VI Package Manager (VIPM) is a package management system for LabVIEW created by JKI in 2005. Since LabVIEW 2012, VIPM has been bundled with LabVIEW installations as the standard package manager for the LabVIEW ecosystem. In 2022, NI and JKI announced an expanded partnership that made many previously Pro-only features freely available to all LabVIEW users through the new VIPM LabVIEW Edition.

Overview

VIPM enables developers to install, build, and share reusable LabVIEW code libraries and tools. It functions similarly to package managers in other programming languages (npm, pip, etc.), providing dependency management and consistent development environments across teams.

The 2022 NI-JKI partnership significantly expanded VIPM's free features, making professional package management capabilities available to all LabVIEW users. This includes package building, automation APIs, and project dependency management features that were previously only available in the paid Pro edition.

The system uses .vip files (VI Packages) for distribution and .vipc files (VI Package Configurations) for project dependency management.

Key Features

Package Installation - Browse and install packages from public repositories including OpenG libraries and the LabVIEW Tools Network
Package Building - Create distributable packages with custom palettes, pre/post actions, and dependency management
VI Package Configurations - Create and apply .vipc files for consistent development environments
Automation - Full API and CLI support for CI/CD integration
Team Collaboration - Share packages via repositories (Pro feature)

Editions

LabVIEW Edition (Free)

Since 2022, through an expanded NI-JKI partnership, the LabVIEW Edition includes many features previously exclusive to VIPM Pro. This edition is bundled with LabVIEW and available to all LabVIEW users at no additional cost. Features include:

Full package building with custom palettes and actions
VI Package Configuration (.vipc) creation and application
API and command-line interface (CLI) for automation
Pre/post install, uninstall, and build custom actions
External package dependency management
Access to NI Tools Network and VIPM Community repositories

Pro Edition (Paid)

The Pro Edition provides enterprise and advanced features:

Storing package binaries inside .vipc files (offline distribution)
NI Third Party Licensing & Activation Toolkit (TPLAT) integration
Password protection of VIs at build-time
Creating and managing private team repositories
Enterprise volume licensing and support agreements

Repositories

VIPM connects to multiple package sources:

VIPM Community - Open-source packages hosted by JKI
LabVIEW Tools Network - NI-certified add-ons
Private Repositories - Organization-specific packages via network shares or web servers

Platform Support

VIPM is available for Windows (full support), Linux, and macOS. JKI is actively developing containerized build support using Docker for cloud-based CI/CD workflows.

Installing VI Package Manager on macOS

The latest security policies prevent writing to the LabVIEW directory by default. To use VIPM to write files to user.lib, change the write permission using the terminal by running the following command:

find "/Applications/National Instruments/LabVIEW 2024 64-bit" -type d -print0 | sudo xargs -0 echo chmod o+w

External Links