LabView startup configuration script?

[PhilipJoeP]

Hello,

(Sorry, I initially posted this message in the wrong board.  It should be in this board "LabView")  Is there anyway to write a script or change the options/settings somewhere in LabView so that when LabView starts it references a configuration file somewhere on a server?   

This question comes about because of another question: Is it possible to create a new VI User Library with the VI repository as a shared folder on a server?  I've found that you can add paths in the "paths" section of the LabView options.  I created a folder and placed a custom made VI within the folder.  I then added this folder path to the list of paths.  When I restart LabView, the VI I created can then be found by going to the block panel palette and selecting "Select VI" from the list.  It then opens up a browser window with a default path to the folder path I just created in the LabView Options > Paths page.  Obviously, within this folder, I can find my VI.  However, I would like my custom VIs to appear in the  “User Libraries” section of the palatte. 

What I would really like to do is have my team save all their custom VIs to a shared folder on the network and then have these VIs appear in the "User Libraries" section of the block panel palette (instead of having to do to "Select VI").  On top of this, I would like to create, perhaps, a start up script so that when one or multiple of my teammate starts LabView, LabView automatically configures the paths in the Option page so that the custom defined VIs appear in the "User Libraries" (as stated above).  

Is this possible? If so, can anyone explain how? 

Thanks!

Message Edited by PhilipJoeP on 05-04-2009 02:09 PM

[James_R]

we use microsoft visual source safe

all you have to do is change the working directory to point to your vilib and/or userlib

when your developers need the new version they just get latest  (not check out)  (making sure that their working directory is correct)

the mistake some people make when using source safe is to make these vis a part of their project and that will prevent two developers from checking out two different projects that share VIs from the vilib

[PhilipJoeP]

So is there no way to point the User Library to a different folder location without the use of Microsoft Visual Source Safe?  I would prefer not to have to use any additional software to simply point to a different location.

Perhaps this is not what you meant... but I changed the "Default Directory" to the folder where I'm storing the VIs and (as i suspected) this did not make the VIs appear in the User Library section of the palette.

Thanks for the response.

[Dennis_Knutson]

Have you tried using the palette editor to point to the shared location? I think it will work if you go to Tools>Advanced>Edit Palette Set and then you pick the palette (i.e. User Controls), select Insert>Subpalette and then Link to a directory. It should synchronize to the directory whenever you restart LabVIEW.

[TCPlomp]

As much as I want you to take user.lib out of SCC I'll give you a tip, just as on Unix environments you can have symbolic links on Windows as well.

I haven't tried them but I guess Google is your friend.

To answer your original question you can instruct LabVIEW to read a different INI file on startup. See the LabVIEW wiki.

You cannot move the user.lib folder, LabVIEW 8.0 had that option and it was one of the bigger mistakes of that release.

Ton

Message Edited by TonP on 05-04-2009 10:41 PM

[CWolf · Accepted solution]

Rather than changing the location of the user.lib folder, I would recommend just adding a new folder to your palettes.  You can do this by going to Tools>>Advanced>>Edit Palette Set...  Then, right-click on a blank spot in the palette and select Insert>>Subpalette...   In the window that comes up, select Link to a directory and then press OK.  You can now browse to the directory on the network that you would like to store all the code.  This will create a new menu on your palette that has the same name as the directory you chose, and that will sync with the directory.  

-Christina