Here is my notes for the wonderful session by Elijah Kerry on team based development in LabVIEW.

Team-Based Development and Source Code Control

With Elijah Kerry, LabVIEW Product Manager

File Organization on disk

  • Establish guidelines early
  • All files should be stored within root

Project Explorer

  • Manage all app resources
  • Track dependencies
  • Perform file operations
  • Deploy to hardware targets

Use advanced features

  • Classes
  • Libraries
  • xControls

Tips

  • Use project explore to fix conflicts
  • Auto populating folders
  • Virtual folders

Source Code Control / Change Tracking

  • Source code control is communication layer between developers
  • Central repository
  • revisions to keep track of changes

TortoiseSVN:

  • Integrates with Windows Explorer
  • Ability to check out, check in
  • Diff can show differences between changed VIs
  • Merge can merge changes from two VIs into one
  • JKI TortoiseSVN plugin can revert VIs and update links
  • Tip: set skipSVNFolders=true in LabVIEW.ini
  • Separate compiled code from source file in LabVIEW 2010

Code reuse / Package Management

VI Package Manager

  • Ability to bundle all necessary files and dependencies into a package with only certain VIs exposed to the end user
  • Auto increment versions of VIs, track package version, push new versions to clients
  • Define custom palettes of VIs and restrict access to others
  • Can scan a project for packages that are needed

Packed Project Libraries

  • Distribute and deploy LabVIEW libraries as a single file in LabVIEW 2010
  • Decrease build times
  • Deploy the VI hierarchy with a single file
  • Simplified code deployment

Visit ni.com/largeapps for more info

The session was quite good with a lot of helpful tools and tips that I know I will use.