labview appliction builder

8/9/2019 LabVIEW Appliction Builder

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Distributing Applications with the LabVIEW Application Builder

Publish Date: Aug 23, 2013

Overview

This article is part of a series on software engineering practices and tools for large application development in LabVIEW.

to view the list of other articlesClick here

Software developers rarely intend for a finished application to be used only on the development computer. To address this issue, National Instruments provides the LabVIEW Application Builder

user-friendly tool that enables LabVIEW users to configure build specifications:

Stand-alone applications that can be distributed to users who have the LabVIEW Run-time Engine.Packed project libraries that package multiple files in one location with a project library as the root file.

Shared libraries that call LabVIEW code from text-based programming languages, such as LabWindows/CVI, Microsoft Visual C++, and Microsoft Visual Basic.

Source distributions that package LabVIEW source files, which can be distributed to other LabVIEW developers.

Installers that install stand-alone applications and shared libraries created for the Windows platform.

Zip files that are useful for distributing a large amount of code as a single, portable file.

Using build specifications differs significant ly depending on the version of LabVIEW you use. Refer to the for the most detailed and up-to-date information about the ApplicationLabVIEW Help

Builder. You can access the by selecting in LabVIEW.LabVIEW Help Help»LabVIEW Help

The LabVIEW Professional Development System includes the Application Builder. If you use the LabVIEW Base Package or Full Development System, you can purchase the Application Builder

separately.

You must have LabVIEW 8 or higher to complete these tutorials. Some text may differ in the software depending on which version of LabVIEW you use.Note:

Table of Contents

Preparing the LabVIEW Project

Stand-Alone Applications

Packed Project Libraries

Shared Libraries

Installers (Windows)

Source Distributions

Zip Files

Building Applications with the Application Builder

The LabVIEW Application Builder leverages the organization provided by the LabVIEW Project, which organizes and manages all of the files associated with an application. These files include V

project libraries, documentation, data files, hardware configuration and more. The Application Builder creates applications from user-specified files in a LabVIEW project, and individual build

settings are saved in the project.

The following examples use existing VIs to step through the tasks for configuring build specifications in LabVIEW. Download the attached VIs to complete each example. You must have a projec

open and saved to configure a build specification.

1. Preparing the LabVIEW Project

Download and unzip the file attached to this document.tutorial_files.zip

Select to create a project.File»New Project

Right-click and select from the shortcut menu to add a directory of files to the project as a folder. Navigate to the files from .My Computer Add»Folder tutorial_files.zip

Click the button to add the directory to the project. The folder appears under in the window.Current Folder Application Builder My Computer Project Explorer

Save the project as in a new directory named . Use this project to complete the examples.TutorialProject AB Tutorial

Note If you previously hid in the window, you must display the item again to access it. To view , click the buttBuild Specifications Project Explorer Build Specifications Filter Project View

and select .Build Specifications

2. Stand-Alone Applications

You can develop stand-alone applications (executables) that only require the LabVIEW Run-Time Engine to run on systems without LabVIEW installed. Complete the following steps in each tasto configure the application build specificat ion and build and run the application. Refer to the for the most detailed and up-to-date information about building stand-aloneLabVIEW Help

applications. You can access the by selecting in LabVIEW.LabVIEW Help Help»LabVIEW Help

Configuring the Build Specification

From the window, right-click and select from the shortcut menu to display the dialog box.Project Explorer Build Specifications New»Application Application Properties

Complete the following steps on the page of the dialog box.Information

Enter in the text box. The text box contains the name of the application build specification that appears under in theTutorial-EXE Build specification name Build Specifications

window.Project Explorer

Enter in the text box. The text box contains the filename on disk for the executable file.Tutorial.exe Target filename

Click the button next to the text box and navigate to the directory. Create a subdirectory named . Double-click the directory anBrowse Destination directory AB Tutorial App App

click the button to select the directory. When you build the application, the executable file appears in this directory.Current Folder

From the list on the left, click to display the page, which contains settings you can use to specify which files are included and how they are included iCategory Source Files Source Files

the application. Complete the following steps on the dialog box page.

From the tree, click the folder to expand it. Select . Click the arrow button next to the listbox to add the VI to theProject Files Tutorial Files AB Tutorial GUI.vi Add Item Startup VIs

listbox. VIs you add to the listbox open and run when you run the application.Startup VIs

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From the tree, select . Click the arrow button next to the listbox to add the VI to the listbox. Files you add Project Files AB Tutorial MeanMedianMode.vi Add Item Always Included

the listbox are in the application, but the application calls them dynamically as needed.Always Included

Repeat the previous step to add the following files to the listbox: , , and . Do not add tAlways Included AB Tutorial StndDev.vi AB Tutorial Histogram.vi datafile.txt

other files, which are for use in other examples.

Note If you move a VI to the listbox on the page, but you choose a destination in the page that is not the same destination as the builtAlways Included Source Files Source File Settings

application, the Application Builder moves all dependencies of the VI to the destination you designate, rather than keep the dependencies in the built application. If two or more VIs that are alwa

included or top-level VIs call a VI and try to move it to two different locations, the Application Builder moves the VI and all subVIs to the built application. To make a VI that is specified as Includ

move to a new location, you must specify the VI as on the page.referenced Always Included Source Files

From the list, select the other dialog box pages to explore the settings you can configure in a build specification for an application. For this exercise, do not change the settings oCategory

these dialog box pages.

From the list, click to display the page. Click the button to view a preview of the files that the Application Builder creates when you build theCategory Preview Preview Generate Preview

application. You can use this preview to verify that the Application Builder will create the files you want in the directories you want. You can correct errors before you build the application.

Click the button to close the dialog box and update the project with the build specification settings. The build specificat ion appears under in theOK Tutorial-EXE Build Specifications Pro

window.Explorer Building and Running the Application

Save the project. LabVIEW does not save build specifications settings on disk until you save the project.

Right-click the build specification and select from the shortcut menu to build the application. A dialog box displays the progress of the build. When the dialog box displaTutorial-EXE Build

the message, click the button.Build Complete Done

Navigate to the directory. The directory should contain the executable file , the LabVIEW configuration settings file , and theAB Tutorial\App Tutorial.exe Tutorial.ini data

directory, which contains the support files and .datafile.txt lvanlys.dll

Double-click to run the application. A file dialog box prompts you to navigate to and select the file, located in the directory created with the applicatioTutorial.exe datafile.txt data

Click the button to load data in the buffer. Click the button to display the data in the graph on the right. Select an analysis to perform in theAcquire Data Graph Data Type of Analysis

section and click the button to display statistics on the data.Analyze

Click the button to close the application.Stop

3. Packed Project Libraries

Complete the following steps in each task to configure the build specificat ion settings and build the packed project library. Refer to the for the most detailed and up-to-dateLabVIEW Help

information about building shared libraries. You can access the by selecting in LabVIEW.LabVIEW Help Help»LabVIEW Help


From the window, right-click and select from the shortcut menu to display the dialog box.Project Explorer Build Specifications New»Packed Library Packed Library Properties


Enter in the text box. The text box contains the name of the shared library build specificat ion that appears underTutorial-packedlib Build specification name Build Specificat

in the window.Project Explorer

Enter in the text box. The text box contains the filename on disk for the executable file.Tutorial-packedlib.lvlibp Target filename

Click the button next to the text box and navigate to the directory. Create a subdirectory named . Double-click theBrowse Destination directory AB Tutorial PackedLib Packed

directory and click the button to select it. When you build the shared library, the files appear in this directory.Current Folder


the shared library. Complete the following steps on the page of the dialog box.Source Files

From the tree, click the folder to expand it. Select . Click the arrow button next to the listboProject Files Tutorial Files AB Tutorial Library.lvlib Add Item Top-level Library

add the VI to the listbox.

From the tree, select . Click the arrow button next to the listbox to add the VI to the listbox. Files yoProject Files AB Tutorial MeanMeadianMode.vi Add Item Always Included

add to the listbox are in the packed library, but the packed library calls them dynamically as needed.Always Included

Repeat the previous step to add the datafile.txt file to the listbox.Always Included

From the list, select the other dialog box pages to explore the settings you can configure in a build specification for a packed library. For this exercise, do not change the settings Category


From the list, click to display the page. Click the button to view a preview of the files that the Application Builder creates when you build theCategory Preview Preview Generate Preview

packed library. You can use this preview to verify that the Application Builder will create the files you want in the directories you want. You can correct errors before you build the packed

library.

Click the button to close the dialog box and update the project with the build specification settings. The build specificat ion appears under in thOK Tutorial-packedlib Build Specifications


Building the Packed Library


Right-click the build specification and select from the shortcut menu to build the shared library. A dialog box displays the progress of the build. When the dialog bTutorial-packedlib Build

displays that the build is complete, click the button.Done

Navigate to the directory. The directory should contain the packed library file and the support files andAB Tutorial\PackedLib Tutorial-packedlib.lvlibp datafile.txt

.lvanlys.dll

4. Shared Libraries

Complete the following steps in each task to configure the shared library build specification and build the shared library. Refer to the for the most detailed and up-to-date informaLabVIEW Help

about building shared libraries. You can access the by selecting in LabVIEW.LabVIEW Help Help»LabVIEW Help


From the window, right-click and select from the shortcut menu to display the Shared Library Properties dialog box.Project Explorer Build Specifications New»Shared Library


Enter in the text box. The text box contains the name of the shared library build specificat ion that appears underTutorial-sharedlib Build specification name Build Specificat


(Windows) Enter in the text box. The text box contains the filename on disk for the executable file. (Mac OS X) EnterTutorial-sharedlib.dll Target filename

. (Linux) Enter .Tutorial-sharedlib.framework Tutorial-sharedlib.so

Click the button next to the text box and navigate to the directory. Create a subdirectory named . Double-click theBrowse Destination directory AB Tutorial SharedLib Shared

directory and click the button to select it. When you build the shared library, the files appear in this directory.Current Folder

From the list on the left, click to display the Source Files page, which contains settings you can use to specify which files are included and how they are included inCategory Source Files

shared library. Complete the following steps on the dialog box page.

From the tree, click the folder to expand it. Select . Click the arrow button next to the listbox toProject Files Tutorial Files AB Tutorial MeanMedianMode.vi Add Item Exported VIs

add the VI to the listbox and display the dialog box. LabVIEW exports VIs you add to the listbox so you can send and return values to and from theDefine VI Prototype Exported VIs

shared library.

Complete the following steps from the dialog box.Define VI Prototype

Click the parameter in the listbox. Verify that the description begins with .return value Parameters Function Prototype void



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Verify that the listbox includes an input named and outputs named , , and .Parameters Array mean median mode

If the function does not contain these parameters, click the blue (+) button to add the parameters and set the values to input or output.Add Function

Click the button to save the configuration settings and close the dialog box.OK Define VI Prototype

From the tree, select . Click the arrow button next to the listbox to add the VI to the listbox and display theProject Files AB Tutorial StndDev.vi Add Item Exported VIs Define VI

dialog box.Prototype

From the dialog box, complete the steps listed above for the , but with different parameters. Verify that theDefine VI Prototype AB Tutorial MeanMedianMode.vi Parameters

listbox includes an input named and an output named .Array standardDeviation

From the tree, select . Click the arrow button next to the listbox to add the VI to the listbox and display theProject Files AB Tutorial Histogram.vi Add Item Exported VIs Define VI

dialog box.Prototype

From the dialog box, complete the steps listed above for the , but with different parameters. Verify that theDefine VI Prototype AB Tutorial MeanMedianMode.vi Parameters

listbox includes an input named and an output named .Array HistogramOut

From the list, select the other dialog box pages to explore the settings you can configure in a build specification for a shared library. For this exercise, do not change the settings Category

these dialog box pages.From the list, click to display the page. Click the button to view a preview of the files that the Application Builder creates when you build theCategory Preview Preview Generate Preview

shared library. You can use this preview to verify that the Application Builder will create the files you want in the directories you want. You can correct errors before you build the shared libr

Click the button to close the dialog box and update the project with the build specification settings. The build specificat ion appears under in thOK Tutorial-sharedlib Build Specifications


Building the Shared Library


(Mac OS X) To build part of a shared library in LabVIEW, Application Builder must use gcc, the standard command-line compiler for Unix and Mac OS X operating systems. Use Xcode, the

standard development environment for Apple computers, to install gcc. You can download Xcode for free from the Mac App Store.

Right-click the build specification and select from the shortcut menu to build the shared library. A dialog box displays the progress of the build. When the dialog boTutorial-sharedlib Build

displays the message, click the button.Build Complete Done

Navigate to the directory. The directory should contain the shared library file , the file that containsAB Tutorial\SharedLib Tutorial-sharedlib.dll Tutorial-sharedlib.h

parameter prototypes for the shared library functions, the LabVIEW configuration settings file , and the directory, which contains the support files for the shared librarTutorial.ini data

You can call the shared library from a number of programming languages, including LabVIEW and C.

5. Installers (Windows)

You can create a single installer that will install the LabVIEW Run-Time Engine, any hardware drivers, and MAX configuration settings necessary for running the application. Complete the follow

steps in each task to configure the installer build specification and build and run the installer. Refer to the for the most detailed and up-to-date information about building installerLabVIEW Help

for Windows. You can access the by selecting in LabVIEW.LabVIEW Help Help»LabVIEW Help


From the window, right-click and select from the shortcut menu to display the dialog box.Project Explorer Build Specifications New»Installer Installer Properties

Complete the following steps on the page of the dialog box.Product Information

Enter in the text box. The text box contains the name of the installer build specificat ion that appears under inTutorial-Installer Build specification name Build Specifications

the window.Project Explorer

Enter in the text box. The text box contains the name that displays when the installer runs.AB Tutorial Product name

Click the button next to the text box and navigate to the directory. Create a subdirectory named . Double-click theBrowse Installer destination AB Tutorial Installer Install

directory and click the button to select the directory. When you build the installer, the files appear in this directory.Current Folder


the installer.

From the tree, click the build specification to select it. From the tree, click the folder to select it. Click the arrow buProject View Tutorial-EXE Destination View TutorialProject Add Item

next to the tree to add the application build specificat ion files to the installer.Destination View

From the list, click to display the page, which you can use to create shortcuts to the files that the installer installs and to determine the location of theCategory Shortcuts Shortcutsshortcuts. Complete the following steps on the page to create a shortcut on the desktop.Shortcuts

Click the button to display the dialog box. Double-click the file to select it.Add Shortcut Select Target File Tutorial.exe

Change the setting in the ring to so the shortcut appears on the desktop.Directory [All Users Desktop]

Change the text in the text box to .Name Tutorial Application

Delete the text in the text box so the shortcut appears directly on the desktop and not within a subdirectory.Subdirectory

From the list, click to display the page, which you can use to include National Instruments product installers that you need in the instaCategory Additional Installers Additional Installers

build. The listbox contains a list of the installers available on the computer.National Instruments Installers to Include

Place a checkmark in the checkbox, if a checkmark is not already present, to include the LabVIEW Run-Time Engine in the installer and all its componentsNI LabVIEW Run-Time Engine

Users who want to run the application must have the LabVIEW Run-Time Engine installed.

From the list, select the other dialog box pages to explore the settings you can configure in a build specification for an installer. For this exercise, do not change the settings onCategory


Click the button to close the dialog box and update the project with the build specification settings. The build specification appears under in theOK Tutorial-Installer Build Specifications


Building and Running the Installer


Right-click the build specificat ion and select from the shortcut menu to build the installer. A dialog box displays the progress of the build. When the dialog box displTutorial-Installer Build

the message, click the button.Installer build complete Done

Navigate to the directory. The directory should contain subdirector ies named , , and , and the files ,AB Tutorial\Installer\Volume bin license supportfiles nidist.id

, and .Setup.exe setup.ini

If you want to run the installer to test the LabVIEW Run-Time Engine installation, copy the files to a computer that does not include LabVIEW and run .Setup.exe

6. Source Distributions

Complete the following steps in each task to configure the source distribution build specification and build the source distribution. Refer to the for the most detailed and up-to-datLabVIEW Help

information about building source distributions. You can access the by selecting in LabVIEW.LabVIEW Help Help»LabVIEW Help


From the window, right-click and select from the shortcut menu to display the dialog bProject Explorer Build Specifications New»Source Distribution Source Distribution Properties


Enter in the text box. The text box contains the name of the source distribution build specification that appears underTutorial-Dist Build specification name Build Specification




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Click the button next to the text box and navigate to the directory. Create a subdirectory named . Double-click theBrowse Destination directory AB Tutorial Distribution

directory and click the button to select the directory. When you build the source distribution, the files appear in this directory.Distribution Current Folder

From the list on the left, click , which contains settings you can use to specify which files are included and how they are included in the source distribution. CompleteCategory Source Files

the following steps on the dialog box page.

From the tree, click the folder to expand it.Project Files Tutorial Files

Select all of the items in the folder.

Click the button next to the listbox to add the items to the listbox.Add Item Always Included

From the list, select the other dialog box pages to explore the settings you can configure in a build specification for a source distribution. For this exercise, do not change theCategory

settings on these dialog box pages.

From the list, click to display the page. Click the button to view a preview of the files that LabVIEW creates when you build the sourceCategory Preview Preview Generate Preview

distribution. You can use this preview to verify that LabVIEW will create the files you want in the directories you want. You can correct errors before you build the source distribution.

Click the button to close the dialog box and update the project with the build specification settings. The build specification appears under in theOK Tutorial-Dist Build Specifications Pro

window.Explorer Building the Source Distribution


Right-click the build specificat ion and select from the shortcut menu to build the source distribution. A dialog box displays the progress of the build. When the dialog boxTutorial-Dist Build

displays the message, click the button.Build Complete Done

Navigate to the directory. The directory should contain the VIs and support files from the project as well as other internal files that LabVIEW determined thAB Tutorial\Distribution

source distribution needed to include.

7. Zip Files

Complete the following steps in each task to configure the zip file build specification and build the zip file. Refer to the for the most up-to-date information about building zip files.LabVIEW Help

You can access the by selecting in LabVIEW.LabVIEW Help Help»LabVIEW Help


From the window, right-click and select from the shortcut menu to display the dialog box.Project Explorer Build Specifications New»Zip File Zip File Properties

Complete the following steps on the page of the dialog box.Zip Information

Enter in the text box. The text box contains the name of the zip file build specification that appears under in theTutorial-Zip Build specification name Build Specifications Proj

window.Explorer

Click the button next to the text box and navigate to the directory. Create a subdirectory named . Double-click the directory. EnterBrowse Destination AB Tutorial Zip Zip

in the file name field and click the button. When you build the zip file, a file with the name you specified appears in the directory you specified.Tutorial.zip Select

From the list on the left, click to display the Source Files page, which contains settings for the files to include in the zip file.Category Source Files

From the page, place a checkmark in the checkbox so the zip file includes all the VIs and support files in the project. This is a faster option than moving fileSource Files Zip entire project

from the tree to the listbox if you want to include all the project items in the zip file.Project Files Included Items

From the list, select the Zip File Structure page other dialog box pages to specify the file structure for a zip file. For this exercise, do not change the settings on this page.Category

Click to display the Preview page. Click the button to view a preview of the compressed file structure that the Application Builder creates when you build the zipPreview Generate Preview

file. You can use this preview to verify that the Application Builder will include the files you want from the directories you want. You can correct errors before you build the zip file. Notice tha

the zip file includes all project items and the project file ( ) itself..lvproj

Click the button to close the dialog box and update the project with the build specification settings. The build specification appears under in theOK Tutorial-Zip Build Specifications Proj

window.Explorer

Building the Zip File

Save the project. LabVIEW does not save build specification settings on disk until you save the project.

Right-click the build specificat ion and select from the shortcut menu to build the zip file. A dialog box displays the progress of the build. When the dialog box displays theTutorial-Zip Build

message, click the button.Build complete Done

Navigate to the directory. The directory should contain the file .AB Tutorial\Zip Tutorial.zip

You can use a standard decompression tool to decompress the zip file and view the VIs and support files it includes.

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