Integrating NI Drivers in executables.

[Newenglandguy_LV]

I am getting to the point where I want to move from running my software in the development window, to creating pass around executables.  What I'm not clear on is how the necessary drivers get installed on the new machine that you want to move the executable to.  I have experience with Visual Basic, and you can create a "Setup Disk" that essentially packages everything so you can just pass someone the setup.exe file and it installs all the necessary drivers, etc.  If I'm reading through some research I've been doing, it looks like older versions of the Application Builder would incorporate all that, while the newer versions do not.  First of all, is that true - and if it is - why would NI make on have to go through all install all the necessary drivers.  I do have to say, that finding some of the drivers for any of the Agilent/HP equipment has been painful, in my experience.  The Search tool does not seem to be very robust and dependable.

Thanks

[FHM]

You have two options. First option is that you build just an executable and you have to install the DAQmx driver,NI VISS ect.. seperatly on the machine. The second option is that you build an installer. You can add all needed drivers to the installer which makes it much easier.

[NIquist]

Some light reading: 

http://forums.ni.com/t5/LabVIEW/how-do-I-distribute-an-executable-from-Labview-8-6/m-p/906282

http://zone.ni.com/devzone/cda/tut/p/id/5406

http://zone.ni.com/devzone/cda/tut/p/id/3303

[Newenglandguy_LV]

Where can I find details on building an "installer".  I have found the help page within NI for "Creating an Executable with Application Builder" - but it's all focused on the VIs and no mention of the drivers.  As the bulk of my applications involve a multitude of various equipment and various manufacturers, I typically have quite a few drivers tied to an application.

Thanks

[NIquist]

What kind of drivers are you talking about?  DLLs?  Or do you just mean instrument drivers like the kind you download for (e.g.) Agilent or Textronix equipment?

[Newenglandguy_LV]

Instrument drivers for the various equipment.  I want to hand someone a thumb drive or CD, and have absolutley everything they need on the media.  Don't want them to need LV installed, or go to the Driver Download site and have to paw through all the various vendors and instrument drivers.

[Dennis_Knutson]

Help>Installers. What did you search for that you could not find this?

This will handle hardware drivers for NI devices such as NI-GPIB or NI-VISA. No need to install drivers for your instruments unless you are calling them dynamically.

[NIquist]

That should be no problem then.  Just build an executable and then make an installer out of it.  The run-time engine will be packaged automatically.

As far as instrument drivers go.  They're nothing but wrappers to send commands to your instruments (VISA, GPIB, RS-232, etc.).  They're all just LabVIEW primitives under the hood.  If your VI works in development, it should work as an app too.  You don't need to add anything special because you're talking to a DMM with GPIB.  Try it and see if it works or course.  Let us know if you have problems...

[djpritchard]

To be clear, I want to say send it to a guy on the other coast who has never ever had ant thing to do with LabVIEW. So nothing is installed on his PC other than I've told him to buy and install a NI GPIB card and it's included software.  Would what NIQUIST said be correct.

[Dennis_Knutson]

You can include the VISA and GPIB drivers in your installer so all the other person would have to do is install the hardware.

Note: if you use IVI drivers instead of native LabVIEW ones, then it gets a bit more complicated.