Does LabVIEW 2013 allow the user to switch back to LabVIEW 2012 or 2011?

[JohnD'oh]

Hi all,

I have LabVIEW 2013. I've noticed that in LabVIEW Measurement and Automation Explorer (MAX) under software LabVIEW Run-Time 2012 SP1 f2 is listed. Does this in any way mean I can revert or switch back and forth between LabVIEW 2013 and 2012 without installing/reinstalling?

The reason why I ask is that I have several instrument drivers written for LabVIEW 2012 sp1 that I want to use.

This is probably a silly question, I know.

On a related subject, is there any way of telling whether a driver written for an older version of LabVIEW will work in a new version of LabVIEW? Or do you just have to play around with the software?

Thanks,

John D'oh

[altenbach]

If you have a valid license, it is also valid for earlier version to be used on the same computer. CHeck the confirmation e-mail that you received acfter activations. It typically tells what else you can acticate.

Quote from here:

"This serial number can be used to activate that version and any previous version."

[Dennis_Knutson]

Each version of LabVIEW is a separate installation and you can freely switch between each. The only restriction is if you save a VI in a newer version, it cannot be opened in an older version. You can always do a save for previous, though.

Chances are that a driver written in an older version will require no changes at all.

[0utlaw · Accepted solution]

Hi John,

To more explicitly answer your primary question- You can install multiple versions of LabVIEW in parallel (at the same time, on the same PC), however only one patch version of each major release (e.g. 2011, 2012, 2013) can be installed- you cannot install both 2012 and 2012 SP1 at the same time.

The Run-time engine you noticed was probably installed with another component that was built in that environment.

As Dennis mentioned, the big thing to keep in mind is that your VIs will need to be upconverted/downconverted when moving between versions. 

If your instrument driver is written in LabVIEW 2012 using LabVIEW's low-level serial drivers, it will almost certainly work in 2013.  If you open the driver VIs in 2013 and don't see any load issues you should be good to go.  If the drivers are calling DLLs or have other external dependencies there may be more work involved.

Regards,

[Bob_Schor]

In my experience, you should always install multiple LabVIEWs in "chronological order", that is, install the oldest first.  You may notice that when you install LabVIEW, some files go into \National Instruments\LabVIEW 20xx, while others go into \National Instruments.  Those files that go into the version-specific folders will not "interfere" with each other -- these include the VIs and functions for that version.  Other files, such as MAX and support for devices, are (by default) common for all Versions of LabVIEW.  For this reason, they will "complain" if you try to install an older version on top of a newer one.

It is always a good idea to do a test-build (on a system you can scrap, such as a VM) first, as uninstalling LabVIEW seems to take at least as much time as installing it.  If you find that newer hardware support is not compatible with an older version of LabVIEW, you can try installing the "hardware stuff" in the same version-specific folder the Installer chose for the LabVIEW version-specific stuff.  This seems to be especially necessary if you need to install "legacy" versions (before LabVIEW 8).

[JohnD'oh]

Thanks for all of your guys' help. It turns out the drivers are working with LabVIEW 2013 anyway and my research group has already implemented our new measurement software. 

Good stuff.