Accessing the Command Line Interface for Package Manager

Modify the execution of Package Manager processes by using the Package Manager command line interface nipkg.exe or the Package Manager GUI command-line NIPackageManager.exe.

You can use the CLI for the following purposes:

  • Silently install, update, repair, or remove NI software
  • Build and manage packages
  • View the current state of your system
  • Run the GUI in browse or command mode
  1. Open a command prompt window.
  2. Navigate to C:\Program Files\National Instruments\NI Package Manager by typing the following into the command line and pressing Enter: 
    cd C:\Program Files\National Instruments\NI Package Manager
  3. Access the Package Manager CLI.
    • Package Manager CLI by typing the following and pressing Enter:
      nipkg.exe
      1. To access the built-in CLI help, type nipkg help.
      2. Press Enter.
        Note For help on a specific command, type nipkg help <command>.
        For example, type the following to access help for the install command.
        nipkg help install
    • Package Manager GUI by typing the following and pressing Enter:
      NIPackageManager.exe
      1. To access built-in browse mode and command mode help, type one of the following:
        • NIPackageManager.exe /?
        • NIPackageManager.exe --help
      2. Press Enter.
  4. Execute supported commands on the Package Manager CLI or GUI.

Package Manager CLI Supported Commands

The Package Manager CLI supports a list of commands that you can use to adjust the behavior of Package Manager.

The following is the complete help available on the Package Manager CLI:
NI Package Manager Command-Line Interface manages the installation of software packages.

Usage: nipkg help <command>
       nipkg <command> [OPTIONS] [arguments]
       nipkg (install|remove) [OPTIONS] <package>...
       nipkg update [OPTIONS] [feed-name]

Commands
        help - Print help message
        download - Download a package
        info - Show attributes for available packages
        info-installed - Show attributes for installed packages
        install - Installs a package
        repair - Repairs packages
        remove - Uninstalls previously installed package(s)
        upgrade - Upgrades installed packages
        list - Show a list of (or search) available packages
        list-fields - Show package attributes
        list-installed - Show a list of installed packages
        list-providers - List packages that provide the requested package specification(s)
        list-upgradable - Show a list of available upgrades
        list-source-feeds - Show the list of feeds that contain the specified package names
        lock - Prevents installed package(s) from being upgraded or removed
        unlock - Allows installed package(s) to be upgraded and removed
        pack - Creates or packs a package
        unpack - Unpacks an existing package
        get-from-cache - Get the .nipkg file from the installed packages cache
        get-dependencies - List dependencies of specified packages
        update - Updates the local cache
        feed-download - Download a feed
        feed-add - Adds an existing feed to the current configuration
        feed-remove - Removes a feed from the current configuration
        feed-create - Creates a new feed
        feed-add-absolute-package - Adds an absolute reference to a package to a feed
        feed-add-pkg - Adds one or more packages to a feed
        feed-remove-pkg - Removes one or more packages from a feed
        feed-edit - Edit the configuration for an existing feed
        feed-info - Prints detailed information about a feed
        feed-list - Lists the configured package feeds
        config-get - Get local configuration parameters
        config-set - Set a local configuration parameter
        compare-versions - Compare version strings
        show-version - Print version

Configuration Options

You can use the command line interface for Package Manager (nipkg.exe) to configure behavior settings using the config-set command.

By default, the config-set command configures the options in the nipkg.ini file located at %LOCALAPPDATA%\National Instruments\NI Package Manager. If you use the --system option, the config-set command configures the system settings in the nipkg.ini file located at %PROGRAMDATA%\National Instruments\NI Package Manager\Settings.
Note User settings take precedence over system settings when read by Package Manager.
Run the following command to change option attribute settings:
nipkg.exe config-set [ATTRIBUTE] [VALUE]
Below are a list of attribute options you can update from the CLI to change the behavior of Package Manager.
Note To view a list of the command options you can use in the Package Manager CLI, run the nipkg.exe help config-set command.
Table 1. Package Manager Attribute Options
Purpose nipkg config-set Attribute Name Additional Info

(Introduced in Package Manager 2023 Q3)

Enables Package Manager features that automatically connect to ni.com		 nipkg.enable-NI-connectivity The default value is true. Set this option to false to disable features that contribute to timeout delays, especially on systems that do not connect to ni.com. When false:
  • The Browse Products tab is hidden
  • NI-managed feeds are disabled, automatic download of missing packages from ni.com is disabled
  • Online installers downloaded from ni.com will error
Copies installed packages to cache nipkg.cachepackages The default value is true. Disabling this setting does not remove previously cached packages.
Note Cached packages are required to repair packages and for building feeds and installers in LabVIEW and similar tools.
The location of the package cache directory is: %PROGRAMDATA%\National Instruments\NI Package Manager\Packages
Removes package from cache when the package is removed nipkg.uncacheuninstalledpackages The default value is true. Enabling this setting does not remove previously cached packages. If enabled, upgrading Package Manager automatically removes any package in cache that is not installed. The location of the package cache directory is: %PROGRAMDATA%\National Instruments\NI Package Manager\Packages
Logs network traffic with remote servers nipkg.curldebugfile-enable The default value is false.

cURL logs are created in %LOCALAPPDATA%\National Instruments\NI Package Manager\Logs\WinInstMSI.

For more information, see the article Generating and Locating NI Package Manager Error Logs.
Downloads and installs missing dependencies from ni.com nipkg.nipkgui.automatically-install-missing-dependencies The default value is true. This setting is ignored when nipkg.enable-NI-connectivity is set to false.
Displays the Browse Products tab in Package Manager nipkg.nipkgui.enable-browse-products The default value is true. This setting is ignored when nipkg.enable-NI-connectivity is set to false.
Enables MSI logging for WinInst packages nipkg.plugin.wininst.msilogs-enabled The default value is false. For more information, see the article Generating and Locating NI Package Manager Error Logs.
Directory for MSIs log files nipkg.plugin.wininst.msilogs-directory This directory is located at %LOCALAPPDATA%\National Instruments\NI Package Manager\Logs\WinInstMSI. For more information, see the article Generating and Locating NI Package Manager Error Logs.
Disables the Windows Fast Startup power option nipkg.plugin.wininst.override-windows-fast-startup The default value is true. Package Manager sets this attribute to false when:
  • The Settings pane is dismissed.
  • The "Ask to disable Windows Fast Startup when installing software" option is unchecked.
For more information on Windows Fast Startup, see the article Hardware Not Detected After Upgrading Windows Version.
Specifies the proxy server that Package Manager uses to download packages nipkg.proxyserver The format of the value is server:port.

server specifies a valid server name or IP address and port specifies the port number. If you do not specify this value, Package Manager attempts to query the OS for a proxy configuration.