How to run LabVIEW executable on Linux

[tyeager]

Hello,

I have scoured the forums and resources here and elsewhere online and can't seem to find the information I'm looking for. I have LabVIEW source code originally developed on Windows (LabVIEW 2021 SP1 32-bit) which I have brought into Linux (LabVIEW 2024 Q1-64 bit). Both are Professional Development Systems with the Application Builder and the Linux system is using Ubuntu 22.04. My goal is to build an exe from the Linux development machine that will run on separate Linux target machines of the same OS and will function as an HMI. It seems like every other post I have read was someone asking how to run an exe built in Windows on Linux, which I understand does not work. But the only answers I have seen in response simply state "build it in Linux."

Here is what I have done:

• Built the exe in Linux on the development machine, pretty much identical to how I would in Windows
• Installed the Linux Runtime Engine (same version 2024 Q1) on the target machine per the instructions here: Install LabVIEW on Linux Operating Systems - NI
  • Verified using "apt list --installed" in terminal: "ni-labview-runtime-engine-jammy/now 24.1.1.49154-0+f2 all [installed,local]"
• Placed exe and support file package on the target machine

And basically I am just lost on what to do next. It doesn't do anything if I try to run the exe with Run Software and I don't see any option to run with LabVIEW RTE. The RTE installation instructions mention "You are now able to start LabVIEW from the menu of your operating system" but nothing comes up in a search. If I knew how running the exe is supposed to work, I could determine where the issue lies but none of the NI documentation I could find explains in any detail.

Can anyone explain how I am supposed to run the exe on the target Linux machine? Did I miss a step, or am I missing something else? Does the RTE actually show up in the menu as its own application that the user can run or does it run silently in the background like on Windows? Anyone have any advice?

Thank you,

Tim

[tyeager · Accepted solution]

In hopes of helping someone who comes across this in the future, I was able to get help with this from NI support. The way to run the .exe was to simply launch it from the terminal by opening the terminal from the .exe location or changing directory to its location, then running "./<executable_filename>". This will launch the .exe and the program should run. Also worth noting is that it may be necessary to give the .exe permissions by running "chmod +x <executable_filename>" (likely requires "sudo").

The issue at this point is that I don't know how to set up an easy to use shortcut to launch the application without opening the terminal. I have looked at a few guides on how to create a .desktop file but have not had any success with them. I won't go into those details here since it's not directly related to the original post.