Building Applications and Creating DLLs in LabVIEW

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Building Applications and Creating DLLs in
LabVIEW

• Kyle P. Gupton
• LabVIEW RD Group Manager
• Thurs Aug 17
• 1200-115 p.m., 330-445 p.m.
• Cedar (8C)

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Topics

• System requirements
• Project architecture
• Building the application or shared library
• Creating the installer

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Development Requirements

• Building applications and shared libraries
• LabVIEW Professional Development System OR
• LabVIEW Base Package or Full Development System
  Application Builder
• Building shared libraries
• MPW ToolServer (Macintosh)
• GNU C Compiler (All UNIX platforms) OR
• Unbundled C Compiler (Solaris only)

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Deployment Requirements

• All applications or shared libraries built in
  LabVIEW require the LabVIEW Run-Time engine
• In LabVIEW 6i, this is true on all platforms

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Project Architecture

• All LabVIEW projects have a high-level
  architecture
• Typical high-level architectures of LabVIEW
  projects include
• Top-level VIs only
• Top-level VIs and dynamically-called VIs
• Note that this architecture is independent of how
  you save the VIs on disk

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Top-Level VIs Only

• One or more top-level VIs
• All other VIs are subVIs of the top-level VIs
• The simplest LabVIEW architecture

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Top-Level VIs and Dynamic VIs

• Consists of one or more top-level VIs with other
  VIs dynamically called via the VI Server
• The dynamic VIs are not part of the hierarchies
  of the top-level VIs
• Most advanced LabVIEW projects are a variant of
  this architecture

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Architectures and Build Targets

• In an application, the top-level VIs run when you
  launch the application
• In a shared library, the top-level VIs are
  exported functions within the library

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Building the Target

• Project architecture
• Prototypes for exported VIs (shared library only)
• Desired packaging
• Other files needed

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Building an Application

• VIs that you build into the application are
  classified as
• Top-level VIs
• Dynamic VIs
• Your application must always have at least one
  top-level VI

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Building an Application (cont.)

• Basic results of building an application
• Executable file
• ActiveX type library (if ActiveX server enabled)

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Building a Shared Library

• VIs that you build into a shared library are
  classified as
• Exported VIs
• Dynamic VIs
• Your shared library must always have at least one
  exported VI

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Building a Shared Library (cont.)

• For each exported VI, you specify the following
  information
• Function name
• Calling convention
• Parameter list
• This information forms the prototype used when
  calling the function from another program

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Building a Shared Library (cont.)

• Basic results of building a shared library
• Shared library file
• Embedded type library on Windows (sometimes)
• Header file
• Import library

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Desired Packaging

• LabVIEW can package the build target in two forms
• Single file (executable or shared library)
• Single file and one VI library

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Single File Package

• All VIs and their subVIs are embedded in the
  resulting executable or shared library file
• This can result in a rather large file

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Executable and VI Library Package

• Top-level (or exported) and dynamic VIs are
  embedded in the resulting executable or shared
  library file
• All subVIs are stored in a single VI library

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Other Files Needed

• Your application or shared library can require
  the presence of other non-VI files, including
• Preferences file (application only)
• Help files that your VIs call
• LabVIEW automatically includes run-time menu
  (.mnu) files and DLL files called via the Call
  Library Node

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Application Preferences File

• Every application can have a preferences file
  resembling the LabVIEW preferences file
• If your application requires specific LabVIEW
  preferences, you must replicate these settings in
  the preferences file for your application

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Preferences File (cont.)
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Preferences File (cont.)
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VI Settings

• You can modify the settings for all VIs in an
  application or shared library
• LabVIEW removes the diagrams from all VIs and the
  panels from all non-user-interface VIs by default

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Other Options

• Custom icon (Windows)
• Specify an icon (.ico) file to use for the
  application icon or windows displayed by the
  shared library
• Create this file in applications such as
  LabWindows/CVI and Microsoft Visual Studio
• ActiveX Server (Windows)
• Select whether to enable the ActiveX Server
  capabilities for the application
• Specify the name of the server

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Other Options (cont.)

• Default memory size (Macintosh)
• Specify the preferred memory size for the
  application

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Creating the Installer (Windows)

• You must include all files to be installed in the
  source files list
• Any file in the distribution can receive an
  associated program item
• By specifying custom destinations, you can create
  directory structures during installation

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Advanced Installer Settings

• Run executable after installation
• This file must be one of the files installed in
  the Install Directory
• Install LabVIEW Run Time Engine
• Enable this option to have installer also install
  the LabVIEW Run Time Engine on the target system

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Installing Other Components

• Most applications require other software
• NI-DAQ
• NI-488.2
• NI-VISA
• ODBC drivers
• ActiveX controls
• You can launch installers for these with a batch
  file

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Results of the Build Process

• Directory that contains an image of your complete
  file set
• Directory that contains disk images of the
  installer

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Demonstration
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Topics

• System requirements
• Project architecture
• Building the application or shared library
• Creating the installer

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Question and Answer