Single File Installer from LabVIEW

[David_L]

Currently in LabVIEW if you build an installer you end up with a hierarchy of files that look like this:

If you want to distribute this installer via the web, you need to use a third party program to zip it up, or create a self-extracting zip file.  Since LabVIEW can already create zip files with no problem, I propose the ability for LabVIEW to create a single file installer that can easily be distributed, like this:

This can be as easy as a checkbox in the current installer Advanced page:

[tst]

I would say that this should probably be the default. Most people don't care about all those files.

That said, this doesn't bother me that much personally, as I don't create that many installers, and when I do, we usually run them ourselves.

[Mark_Yedinak]

If not this then at least provide an option to automatically create a self extracting ZIP file file. Distribution is much easier when you have a single file.

[smercurio_fc]

I would agree with this idea. I've stopped creating installers using the Application Builder. I use Inno Setup. WAY more flexible.

[altenbach]

It would also be nice to be able to customize the icon of the single file installer.

[crossrulz]

This would also be extremely useful for source control.

[Mads]

And make a similar one for Real-Time targets. With no need for NI Max, and with the option to include the OS as well....that way we could just click on the installer, get a list of available targets (and or input an IP) -> select one or multiple targets, and install it in one go! Setting up multiple PACs today is way too cumbersome and requires too much software. Pack it all in one stand-alone installer.

(Yes, this should be posted on the RT Idea Exchange...but I  mention it here because it's really about the overall philosophy for distribution that should govern all parts of NI's products; keep it as intuitive and smart as possible.)

[Karsten_Dallmeyer]

If I have a LabVIEW exe with about 2MBs and my installer is about 150MB I can't send such an installer via e-mail. In such cases I miss the old slim LabVIEW installer that only handles the files he should do. This is much besser for client updates as building a complete net big installersourus.

[altenbach]

> If I have a LabVIEW exe with about 2MBs and my installer is about 150MB I can't send such an installer via e-mail. In such cases I miss the old slim LabVIEW installer that only handles the files he should do. This is much besser for client updates as building a complete net big installersourus

Well, this is a different issue. The number of installer files is not correlated to the installer size. If the run-time engine is included in the single file installer proposed here, it will not be small! You migh want to look at this idea instead.

[pbpatel]

That's awesome.

[pRoFiT]

A single installer file would be great.

I had to fix a couple co-workers SVN folders because of this. They pushed in the installer to SVN. Then added features which in turn created more files\folders in the installer directory. This really made SVN angry. files were now missing new folder were created. SVN didn't know what to do. Had to remove the installer from SVN and then add it back.

I only use SVN for source code and put my installers into ZIP's, then to a web server in the company. I need to sit down with evryone and get a software release procedure going.....

...anyways, great idea. I hope NI looks at this and implements it soon.

Also, I wish we had the option to specify the folder! not always volume!