VI can't be opened anymore - File header damaged/missing

[Thomas R]

To store default values I used the "Current VI's Path" constant as path (to get the default values always saved into a known location - was obviously not such a good idea as I thought when I tied it). It worked fine while the VI was open but after shutting down the VI and the project the VI can't be opened anymore and I get the following message:

"LabVIEW: File is not a resource file. The file is not a valid LabVIEW file."

I opened the file with the Windows Text Editor. The default values were written behind the end of the VI code. But it looks like the header of the file is missing.

I tried to copy the header of the backup copy into the damaged file and removed the default value entry from the end.
With this I get the following message:

"LabVIEW: The resource you are attempting to open was created in a more recent version of LabVIEW and is incompatible with this version.

The file can not be opened in this version of LabVIEW"

Is there any way/tool to repair this file or at least bring it to a stage where it is possible to open it to see the block diagram to use it to bring the backup up to date? Is there any documentation of the internal syntax of LabVIEW files that might help?

Has LabVIEW a function to automatically create backup copies besides the auto-recovery after a crash?

I made a manual backup, but it is about 2 weeks old and is missing critical changes made during that time.

Thanks for your help

[RavensFan]

---

@Thomas R wrote:

I opened the file with the Windows Text Editor. The default values were written behind the end of the VI code. But it looks like the header of the file is missing.

I tried to copy the header of the backup copy into the damaged file and removed the default value entry from the end.
With this I get the following message:

It's not very clear as to what you were trying to do with your code.  Were you trying to open or in someway manipulate the .vi file with your code to save default values into the VI?  Then tried to open the file and modify it by hand to try to repair it?

.vi files are going to be some binary file in a proprietary format.  It would be like trying to manipulate an excel .xls file with your own code.  Not a good idea.

Can you describe more clearly what your code was doing?  What property nodes or methods  you may have used?  Was the file you were trying to work with open, in edit mode, or in running mode while trying to do this?