Measurement Plug-In Packager for LabVIEW

• Measurement Plug-In Packager for LabVIEW
  • Introduction
  • Software support
  • Installation
  • Editing Package Configuration
  • Packaging LabVIEW Measurement Plug-in(s)
    • Note
  • Limitations

Introduction

The Measurement Plug-In Packager simplifies the creation of NI package files (.nipkg) for LabVIEW measurement plug-ins. This tool enhances efficiency by streamlining the process of building and distributing measurement plug-ins.

Software support

• LabVIEW 2021 SP1 or later
• JKI VI Package Manager 2021 SP1 or later

Installation

Download and install the ni_measurement_plugin_packager-X.X.X.X.vip package from the latest release assets.

Editing Package Configuration

• The Packager requires user information such as the MaintainerName, MaintainerEmail, and Architecture to configure the properties of the NI Packages to be built.

• During the tool installation, these details are updated based on your PC's information in the file C:\ProgramData\National Instruments\Measurement Plugin Packager\Configuration.ini.

  

• If required, you can edit these details to customize the properties of the NI packages built by the tool.

Note:

• Supported Architecture options are:
  • 32 - to build package for 32-bit systems
  • 64 - to build package for 64-bit systems
  • Both - to build package for both 32-bit and 64-bit systems, ensuring compatibility with any system architecture
• If these fields are not updated, the default values will be used for packaging the measurement plug-ins.

Packaging LabVIEW Measurement Plug-in(s)

1. Open LabVIEW and navigate to Tools → Plug-In SDKs → Measurements → Package Measurement Plug-in....

   

2. In the dialog, select the LabVIEW project that contains the measurement plug-ins to package.
   Note:

   • If the tool is launched from a project window, the "LabVIEW Project Path" field will be automatically populated with the active project path.
   • The "Open the target directory post build" checkbox is enabled by default to open the packages directory upon completion of the build process. If needed, you can disable this option.

3. You can create or update a NIPM feed as part of the measurement plug-in packaging,

   • To create a new NIPM feed for the packages, select the "Create New Feed" option.

   • Else, to add the packages to an existing NIPM feed, select the "Add to Existing Feed" option, and specify the feed directory.

     

   • To bypass feed creation, ensure that both the "Create New Feed" and "Add to Existing Feed" options are deselected.

     

4. Click on the Next button to view the measurement plug-ins available in the selected project.

   • In the list, select the measurement plug-ins to be packaged and click Next.

     

5. Review the package version information of the selected measurement plug-ins and edit if required.

   

6. Click on the Package button to start the packaging process.

7. After the packaging is complete:

   • The packaging status will be displayed.

   • If the "Open the target directory post build" option is enabled, the File Explorer will open the packages directory.

     

Note

1. Once the packaging is complete, you can publish the feed or packages to a public repository or SystemLink, if desired.
2. To install the packages from feed, refer to Installing Packages from a Feed.

Limitations

The packaging process will fail for measurement plug-ins whose destination directory names configured in their respective EXE Build Specifications are prefixed with 'ni-', regardless of case sensitivity.