NI Package Management Idea Exchange

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If a package fails to install, there is never anything helpful presented to try to diagnose the problem.

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This is hot garbage.

I end up having to run nipkg.exe from command line to get some modicum of feedback, but even then it's usually still insufficient.

My latest use case is that I have created a pre-install.bat file (configured to run as a pre-install custom execute, per my package build spec), and that bat file is intended to throw an error (set nonzero return code and route message to stderr) if some required dependencies do not exist. I went to the trouble of doing these sanity checks and building meaningful errors, but they don't actually get exposed when I run the installer, so I'm left guessing as to what went wrong.

Cosmetic / Minor issue

I have a solution with one underscore character in its file name. It is properly displayed in the window title bar, but undescore is missing in most recently used files, under File menu.

I made some complementary tests, with dummy solution files named Undescore_One.pbs, Undescore_One_Two.pbs and Undescore_One_Two_Three.pbs. Only the first underscore in the file name is missing in menu display:

I am using NI Package Builder 20.6.0.1227.

Regards,

This may be a "bug" rather than a feature request.

But it seems as though when NIPM encounters an error in fetching information from one feed, it aborts checking all feeds...

I can see the benefit of this (if a computer is offline, it would prevent experiencing a time-out for 50+ feeds), but in some cases it becomes VERY difficult to install new software from feeds.

For instance:

- Computer is loaded with NI software online.

- Computer is installed at customer site, or into IT network, and is removed from outside communications

- New LAN feed is registered for "custom" software

NIPM will not see any of the custom software because it errors out on the public feeds. Work arounds are:

- Download and explicitly install packages

- Unregister ALL internet feeds (a non-obvious process, particularly for the NIPM feeds), reregister local feeds, try again.

It would be nice if there was some option I could enable that says "ignore errors and proceed with feed update"... or something.

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).

Hello,

I used to distribute a software with non-package installer. Then, we switched to a package installer. It is built using NI Package Builder.
Unfortunately, NI Package builder doesn't uninstall previous versions as it doesn't know the relationship.

Please, could you implement in the UI the possibility to specify "conflicts" and "replaces" relationships as described in this document?
http://www.ni.com/documentation/en/ni-package-manager/latest/manual/control-file-attributes/

Also discussed on the forum: https://forums.ni.com/t5/NI-Package-Manager-NIPM/Nothing-but-confusion-about-building-and-using-packages/m-p/3938499/highlight/true?profile.language=fr#M91

Romain

It would be very helpful to be able have an option to only repair the selected package. Typically the issue I have been seeing is with a single package that failed a post-install/post-install all action. Repair will go all they way back the hierarchy, which is unneeded in this case and take much longer leading to additional down time. They should be able to just repair the single package; the default being the current full hierarchy repair is fine, but there must be an option. The workaround of uninstalling and reinstalling the package is also problematic as mentioned in several other issues, since you are forced to uninstall all packages that depend on this package.

I'd like to be able to select a collection of nipkg files in e.g. Windows Explorer and use NIPM to install them in the correct order based on their interdependencies.

If I create a local feed and add that, then NIPM will allow this via selection in the Packages tab.

However, there doesn't seem to be a method to select multiple files that are not in a feed using a GUI (Windows Explorer or NIPM etc).

VIPM has an "Open Package File(s)" menu item that fills this role.

I think (although I didn't test, because I didn't consider this when I was running into this issue) that using "nipkg.exe install A.nipkg B.nipkg C.nipkg" would work for this, so there is a workaround. I just didn't consider it earlier...

Please allow a user to see which package(s) that were manually selected lead to the automatic removal of each package in the "will be automatically removed" list.

If you select some packages to remove, sometimes the uninstall dialog lists a collection of packages that depend on something you've selected.

These must also be removed if you want to remove whatever you selected (so as not to leave them broken).

However, if I select a collection of packages to remove, and see something in this list I want to retain, it can be difficult to see which package I should remove from my selection (after pressing cancel) in order to not trigger the removal of the package I want to retain.

C:\ProgramData\National Instruments\NI Package Manager\packages is a black hole. Files enter but never leave -- my PC has collected so many old (and now-useless) packages over the years, e.g.

ni-package-manager_17.5.0.49152-0+f0_windows_x64.nipkg
ni-package-manager_18.0.1.49152-0+f0_windows_x64.nipkg
ni-package-manager_18.0.2.49152-0+f0_windows_x64.nipkg
ni-package-manager_18.5.1.49152-0+f0_windows_x64.nipkg
ni-package-manager_19.0.0.49152-0+f0_windows_all.nipkg
ni-package-manager_19.6.0.49152-0+f0_windows_all.nipkg

It is safe to delete these. If NIPM needs to re-install the package, it simply re-downloads them.

Please add a way on the NIPM GUI for users to easily clear the package cache. Bonus points if there's an option to retain the versions that are currently installed (I believe NI Package Builder grabs the packages from this folder?)

As I have come to using NI Package Manager (NIPM) more, I have come across a few user experience issues that need to be improved for NIPM. This is mostly centered around downgrading package version. Most of these are currently available in VI Package Manager

For installed packages, you cannot downgrade/change versions of the package. To do this, you must first uninstall the package so you can select the version you want from the Packages screen. (Installed packages are removed from the Packages screen's listing.) There should be at least an option to show the installed packages on the Packages screen so a new version can be selected. It would not hurt to have the ability to select version(s) on the Installed and Updates as well.
On the Updates screen, we should be able to select the available versions if there multiple upgrades available.
If you install a package that requires a downgrade in a dependency, currently NIPM does not let you install that package. It can be down via the NIPKG command line interface (CLI). There should be at least an option/prompt to allow the downgrade. This capability seems to be able to be added by NI as I was prompted to Allow Downgrade/Removal when I updated InstrumentStudio last year. Our packages should be able to do this prompting as well. At least there could be an option added to NIPM that would allow downgrades/uninstalls so that this could be done via the GUI. Also the dialog could give more information about what specifically the issue is.

Too generic message without any recourse

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think NI should allow the already stable and robust Update Service to download the latest packages/update and install them, while continue to fix/upgrade NIPM, Shouldn't put all eggs in the same basket. The current and recently updated NIPM is so frustrating that it can fail before initiating the download. the previous version kicked the bucket after hours into downloading, failing within inches from the finishing line. please consider not all users have fast and reliable internet connectivity.

the package manager seemed like cannot even populate nor remove installed packages without internet connection. is it a bug? as mentioned from the other ideas posted previously, not all operation computers are granted internet access. please look into it. thanks

just a suggestion, installer packages should be given the option to able to be installed/removed by itself, with the PM being a complementing tool, especially for inter-version compatibility during this transition period.

When adding a Package Installer, NI Package Builder is currently limited to only configuring the options on the top level, first page of a suited installer (i.e. "NI-IMAQdx", etc.), but not configuration of the second page "Additional items you may want to install:", where it lists "recommended" items. This means one cannot create a fully customized NI Software suited installation (like was possible in the past with the .spec file).

NIPB needs to analyze the installer configuration and expose a list of recommends/suggests for each top-level package or for the whole installer itself, just like Install.exe does.

NI Package Management Idea Exchange

NI Package Management Idea Exchange

Provide meaningful error messages on package installation failure

Support Default Windows Keyboard Shortcuts

NI Package Builder - Improve MRU file name display (first underscore is missing)

Ignore Feed Error Loading

NI Package Builder - Allow absolute paths for build locations

NIPM Should Store Volume License Server Name Persistently

NI Package Builder - Add Ability to Link Folders to Package

Expose "conflicts" and "replaces" relationships in NI Package Builder UI

Give option to Repair only the selected package

Install multiple .nipkg files together via GUI

When removing packages requires additional removals, indicate which package is causing the change

Add ability to reclaim space taken by cached packages

NIPM: Add flexibility to selecting version of packages

Programmatically change NIPM Settings

NIPM: Add the ability to see non-patch Updates

Display package size in feed list

NI Update Service to be concurrent with NIPM until NIPM is stable

NIPM: Add Refresh Button

NIPM to be able to manage installations without internet connection

Use NI Package Builder to create a fully customized NI Software install