NIPM CLI Install-Root Option

[bienieck]

If I run nipkg.exe help install I can find the --install-root=<DIRECTORY>option. It states the following:

Override the default installation root for packages installed by this operation. Applies only to packages with the control file attribute "Plugin: relative-file".

What is this "Plugin: relative-file" attribute and how to configure it?

[Scott_Richardson]

Take a look at Assembling a Relative File Package.

When NI was working on NXG, they were looking at adding relative file packages that could install a package multiple times similar to VIPM. What NXG added is only supported in the CLI and not the GUI. Once NXG development ended, the relative file package work was no longer worked on. 

LabVIEW is the main product that needs/uses relative file packages so I believe LabVIEW is focusing on better support for VIPM packages.

[bienieck]

You're talking about NXG, but will it also be possible to use this flag to install LabVIEW packages from a feed into, for example, a working directory? I'm thinking about specifying a project folder where I could install specific packages from my feed to work on a particular project.

[Scott_Richardson]

I think the answer to your question is "no". Looking at the CLI commands and options supported, it looks like the current shipping functionality does not contain the required feature to make relative file packages useful. I think I am remembering what the NXG team was planning to implement and they never got to it.

What appears to be implemented already is installing relative packages to a "root" location that would install an "installed.dat" SQLite database file. So when you create a relative package and install it, the directory structure looks like this:

    \installed.dat

    \<PackageName>\

        \<PackageVersion>\

            \<FilesFromPackageDataDirectory>

I think the part that is missing from the CLI is the ability to then install the "root" version of the package to other locations on the system, like different versions of LabVIEW.