LabVIEW-2020 32bits over 64 bits

[Amith_Vasista]

Good day to the fellow LabVIEWers,

I read few discussions on the difference between 32 bits & 64 bits. Many said to go with 32bits. They all were quite old discussions. I want to know the situation with LabVIEW 2020. Is it worth going with 64bits architecture? If yes, why & how does it change from 32 bits? I have a python code to be integrated in LabVIEW which has libraries only for 64bits. What all things should i be considering before going for the right platform? Could you please help me choosing?

Have a great day,

Cordialement.

[billko]

---

@Amith_Vasista wrote:

Good day to the fellow LabVIEWers,

I read few discussions on the difference between 32 bits & 64 bits. Many said to go with 32bits. They all were quite old discussions. I want to know the situation with LabVIEW 2020. Is it worth going with 64bits architecture? If yes, why & how does it change from 32 bits? I have a python code to be integrated in LabVIEW which has libraries only for 64bits. What all things should i be considering before going for the right platform? Could you please help me choosing?

Have a great day,

Cordialement.

---

I'm thinking that if your Python libraries have no 32-bit equivalent, then there really isn't a choice.  That being said, is it possible to find alternatives to the Python libraries?

The same issues that the old discussions mention are still there, except that toolkit support has gotten a bit better.  There are also a few weird bugs that you find in LV 64-bit that have no analogs in LV 32-bit.

I hope this helps a bit.

[Amith_Vasista]

Thanks Bill for your response. No I could not find libs in 32bit for Python. I rather thought of making an dll & calling. I have hardly seen people using LabVIEW 64bit version. This makes me wonder. My application quite huge. I do not want to change everything because of a small Python code 🙂 

Have a great day!

[rolfk]

---

@Amith_Vasista wrote:

Thanks Bill for your response. No I could not find libs in 32bit for Python. I rather thought of making an dll & calling. I have hardly seen people using LabVIEW 64bit version. This makes me wonder. My application quite huge. I do not want to change everything because of a small Python code 🙂 

Have a great day!

---

If the Python library is only 64-bit you also only can create a 64-bit DLL from that and that would mean you can only call it in 64-bit LabVIEW. Mixing of 32-bit and 64-bit code inside the same process is not supporte by Microsoft Windows in any fashion. There are VERY hacky ways to do it anyways but the effort and complexity is simply not worth it. If you don't know assembly programming there is simply no beginning at it.

Of course you could run your library in 64-bit Python and simply start it up from LabVIEW as seperate process and then communicate through TCP/IP or some other interprocess communication method with it. While it takes some effort to program a proper interprocess communication scheme, it is possibly less work than recompiling and especially revalidating your existing app to LabVIEW 64-bit.

[Amith_Vasista]

Hey Rolf, thanks for the reply.

The python code will be one of the core codes. So I am gonna try to make a 32bit dll & calling it.(i am not sure, if its possible). Running 2 things in parallel & communicating with eachother in every cycle is not what i am looking for in my application. Hopefully all the dlls we are currently using will have its 64bit version. 🙂 What i understood is, there is no harm in 64bit LabVIEW version right?

No assembly level coding, no 🙂

Great afternoon,

Amith

[rolfk]

First you talk about creating a 32-bit DLL and then you say you will go and use 64-bit LabVIEW. Something just doesn't add up right!!!

Either way, if your Python library is only available as 64-bit code you can NOT create a 32-bit DLL from it, and if you plan to create a 32-bit DLL from your existing LabVIEW code you can not call it from 64-bit Python!

[RTSLVU]

---

I have a python code to be integrated in LabVIEW which has libraries only for 64bits. What all things should i be considering before going for the right platform?

---

Well as others have said you chose 32 or 64 (Hey wasn't that a Chicago song?) bits based on the libraries and toolkits you require.

The vast majority of NI LabVIEW toolkits are still 32 bit, that is why 32 bit LabVIEW is recommended unless you have a real need for 64bit

If your Python library only comes in 64bit, you have a real need for 64 bit LabVIEW

[crossrulz]

For more information on the difference between 32-bit and 64-bit LabVIEW:

LabVIEW 32-Bit vs. 64-Bit Development Environments FAQ 

NI Product Compatibility for Microsoft Windows 10 

[Amith_Vasista]

Thank you for the help people. It seems that we gotta go ahead with 64bit version. I was trying really hard to keep it to 32bit version as we may lose lots of toolkits from 3rd party & support in 64bit version. 

[billko]

I see two paths:

• Go 64-bit, figure out how you're going to live without some (maybe) crucial toolkits, or
• Go 32-bit, and figure out how to port the python functions to native LabVIEW code.

Neither seems particularly pleasant to me.  😞