You can configure a third-party source control provider to use LVCompare.exe as the default comparison tool. LVCompare.exe is equivalent to the Compare VIs dialog box. Use LVCompare.exe to compare differences between two VIs interactively.

Complete the following steps to configure a third-party source control provider to use LVCompare.exe as the default comparison tool.

1. Make sure the computer on which you are running LabVIEW also includes a third-party source control provider. Consult the source control administrator for additional assistance.
2. Direct the source control provider to LVCompare.exe. LabVIEW installs LVCompare.exe in different directories depending on the platform, and directories might vary depending on the configuration of the computer:
   • (Windows) C:\Program Files\National Instruments\Shared\LabVIEW Compare\LVCompare.exe
   • (macOS) /Library/Application Support/National Instruments/LabVIEW Compare/LVCompare.app/Contents/MacOS/LVCompare
   • (Linux) /usr/local/bin/LVCompare
3. Use the following syntax to configure any arguments that LVCompare.exe needs. lvcompare.exe < path to VI 1 > < path to VI 2 > [-lvpath < path to LabVIEW >][-noattr][-nofp][-nofppos][-nobd][-nobdcosm][-nobdpos]

   Note The path specified for each VI can be absolute or relative to where LVCompare.exe launches from.

   The arguments have the following meanings:

   • lvpath is the path to the version of LabVIEW you want to use for the comparison operation.

   Note If you do not specify which version of LabVIEW to use for the comparison operation, LabVIEW uses the currently registered version of LabVIEW. (macOS) LabVIEW uses the latest version of LabVIEW on the computer. (Linux) LabVIEW uses the last installed version of LabVIEW.

   • -noattr means do not compare VI attributes.
   • -nofp means do not compare the front panels.
   • -nofppos means do not compare the size or position of front panel objects.
   • -nobd means do not compare the block diagrams.
   • -nobdcosm means do not compare the appearance of block diagram objects, including changes in position or size.
   • -nobdpos means do not compare the size or position of block diagram objects.

     Note This argument was deprecated in LabVIEW 2021.

For example, to configure the third-party source control provider to use LabVIEW 2009 to compare VIs but not compare cosmetic, size, or position differences, use the following command line. "C:\Program Files\National Instruments\Shared\LabVIEW Compare\LVCompare.exe" $1 $2 -lvpath "C:\Program Files\National Instruments\LabVIEW 2009\LabVIEW.exe" -nobdcosm -nofppos where $1 and $2 are variables the third-party source control provider defines for the paths to the VIs you want to compare.

Note You also can enter this command directly in the command line to launch LVCompare.exe.

1. (Optional) Complete any remaining steps to configure the third-party source control provider. For example, some source control providers allow you to specify comparison tools for particular file extensions. If the source control provider allows you to specify a comparison tool, specify LVCompare.exe for the .vi file extension. Consult the documentation for the source control provider for more information.