How Can LabVIEW Projects Be Managed Using Git Tools?

Issue Details

I have been using TortoiseSVN to manage software such as LabVIEW. Recently I had started using Python and other tools and considering switching to Git in order to align with current development trends and improve my workflow efficiency. To what extent can LabVIEW projects be effectively managed using tools?

Solution

Git can be considered as the most widely used distributed version control system, offering robust features for collaborative development, merging and integration with CI/CD pipelines. It is also increasingly supported in LabVIEW environments.

LabVIEW projects can be effectively managed using Git, as it provides supports for the following key features:

1. Version Control

   Git able to track the changes made to LabVIEW files such as .vi, .lvproj and .ctl. Although these files are binary, Git can still maintain a complete history of modifications. 

2. Branching and Merging

   One of Git's biggest advantages s its powerful branching model. It can isolate new features or bug fixes in separate branches and merge them back into the main codebase when ready.

3. Visual Diff and Merge Tools

   LabVIEW provides tools like LVCompare and LVMerge, which allows user to visually compare and merge changes in .vi files. These tools can be integrated into Git workflows to handle binary file differences more effectively.

4. CI/CD Integration

   Git repositories can be connected to platforms like GitHub Actions, GitLab CI, or Azure DevOps. This enables automated testing, building and deployment of LabVIEW applications.

Additional Information

For those interested in implementing continuous integration and deployment (CI/CD) workflows with LabVIEW and Git, NI provides a helpful guide. This resource explains how to visualize code differences during pull requests and integrate LabVIEW projects with platforms such as Jenkins and GitHub.