How to import LabView VI from version 3 (3.1) to labview 8?

[lukavolk]

I have some old vi's from version 3.1, but we recently moved to labview version 8. When I try to import them an error accurs. Is there any solution to this problem?

[tst]

There used to be a free conversion toolkit you could get from NI to convert from 3 to 4. From there, I believe you should be able to open the VIs without problems.

I suggest you contact NI directly and ask them for that toolkit.

[mikeporter]

The problem is that V3.x was when NI brought out their first non-Mac versions of LV. As I recall V3.1 was Mac only, and the first Windows implementation was called V3.5. Although the numbers were different the functionality was basically the same (or as close as could be obtained given the state Windows 3.1 was in). The biggest issue was that while V3.5 was LabVIEW, it couldn't read files created on the Mac version - and vice versa. Commonality in file format didn't come until V4 - the first truly cross-platform version of LV - hence the need for the conversion utility that tst mentions.

Mike...

[tst]

I'm pretty sure the first Windows version was actually 2.5 (possibly even 2.2, I don't remember).

I don't know why the new format was only introduced in version 4.

BTW, NI actually changed the VI format for LV 8.0, but in such a way that the conversion to the new format is done automatically.

[PJS]

A minor point... 3.0 was the first version for the PC... As i have been using it since then... But yes, you can order the conversion CD (Free and  I believe the part number 776874-03.  More info here.  Good luck

[tst]

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@Stradis wrote:
A minor point... 3.0 was the first version for the PC

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Well, having being slightly busy in school back then, I'm not the one to talk about this, but a simple search seems to indicate it was 2.5 (example, example).

[johnsold]

LV2.2.1 was the last of the version 2 releases for the Mac. Version 2.5 was a Windows version. It took them a while to get the cross platform and version compatiblity stuff ironed out.

Lynn

[PJS]

It would appear that you are right... Although we were both responding at the same time.  I did not post to contridict you.  I do not have the original marketing literature from the time, although I do still have the disks... BUT what to put them in... LOL.  Sorry for posting version information in error.
although searching the NI website... Here I find a time line that announces version 2.5 in 1992, but in 1993 it says that it launched LabVIEW 3.0.  Not sure if that means anything.... I did see another timeline that shows a windows release before 3.0, but it has no version information for interim releases.
It is really hard to find details of early versions... maybe one of the NI Guru's can clarify... of course it means not a thing. LOL

[lukavolk]

Thank you for your replies, I'll try contacting NI directly for Conversion kit.

[LV_Pro]

Not helping the original conversion question, but LabVIEW 2.5 Was the first PC (and SUN OS) version of LabVIEW. I attended the demo of it here in Syracuse, NY in October of 1992 and conned my boss into ordering it and I have been hooked on LabVIEW every since. Version 2.5.2 came out in the spring of '93 and fixed a lot of issues with the original release, although it still had numerous "insane errors" during a day's programming. I have the original blue floppie disks that they were released on. As to conversion, essentially it requires reading it into the most recent version that will still handle it, saving in that version and then repeating. Unfortunately there are a couple of places where the differences are significant enough to cause major breaks. I tried this last summer for a customer that had a program written in 6.x and 8.x broke so much that we left it at converting to 7.1.1, which would run on the XP machine.

good luck,