Rank n00b building first package

[David Boyd]

I've watched the videos, trolled the forums... and yet I feel that I'm missing something pretty obvious on my very first attempt at package build.

 

I have an existing traditional driver library I'd like to build as a package. So, here's the example:

 

<instrlib>/Acme Widget/Acme Widget.lvlib

<instrlib>/Acme Widget/Init Widget.vi

<instrlib>/Acme Widget/WidgetCustom.ctl

 

...you get the idea. The driver uses an LVLIB, all its VIs and typedef'd CTLs are namespaced to the LVLIB, and everything seems to already reference the <instrlib> path.

 

 

The Package Builder will not permit the source to be under the LabVIEW application folder. So, I copy the Acme Widget folder out to someplace under my desktop, and specify that as the source. Package Builder still complains, likely because it finds items referencing the original copy under <instrlib>.

 

What am I obviously missing in my workflow that DOES NOT require me to re-save the LVLIB and all its contents within LabVIEW just to change the internal linkages?

 

Dave

 

 

 

[Jim Kring]

Hi David,

 

In order for VIPM to build this package, you'll need to move your driver library outside of instr.lib and re-save all the VIs in your project folder.

 

You are stuck between a rock (VIPM can't have a package source folder located beneath LabVIEW) and a hard place (instr.lib is a Symbolic Path and all the files are linked to each other using paths relative to instr.lib).

 

-Jim

[David Boyd]

Jim,

 

Thanks for replying and confirming this. I think this is pretty unfortunate - the library files are now forced to be checked out and updated (if I'm doing this right) for no reason other than relocation.

 

My next question is, when a package is installed on a target machine under its instr.lib folder, does VIPM manage all the internal linking for me, and if so, does that constitute a change that's not captured in SCC?

 

Seems like this is a problem that others would run into frequently. Given that a package build is part of the overall development and distribution process, should my driver development always take place outside of the <instr.lib> path?

What is best practice here?

Dave