Creating an Executable

To create an executable, create an Application document (.gcomp), add source files to the document, and build the application into an executable.

  1. Create a new Application document.
    1. Click File » New » Application.
    2. In the Create Application dialog box, enter values in Application name and Namespace.
    3. Click OK.
  2. Add source files to the Application document in one of the following ways:
    • Create files under the project and drag the files from the Project Files tab to the Application document.
    • In the Application document, click New on the document toolbar and select the type of file to create.
    • In the Application document, click Import files on the document toolbar and select files on disk to copy to the Application document.
  3. In the Application document, select a VI and enable the Top-level VI checkbox.
    The panel of the top-level VI launches when you run the executable.

    You must choose at least one VI to be the top-level VI. If you enable the Top-level VI checkbox for multiple VIs, the VIs launch in separate windows when you run the executable.

  4. On the Document tab, enter information about your application in the Details section.
  5. Optional: In the Icon section, click the ... button to import a .ico file to use as the icon of the executable.
  6. Optional: If your application requires additional binary files located outside the application directory, add the binary file locations.
    1. In the Document tab, under the Run time section, click + to add an additional binary file location.
    2. Enter the file path or browse to the location of the additional binary file.
  7. Click Build.
    The Build Queue tab shows the status of the build process.
Click Locate item in Windows Explorer to locate the executable in the output directory. Once you locate your executable, package your application.