Add a Package Manager to LabVIEW

[SamoraJ]

One practice which is increasingly debated in the community is the packaging of code for distribution and collaboration, and which tools to use.

I suggest that NI should define and maintain an open standard for distributing packages of LabVIEW artefacts (.vi,  .lvclass etc).

And include a frontend to this in LabVIEW. This package manager should handle dependencies between packages and across LabVIEW versions and targets. The typical use cases would be:

• The distribution (online or shipped with labview) of:
• NI examples
• NI drivers
• NI toolkits
• The distribution of third party species of the above

There should also be an API so that applications can use this mechanism to be modular and extensible. 

Cheers,

/MArcus

[tst]

In a very real way, this already exists. LV 2011 now has a direct link from the Getting Started dialog to VIPM, which basically does what you want. It's not an NI product, and I'm fairly sure it isn't actually installed with 2011, but there is a free version and it works with packages, dependencies and multiple LV versions. Some of the examples NI employees are uploading these days are created using VIPM.

[SamoraJ]

Yes the defacto standard today is to use VIPM, just as the "Find LabVIEW Add-ons" link in LV2011 and most add-on tools. Also many examples provided by community peers and NI R&D come as VIPM packages.

My suggestion is that this functionality becomes part of NI's product.

NI is the prinicpal of this community and as such should be the owner of this standard. (compare to Linux distros, Redhat RPM and Debian Apt).

NI owning the standard would widen its use.

An example of requests for broader use is this VIPM for drivers idea.

Some comments to that idea are in ryhme with this suggestion.

[Mads]

I agree. There are lots of things that NI should keep an ownership in and keep more tighly integrated with LV. The fact that VIPM has gotten a link in LV2011 kind of establishes a tight relationship already though. If JKI decided to stop working on it I'm sure NI has some agreement with them(?).

[Antinome]

There might be some use for a VIPM like product for use completely within a company to facilitate internal code reuse. It wouldn't really replace a SCC sytem like Perforce, but could really make some things way easier.

[SamoraJ]

Antinome, VIPM Enterprise edition does exactly that, compare the versions here 

[SamoraJ]

I'd like to stray a bit OT, or rather into the future of this current topic, by showing an anology/vision..

Once we have this package manager, I picture it as being like a particular Linux distro works today.

The Debian Linux team itself states that the package manager is their key to success. 

Debian defines and maintains the package manager, file-format and the backend.

Since Debian is a hardcore FOSS and takes licensing seriously, the core system is built with strictly open source packages. It is very common however that users modify the lists of allowed repositories to include proprietary sources, for instance vendor-supplied closed source binary driver for their hardware.

In the case of LabVIEW however this would be the other way around.

LabVIEW would ship with the mechanism for handling packages and dependencies.

The original respository would be NI-maintained, but it would be easy to add packages that have different sources/licenses.

Handling packages from different sources with different terms of use adds special requirements on this package manager, where downloaded packages are stored (see related discussion here) and information to the user about the aggregate license terms of an application using a mixture of package-sources for instance.

[ErnieH]

Here is the problem I am having with a third party add in. It cannot connect to the internet to find packages. I am sure it is a firewall issue, but getting that changed for a third party company who I know little to nothing about would be difficult. LabVIEW can connect to the internet with no problem. I think I can download packages and use it possibly, but to have the feature built into LabVIEW would be much more desirable.

[MichaelAivaliotis]

> ErnieH 

I would like to help you out and find out what your issues are. You can send a support request by filling out this form.

Michael Aivaliotis

VIPM Product Manager

[ErnieH]

The latest version works very well in spite of our IT groups best efforts to thwart everything I typically do. A very useful and well thought out program.

[Darren]

VI Package Manager ships with LabVIEW 2013