Upgrade VI to a Newer LabVIEW Version

Considerations

• When upgrading code, there is no guarantee that LabVIEW code will run properly without editing.
• If your LabVIEW files utilize APIs from LabVIEW modules, note that LabVIEW modules are only compatible with the version they are built for. For more information about compatibility, review the readme file of each module.
• For more information, please search and check the upgrade notes for the LabVIEW version you are trying to upgrade.
• If you are upgrading code that was created before LabVIEW 6.0, see the Note on Upgrading from Legacy Versions of LabVIEW section below.
• Read the Upgrading Your Version of LabVIEW help material for your version of LabVIEW. This will prepare you to detect and correct upgrade difficulties as efficiently as possible.

Upgrade LabVIEW Files

1. Launch the version of LabVIEW you wish to upgrade your code.
2. From the File menu, select Open… and navigate to the location of the file you wish to upgrade.
3. Select OK to open your files.
   • If errors exist in the new version, use debugging tools to rectify them.
4. From the File menu, select Save As to save this newer version of your LabVIEW code.
   • Note: If you use Save instead of Save As, this will save over the original version of the code. 
   • Code from various versions can exist alongside each other. The best practice is to keep the original version of your code while in the process of upgrading.
5. [Suggested] Mass Compile your code to maintain links between VIs and subVIs. This will also check for any corrupted VIs. A single file or an entire directory can be selected for mass compilation and the items will be opened in the new version, saved, and then closed.

 

Note on Upgrading from Legacy Versions of LabVIEW

To open a VI created before LabVIEW 6 in LabVIEW 8.5 or later, you must first convert the VI to a LabVIEW version between 6 and 8.2. 

• In this situation, NI recommends upgrading to LabVIEW 8.2.1 as an intermediate version because it is the version of LabVIEW closest to the current.
• Customers with active software subscription licenses or service agreements can access older versions of LabVIEW by contacting NI support.

Once you have upgraded to a version after 6.0, you can continue with the steps above.

Note on Upgrading from Legacy Versions of NI-DAQ

If your VIs uses legacy NI-DAQ functions, these will need to be replaced with the new NI-DAQmx functions. For a more detailed guide about the differences between the two data acquisition functions and recommendations for the migration visit: Transition from Traditional NI-DAQ (Legacy) to NI-DAQmx in LabVIEW .