LabVIEW Player Information

The LabVIEW Player is now obsolete. The LabVIEW Player and the LabVIEW Player VI Creation Toolkit are no longer available for download from the Drivers and Updates section of ni.com.

What is the LabVIEW Player?

The LabVIEW Player is a FREE executable you download from the Web that runs or "plays" special LabVIEW Player programs (VIs). After downloading and installing the LabVIEW Player, anyone can execute LabVIEW Player VIs simply by clicking on links in Web pages. The LabVIEW Player is similar to Real Networks Real Player which you can download to listen to music over the Web simply by clicking on hyperlinks to audio files. In the same way, clicking on links to LabVIEW Player VIs causes them to automatically download to your machine and run inside the LabVIEW Player.

With the LabVIEW Player, you can open and run Player VIs, view the block diagrams, and use the debugging tools to view program execution. However, just as you can only play music files with Real Player and not alter them, you cannot edit or save Player VIs with the LabVIEW Player. LabVIEW Player VIs differ from standard VIs because they are enabled with built-in security features as they are distributed over the Web.

We designed the LabVIEW Player to promote the exchange of measurement and automation knowledge, such as measurement techniques and principles, through LabVIEW VIs. It is not intended for distributing LabVIEW applications.

The LabVIEW Player for Windows currently works with signed VIs from LabVIEW version 6.0.x and 7.0. It was not possible to create signed VIs in LabVIEW 6.1, since there were no signing tools for LabVIEW 6.1. The LabVIEW Player for Mac OS works with signed VIs from LabVIEW version 6.0.

What can a LabVIEW Player VI do?

LabVIEW Player VIs have many of the same capabilities as standard LabVIEW VIs. However, there are some differences. The communication abilities of Player VIs are limited to file I/O and DataSocket client operations (publishing and subscribing, but no server capabilities). All data needs to be simulated because data acquisition, VISA, GPIB, and serial I/O functions do not work with LabVIEW Player VIs. Similarly, the LabVIEW Player does not invoke ActiveX Automation, CINs, or DLLs and shared libraries. If you need to distribute LabVIEW applications, you should use the LabVIEW Application Builder.

The table below summarizes some of the main features available to LabVIEW Player VIs. If a feature does not appear in the "No" column, then it is currently enabled for the Player.


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No. You must first attach a digital signature to a VI before it runs in the LabVIEW Player and the VI capabilities are subject to the limitations listed above. In addition, any LabVIEW Player VI that has been modified since attaching the digital signature will not run in the LabVIEW Player for security purposes.

How do I create VIs that run in the LabVIEW Player?

1. Obtain the LabVIEW 7 Professional Development System for Windows, or version 6.0 for Mac OS.
2. Download the free LabVIEW Player VI Creation Toolkit (no longer available for download).
3. Create a private key using the Player VI Creation Toolkit utilities (the private key includes information used to identify the creator of the Player VI)
4. "Sign" your VIs using the toolkit utilities and the private key
5. Signed VIs run in the LabVIEW Player
6. Test newly created Player VIs to make sure they work properly in the Player before placing on the Web

More detailed instructions accompany the LabVIEW Player VI Creation Toolkit (no longer available for download).

How are LabVIEW Player VIs and executables different?

The LabVIEW Player is not designed as a means to distribute LabVIEW applications, but rather as a tool for sharing measurement and automation knowledge. If you need to distribute applications, you should use the LabVIEW Application Builder.

Are there any licensing fees?

No.

What browsers and platforms is the LabVIEW Player available?

The LabVIEW Player is currently available for Windows 2000/NT/Me/9x and Mac OS. The Mac OS version is compatible only with VIs signed with LabVIEW 6.0.x.
Both Microsoft Internet Explorer and Netscape Navigator launch the LabVIEW Player and run Player VIs.

How large is the LabVIEW Player download?

The download for Windows is 172 MB in size. The file download is entitled lv70_eval.exe. This is in fact the full LabVIEW 7.0 Evaluation version, but during installation, you can choose to install in player mode, and this will install the components for the LabVIEW Player. This is the only form in which the LabVIEW Player is available for Windows. The Mac OS version is 15.9 MB.

Are the VIs I download and run in the LabVIEW Player secure?

Yes. VIs developed for the LabVIEW Player have been digitally signed for added security. When you download and run a LabVIEW Player VI, the LabVIEW Player checks the digital signature of the VI to make sure it is valid. If the VI has been modified in any way since applying the signature, the validation fails and the LabVIEW Player does not run the downloaded VI.

The security features incorporated into the LabVIEW Player do not guarantee that signed VIs are not malicious, but they do guarantee that users have complete control over the LabVIEW Player VIs that can open and run on their computer. These security features also provide a means for determining who signed a VI because the signer’s identity, as entered by the signer, is included in the digital signature.

Are there demo VIs that I can run in the LabVIEW Player?

Yes. There is a gallery of VIs specifically designed for the LabVIEW Player in the NI Developer Zone.

What if I already have a standard LabVIEW Development system?

You do not need both LabVIEW and the Player because VIs developed for the LabVIEW Player execute in standard LabVIEW Development Systems.

You can open, run, edit, debug, and save any VIs developed for the LabVIEW Player in LabVIEW. However, if you modify and save Player VIs in a LabVIEW Development System, you must resign them, as explained in the How do I create VIs that run in the LabVIEW Player section, or they no longer run in the LabVIEW Player.

You can have both the LabVIEW Player and LabVIEW installed on the same machine. This is important if you develop VIs for the LabVIEW Player so you can test LabVIEW Player VIs after creating them.
Related Links:
View the LabVIEW Player VI Gallery
Buy LabVIEW Now

Reader Comments | Submit a comment »

VI Viewer needed
In general, when a program is being written within a company, there has to be a way for people in various locations to be able to do a code review. If there is no such thing as the LV Player any more, how can we do this? A freely available LV block diagram and front panel viewer is desperately needed - in one form or another. We don't need any execution capability.
- bkmosch@thesoftwarespecialists.com - May 2, 2007

7.1 and 8.0 Support
Is there a 7.1 and 8.0 version of the LabVIEW Player? If not, why? Sounds like an interesting concept...
- Mar 31, 2006