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NI Package Management Idea Exchange

Post your ideas that are related to NI package management. This includes NI Package Manager, NI Package Builder, creating NI packages (.nipkg), distributing NI packages (.nipkg), managing feeds, and more.

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112 Kudos
Taggart

Restore the browse functionality

Status: Looking for Maintainer(s) Submitted by Trusted Enthusiast Trusted Enthusiast on 01-05-2021 09:17 AM 19 Comment

Stop forcing is to use the website. It is basically impossible to find anything.

 

Restore the browse functionality to NIPM.

42 Kudos
CL_eisenwr

NIPM: Add flexibility to selecting version of packages

Status: New Submitted by Active Participant on 03-02-2020 05:56 PM 1 Comment

As I have come to using NI Package Manager (NIPM) more, I have come across a few user experience issues that need to be improved for NIPM. This is mostly centered around downgrading package version. Most of these are currently available in VI Package Manager

 

  1. For installed packages, you cannot downgrade/change versions of the package. To do this, you must first uninstall the package so you can select the version you want from the Packages screen. (Installed packages are removed from the Packages screen's listing.) There should be at least an option to show the installed packages on the Packages screen so a new version can be selected. It would not hurt to have the ability to select version(s) on the Installed and Updates as well.
  2. On the Updates screen, we should be able to select the available versions if there multiple upgrades available.
  3. If you install a package that requires a downgrade in a dependency, currently NIPM does not let you install that package. It can be down via the NIPKG command line interface (CLI). There should be at least an option/prompt to allow the downgrade. This capability seems to be able to be added by NI as I was prompted to Allow Downgrade/Removal when I updated InstrumentStudio last year. Our packages should be able to do this prompting as well. At least there could be an option added to NIPM that would allow downgrades/uninstalls so that this could be done via the GUI. Also the dialog could give more information about what specifically the issue is.

Too generic message without any recourseToo generic message without any recourse

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37 Kudos
ChristianNeumann

Add an "remove all" feature to the NIPKG command line interface

Status: Already Implemented Submitted by on 09-06-2019 07:48 AM 7 Comment

The old installer had an option to remove all NI Software via the command line:

Automating Uninstallation of NI Software - National Instruments
https://knowledge.ni.com/KnowledgeArticleDetails?id=kA00Z0000019LfWSAU&l=en-US

 

While the nipk  command line interface has the "remove" option there is no "remove all" feature. It is only possible to remove single packages.

32 Kudos
JKSH

Add ability to reclaim space taken by cached packages

Status: Looking for Maintainer(s) Submitted by Active Participant on 03-15-2020 07:06 PM 8 Comment

C:\ProgramData\National Instruments\NI Package Manager\packages is a black hole. Files enter but never leave -- my PC has collected so many old (and now-useless) packages over the years, e.g.

 

  • ni-package-manager_17.5.0.49152-0+f0_windows_x64.nipkg
  • ni-package-manager_18.0.1.49152-0+f0_windows_x64.nipkg
  • ni-package-manager_18.0.2.49152-0+f0_windows_x64.nipkg
  • ni-package-manager_18.5.1.49152-0+f0_windows_x64.nipkg
  • ni-package-manager_19.0.0.49152-0+f0_windows_all.nipkg
  • ni-package-manager_19.6.0.49152-0+f0_windows_all.nipkg

 

It is safe to delete these. If NIPM needs to re-install the package, it simply re-downloads them.

 

Please add a way on the NIPM GUI for users to easily clear the package cache. Bonus points if there's an option to retain the versions that are currently installed (I believe NI Package Builder grabs the packages from this folder?)

24 Kudos
CL_eisenwr

Give option to Repair only the selected package

Status: Looking for Maintainer(s) Submitted by Active Participant on 07-15-2020 01:05 PM 1 Comment

It would be very helpful to be able have an option to only repair the selected package. Typically the issue I have been seeing is with a single package that failed a post-install/post-install all action. Repair will go all they way back the hierarchy, which is unneeded in this case and take much longer leading to additional down time. They should be able to just repair the single package; the default being the current full hierarchy repair is fine, but there must be an option. The workaround of uninstalling and reinstalling the package is also problematic as mentioned in several other issues, since you are forced to uninstall all packages that depend on this package. 

21 Kudos
Jordysfn

NIPM: Storage checking before installation

Status: New Submitted by on 07-14-2020 12:59 PM Comment

Let's say you have a really busy day and you need to test an application, but you need to install the LabVIEW or any other application like Test stand, for example, you go to your computer and use the Package Manager to install it. Then you have to go to another office, meanwhile, you let Package Manager take care of the installation that takes around 4-5 hours.

 

When you are back ready to run that test you found that there is an error saying that you have not stored available to install the software, and you wonder why NIPM did not check that requirement? There are literally thousands of software that have always performed that check before the installation some of then show a warning or they simply do not allow to start the installation. We really need this on NIPM.

 

Please help me with these guys.

18 Kudos
Nicolas_Bats

Add authentication capabilities to NIPM feeds

Status: Development Started Submitted by Member on 07-01-2020 06:25 AM 6 Comment

It could be usefull to have authentication capabilities in NIPM in order to create private feeds. Feeds stored on Microsoft Windows folder / shared folders can use Windows authentication but there is nothing available for feeds accessed with HTTP requests.

 

Something like username/password or API Key in HTTP headers, if possible a mechanism to be compatible with all storage plateforms (AWS, Artifactory...).

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13 Kudos
DGriffithjr

Down Rev or revert an update without affecting dependent package

Status: New Submitted by Member on 04-27-2020 03:43 PM 1 Comment

Because I have the situation below posted in the forums, I thought it would be a great improvement to down-rev a package without first having to un-install said package and end up removing packages that list the subject as a dependency.  That way if I ran into an issue with an update, I could easily revert to the previous package without affecting any other packages.

 

Thanks!

 

DGriffithJr

 

 

https://forums.ni.com/t5/NI-Package-Manager-NIPM/I-want-to-uninstall-a-package-and-NOT-uninstall-its-dependencies/m-p/4041272#M423

 

12 Kudos
CL_eisenwr

Allow additional Categories/Sections for (Packages built in LabVIEW)

Status: Development Started Submitted by Active Participant on 07-25-2019 11:37 AM 4 Comment

It would be helpful to be able to define additional Categories/Sections for NI Packages. This would help users quickly narrow down searches to find packages. This is needed since there is not a way to filter the packages by feed in NI Package Manager.

 

Current NI Package Categories/Sections

2019-07-08_14h18_38.png

[Edit: 2022-May-10] Moving to LabVIEW Idea Exchange as NI Package Manager and NI Package Builder support custom category values.

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11 Kudos
nevarre

Add silent installation option to install.exe for labview suites

Status: Looking for Maintainer(s) Submitted by Member on 10-16-2019 12:27 PM 2 Comment

I've been informed by NI support that current versions of LabVIEW can only be installed silently by installing Package Manager first and then using batch scripts for installation. Previous versions of labview supported silent installation using typical msiexec flags. The current tool, INSTALL.EXE only supports a passive switch which requires an interactive gui for it to successfully run an installer with application options other that the Package Manager. This is far from an ideal situation for mass deployment to computer labs and it ends up causing a waste of time and effort. Please add silent installation options to install.exe and add the ability for INSTALL.EXE to show installation parameters when it is passed some sort of common help parameter (such as --help, -h, -? ). 

11 Kudos
Vaaben

Allow uninstall packages where pre/post uninstall actions fail

Status: Development Started Submitted by Member on 08-26-2019 03:31 PM 1 Comment

Allow uninstall packages where pre/post uninstall actions fail. Right now, if the package has been created with an error in the pre / post uninstall action, then the package can't be uninstalled - the user is stuck with this package and can't even upgrade it.

9 Kudos
MaximeR

Add infos for updates

Status: Development Started Submitted by Active Participant on 06-09-2020 10:13 AM 5 Comment

When you have an update available for a package, you cannot access the details of the package. So you don't have access to the detils of the update. You must manually find the corresponding package in the product view and select the version to install to have access to the details.

 

At least a way to access to the product details page from the available update page.

8 Kudos
CL_eisenwr

NIPM: Add Refresh Button

Status: Development Started Submitted by Active Participant on 09-04-2019 10:33 AM 1 Comment

There should be a refresh button added to the NI Package Manager GUI. There is the ability to refresh the listings by pressing the F5 key, but that is not discover-able by the user other than blindly trying the defacto key.

8 Kudos
CL_eisenwr

Show Homepage and Maintainer's Email

Status: Development Started Submitted by Active Participant on 08-23-2019 05:48 PM 1 Comment

NI Packages have attributes for Homepage and Maintainer's Email as listed in the control file. It would be nice to at least have an option to display the information in NI Package Manager.

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6 Kudos
Vaaben

Automatically install dependend Ni.com packages / feed together with own developed SW on fresh install

Status: Duplicate Submitted by Member on 08-26-2019 03:24 PM 4 Comment

What: installing a package on a newly installed machine where only NIPM has been installed. Dependencies to e.g. DAQmx Runtime and Labview Runtime

The problem: the installation will fail as NI Package Manager does not know the feed locations for the dependent packages. If these packages had been installed previous and uninstalled, then the feeds would be known and the installation could pass.

Proposed solution: Whenever a package requires NI products as dependencies, the Package Manager should automatically search / add the feeds from NI.com and install them

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5 Kudos
Tepig

Allow "Minimize" or "Move" NI Package Manager Window during installation

Status: Development Started Submitted by Active Participant on 07-02-2020 02:33 AM 2 Comment

During installation, we cannot minimize NI Package Manager (NIPM) window even if the window has "_" button at top right of the screen.

I guess this is because the instalaltion window is set to "modal" so, we cannot touch NIPM window.

 

In addition, we cannot move NIPM window. The window hides my desktop icons so, it's annoying.

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5 Kudos
Petey_2671

Offline installer download

Status: Development Started Submitted by Member on 02-19-2020 11:59 AM 1 Comment

I'd like to suggest that the package manager be updated with a feature to download an offline installation directly, instead of installing on this machine. It would be more convenient to use the package manager to gather the software I need to install on offline machines rather than trying to search the NI website. Then, for some products, I have to install it on my machine first, then create a feed from that installation to move to another machine, a direct offline download would save a lot of time and frustration trying to gather everything for offline machines.

5 Kudos
CL_eisenwr

NIPM: Have IDNet available as packages in NIPM

Status: Development Started Submitted by Active Participant on 09-06-2019 04:26 PM 1 Comment

It would be nice if the IDNet instrument drivers NI host for LabVIEW 20xx were available as NI Packages. Currently only LabVIEW NXG instrument drivers are available as NI Packages. Also it would be nice if they were available to be searched from within NIPM.

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5 Kudos
cy...

NIPM to be able to manage installations without internet connection

Status: Development Started Submitted by Active Participant on 08-30-2019 03:22 AM 1 Comment

the package manager seemed like cannot even populate nor remove installed packages without internet connection. is it a bug? as mentioned from the other ideas posted previously, not all operation computers are granted internet access. please look into it. thanks

 

just a suggestion, installer packages should be given the option to able to be installed/removed by itself, with the PM being a complementing tool, especially for inter-version compatibility during this transition period.

5 Kudos
cy...

Offline package & repository

Status: Development Started Submitted by Active Participant on 08-25-2019 07:34 PM 1 Comment

Hello

 

In addition to the idea mentioned in the following post, 

https://forums.ni.com/t5/Additional-NI-Software-Idea/NIPM-queued-amp-scheduled-download-amp-install/idc-p/3963380#M541

would like to propose that the NI offline package to be installed entirely in offline mode, rather than trying to connect and fail, whenever a connection seemed present. 

 

and on top of that, offline installers to be able to be integrated into a local repository in our own network, and packaged distributions can be directed to them, as not all operation PCs are given access to the internet. For the time being, let the browsers handle auto-resuming downloads. 

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