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Freelion8

Duplicate Main VI hierarchy into a folder with modified VI names

Status: Declined

National Instruments will not be implementing this idea. See the idea discussion thread for more information.

I have been developing LabVIEW projects for more than a decade now and most of my projects are large scale modular projects. Let me give an example; I have a project which has 20 program modules in it. Each program module has its own Main VI, SubVIs, controls and globals. Each module is called dynamically so that only the module being called will be loaded into a memory. Ie, if I want to use my "Performance Test Module, I called only the performance test module main VI and other test modules like "Durability Test Module" will not be loaded into a memory. Here is my idea; If I need a new module like a "Fatigue Test Module",  I would like to be able to duplicate an existing module's Main VI hierarchy into a folder with modified names and this newly created Main VI should reference these newly named VIs. Since existing module and the new module are intended to be in the same LV project, it causes file name and references conflict when an existing module's main VI hierarchy is duplicated to create a new program module. Currently, LABVIEW version 2017 has no option to duplicate hierarchy with new file names. It would be very time saving for me if I was able to duplicate hierarchy with new names. For example, If I am duplicating a VI named as "SaveData.vi", I would like to be able to add an extension to a file name when I am duplicating the hierarchy like "SaveData_FatigueModule" so that all other duplicated VIs would have the same extended "_FatigueModule" name in them and  newly created Main VI would reference to these VIs. Therefore, I would be able to add the new module into my project without causing any conflict.

Senior Software Developer
2 Comments
AristosQueue (NI)
NI Employee (retired)

If you develop your modules in a library (.lvlib), then you just Save As >> Copy on the library. There's no need to rename all the file names because the qualified names are changed. LabVIEW recommends using libraries for module development for this and other advantages.

 

If you truly want file name renaming, then AppBuilder's "Source Distribution" has the ability to add a prefix onto every file that it processes. It would not allow you to remove an existing prefix, only add, so you would need a template module that doesn't have any prefixes already.

Darren
Proven Zealot
Status changed to: Declined

National Instruments will not be implementing this idea. See the idea discussion thread for more information.