teststand deployment build fails with dll dependency

[smahotra]

Hi guys,

     I am struggling with test stand deployment  for 3 days. hope somebody can help.  ( I am using teststand 4.0 nd labview 8.5 and .net 2.0)

 

     I have sequence files, with many subVi' s and .net assmeblies with dependancies, added to  workspace , and when i run the sequence file, it works fine. 

  Specifically,  the sequence file  calls many Vi's, some of which use the .net assembly  from "C:program filesNational instrumentslabview 8.5use.lib" ( and not specifically from the folder where the Vi resides), and still it works.

   However, when i build the same using deployment utility (figure 1),  these assemblies( all of which are required) and other go to    "installation directorydata" and  the build fails(figure 2), as  the  "property node " for the .net assembly( build using  c# public static class) gets invalid( figure 3).

  Now, if  I browse the target//.. where VI resides, and try to manually add "invoke node" and then 'property node'. invoke node finds the "ZH" class ( Figure 3) , but again, cannot find the property "hearing aid" (figure 3), saying that it is empty.  If it can find the class, it has found the assembly, then, why the problem with 'property node"?

 

Now,   the same VI  in  different  folder ( C:development...) is able to reference the assembly from   "C:program filesNational instrumentslabview 8.5use.lib"( I had added the refernce from labview project initially from different location, but after copying the file to this location, VI's still worked)  and works fine (figure 4).

 

I have tried adding "installation directorydata"   to Teststand search directory, but no luck.

 

I have following questions:

 

1. is it manadatory to keep the dl's and their dependencies in the same folder, in which VI's use them, for sucessful build  through deployment ? if yes, by default, these would go to "installation directorydata", which is different from "installation directory...VI directory   , and would not work still?
2. it is mandatory to add the VI's that use .net assemblies to labview project, for sucessful deployment?  if yes, how do we add a  labview project to testsand workspace?
3. If the assembly can be added to Global assembly cache, would this solve the problem of 'unsucessfull build" of installer , and even if it does, how can (a) I add the assembly to GAC on development system  (b) make sure that installer installs the assembly to GAC on deployed system (through deployment utility)?
   

other than above, does anybody have other  solution to  my problem?

 

I am already late for deployment of project to customers, and need immediate help.

 

 

Thanks

 

vivu

 

[CRoebuck]

Hi Vivu,

 

I've had similar issues in the past and whilst I do not have a concrete solution for you I do have some suggestions that have worked for me.

 

 

• is it manadatory to keep the dl's and their dependencies in the same folder, in which VI's use them, for sucessful build  through deployment ? if yes, by default, these would go to "installation directorydata", which is different from "installation directory...VI directory   , and would not work still?
  

>>I would say that the dll's should be placed in a location that will be a duplicate of their location when deployed. So in development you might call them form C:UsersApp Dataxxxxxx and then deploy to that location also, this will maintain the linkage and prevent the VIs from being broken, the test stand deployment utility is placing the assemblies in a different location because there's no guarantee that vi/.lib will exist on the target machine (if just using labVIEW RTE for example)

• it is mandatory to add the VI's that use .net assemblies to labview project, for sucessful deployment?  if yes, how do we add a  labview project to testsand workspace?
  

In each step call when the step is being performed by a VI there is the option to specify not only a VI path but also the project in which the VI resides. 

 

Chris