VIPM 2012 is a major release that adds significant improvements and features over the previous release. It is recommended that all VIPM users upgrade.

Download VIPM 2012 here: http://jki.net/vipm/download 

General New Features and Changes

• New VIPM Public API - (VIPM Idea Exchange Idea - Jonathon Green) One of the significant feature of this release is that VIPM 2012 now supports a public programmatic API which can be accessed using a VI-based interface. This API allows you exercise many of the VIPM features. More information can be found here.
• Improved Network Connectivity for users behind Proxies - Added new method to connect to the internet that resolves almost all user complaints of no internet connection. - currently set as default. A fundamental change was made to how VIPM connects to the network on Windows machines. Those of you who have had issues with VIPM connecting to the network in the past behind corporate proxies, should give this new version a try.
• VIPM User Agent - (VIPM Idea Exchange Idea - Ton Plomp) In combination with the above network change. We’ve added a VIPM and OS User Agent in the HTTP calls from within VIPM. This can be used by corporate networks or other server monitors to identify VIPM connections.
• Easier VIPM Updates - VIPM no longer requires to open a web browser to get the latest VIPM update. VIPM now performs the download of the new installer within the product, exits VIPM then starts the installer.
• First-Time LabVIEW Connection Improved - The first-time setup of the connection between VIPM and LabVIEW has been simplified with an easier process. If LabVIEW is closed, VIPM automatically configures the connection without prompts. If LabVIEW is already open, you are prompted to restart LabVIEW to continue whatever VIPM action you were trying to complete.
• New ways to access the LabVIEW Tools Network - Added desktop and start menu shortcut for the LabVIEW Tools Network. You can now launch VIPM directly into the LabVIEW Tools Network Viewer from these new shortcuts.
• VIPM is now Built in LabVIEW 2011 - VIPM itself is an executable written in LabVIEW, did you know that? This means that you are now required to have the LabVIEW 2011 Run-Time engine installed. It was previously built in LabVIEW 2009.

Repository Management Changes and Improvements

• New Multiple Repository Management - VIPM can now manage multiple VI package repositories easier. You can configure a list of repositories to manage in the Options. Before you launch the repository manager, you are prompted to select the configured repository from a list.
• New No Repository Activation - VI package repositories now no longer require activation from JKI. You can create as many  repositories as you want without activation of each.
• New Removal of Client License Packs - The need for installing client license packs on the VI Package Repository side have been removed. Now, any VIPM Pro version can connect to a repository without the need to be “added” to a client access list. This simplifies the repository access process. Essentially this allows unlimited repository connections.
• In the Repository Subscription options, we've added the ability to "Edit" Repository URLs. This allows more flexibility to modify existing subscriptions instead of just adding or removing.
• New Ability to Display 'Terms of Service' dialog - This allows repository managers to define a TOS dialog that displays (and must be agreed to) the first time a client downloads a package from the repository.
• New 'copy public link' feature. You can right-click on any published package in the VI Package list and select 'copy public link'. This link can be shared online and is handled by VIPM automatically when clicked. The link contains package and Repository info and supports both built-in repositories like the LabVIEW Tools Network and also user created repositories.
• New 'Publish' right-click option from the VI package list - You can now publish any - unpublished - packages straight from your package list. Just Right-Click>Publish.
• New RSS feed for repositories. – All repositories come preconfigured with an RSS feed. This is a file located at the root of the repository (index.rss). You can subscribe to this feed and get updates when new packages get published.

VI Package Configuration Improvements

• Apply VIPC to any LabVIEW Version - (VIPM Idea Exchange Idea - Christopher Relf) VIPM will now allow you to apply a VIPC in any version of LabVIEW. Before you apply the VIPC, you will be prompted to select the same or different LabVIEW version than the one configured in the VIPC.
• LabVIEW Project (LVPROJ) File Support - VIPM now supports scanning LabVIEW project files as a source for finding project VI package dependencies. VIPM uses this feature to find out which packages are being called by VIs in your project.

VI Package Builder Improvements

• More VI Package Builder Destinations - In the package builder window. We’ve added ‘Project Templates’ and ‘Project Provider’ predefined package build destinations.
• Product Identity fixes - Company and product name text is no longer stripped of dashes and periods. Except at the end. You can now be much more free about using these special characters in the package specification.
• New Install\Uninstall Custom Action Parameters - Parameters have now been added to Pre-Post Install and Pre-Post Uninstall Custom Actions. You can now get a list of files installed and a few other items.
• Generate VI Buttons for Custom Actions - We've now added the ability to generate new VIs that conform to the custom action format required by VIPM. This makes creating a new custom action VI easier. The new VI already contains code to decode all the available paramaters.
• Easier Removal of Unpublished Packages - (VIPM Idea Exchange Idea - Olivier Jourdan) We've added a "remove all unpublished from library" right-click menu item in the package list.
• Support for new <resource> symbolic path. This feature targets primarily addon and project provider developers. This makes it easier to use VIPM to build your package outside of the LabVIEW source folder. So you can have your source anywhere and build the package and it will install correctly. Any calls to VIs beneath the labview\<resource> folder are saved with the new symbolic path in the vi linker info.
• Support for File explorer integration - Now, when you double-click on the .vipb file located in the package source folder location, VIPM will open and load the build spec into the package builder window.

Notable Bug Fixes

• Uninstall / upgrade of addon packages that use third party licensing and activation tool (TPLAT) now get properly unregistered with LabVIEW
• VIPM Pre-Post Build Custom Actions issue in LV2011 - Pre-Post Build Custom Actions were not working in LV2011 (fixed)
• Dependency resolution hanging in VIPM 2011.0.1 build 1692 (fixed). VIPM would have on certain packages during the install process during the dependency resolution phase.
• VIPM does not launch on French and German language Windows OS (fixed).
• "Tools >> VI Package Manager" menu option in LabVIEW now switches to VIPM's active LV version.
• The Repository Manager window Titlebar now includes the Repository Name.
• In VI Package Builder, when you wanted to include external dependencies as internal, there was a bug where secondary dependencies (dependencies of dependencies) where not included as internal. This is now fixed.
• VIPM would start with an empty package list if it was started with no internet access (fixed).
• VIPM would have a strange UI flickering when there were missing VI library items (fixed).
• The tabbing order on the VI Package Builder Display Information page is now correct.
• LabVIEW 2011 broke the VIPM "Show Examples" feature from the package properties window. Now fixed.
• In VI Package Builder, the Source Output and Base Directory input fileds would always default to the Windows System32 Folder. It now remembers the last path used.
• In VI Package Builder, the Auto-generated palette and category icons had a strange discoloration (fixed).
• There was a bug where you could not double-click to install packages from mapped drives (fixed).
• The Package properties window when launched from the Repository Manager Window was not functional. fixed.
• In VI Package Builder, you couldn't edit the dependency versions and comparison after adding a manual dependency (fixed).
• In VI Package Builder, if you installed a package after package building VIPM wouldn't install the built package but instead would install the old one in library if the versions were the same (fixed).
• In VI Package Builder, Façade.VIs, methods VIs and polymorphic VIs were not password protected during package build (fixed).
• In VI Package Builder, When building packages, the validation of the source folder build step now respects correctly the "Exclude from build" option. 
• When aborting a package install after the license agreement screen, it was showing some packages as installed (fixed). 
• If you clicked an unnamed column and tried to sort the VI package list, the list would become empty (fixed).