Multiple LabView versions and file associations

[RTSLVU]

I know this is a Windows problem more than a LabView problem but...

I have LV 8.21, 8.6, and 2009 installed and seemingly Lv 8.6 is the only version that is associated with .vi .lvprog, and the other LV files.

Really makes it a P.I.A. when doubble clicking on a LV 2009 project file and LV 8.6 starts.

I have tried changing the associations to the labview.exe in the Lv 2009 directory but it does not change the Windows file associations.

Has anyone else delt with this and come up with a soultion?

[smercurio_fc]

This has been asked many times before. A search would have yielded that the issue is that the last version of LabVIEW that gets launched is the one that gets written into the Windows registry as the "current version". Changing the file associations will do nothing. This is a Windows "thing", not a LabVIEW "thing".

[RTSLVU]

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@smercurio_fc wrote:

This has been asked many times before. A search would have yielded that the issue is that the last version of LabVIEW that gets launched is the one that gets written into the Windows registry as the "current version". Changing the file associations will do nothing. This is a Windows "thing", not a LabVIEW "thing".

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Whatever you say...

BTW: I did search before I posted and only got three results, none of them had this answer...

[JÞB]

Here is my solution. (And, incidentally, the one point I DRIVE home to my co-wirers at work!)

Never ever ever open a LabVIEW object from Windows explorer!  Always open them from the IDE. 

Sea-Story time

Once upon a time I migrated from LabVIEW 5.1 to 6.i followed almost immidiatly by 7.0 (finally a stable VISA API) and in 3 months we jumped to 7.1.  4 versions in 6-9 months with projects in each.  With 8 developers and 15 test stations all "synchronized" to a single SCC database.  We learned some painful lessons about version control.  After a few weeks of Windows choosing randomly what version of LabVIEW to launch each vi in we had pretty thoroughly corrupted the libraries on every machine.  Reuse Vic's from 5.1 recompiled to 7.0, vi's in 7.1 cross linked to sub vi's in the 6.i area etc.... NIGHTMARE!  We actually SHUT DOWN the lab for about 10 days while we reconstructed ALL of our code and re-assembled the SCC database from the ground up.

At the risk of repeating myself- in a multiple version environment Never ever ever open a LabVIEW object from Windows explorer!  Always open them from the IDE. 

In a single version environment - Never ever ever open a LabVIEW object from Windows explorer!  Always open them from the IDE. it will teach you bad habits the will hurt later.

[Darin.K]

Of course, if you are like me you can't always tell which version of the IDE you have open at any given time since NI was "kind" enough to make the appearance very consistent from at least 8.2 onwards.  LV9 was an invasive species on my HD for a while until I figured it out.

If you ever open a VI and immediately see a "dirty dot", be afraid, be very, very afraid.  I would be checking the "About LabVIEW" window about that time.

[smercurio_fc]

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@RTSLVU wrote:

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@smercurio_fc wrote:

This has been asked many times before. A search would have yielded that the issue is that the last version of LabVIEW that gets launched is the one that gets written into the Windows registry as the "current version". Changing the file associations will do nothing. This is a Windows "thing", not a LabVIEW "thing".

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Whatever you say...

BTW: I did search before I posted and only got three results, none of them had this answer...

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Your search was too specific. Here's a few hits from a search on "multiple labview versions": one, two, three, four, ...

[JÞB]

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@Darin.K wrote:

Of course, if you are like me you can't always tell which version of the IDE you have open at any given time since NI was "kind" enough to make the appearance very consistent from at least 8.2 onwards.  LV9 was an invasive species on my HD for a while until I figured it out.

If you ever open a VI and immediately see a "dirty dot", be afraid, be very, very afraid.  I would be checking the "About LabVIEW" window about that time.

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I feel your pain Darin!  I've been known to uncheck the use default colors option and reset the BD and FP backgrounds when I must work in two versions at the same time.  (it saves a lot of Help> About LabVIEW clicks to determine which version I'm opened in  )