LabVIEW Load Error Code 3: Could Not Load Front Panel

Updated Aug 1, 2023

Reported In

Software

  • LabVIEW 2009
  • LabVIEW

Issue Details

I have a VI that could be opened previously in the LabVIEW Development Environment. Currently, when I try to open the VI, I get the following error: 

LabVIEW: (Hex 0x2A) Generic error.

An error occurred loading VI '<VI Name>.vi'.
LabVIEW load error code 3: Could not load front panel.



Why am I getting this error and what can I do to get my VI working again?


 

Solution

This error code is a generic error that is displayed when LabVIEW cannot load the front panel of a VI. This can be caused by a corrupt front panel object or missing dependencies. 

  • Try opening the VI in a newer version of LabVIEW.
    • If LabVIEW allows you to open the VI, copy and paste the contents of the block diagram to a blank VI. Replace the corrupt VI with the newly created VI. 
  • See if you can find either an additional copy of the VI or an older version. Here are some steps that might allow you to access an older version of the VI:
    • Go to the LabVIEW AutoSave folder to see if there was a previous version that was automatically saved. You can locate the folder by going to C:\Users\<your user account>\Documents\LabVIEW Data\LVAutoSave
    • Right-click on the <VI Name>.vi from the location it was saved and select Restore Previous Versions
  • This behavior has been seen when controls don't find their dependencies. Try to disconnect the controls from Type Def. To do so:
    • Right-click the control.
    • Select "Disconect from Type Def."
    • You will need to do this control by control in your code. If it the change doesn't fix the error, revert the change and move to the next control.

Additional Information

If seeing this issue when using LabVIEW 2009:

Two different issues have been resolved in Service Pack 1 (SP1) of LabVIEW 2009. If you are using LabVIEW 2009 these issues were resolved in the LabVIEW 2009 f3 Patch. Please install this patch if you are using LabVIEW 2009, or upgrade to LabVIEW 2009 SP1.   

Note: If upgrading to SP1 or installing the patch described above does not resolve this error, please check whether the issue is related to any of the issues described in the LabVIEW 2009 Service Pack 1 Bug Fixes article.