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Revise FAQs for LabVIEW headless mode and containers (#33)
* Revise FAQs for LabVIEW headless mode and containers
Updated FAQ section to reflect new questions and answers regarding LabVIEW usage in headless mode and container specifications.
* Fix markdown link formatting in FAQs
Copy file name to clipboardExpand all lines: docs/faqs.md
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5.[Can I use the containers in GitHub Actions or GitLab CI pipelines?](#5-can-i-use-the-containers-in-github-actions-or-gitlab-ci-pipelines)
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6.[Why is `unattended=True` (or similar tokens) set in the config file?](#6-why-is-unattendedtrue-or-similar-tokens-set-in-the-config-file)
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7.[What host OS do I need to run these images?](#7-what-host-os-do-i-need-to-run-these-images)
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8.[I launched LabVIEW without headless mode and now LabVIEWCLI will not work, even when I pass the headless argument. What is happening?](#8-i-launched-labview-without-headless-mode-and-now-labviewcli-will-not-work-even-when-i-pass-the-headless-argument-what-is-happening)
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9.[Do I have to always pass the headless argument?](#9-do-i-have-to-always-pass-the-headless-argument)
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10.[Is there a global override that always enables headless mode for LabVIEW?](#10-is-there-a-global-override-that-always-enables-headless-mode-for-labview)
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11.[How do I close a headless LabVIEW instance?](#11-how-do-i-close-a-headless-labview-instance)
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12.[Is headless mode supported for built applications as well?](#12-is-headless-mode-supported-for-built-applications-as-well)
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13.[I cannot start an IDE instance and a headless instance simultaneously. Is that expected?](#13-i-cannot-start-an-ide-instance-and-a-headless-instance-simultaneously-is-that-expected)
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14.[How can I debug headless LabVIEW on containers without a UI?](#14-how-can-i-debug-headless-labview-on-containers-without-a-ui)
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15.[LabVIEWCLI fails to connect to LabVIEW on Windows containers, even with `-Headless` and VI Server enabled. What can I do?](#15-labviewcli-fails-to-connect-to-labview-on-windows-containers-even-with--headless-and-vi-server-enabled-what-can-i-do)
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8.[What comes pre-installed on the images?](#8-what-comes-pre-installed-on-the-images)
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9.[I launched LabVIEW without headless mode and now LabVIEWCLI will not work, even when I pass the headless argument. What is happening?](#9-i-launched-labview-without-headless-mode-and-now-labviewcli-will-not-work-even-when-i-pass-the-headless-argument-what-is-happening)
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10.[Do I have to always pass the headless argument?](#10-do-i-have-to-always-pass-the-headless-argument)
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11.[Is there a global override that always enables headless mode for LabVIEW?](#11-is-there-a-global-override-that-always-enables-headless-mode-for-labview)
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12.[How do I close a headless LabVIEW instance?](#12-how-do-i-close-a-headless-labview-instance)
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13.[Is headless mode supported for built applications as well?](#13-is-headless-mode-supported-for-built-applications-as-well)
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14.[I cannot start an IDE instance and a headless instance simultaneously. Is that expected?](#14-i-cannot-start-an-ide-instance-and-a-headless-instance-simultaneously-is-that-expected)
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15.[How can I debug headless LabVIEW on containers without a UI?](#15-how-can-i-debug-headless-labview-on-containers-without-a-ui)
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16.[LabVIEWCLI fails to connect to LabVIEW on Windows containers, even with `-Headless` and VI Server enabled. What can I do?](#16-labviewcli-fails-to-connect-to-labview-on-windows-containers-even-with--headless-and-vi-server-enabled-what-can-i-do)
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17.[Why do I get "Can't find library libniDotNETCoreInterop.so" error when I try launching LabVIEW?](#17-why-do-i-get-cant-find-library-libnidotnetcoreinteropso-error-when-i-try-launching-labview)
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### 1. Can I use the LabVIEW container with the full GUI/IDE?
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No. The containers are designed for headless use only, meaning the LabVIEW IDE GUI is not supported inside the container.
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-[Linux Prebuilt Images](./linux-prebuilt.md)
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-[Windows Prebuilt Images](./windows-prebuilt.md)
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### 8. I launched LabVIEW without headless mode and now LabVIEWCLI will not work, even when I pass the headless argument. What is happening?
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### 8. What comes pre-installed on the images?
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All the information regarding image specifications is present under Prebuilt Images Documentation. See:
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-[Linux Prebuilt Images](./linux-prebuilt.md)
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-[Windows Prebuilt Images](./windows-prebuilt.md)
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### 9. I launched LabVIEW without headless mode and now LabVIEWCLI will not work, even when I pass the headless argument. What is happening?
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Launching LabVIEW without the headless argument can show the activation wizard or other UI dialogs that block execution and require user interaction.
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If an interactive IDE session is already running, starting a new headless LabVIEW instance will not succeed: the headless request will exit or be forwarded to the existing UI session.
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Close the interactive LabVIEW IDE session first, then re-run your LabVIEWCLI command with the headless argument. For more details, see [Mutual Exclusivity Between Modes](./headless-labview.md#mutual-exclusivity-between-modes).
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### 9. Do I have to always pass the headless argument?
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### 10. Do I have to always pass the headless argument?
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On Windows containers, the first use of LabVIEWCLI with the `-Headless` argument will launch LabVIEW in headless mode. Subsequent LabVIEWCLI commands can reuse that headless session even if `-Headless` is not passed again, although it is recommended to always include `-Headless` for consistency and clarity.
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On Linux containers, you must always pass the `-Headless` argument for headless executions.
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For more details and best practices, see [Headless LabVIEW](./headless-labview.md).
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### 10. Is there a global override that always enables headless mode for LabVIEW?
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### 11. Is there a global override that always enables headless mode for LabVIEW?
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Yes. Setting the environment variable `LV_RTE_HEADLESS=1` will cause LabVIEW to always start in headless mode.
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When this variable is set, you do not need to pass the `-Headless` argument on each LabVIEWCLI invocation, although using `-Headless` is still recommended for clarity in scripts.
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### 11. How do I close a headless LabVIEW instance?
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### 12. How do I close a headless LabVIEW instance?
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Because there is no UI for headless LabVIEW, you cannot close it like a normal interactive LabVIEW window.
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The primary way to close a headless instance is to use LabVIEWCLI's `CloseLabVIEW` operation, which cleanly shuts down the running LabVIEW process.
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### 12. Is headless mode supported for built applications as well?
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### 13. Is headless mode supported for built applications as well?
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Yes. Invoking your LabVIEW built application with the `--headless` argument will launch the application in headless mode.
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This allows you to apply the same non-interactive, automation-friendly behavior to built applications as you do to the LabVIEW development environment.
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### 13. I cannot start an IDE instance and a headless instance simultaneously. Is that expected?
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### 14. I cannot start an IDE instance and a headless instance simultaneously. Is that expected?
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Yes. Headless and IDE sessions are not allowed to run in parallel.
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If an IDE session is already running, all headless invocations will be forwarded to the existing IDE session. If a headless session is running, you must close it (for example, using LabVIEWCLI's `CloseLabVIEW` operation) before starting a new LabVIEW IDE session.
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For more details, see [Mutual Exclusivity Between Modes](./headless-labview.md#mutual-exclusivity-between-modes).
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### 14. How can I debug headless LabVIEW on containers without a UI?
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### 15. How can I debug headless LabVIEW on containers without a UI?
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Lack of a UI in containers can make debugging harder, but there are several sources of information that help you identify issues:
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1. LabVIEWCLI writes error and status information to the console output. Capture this output in your CI logs for later analysis.
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Reviewing these logs together usually provides enough detail to diagnose most headless issues.
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### 15. LabVIEWCLI fails to connect to LabVIEW on Windows containers, even with `-Headless` and VI Server enabled. What can I do?
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### 16. LabVIEWCLI fails to connect to LabVIEW on Windows containers, even with `-Headless` and VI Server enabled. What can I do?
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Windows containers can be resource-intensive. Even when all requirements are met, processes inside a Windows container may take longer than expected to start.
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In some cases, LabVIEW launches correctly in headless mode, but by the time it is ready to accept VI Server connections, LabVIEWCLI has already timed out. A subsequent invocation often succeeds once LabVIEW is fully initialized.
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Setting these tokens to higher values can help LabVIEWCLI tolerate slower startup times inside Windows containers.
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### 17. Why do I get "Can't find library libniDotNETCoreInterop.so" error when I try launching LabVIEW?
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This is just a debug warning and does not break LabVIEW's functionality and can be ignored safely.
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