[Help] LabVIEW Search Paths Questions...

[ChristopherPovey]

Is the "Tools" \ "Options" \ "Paths" \ "Search Paths" stored on the PC that is running LabVIEW or stored in the currently opened VI?

Also can I specify relative search paths for example: "<topvi>\..\..\..\Library\MyLib\*"

Is the search recursive?  i.e. If there are subfolders, with subfolders will it drill down looking for the missing VI's?

The issue I have is that I have a project in a directory structure defined by a configuration control program i.e:

Y:\Test Equp\Project\Modules\Library\MyLib\* (there may be one or more sub folders contain VI's).

Y:\Test Equp\Project\Modules\MyApplication\* (there may be one or more sub folders contain VI's).

On the target the structure might be:

C:\Final\Library\MyLib\*

C:\Final\MyApplication\*

The issue is when I copy the files from Y: on my PC to C: on the PXI rack and open the top level VI in "MyApplication", LabVIEW cannot see the files in the "MyLib" until I tell where one VI is in each sub folder in "MyLib".  This is a pain, specially if I make changes and transfer the file back to my PC as I have too go through the process again! 

If I can spec a search path for the library files then it should just find them on either my PC or the PXI rack...

Thanks

[smercurio_fc · Accepted solution]

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@ChristopherPovey wrote:

Is the "Tools" \ "Options" \ "Paths" \ "Search Paths" stored on the PC that is running LabVIEW or stored in the currently opened VI?

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It is specific to that PC. It is stored in the labview.ini file.

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Also can I specify relative search paths for example: "<topvi>\..\..\..\Library\MyLib\*"

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You can, but that's not really the solution to your problem.

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Is the search recursive?  i.e. If there are subfolders, with subfolders will it drill down looking for the missing VI's?

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That's what the asterisk at the end signifies. From the LabVIEW Help:

After you select the directory, LabVIEW inserts the path in the text box to the right of the Browse button. You can edit the path in this text box. When you select a path, LabVIEW normally searches that directory but not its subdirectories. You can make the search hierarchical by appending an asterisk (*) to the new path item. For example, enter LabVIEW/*, LabVIEW\*, or LabVIEW:* to search LabVIEW and its subdirectories.

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The issue I have is that I have a project in a directory structure defined by a configuration control program i.e:

Y:\Test Equp\Project\Modules\Library\MyLib\* (there may be one or more sub folders contain VI's).

Y:\Test Equp\Project\Modules\MyApplication\* (there may be one or more sub folders contain VI's).

On the target the structure might be:

C:\Final\Library\MyLib\*

C:\Final\MyApplication\*

The issue is when I copy the files from Y: on my PC to C: on the PXI rack and open the top level VI in "MyApplication", LabVIEW cannot see the files in the "MyLib" until I tell where one VI is in each sub folder in "MyLib".  This is a pain, specially if I make changes and transfer the file back to my PC as I have too go through the process again! 

If I can spec a search path for the library files then it should just find them on either my PC or the PXI rack...

Thanks

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The location of subVIs is saved with a VI, and it's a relative path. Since you are moving both directories there shouldn't be an issue finding the subVIs when you open the top-level VI, so it's not clear why there's an issue here. Are you loading VIs dynamically?

[ChristopherPovey]

Looking at it further the directories structures are not the same.

On the network (my PC):

Y:\Test Equp\Project\Modules\Library\MyLib\Code\SomeVI.Vi

C:\Final\Library\MyLib\SomeVI.Vi

So there is an extra folder layer "Code" which is missing, which is why the code is searching.

Also some of the library files are on another drive (as they are reused from previous projects).

I am either going to have to define a set of search paths on the PXI rack and my PC or move the files so that they match relative to the top level VI.

Thanks.

[ChristopherPovey]

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[ChristopherPovey]

When you add a search path to LabVIEW is it supposed to search it for the missing VI?

For example if I had:

Y:\Projects\MyProject\Libraries\MyLibrary\MyLib.VI on my PC.

and

C:\MyProject\Modules\Libraries\MyLibrary\MyLib.VI on the PXI rack

If I add the following to the search paths:

C:\MyProject\Modules\Libraries\MyLibrary\*

Should it search down all the sub-directories under "Libraries"?

[smercurio_fc]

Did you read the excerpt from the LabVIEW Help that I posted? It only searches subdirectories of the last directory if you add an "*".

[ChristopherPovey]

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@smercurio_fc wrote:

Did you read the excerpt from the LabVIEW Help that I posted? It only searches subdirectories of the last directory if you add an "*".

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I missed that link, sorry, read it now.  When I had a look again it had removed the "*" I put it back and it now works.

Thanks.