Having LabVIEW 2016 32 bit and LabVIEW 2014 32 bit on the same machine

[MarioP]

Is it advisable to have professional development system LabVIEW 2016 32 bit and LabVIEW 2014 32 bit versions on the same machines? And if OK any risks to take into consideration?

[crossrulz]

The only real concern is drivers.  I am pretty sure the 2016 drivers will work with LabVIEW 2014.  But is that the version of drivers you want to develop with in LabVIEW 2014?

The other issue is making sure you are developing in the correct version of LabVIEW for your project.

In short, I recommend using a Virtual Machine if you are going to be using multiple versions of LabVIEW for project development.  That way you can keep all of the 2014 code in a VM with the 2014 drivers, etc and all of the 2016 code and drivers in another VM.

[Bob_Schor]

I've had as many as 5 versions of LabVIEW on my main work machine, and eventually "paid the price", did a "Remove all", and a more limited re-install [though I have to confess that I currently have 2012, 2014, 2015, and 2016 on here -- 2011 has been "banished" to a VM].

Here are some elements to consider:

• LabVIEW will "protect" you from opening a later version VI (say, a VI saved as 2016 using LabVIEW 2014) by refusing to do it, leaving you "no choice" but to use the "correct" version.
• It is safe to open a VI in a newer version of LabVIEW, but if you save the VI, it will be unopenable in its original version, so you should be "aware" of the change you are (perhaps unwittingly) making.
• If you double-click a VI, the last version of LabVIEW you ran will be the one that automatically opens it, whether or not it is the "appropriate" version or not.
• If you are doing all development yourself, you have only yourself to worry about.  If you are working with a team, or sharing your work with a colleague, you need to stay on a version compatible with both of you.
• If you are using Version Control (and you really should be using Version Control), you should think about perhaps having a branch specifically for the newer version if you are (temporarily) working with two LabVIEW versions.
• "Save for Previous Version" works well for a few VIs, but can get very messy for larger (hundreds of VIs) projects.

I'm in agreement with Crossrulz.  In order of "safety", the safest way to go is to use a single Version on your PC.  The next-safest is to have "single-Version VMs" (but not everyone can work with VMs).  If you are careful, however, you can usually "get away with" having multiple versions of LabVIEW on your Development machine -- just take precautions (of which I think the most important is using Version Control, as it allows you to "go back to before I stupidly saved as the newer Version").

Bob Schor

[MarioP]

Thank you both for very informative response. Much appreciated.