maybe viewing this in an XML Parser application might detect if there is an error in the XML data or something, or perhaps you can take out the section of where the Source Files are listed and then put them back in again through the Build Process - thus you don't have to re-enter the whole project again.

Chris

[mjaspan]

Chris,

  that's awesome!   thanks for the lead.  It hadn't occurred to me that the lvproj file was human readable. 

  I'm poking through it now in a text editor.  I see the parts I need - it's still not obvious what's broken.  I will add new build specifications and see if it's obvious what broke.

  Even if I can't figure out how to solve this particular issue, it's instructive to see how things are assembled.

thanks,

  Martin

[mjaspan]

Chris,

   I was thinking about what other changes could be correlated with triggering this issue.

   I had just upgraded to LV2010SP1, but you had not, so no pattern there.

   However, I had also just replaced the HD and reinstalled everything from scratch including the operating system (win7).   Any chance your issue began with an OS re-install and/or a switch to another machine?

   As I'm looking inside the lvproj file I see {}-references (those long strings of hex digits) and this makes me wonder if those references would survive a complete OS re-install. Perhaps those references broke when I re-installed the OS and LV.  (?)

Martin

[TaylorG]

Hi Martin,

Are you experiencing any other strange behaviors or errors with LabVIEW after replacing your hard drive and reinstalling?  Did you upgrade from a different operating system to Windows 7?  Did you experience this in any previous versions of LabVIEW?  Any other information regarding any changes to your system could be helpful in resolving this issue.  Perhaps, as with what happened with Chris, the first installer was corrupted somehow, and building a new one per Josh's instructions above could resolve it, but I understand this could be problematic if it is a large file.  Thanks, Martin, and I apologize for this inconvenience.  Have a great weekend!

[ChrisReed]

No I've been running LV2010 for about eight months now with no change in OS.  On occasions though the LV Project has done really strange things such as all my Auto-Populating folders suddeningly just disappearing - it was easily fixed though by just creating another Auto-populating folder, but it does give you a scare.

Chris