checking if a LabVIEW project can be turned into stand-alone executable

[GerdW]

Hi Rashid,

you need the LV runtime engine anyway on the customer's PC - otherwise no LV executable will run.
You can include the RTE in an installation build or install this seperately (found on the LV installation DVDs or from NI's website).

You don't have to give the "full" source code to the customer: you can either password protect all vis or remove the block diagram (be sure to use backup software )


Message Edited by GerdW on 02-13-2008 03:03 PM

[Rashid-Malik]

Thanks a zillion GerdW!
Great reply! Very useful!
(This answer's my senior developers critical remark. He's not with me right now; so I'll let him know tomorrow.)
(How do you "rate a good answer "?).

[MarkBlack]

rashid19672008,

Please remember password protecting your VI's so the end user cannot access the block diagram (code) still requires the end user to have LabVIEW installed on their system!  This could be expensive for your customers that no not use LabVIEW to purchase the full developement environment just to run your applications. 

Building an executable is probably the best solution for you.  As MikeS81 stated you need to find which VI is your main vi or top level VI.  This one will automatically include all the subvis it calls as dependencies.  This top level VI is the one which you will use as a source file to build into an executable.  You're customers will only need to have the LabVIEW runtime engine (in your case the  LabVIEW 8.2 runtime engine) in order to run an executable built in LabVIEW. 

For more information about building executables please take a look at his Developer Zone Article.

[Rashid-Malik]

Thanks BLAQmx!
Your reply was so informative.