executable VS. iak files

[vgravel]

Hello,

I have an executable communicating with a cFP (.iak file included in
my installer). How can I be sure that the executable always uses the
good iak file?

For example, if the user creates an iak file with MAX, the aliases
"FieldPoint" that was corresponding with the good iak file will now be
corresponding with the iak that he created. My application won't work
anymore…

In other words, I want to create an aliases that will always be
corresponding to the good iak file for my application. I know how to
do it when LabVIEW is installed (in the fpconfig.ini file) but not
when the application is an executable (only Run-Time engine and
FieldPoint installed).

Thanks for the help!

Vincent

[Neil_S.]

Vincent,

I have a few questions about your setup.  What version of the Fieldpoint driver are you using?  What version of LabVIEW are you developing in?

Thanks,

Neil S.
Applications Engineer
National Instruments

[vgravel]

Hello Neil,

Installed on the developing machine:

- FieldPoint 5.0.0.0116

            - LabVIEW 8.0

            - Run-Time 7.0

            - Run-Time 7.1

            - Run-Time 8.0

On the other machine:

            - FieldPoint 5.0.0.0116

            - Run-Time 8.0

Thanks!

[Neil_S.]

Vincent,

How are you including the iak file with your executable?  Are you importing the iak into your LabVIEW project?  Are you including the iak file generated by the project as a support file to your executable?  Fieldpoint configuration in LabVIEW 8 is much different than previous versions of LabVIEW.  When accessing a fieldpoint the IAK file can be created orginally in MAX but needs to be imported into the project.  When it is imported into the project LabVIEW copies the iak file and creates a new iak file with the same name as the project in the same directory as the project.  The Fieldpoint configuration can be modified in the project and changes will be saved to the iak file.  In addition information about the Fieldpoint is stored in an alias file.  When you build your application the iak file generated by LabVIEW with the name of the project should be added as a support file.  To be able to add the file you will need to include this iak file into your project.  When the iak file is included as a support file the executable should know where to get the correct iak file.  Let me know how it goes.

Regards,
Neil S.
Applications Engineer
National Instruments

[vgravel]

Hello Neil,

I did include my iak file (which was create automatically when I added the cFP to my project) by right-clicking on “My Computer” and selecting “Add File…”.

In the executable builder, I added the iak file in “Dynamic Vis and Support Files”. After the build, the iak file is in the “Data” folder with the FPLVMgr.dll.

After that the executable finds the iak file. The problems occur when I open another iak file in MAX and delete a device (cFP-RLY-421 for example). If I run the executable after that, I get a error (32812) like what it doesn’t find the device. If I open the good iak in MAX and save it, everything is working properly.

I included screenshots for more clarity.

Thanks for taking care of my case…

Vincent

[Neil_S.]

Vincent,

I am going to try to reproduce this behavior.  I will tell you what I find.

Neil S.
National Instruments

[vgravel]

Any clue yet?

I Still don't figure it...:(

[Neil_S.]

Vincent,

Sorry for the delay in getting back to you.  I was finally able to track down the proper equipment and have been experimenting with the Fieldpoint controller.  I believe I have been able to recreate the behavior but am still looking into what we might be able to do to work around the behavior (other than manually importing the iak configuration into MAX).  I will keep you posted on what I discover.

Regards,

Neil S.

[Neil_S.]

Vincent,

I apologize for the delay.  I have been seeking for a viable solution and I think that I have found a possible work around.  The current behavior is not as intuitive as it will likely be in the future.  We are actively developing the Fieldpoint interface in LabVIEW and appreciate your feedback.

Here is the possible work around:

1.  After dragging the IO Point into the development VI click the drop down menu for the Fieldpoint IO Point constant.
2.  Click Browse
3.  Select the View Configurations
4.  Select new
5.  Give it a name and navigate to the iak file you would like to reference (usually the one created with the project)
6.  Click Add
7. Click Browse Fieldpoint
8.  Select the IO point under the new configuration
9.  Click OK.
10.  The VI should still run

After building the VI into an executable the application will continue to work.  However, the iak file must remain at the full path that you specified in your configuration for the IO Point.

Note:  This will only work if the iak file is in the exact same location on the deployment computer.  (i.e. Development machine iak file path = Deployment machine iak file path)

You do not need to include the iak as a source file you just must assure that the file is in the exact same location.

I hope this helps.  Let me know if you have questions about using this work around.

Regards,

Neil S.
Applications Engineer
National Instruments

[vgravel]

Neil,

Thanks again for the help!

I will try this very shortly... Nice to see we can get great help form NI!

Vincent