Developer Center Resources
Goal
The easiest way to license an executable is through the Instant Protection PLUS 3 licensing injector/wrapper tool. It has an easy-to-use licensing wizard, and is available from SoftwarKey.com / Concept Software. This exercise will show how to license a LabVIEW-built executable using Instant Protection PLUS 3.
Prerequisites
- LabVIEW 2010 or later
- “LabVIEW Executable” LabVIEW project.
- Instant Protection PLUS 3 software downlaod from SoftwareKey (request the 30-evaluation available here)
- Internet Connection
Part 1: Build “LabVIEW Executable.exe”
Open LabVIEW Executable.lvproj
View the source code of LabVIEW Executable.vi and test its functionality.
Close LabVIEW Executable.vi
In the project explorer window, right click on “LabVIEW Executable” under “Build Specifications” and select build.
When the build is complete, click Explore to view the executable file.
Double click on LabVIEW Executable.exe to run it. See that the VI runs instantly.
Part 2: License EXE with Instant Protection PLUS 3
- Click on the start menu and choose Start > All Programs > SoftwareKey Licensing System > Instant Protection PLUS 3 > Instant Protection PLUS 3
- If you are using a trial version of Instant Protection PLUS 3 , you will first get an evaluation screen. Click “Evaluate Instant Protection PLUS 3” to continue.
- On the Instant Protection PLUS 3 Wizard page choose “Start a new project” and click Next.
- If you are using the Instant Protection PLUS 3 trial, click OK on the popup asking you to sign up for a test account.
- On the SOLO Configuration page, if you are already have a SOLO server account, choose “I have already subscribed to the Instant SOLO service or I host my own SOLO Server” and click Next to log in with your credentials. Alternately, you can create your own account by choosing “I want to sign up for an Instant SOLO Server test account”.
- On the Choose SOLO Product page, choose “I would like to create a new product on SOLO Server” and click Next
- Log into the SOLO Server page with the same Login ID and Password used previously.
- In the “Add Product Wizard”, fill out the information for the new product as shown in the below screenshots and click Next on the left pane.
- Description, Option Name, Option Description and Price can be whatever you choose. Everything else should remain default.
- Description, Option Name, Option Description and Price can be whatever you choose. Everything else should remain default.
- On the Product Options page, click Next. There is no need to change these options.
- On the General Product Information page, uncheck “Auto-Detect Version” and enter the version number of your software. Change the Product Logo to C:\Hands-On\LabVIEW Executable\LabVIEW Executable.bmp, or any other bitmap file. Click Next.
- On the License File Options page, click Next. There is no need to change these options.
- On the Trial Options page, click Next.
- On the Copy-Protection Options page, click Next.
- On the Telephone Activation Options page, click Next.
- On the Activation Options page, click Next.
- On the License Key Injection page, click Next.
- On the Periodic Expiration page, click Next.
- On the Integration Method page, click Next.
- On the Wrapper Settings page, choose the executable to be licensed in “File to Wrap” field. Change the Output Folder to where you want the new wrapped executable to be saved. Do not change the other options.
- Click Next. When prompted to save changes, click Yes. Save the IPP file somewhere on your hard drive. This file should not be distributed with the executable.
- Wait for the Process Application window to display “Processing completed.” Your executable is now licensed.
Part 3: Test your licensed executable
- In the Instant Protection PLUS 3 dialog click the “Run App” button to test your licensed application. Alternately you can run “C:\Hands-On\builds\licensed\LabVIEW Executable.exe" from windows explorer.
- Press OK on the Trial Message dialog. This only appears since you licensed the executable using a trial version of Instant Protection PLUS 3.
- The next window that opens is the evaluation dialog that users will see if they run your application without a full license.
- Click Evaluate LabVIEW Executable to bypass the Evaluation Dialog and proceed to the built application. Notice that aside from the evaluation dialog, the application runs just the same as before licensing was added.
Additional Notes
The first time that the licensed application is run, it is important to change the necessary permissions of all license files and registry entries if you changed the License File Location setting on step 13 to something other than the default "Auto-create in the current user registry". This can be done by calling the EXE with the command line parameter /OPENLF. Since this needs to be done at install time, your installer can copy over the licensed EXE file to the target system and immediately call it with the /OPENLF command line parameter to set the permissions and exit.
Conclusion
This hands-on covers licensing a LabVIEW Executable using SoftwareKey Instant Protection PLUS 3. If you need more advanced licensing functionality, you can also utilize Third Party Licensing & Activation Toolkit Licensing API. For licensing a LabVIEW Library, you can use the Third Party Licensing & Activation Toolkit Add-on Licensing Tool.
Additional Resources:
