DAQmx MIA for executable

[ntaINC]

I've been trying to deploy an application into another machine but my program doesn't seem to be able to communicate with my board, a compactDAQ. The other machine had MAX and the DAQmx 8.3 driver. I am able to communicate fine within MAX but even when I deploy a simple executable to retreive the serial number of the cDAQ, it returns 0, as if it weren't there. I thought I might get around this if I built an installer but it wants the distribution file for DAQmx 8.1 and when I direct it to the location of the file, it says it's invalid. Could anyone please help.

Tessa

[Jennifer O]

Hi Tessa,

If you already have DAQmx 8.1 or newer installed on both machines, there is no need to include DAQmx as an additional installer.  It is a good idea though to make sure that you have the same version of the driver on your deployment and your development machine.  You can get the latest version of the driver from the Drivers and Updates page.

Once you have the latest driver (DAQmx 8.3) installed on both machines, resave your application and rebuild it as an executable. You can test to make sure the application (.exe) works on the development machine before moving it to your deployment machine.

How does your application attempt to retrieve the serial number of the cDAQ chassis?  Does your chassis have the same name on both machines? If a function results in an error, a 0 can be returned in place of valid data.  Make sure you are handling the error so that you can determine if the 0 is a result of an error. 

If you are working with LabVIEW 8.0 or later, you can debug the program on the deployment machine.  You can enable debugging during the build of the application (Build Specifications>>Advanced>>Enable Debugging) and then debug the application from your development machine using Operate>>Debug Application.

Hopefully this Helps,

Jennifer O.
Applications Engineer
National Instruments

[ntaINC]

I've solved part of my problem. The cDAQ was miss-named in MAX and that was causing the program to fail but I still can't build an installer.  I have DAQmx 8.3 installed on both machines and deselected all additional installers but the distribution file is still wanted.

Tessa

[Jennifer O]

Hi Tessa,

This is strange that the distribution is still being used if you have unchecked all additional installers.  What are you including in the installer?  Is it just one built application (.exe)?  Did you rebuild the application after saving it again with DAQmx 8.3?  Could you post a screenshot of the prompt for the distribution?    Which version of LabVIEW are you using?

Here is a Knowledge Base, Why Do I Get A "Missing Distribution" Error When Trying to Build an Installer from LabVIEW 8.0? which may help. Note the discussion about how the distribution may still be required if another dependent component is being included in the installer.

In case the build specification is not updating correctly, you could also try building a new build specification for your installer to see if the problem persists. For the short term, to get the application to the other machine you can simply copy your files over without building an installer.

Regards,

Jennifer O.

[ntaINC]

Thanks Jennifer, I now understand why it's asking for the file but why doesn't it find it on the CD when I insert it into the drive.

To answer you questions, the whole program was written and built after updating to LabView 8.20 and DAQmx 8.3. I would like to include the run-time engine, DAQmx drivers, the VISA resources, and a MAX Configuration file in the installer. Attached is a pdf of screenshots of how I built the installer and the error I get.

Tessa

[Jennifer O]

Hi Tessa,

It looks like there is a component that your installer needs that was installed from the DAQmx 8.1 installer.  Do you still have the installer disk or files from which you initially installed DAQmx 8.1?  Can you isolate which part of the installer is requiring the additional component (i.e. Deselecting additional installers or removing the MAX configuration and adding one at a time to determine which component requests DAQmx 8.1)?

If you no longer have the DAQmx 8.1 installer that was used, it may be necessary to uninstall and reinstall the particular component.  The above test will help determine which component is causing the problem.

For help on uninstalling and reinstalling components I recommend requesting support by phone or by email.  Visit ni.com/support.

Regards,

Jennifer O.