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LabVIEW Compatibility for VIPM CLI

Several vipm commands scan or build LabVIEW projects by launching LabVIEW directly. This page covers which LabVIEW versions those operations support, how the CLI picks a version when several are installed, and how compatibility failures are reported.

Operations that require LabVIEW

The CLI launches LabVIEW when a command operates on a LabVIEW project file or runs a LabVIEW Application Builder build:

Inputs that do not launch LabVIEW:

  • vipm sbom on vipm.toml, .dragon, or .vipc — parsed directly
  • vipm build on a .vipb file — handled without the LabVIEW Application Builder

Supported LabVIEW version range

VIPM CLI's LabVIEW interop is bounded on both sides:

Bound Constraint Exit code on failure
Minimum LabVIEW 2024 (or newer) 20 (LABVIEW_VERSION_TOO_OLD)
Maximum The CLI's own version year — e.g., VIPM CLI 2026 supports LabVIEW up to 2026 19 (COMPONENT_INCOMPATIBLE)

If your installed LabVIEW falls outside this window, install a supported LabVIEW year or upgrade VIPM CLI to a year that matches or exceeds your LabVIEW.

Below the minimum (exit code 20)

If the resolved LabVIEW target is older than 2024, the command fails fast with exit code 20 (LABVIEW_VERSION_TOO_OLD) and reports which LabVIEW version was selected, where the selection came from (--labview-version, vipm.toml, the .lvproj file, or auto-detection), and the other installed LabVIEW versions you can switch to. Install or select LabVIEW 2024 or newer. See [LabVIEW Compatibility]

Above the maximum (exit code 19)

If the resolved LabVIEW year is newer than this VIPM CLI year, the command fails with exit code 19 (COMPONENT_INCOMPATIBLE) and asks you to upgrade VIPM CLI to a year that matches or exceeds the LabVIEW year. The same upper-bound check also applies to VIPM Desktop and NI Package Manager — see Exit Codes.

Selecting which LabVIEW VIPM uses

When multiple LabVIEW versions are installed, VIPM picks a target from these sources:

  • Command line. --labview-version YYYY and --labview-bitness 32|64 on any command that resolves a LabVIEW target.
  • Project manifest. [project] labview-version and labview-bitness in vipm.toml.
  • Workspace-local override. A .vipm/config.toml next to your project's vipm.toml overrides the selection for your local checkout only. See Workspace-Local Configuration.
  • Project file. .lvproj files carry an LVVersion attribute that pins the target version.

When a LabVIEW-needing command fails because the resolved version doesn't work (codes 4, 19, or 20), the error reports the resolved LabVIEW version, the source it was picked from, and the other installed LabVIEW versions you could switch to.

Exit codes from LabVIEW interop

Code Constant Fires when
4 LABVIEW_VERSION_NOT_FOUND The requested LabVIEW version is not installed
19 COMPONENT_INCOMPATIBLE The resolved LabVIEW year is newer than this VIPM CLI (upper bound)
20 LABVIEW_VERSION_TOO_OLD The resolved LabVIEW year is older than 2024 (lower bound)

See the Exit Codes table for the canonical reference across all codes.