creating an "application installer"

[Paracarro]

hi

i would like to create programmatically a .< .bld > file in order to build my application installer.

Can someone give me any info about the format of this type of file or, as an alternative, give me any link about free 'installation packagers'.

My target is a installer that install a 'main program' and prompt user to select from a checklist, a series of sub-application SWs. These application are groups of VI saved without diagram called dynamically from 'main program'.

Hope to be understood.

Bye

[m3nth]

hi

i would like to create programmatically a .< .bld > file in order to build my application installer.

Can someone give me any info about the format of this type of file or, as an alternative, give me any link about free 'installation packagers'.

My target is a installer that  install a 'main program' and prompt user to select from a checklist, a series of sub-application SWs. These application are groups of VI saved without diagram called dynamically from 'main program'.

Hope to be understood.

Bye

5286[/snapback]

First, if you don't have the application builder, you won't be able to use a .bld file, even if you generate it programmatically.

Second, you won't be able to generate it programmatically without using the application builder itself, because basically a .bld file is just all of the settings in the application builder and they're dumped to disk in whatever format the application builder uses internally.

However, if by chance you do want to be extremely ambitious, and you do have the application builder installed, you can open the Dist Save Script.vi, found in the LabVIEW\project\proddist.llb. This llb is installed when you install the Application Builder. If you were to somehow set all of the input clusters correctly and call the Dist Save Script.vi, from the looks of the front panel, you would probably wind up with a valid .bld file.

Why in the world that would benefit you (as compared to manually creating the various builds you want to create), I have no idea.

As far as free installation packages, get OpenG (www.OpenG.org) and look at the stuff that you can use with that.

Reading your post again, I would also look into other ways of possibly doing what you're trying to do using VI server or something of that nature to call sub-programs from your main VI.

[Paracarro]

hi

1st of all, thx for the precious support

Why in the world that would benefit you (as compared to manually creating the various builds you want to create), I have no idea.

I think that building your own ".bld" file, is very useful, because "application builder" lacks for many aspects.

For example, in the "Source Tab" you can "Add Support File..."--> "Add Directory Contents..."

but this not include subdirs....etc.

Reading your post again, I would also look into other ways of possibly doing what you're trying to do using VI server or something of that nature to call sub-programs from your main VI.

I am using a PXI MXI3 with lots of NIcards

My main 'always growing' application is a test manager that call the appropriate test using

a "call by reference node". The Vi name & the proper subPaths loaded from a configuration file .ini.

Don't tell me to use TestStand

Thanks again for the help

bye

[PJM_labview]

hi

1st of all, thx for the precious support

I think that building your own ".bld" file, is very useful, because "application builder" lacks for many aspects.

For example, in the "Source Tab" you can "Add Support File..."--> "Add Directory Contents..."

but this not include subdirs....etc.

I am using a PXI MXI3 with lots of NIcards

My main 'always growing' application is a  test manager  that call the appropriate test using 

a "call by reference node". The Vi name & the proper subPaths loaded from a configuration file .ini.

Don't tell me to use TestStand

Thanks again for the help

bye

5300[/snapback]

Hi

As previously mentioned, you might want to check out the OpenG Commander (OpenG.org). This is a free package manager. A lot of package are already freely available. One of them is the OpenG builder which does extend the application builder capabilities siginifcantly. Give it a try.

PJM