what support files do I need to run a labview application

[allison 41]

I have built an application from my Labview VI & I need to distribute it to run on a variety of machines. I am being asked to put everything in one place so that when the user runs a 'setup' file, the executable & needed support files are automatically installed. My problem is that using the 'create installer' function in labview & choosing the option to include the lvrt engine installer creates HUGE files that are not easily distibuted outside our network (setup+data=30Megs). Instead, I would like to just include lvrt.dll as a support file. And, since I am using the serial port vi's in my program, I'm told I will need to include serpdrv as a support file as well. Will this work? And how d
o I know what support files to include when building an application this way...will I need to include support files other than lvrt.dll & serpdrv to ensure my program will run ok on different machines?

[abrause]

Allison,

If you are using LV5, installing just lvrt.dll in the system (or system32)directory will
work. Be sure to put serpdrv in the same directory as your executable, though.

If you are using LV6, things are a bit more complicated. You will need to
hand copy all the files and directories from \Program Files\National Instruments\
shared. Under \shared you will find directory LabVIEW Run-Time that includes
all the libraries necessary to run an LV6 exe. Your LV app won't have any
trouble finding the libs if you use this same path.
These files and directories are created for you on your machine if you install
LabVIEW's run time engine separately.

To make this easier for you to distribute, get "Package for the Web" from
http://www.installshield.com/product/freepftw.asp
This free installer will re-create directories and paths for you and give you a
single "setup.exe" to click on to install your LV app and run time engine pieces.
It also compresses the files.

Good luck,

Alan Brause


A tool to
"allison" wrote in message news:506500000008000000471A0000-986697009000@quiq.com...
> I have built an application from my Labview VI & I need to distribute
> it to run on a variety of machines. I am being asked to put
> everything in one place so that when the user runs a 'setup' file, the
> executable & needed support files are automatically installed. My
> problem is that using the 'create installer' function in labview &
> choosing the option to include the lvrt engine installer creates HUGE
> files that are not easily distibuted outside our network
> (setup+data=30Megs). Instead, I would like to just include lvrt.dll
> as a support file. And, since I am using the serial port vi's in my
> program, I'm told I will need to include serpdrv as a support file as
> well. Will this work? And how do I know what support files to
> include when building an application this way...will I need to include
> support files other than lvrt.dll & serpdrv to ensure my program will
> run ok on different machines?

[Matt_R]

In order to get a LabVIEW executable to work on your target machines, you need to have the labview run-time engine (lvrt.dll) as well as the appropriate driver files. If you are using LabVIEW 5.1 or earlier, and in your case this means serpdrv because you are using the serial communication VI's.

If you are using LabVIEW 6i, you would not need to include serpdrv, you would need to install NI-VISA on your target machine instead. This is because all serial calls in LabVIEW 6i use VISA.

The LabVIEW run-time engine can be included as a support file, but you need to be aware that LabVIEW executables search for the run-time engine in the following locations:

1. The location specified in the executable's .ini file, in a section named "LVRT" under a key named "DLLPath".

2.
The same directory as the executable.

3. The location specified by a registry key. This registry key is "HKEY Local Machine \Software\National Instruments\LabVIEW Run-Time\X.X". "X.X" will be the LabVIEW version, but it will only be updated for each incompatible version (i.e., minor updates will use the same directory).

4. The default location. The default location will be "Program Files\National Instruments\Shared\LabVIEW Run-Time\X.X". "X.X" will be the same as for the registry key, above.

Hope this helps!

[Ben321]

---

abrause wrote:
Allison,

If you are using LV5, installing just lvrt.dll in the system (or system32)directory will
work. Be sure to put serpdrv in the same directory as your executable, though.

---

What file format is serpdrv? Is it DLL or what?

I wish to make my executable work on computers that don't already have Labview installed, and this sounds like the key. However, if I am to find these files on a computer that has Labview on it, I'll need to know what folder it's under. Where are they?

On a similar note, why when I built the executable (something.exe) does it also make 2 other files (something.ini and something.aliases)? I never told the compiler to make those files, and my programs are all VERY simple so far so I don't need any ini files. If I did I'd use the ini file making block in Labview (you can add several different types of file making blocks you can add to your block diagram, including one for ini files).

[Dennis_Knutson]

You've used a very old thread to post to and though you don't mention the version of LabVIEW, it has to be at least 8.0 since the builder is creating an alias file. Since it's 8.x, the serpdrv is not at all relevant. That is a very obsolete driver for serial communication.

The key is really to create an installer after the exe is built. It will include the LabVIEW run-time, support DLLs, and any hardware drivers that you choose to include. 

The ini file will always be created when you run the exe. It has the same function as the LabVIEW.ini file