NI Package Builder - Add Ability to Link Folders to Package

[jyoung8711]

You can add folders to the "inputs" in NIPB, and they will auto detect if files have been changed / added to the solution.

If you ad a folder (or a complex folder hierarchy) to a package, it disconnects ALL of the folders.  I completely understand why this might be done, but it creates a slightly unexpected disconnect between the "inputs" and the "package workspace"

If files are updated, those updates propagate between both locations -- Great!

If files are added, those updates propagate to the Inputs, but NOT the workspace.

This can be pretty frustrating, especially for deeply nested folder structures...

My request is not that this is entirely switched, but rather an option to add a linked folder to the workspace... My thought is that this would function much like the "autopopulating folders" from labVIEW (vs snapshots) -- Though it would be nice if the base added folder could have it's name changed and still maintain the link (though not required).

[Scott_Richardson]

Justin, you may already know this but it is worth mentioning to those that read this idea. NIPB supports "Add Folder without discovery" as an input item and the Input pane does not show any contents under the input item. When the user drags the folder input item to a package, the folder appears with the same name without any visible content, but when the package is built, the package contains the full hierarchy of the input folder. This seems very close to your "linked folder" idea but it does not show the contents in the input pane nor the package. As you point out NIPB does not allow the user to rename the folder in the package, and that it true of individual input files added to a package. Allowing rename of an input folder or individual file when added to a package is also something that we have considered.

[jyoung8711]

Scott -- Thanks for the info, this is new info to me, and I would say accomplishes ~80% of what I'm asking for.  Though I'd suggest that "Add folder without discovery" is a bit cryptic.  I had seen the option, but had never given it much thought, as it didn't obviously apply to anything I was trying to do.

Good to know though!

After looking at it I would add the following clarifying effects:

1) That this be renamed to something a little more clear (linked folder is very obvious to me, "without discovery" is not)

2) rather than showing an empty folder (again unclear), perhaps it could show/update the contents, but keep them greyed out?

3) I would still advocate for being able to change names... I often tie builds together, but sometimes the names that make sense for a parent build process, do not make sense for the context of a child build process.

Thanks for the quick response, very helpful!

[Scott_Richardson]

Thanks for the follow-up and your feedback.