HELP needed! -- Installer and excutable questions

[Harry.W]

Hello,

I have created a Labview installer to install an executable (.exe) on a clean machine which does not have any Labveiw product so the executable can run by itself without the development evoriment. Since the program needs to use sub-VI in DAQmx so I have to include Runtime engine and DAQmx engine and everything which makes the installer >1.2 GB. Initially everything went ok.

Now we need to make some minor changes in the source code. My question is, do I have to redo the installer every time for minor changes? I saw system creates several files when I build an executable:

One .exe file

One .aliases file

One configuration file

One "Data" folder

Can I just copy this files to somewhere so new version of executable can run WITHOUT building a new installer that larger than 1 GB?

Any help or suggestion is greatly appreciated!

[Taki1999]

Create a Patch Installer and remove the RTE and DAQmx from the Additional Installers page.

This should pack up just your executable and is much more handy for distributing to computers which already have the RTE and DAQmx installed.

[Harry.W]

Taki1999,

Thanks a lot for your reply. So creating a Patch installer is the same procedure as building regular installer? Or is a different  process? Can you elaborate a little bit more? Thanks!

[Taki1999 · Accepted solution]

It's the same process as creating a regular installer.

Simplest way is probably to copy your existing full installer and then removed the Additional installers from the copy and rename your copy as Patch.

(i.e. just make sure to deselect additional installers from the page indicated on the attached screenshot)

[Harry.W]

Thanks! I'll give a try.

[Mike....]

I also need to do something similar to this.

When I create the second installer that does not include the run time engine or run time VISA, it seems to work

just fine on the target machine.

But, there are now two entries in the "control panel add or remove programs" dialog box.  It doesn't seem like a big

deal, but after creating a second patch, there are now three entries in the add or remove program dialog box.

There is only one actual executable installed on the target machine, so this somehow is not quite right.

I'd like to fix it, since the end user sees this and concludes that I don't know what I am dong... : <(

I guess they are right, but let's take care of that now.  Thanks in advance for the help,

-- Mike

[Andrew_B]

Hello Mike,

This is Andrew Brown, an Applications Engineer from National Instruments. Normally, the installer should recognize that you are working with the same application and update the application. This would not result in multiple entries for the application in the control panel "Add or Remove Programs" prompt. 

1. Are you creating multiple Applications in your LabVIEW project for the different versions?

2. What happens if you uninstall one of the entries for the application in the "Add or Remove Programs" prompt?

3. What version of LabVIEW are you working with to build the installers?

I will be happy to work with you to get this issue figured out. Thanks, and have a great day!

Regards,

Andrew

[Mike....]

I am using LV2011.  Turns out their is a solution in the Build Installer dialog, under versions, where you can use the same "upgrade code" number in the various installers.  This completely solves my problem.

If I have different upgrade codes in these installers, but create installers for the same executable, that is when I end up with multiple entries in the add/remove programs list.

And for completeness, when I remove any one of these programs, it removes the actual executable from my computer.  The remaining entries do not seem to have any purpose.  But add/remove does allow me to remove them as well, so I have returned to a clean state.

Thank you for the offer of help.

-- Mike

[Mark_Yedinak]

I regular build 2 installers. I build the full installer and the application only installer. What I have found works best is to manually set the version number for the installers. I let the application builder auto-increment. I simply match the installer's version number to the first three numbers of the version number. I will manually change the appropriate version numbers for the application when I make changes and make the corresponding change to the installers. After I make the initial version number change in the application builder I set it back to auto-increment.

[Mike....]

Solid advice.  I am now taking that approach as well. 

-- Mike