Use NIPB instead of VIPM for VI distribution

[bienieck]

Hello,

Is there a simple way to distribute custom VIs (palette) using NIPB, similar to the distribution of VI packages using VIPM?

Let's say I have my custom device driver and I want to create NI package to install it in LabVIEW instr.lib.

How fast can I achieve it with NIPB/NIPM?

[SteenSchmidt]

NIPB/NIPM isn't aware of the development environment including palettes.

We use VIPM to deploy packages into the development system, and NIPM to deploy components onto the runtime target.

A tool like an instrument driver is made available to the developer as a VI Package with palettes and so on. The developer can now build whatever they need with that instrument driver, for instance a custom teststep for TestStand, an application (executable), or a plugin for an application (often a PPL). The TestStand component, the executable, or the PPL is then made deployable onto a runtime target as an NI Package.

Development and runtime are two different targets, so it doesn't matter to us that it requires two different tools. We have templates and automation to create both.

[bienieck]

Yes, I understand this workflow. However, I was hoping to simplify things and have just one tool - in the end, both are very similar.

In NIPB I found LabVIEW NXG Addon destination folder so I thought that maybe I'm missing something and I can use it as I would normally use VIPM.

I guess I will not simplify my setup ¯\_(ツ)_/¯

[CL_eisenwr]

We have deployed palettes with NI Packages, but does take a bit of tooling. Since you are deploying to instr.lib, you should only have to create the palette .mnu files and include them in your package. LabVIEW does automatically scan the instr.lib folder for palettes and add them automatically. This post is good overview of the process of creating the .mnu files

[Scott_Richardson]

Michal -

Just to confirm, you are correct that NI Package Builder is aware of the installed LabVIEW NXG on the system. Currently NIPB does not have any awareness of an installed LabVIEW ADE nor does it allow the user to target version specific NI installation paths like LabVIEW ADE as destinations for files in a package it builds.

[bienieck]

Scott, are there any plans to change that?