Building applications including NI VISA?

[pjleeflyer]

Hi,

I am using NI VISA to communicate over my USB bus. How can I let the "Build Script" know this when it compiles the code into an excecutable? I have found that if NI VISA is not installed on a customer's machine, then LABVIEW cannot talk to the USB ports, even when NI VISA drivers are correctly installed and detected for the USB ports. - NI VISA has to be present for communications to work.

I need the application to be self-contained, and not to have to tell the customer that they have to install NI VISA (~2/3 GB) on their machine.

I may be doing something silly? If anyone can help, I would be most grateful. Many thanks.

Best regards,

Peter.

[Dennis_Knutson]

Hardware drivers are a separate install. You don't have anything like a self-contained exe anyway because LabVIEW (like most languages) requires the installation of the runtime engine. When you create the installer, you can optionally include the VISA runtime instead of the full development install.

[pjleeflyer]

Thanks for the advice.

I thought the whole purpose of the "Build tool" was to produce a standalone .exe file for distribution? (I realize that driver files have to be produced and installed separately).

So is there an option in the "Build tool" to include NI VISA as a source code library or similar? I have searched but cannot find such an option.

Best regards,

Peter

[Dennis_Knutson]

Get rid of the ' standalone' and you have purpose of an exe.

You say you realize driver files need to be installed separately but you persist in looking for a way to not do it.

[crossrulz]

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pjleeflyer wrote:

So is there an option in the "Build tool" to include NI VISA as a source code library or similar? I have searched but cannot find such an option.

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Create an installer that includes the LabVIEW Runtime Engine and the VISA Runtime Engine.  You have to have those two things.  There is no way around it.  So you might as well just make a single installer to make it easier on your clients.

[Dennis_Knutson]

So how does someone who has never used LabVIEW, have a LabVIEW client?

[crossrulz]

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@Dennis_Knutson wrote:
So how does someone who has never used LabVIEW, have a LabVIEW client?

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Fine.  Users of your software...

It has been way too long of a day...

[pjleeflyer]

Aha - That's what I've been looking for. (To merge LabVIEW and NI VISA runtime for my application).

How do I do this? - Do I specify an option when I "Build" the program? Where is this option etc...

Many thanks for this.

Best regards,

Peter.

[Dennis_Knutson · Accepted solution]

There is nothing in any of the responses that says you can merge the LabVIEW exe and NI-VISA. What was said, is that you could create an installer that will include the exe, the LabVIEW runtime, and the NI-VISA runtime. At no time will you have a single exe.

[pjleeflyer]

Thanks for the clarification. You can see how confused I was!

I have been writing G code for about 18 months, but still very much a newcomer. (I have just bought the new book

"Effective LabVIEW Programming" by Thomas J. Bress).

I will press on and try what you suggest. Many thanks again.

Best regards,

Peter