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LabVIEW Add-on Dev Center » Developing a VI-Based API » Including Examples with a VI Package File
Prerequisite: This document assumes the reader is familiar with building packages using JKI's VI Package Manager. For more details, please see Video Tutorial: How to Build Your First LabVIEW Add-on / VI Package
LabVIEW gives developers the ability to incorporate example VIs from their custom toolkits into NI’s Example Finder tool. This is done by generating a .bin3 file that LabVIEW Example Finder indexes to associate example VIs with a category and various keywords. This file can be incorporated into a VI Package and deployed to the correct directory automatically. Below are the steps to include an example .bin3 file in a VI Package.
In order to generate a .bin3 file currently, the example VIs must be installed in LabVIEW before running the preparation tool. Threrefore, the first step is to build a package as normal including your example VIs. In VI Package Manager, select the example VIs, or the example folder, and change the destination to Examples. Build this package.
Now use VIPM to install this package into your local LabVIEW installation. Verify that your examples have been installed to <LabVIEW>\examples\<Company>\<Product>\.
Note: You can also manually copy the examples to the <LabVIEW>\examples folder, but the example VIs will still link to the source directory VIs. For this reason, we recommend creating a package to ensure the example VIs link to the VI source code under vi.lib
Open LabVIEW and select Tools->Prepare Example VIs for NI Example Finder…
Select the start directory as the <LabVIEW directory>\examples\<Company>\<Product>\. Your example VIs should appear in the left column. For each example VI:
- Double click the name and verify it appears under Title in the Documentation box.
- Navigate to and double click on the category you wish to list your examples under and verify it appears under Paths in the Documentation box.
- Double click on any keywords you wish to associate with your example.
- Verify the correct information appears in the Documentation section in the upper right.
- Type a description in the Example Description box and then click Save Documentation before moving on to document the next VI.
This process saves the documentation information inside each individual VI in the examples folder. The Build Data File tab will allow you to build a bin3 file from this information. Clicking on this tab will show two path input boxes. The first is the directory location you would like to store the generated bin3 file to. This can be your development folder, either under Examples or its own folder. Point the second input box to your example directory under LabVIEW as shown below. Click Build File to create the bin3 file.
At this point, you can now build your package with examples as described below. There is one point to keep in mind: the documentation details are saved inside the individual VIs located in the LabVIEW directory, not the VIs in your source code directory. If you wish to keep the details for future modification, you will need to copy the VIs from the Example directory under LabVIEW to the Example directory of your source code and re-link to the source code VIs. Either way, the bin3 file will register your example VIs, and the process documented here is the same.
Now that you have the bin3 file and examples ready to go, open VI Package Manager. Open your package project, and in the left menu, click on Destinations. Create a new destination and name it “Example .bin3” or something similar. Select “<LabVIEW>\” as the Base Path, and choose “examples/exbins” for the Subdirectory. Destination Type should be either of the Directory options.
Click on Source File Settings in the left menu. Verify that the examples are configured for the Examples destination. Highlight the bin3 file, uncheck the Use Destination of Parent Folder option, and select the “Example .bin3” (or similar) custom destination that you created earlier. You are now ready to build!
Note: This process will increment the build number by one.
The newly created package will now install the bin3 file in the correct location, and your examples will be searchable by category and keyword in NI Example Finder.
I had to go through this process for PTP Sequencer, and it's never a smooth path. Actually it's quite frustrating, and usually fails the first few times (due to human error I might add). I would much prefer if VI Package Manager was able to create the bin3 file and place it appropriately into the LabVIEW directory structure alongside the example VIs. Any chance NI will release the IP, confidentially of course, to JKI to allow them to implement this into VIP Builder?
I agree totaly Thoric comment. I spent (lost) 2 hours having this working earlier this week 
Just 2 hours?? I think I lost a whole day to this, plus a few hairs! Having to install the VIP file locally to have the examples present in the correct location is not an option for me, otherwise I risk crosslinking with the source VIs. I have to carefully copy them by hand with the source project closed and make sure I delete them afterwards. I find the "Prepare Example VIs" utility often spends many minutes doing seemingly nothing, just because you clicked an item somewhere. Waiting for that utility is painstaking, and I find it very confusing to use. More often than not the bin3 files are bad. So when you create the complete VIP file and install it on a clean machine to test it, you then find it hasn't worked! So you have to start over (note that each VIP build takes about 15 minutes, and a test install about 10 more!). Maybe there's a quicker way?
Just 2 hours because it was a small modification. Since 2009, I think I lost many hours with this part of the package build process. The thing that drive me crazy is the "Prepare Example VIs "utility. This tool is the best example of bad user experience. Understand the entire process without reading this document is almost impossible.
Maybe the LVTN team could do someting for us for the next LabVIEW version 
(LV2015 of course 
)
I know this is something Michael already wants to include in VIPM, so if it's not on their Idea Exchange it's certainly on JKI's wishlist anyway.
I understand the resistance to the guidelines, but for PTP Sequencer I must abide by the guidelines otherwise it will be rejected from the Tools Network. This includes placing all the functions in the Addon palette folder, which I feel makes it harder to find the toolkit. Most people are used to, and therefore expecting, to find a parent folder right there at the top level. I wish I could disregard this guideline, but one must obey to remain a member of the club.
Thoric wrote:
I wish I could disregard this guideline, but one must obey to remain a member of the club.
I hope the club unquestionably increases sales of PTP Sequencer...otherwise what's the point of membership and increased NRE costs? 
David Staab wrote:
Thoric wrote:
I wish I could disregard this guideline, but one must obey to remain a member of the club.I hope the club unquestionably increases sales of PTP Sequencer...otherwise what's the point of membership and increased NRE costs?
PTP Sequencer is free, but we've seen far better footfall through the Tools Network than from our own website. It's been worth it
