Installer should check for runtime engine

[jlokanis]

When I build a LabVIEW application, I do not include the runtime engine in the installer.  Instead, I have a separate project that builds an installer for all the runtime components my applications need.  That way, my users can perform the runtime installation once and then update the app separately many times.  This keeps my installer sizes small and easy to distribute.

One issue I run into is when I move to a new version of LabVIEW.  I need to make sure all my users update their systems to the new runtime engine before they try to install and run my latest release.  Unfortunately there is no way to enforce this in the installer.  You can check for an installation of the LabVIEW development environment (see image) but that is not very useful.

So, my idea is to add the option to check for the presence of the runtime engine for the version of LabVIEW you are using to build your installer.

Additionally, it would be nice to have a way to check for other required components, such as .NET versions or other NI runtime components or drivers.  This is similar to an idea I posted a while ago here.

[altenbach]

Have a look at this old idea:

Build Application Installer should download and install Run-Time Engine if necesary

[jlokanis]

Yes, that is also a good idea.  I guess I would just be happy with a warning message for the user, since I provide a custom RTE that includes more than just the core components.

Perhaps they could do both!