Resource Container
Resource Container file format is a most often used file format within LabVIEW ecosystem. It is a proprietary binary format defined by National Instruments and used in both LabVIEW and LabWindows/CVI. The format is strongly inspired by Mac OS Resource Fork format, as LabVIEW was originally created for that platform, and ported to other OSes later, at version 2.5.
The format is a container, storing a group of Resources. Resources have 4-character identifier assigned, and the 4-character identifier for the whole container is RSRC. Most files used by LabVIEW have that RSRC format, only the specific Resources stored inside are different. The files with that header include *.vi, *.ctl, *.mnu, *.llb, *.dlog, *.ctt, *.vit, *.uir, *.rsc, and many created with, or internally used by, LabVIEW.
The resources stored within have their identifiers often identical to those in Resource fork format, but many new ones are also introduced. Some resources have multiple variations, as their structure changed between versions of LabVIEW.
Known Resources
Below a few resources are listed. Note that the text names given for them are mostly informed guesses.
| Resource ID | Long Name | Description |
|---|---|---|
| MUID | Map Unique Identifier | |
| FPSE | Front Panel Size Estimate | Optional resource which can be used to optimize memory allocation when loading the VI file. Contains one integer value, which seem be amount of tags within Front Panel Heap divided by 10. See also: BDSE. |
| FPTS | Front Panel Tags | Contains data for tags set on front panel objects using the Get Tag method. |
| FPTD | Front Panel Type for DataLog | |
| BDSE | Block Diagram Size Estimate | Optional resource which can be used to optimize memory allocation when loading the VI file. Contains one integer value, which seem be amount of tags within Block Diagram Heap divided by 10. See also: FPSE. |
| BDTS | Block Diagram Tags | Contains data for tags set on block diagram objects using the Get Tag method. |
| FLAG | Integer flags | |
| CONP | Connector Port Type Map | |
| CPTM | Connector Port Type Map | |
| CPC2 | Connector Port Content Type v2 | |
| CPCT | Connector Port Content Type | |
| CPD2 | Connector Port DI v2 | |
| CPDI | Connector Port DI | |
| DLGH | Dialog HTML | |
| ERRH | Error HTML | |
| HLPT | Help Tag | |
| MItm | M. Item | |
| NODH | NOD HTML | |
| NOEG | NOEG String | |
| STRG | String description | |
| TITL | Title of the file | |
| STR | Short String / Input definition? | |
| CPST | C. P. Strings | |
| DNm# | D. Name Strings List | |
| HDb# | Help Database item | |
| LST# | Short Strings List | |
| STR# | Short Strings List | |
| FDFL | FDFL Strings | |
| LIfp | LinkObj Refs for Front Panel | |
| LIbd | LinkObj Refs for Block diagram | |
| LIds | LinkObj Refs for Data Space | |
| LIvi | LinkObj Refs for VI | |
| DFDS | Default Fill of Data Space | |
| GCDI | ||
| BFAL | ||
| CGRS | Conglomerate Resource | |
| CPMp | Connection Points Map | |
| DLDR | DL Data Record | |
| DLLP | DL Local Path | |
| FTAB | Font Table | |
| HIST | Changes History | |
| HLPP | Help Path | |
| LPTH | L. Path | |
| HLPW | Help Website URL | |
| SCSR | Syntax Checker Digest | |
| DTHP | Data Types for Heap | |
| DSTM | Data Space Type Map | Stores table of Type descriptors which make up Data Space of the VI file. Used in LV 7.1 and older. |
| TM80 | Data Space Type Map LV8.0+ | Stores table of references to Type descriptors which make up Data Space of the VI file. The actual definitions of TDs are stored in VCTP block. Used in LV 8.0 and newer. |
| LVIN | LabView Instrument | General information about a saved VI file; definitely used in LV 4.0 and older, was replaced by LVSR at some point. |
| LVSR | LabView Save Record | General information about a saved VI file; replaced LVIN resource somewhere before LV 6.0. The size of this resource increases with LV version, but old data is always kept at the same offset (new fields are only added at end). |
| vers | Version block | Stores version of LV used to create the RSRC file. |
| PNGI | PNG Image | Stores a bitmap picture in PNG format. |
| MNGI | MNG Image | While PNGs become quite popular, their animated counterpart, MNG format, never really caught on. |
| ICON | Icon 32x32 1bpp | |
| ICN# | Icon Large Double 32x64 1bpp | Usually used to store one icon in two versions (ie. disabled and active). |
| ics# | Icon Small 16x16 1bpp | |
| CURS | Cursor 16x34 1bpp | Usually used to store one cursor in two versions (ie. disabled and active). |
| ics4 | Icon Small 16x16 4bpp | |
| icl4 | Icon Large 32x32 4bpp | |
| ics8 | Icon Small 16x16 8bpp | |
| icl8 | Icon Large 32x32 8bpp | |
| BDPW | Block Diagram Password | |
| LIBN | Library Names | |
| LVzp | LabView Zipped Program tree | A whole application compressed to ZIP file. |
| PRT | Print settings | |
| BNID | B. N. Identifier | |
| CNST | Constant Node UID set | |
| LPIN | Loop Invariant Node UID set | |
| NUID | N. U. Identifier | |
| SUID | S. U. Identifier | |
| VPDP | VI Primitive Dependency Flags | |
| BDHP | Block Diagram Heap | First version of Heap storage format, used to store components placed on Block Diagram. |
| FPHP | Front Panel Heap | First version of Heap storage format, used to store components placed on Front Panel. |
| BDHb | Block Diagram Heap ver b | Second version of Heap storage format, used to store components placed on Block Diagram. |
| FPHb | Front Panel Heap ver b | Second version of Heap storage format, used to store components placed on Front Panel. |
| BDHc | Block Diagram Heap ver c | Third version of Heap storage format, used to store components placed on Block Diagram. |
| FPHc | Front Panel Heap ver c | Third version of Heap storage format, used to store components placed on Front Panel. |
| BDHT | Block Diagram Heap Text | Used when Heap storage format is set to Verbose Tagged Text. |
| FPHT | Front Panel Heap Text | Used when Heap storage format is set to Verbose Tagged Text. |
| BDHX | Block Diagram Heap XML | Used when Heap storage format is set to XML. |
| FPHX | Front Panel Heap XML | Used when Heap storage format is set to XML. |
| RTSG | Runtime Signature Guid | |
| GCPR | Generated Code Profiler settings | |
| UCRF | Uncompressed Resource File | Used when files are added to RSRC, ie. within *.llb files. |
| CPRF | 'Comp' Compressed Resource File | Used when files are added to RSRC; very basic mask based compression. |
| ZCRF | ZLib Compressed Resource File | Used when files are added to RSRC; uses compression algorithm from popular Z-Lib library. |
| DLG3 | Dialog Resource File | |
| VCTP | VI Consolidated Data Types | Introduced in LV 8.0, stores all Type descriptors used within the file. Consists of a Zlib-compressed data block preceded by four bytes containing the length of the compressed data in big-endian. |
| VICD | Virtual Instrument Compiled Data / VI Code | Contains the machine code generated by LLVM compiler. |
| VITS | Virtual Instrument Tag Strings | Contains a VI's persistent tags. Tags are additional data which is attached to a VI and manipulated using private methods such as VI class/Tag.Set Tag on the VI object. Certain tags can affect LabVIEW's functionality; for example, Express VI source VI's have a "_Wizard" tag containing the path to the configuration dialog VI, and the matrix typedefs contain a "NI.LV.All.OperatorInfo1" tag which configures the special "operator overloading" effect they have. |