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You can create an organizational structure for files that a LabVIEW project library owns. A well-organized structure for project library items can make it easier for you to use source control, avoid filename conflicts, and divide the project library into public and private access areas.

The following list describes some of the caveats and recommendations to consider when you organize project libraries and the files that the project libraries own:

• Create each project library within a separate LabVIEW project that contains only files related to that project library, including example files and the files you use to create and test the project library. Give the project and project library similar filenames. If a project library includes several separate areas of functionality, consider using project sublibraries for each area.
• Create a separate directory of files for each project library you create. You can include the files that the project library owns in the directory. If you include files for more than one project library in the same directory, conflicts might occur if you try to include VIs of the same name in different libraries. Organizing project library files into separate directories makes it easier to identify files related to specific project libraries on disk.
• If you move files on disk that a project library owns, reopen and resave the project library to ensure that the project library links correctly to the moved items.
• (Windows) If you are building an installer that includes a project library, make sure you save the files that the project library owns on the same drive as the project library. If some files are on a different drive, such as a network drive, project library links will break if you include the project library in an installer.
• Determine which items in a project library you want to set as private and which as public. Users cannot use private VIs as subVIs in other VIs or applications. Public items provide the interface to the project library functionality and might include palette VIs, XControls, instrument drivers, and tools you want users to find and use. Private items might include support VIs, copyrighted files, or items you might want to edit later without taking the risk of breaking users' code. Consider the following recommendations:
  • Create a folder in the project library named private. From the Item Settings page of the Project Library Properties dialog box, configure the access settings as private for the folder. LabVIEW automatically sets as private any project library files you add to the private folder, so you do not have to configure access settings for individual VIs.
  • Assume that all project library files that are not in the private folder are public. You do not need to create a folder for public files.
  • You also can organize public and private items in a project library by creating folders for each functionality group within a project library and adding a private subfolder within each functionality group folder.
• Adding password protection to a project library does not add password protection to the VIs it owns. You must assign password protection to individual VIs if you want to limit edits to the block diagrams and front panels. Consider using the same password for the project library and for the VIs the project library owns to avoid confusion.