Recommendation of when to use NIPM vs VIPM

[allen_h]

This document is part of the NI Package Management Portal.

Recommendation of when to use NIPM vs VIPM

See the following recommendations for when to use NIPM (NI Package Manager) and when to VIPM (VI Package Manager).

For LabVIEW 20xx:

• Continue using VIPM for distributing source/development code
  (e.g. reuse libraries, development tools, Tools Network, ...)
  
• Use NIPM for distributing and updating deployed applications
  (e.g. componentized applications, application EXE, PPLs, application plug-ins, NI drivers and software, LabVIEW Run-Time Engine, …).
  

Note: You can use NIPM to distribute LabVIEW 20xx source/development code by creating a Source Distribution build specification and creating a Package build specification that includes the Source Distribution buildspec.  Then you can configure the Package buildspec to install the Source Distribution to a specific location (e.g. <Program Files>\...\LabVIEW 2017\user.lib\acme).

However, the Package buildspec 1) does not include a palette building tool, and 2) the built package will not automatically install to later versions of LabVIEW (e.g. 2018, 2019, 2020).  VIPM does include these capabilities, which is why VIPM is the recommended tool for distributing source/development code for LabVIEW 20xx.  For more information on building packages using VIPM, click here.

For LabVIEW NXG:

• Use NIPM for distributing and updating deployed applications
  (e.g. application EXE, NI drivers and software, LabVIEW Run-Time Engine, installer, …)
• In the future, you will be able to use NIPM to also distribute source/development code
  (reuse libraries, development tools, etc)
  

[MichaelAivaliotis]

What or where is the roadmap for the future features of NIPM?

I'm looking to see when NIPM will be able to be used for reuse libraries like VIPM.

[SergioR]

I second Michael's question 🙂

Thanks!

[dzakich]

I would like to know this as well since JKI VIPM has a lot of needed features behind the paywall.

[JimB.]

I agree with the other commenters. I'm working on creating a reuse library repository for my company and we cannot justify paying for every user of VIPM when many of them are only casual LabVIEW users. (There are also some pretty ridiculous things locked behind paywalls in VIPM aside from custom repositories as well.) A roadmap or some indication of the development status of these features would be fantastic.

Additionally, this functionality missing from NIPM and VIPM not (currently) supporting NXG is one of the items causing us to hold off on adopting NXG.