Accessing SOLIDWORKS Add-in Objects

There are two types of add-ins that you can use with SOLIDWORKS:

• SOLIDWORKS add-ins, which provide additional functionality and may be included in SOLIDWORKS Professional or SOLIDWORKS Premium or purchased separately. This topic discusses how to reliably access four SOLIDWORKS add-in objects using ISldWorks::GetAddInObject.
   
• Other add-ins developed by you or SOLIDWORKS Partners. See SOLIDWORKS API Standalone and Add-in Applications Overview.

To see the SOLIDWORKS add-ins that you are licensed to use, select Tools > Add-Ins from the SOLIDWORKS menu. The Add-Ins dialog lists SOLIDWORKS add-ins at the top and Other add-ins at the bottom. To get the functionality of a SOLIDWORKS add-in or to use its APIs, you must load it either from the Add-Ins dialog or programmatically. In the Add-Ins dialog, select the check box next to the add-in of interest and click OK. To load the add-in programmatically, call ISldWorks::LoadAddIn, passing in the add-in name.

Accessing SOLIDWORKS Add-in Objects

After loading a SOLIDWORKS add-in either through the user interface or by calling ISldWorks::LoadAddIn, in order to use its APIs, you must first access the add-in's API object by calling ISldWorks::GetAddInObject. The following table lists the four SOLIDWORKS add-ins whose add-in objects can be retrieved by calling ISldWorks::GetAddInObject with either a GUID, a version-independent ProgID or, in two cases, a version-specific ProgID:

Version-Independent ProgID

The version-independent ProgID of a SOLIDWORKS add-in remains unchanged from one version of SOLIDWORKS to the next.

Some SOLIDWORKS add-ins (e.g., FeatureWorks and SOLIDWORKS Utilities) use only version-independent ProgIDs. As a result, the version-independent ProgID can be used successfully from any version of SOLIDWORKS installed, as long as the add-in, itself, is loaded.

Other SOLIDWORKS add-ins (e.g., SOLIDWORKS Simulation and SOLIDWORKS Design Checker) use either version-specific or version-independent ProgIDs. When you have multiple SOLIDWORKS installations, the version-independent ProgID can only be used successfully from the latest version of SOLIDWORKS. If you have multiple SOLIDWORKS installations and are running one of the earlier versions, passing in the version-independent ProgID results in type mismatches and a failure to access the SOLIDWORKS add-in object. In that case, you must pass in the version-specific ProgID to successfully access the SOLIDWORKS add-in object.

Version-Specific ProgID

The version-specific ProgID of a SOLIDWORKS add-in changes from one version of SOLIDWORKS to the next.

When you have multiple SOLIDWORKS installations, for two SOLIDWORKS add-ins (SOLIDWORKS Simulation and SOLIDWORKS Design Checker), passing in the version-specific ProgID succeeds regardless of whether you are running the latest version or an earlier version.

The most reliable method for accessing SOLIDWORKS add-in objects, when you do not have strict control over the installation history of your system, is to first call ISldWorks::RevisionNumber to identify the version of SOLIDWORKS running and then use that information to calculate at runtime the SOLIDWORKS-compatible version-specific ProgID for the add-in.

The calculation of the version-specific ProgID differs between SOLIDWORKS Simulation and SOLIDWORKS Design Checker. In the calculations below, SOLIDWORKS_major_version_number is the leftmost two digits in the string returned by ISldWorks::RevisionNumber. For example, if ISldWorks::RevisionNumber returns "26.0.0", then SOLIDWORKS_major_version_number is 26, and the minor version decimal number is 0.0.

SOLIDWORKS Simulation Version-Specific ProgID

Specify ProgID as "Sldworks.Simulation.nn", where:

• nn = SOLIDWORKS_major_version_number - 15

SOLIDWORKS Design Checker Version-Specific ProgID

Specify ProgID as "SWDesignChecker.SWDesignCheck.nnnn", where:

• nnnn = SOLIDWORKS_major_version_number + 1992

GUID

Specify Clsid with a GUID in curly braces, "{GUID}", or ISldWorks::GetAddInObject will interpret it as a ProgID.

Code Snippets

The following code snippets demonstrate, in four languages, how to calculate the SOLIDWORKS-compatible version-specific ProgID for the SOLIDWORKS Simulation add-in and use it in ISldWorks::GetAddInObject to retrieve the correct SOLIDWORKS Simulation add-in object.

VBA

Option Explicit

Sub main()

   Dim SwApp As SldWorks.SldWorks
   Dim COSMOSWORKS As Object
   Dim COSMOSObject As Object
   Dim swVersion As Long
   Dim cwVersion As Long
   Dim cwProgID As String

...

   'Connect to SOLIDWORKS

    If SwApp Is Nothing Then Set SwApp = Application.SldWorks
 

   'Determine host SOLIDWORKS major version
    swVersion  = Left(SwApp.RevisionNumber, 2)

   'Calculate the version-specific ProgID of the Simulation add-in that is compatible with this version of SOLIDWORKS
    cwVersion  =  swVersion  -  15
    cwProgID  =  "SldWorks.Simulation." & cwVersion
    Debug.Print (cwProgID)

    
   'Get the SOLIDWORKS Simulation object

    Set COSMOSObject = SwApp.GetAddInObject(cwProgID)
    If COSMOSObject Is Nothing Then ErrorMsg SwApp, "COSMOSObject object not found", True

    Set COSMOSWORKS = COSMOSObject.COSMOSWORKS
    If COSMOSWORKS Is Nothing Then ErrorMsg SwApp, "COSMOSWORKS object not found", True

   'Open the active document and use the COSMOSWORKS API

...

End Sub

VB.NET

Partial Class SolidWorksMacro
    Public Sub main()
 
        Dim COSMOSWORKS As Object
        Dim COSMOSObject As Object
        Dim swVersion As Integer
        Dim cwVersion As Integer
        Dim cwProgID As String

...

        'Determine host SOLIDWORKS major version
        swVersion = Convert.ToInt32(swApp.RevisionNumber().Substring(0, 2))

        'Calculate the version-specific ProgID of the Simulation add-in that is compatible with this version of SOLIDWORKS
        cwVersion = swVersion - 15
        cwProgID = String.Format("SldWorks.Simulation.{0}", cwVersion)
        Debug.Print(cwProgID)
 
        'Get the SOLIDWORKS Simulation object
        COSMOSObject = swApp.GetAddInObject(cwProgID)
        If COSMOSObject Is Nothing Then ErrorMsg(swApp, "COSMOSObject object not found", True)
        COSMOSWORKS = COSMOSObject.CosmosWorks
        If COSMOSWORKS Is Nothing Then ErrorMsg(swApp, "COSMOSWORKS object not found", True)
 
        'Open the active document and use the COSMOSWORKS API

...

    End Sub
    
 
    ''' <summary>
    ''' The SldWorks swApp variable is pre-assigned for you.
    ''' </summary>
    Public swApp As SldWorks
End Class

C#

partial class SolidWorksMacro
{
        public void Main()
        {
            dynamic COSMOSWORKS = default(dynamic);
            dynamic COSMOSObject = default(dynamic);

...

            // Determine host SOLIDWORKS major version
            int swVersion = Convert.ToInt32(swApp.RevisionNumber().Substring(0, 2));

            // Calculate the version-specific ProgID of the Simulation add-in that is compatible with this version of SOLIDWORKS
            int cwVersion = swVersion - 15;
            String cwProgID = String.Format("SldWorks.Simulation.{0}", cwVersion);
            Debug.Print(cwProgID);
 
            // Get the SOLIDWORKS Simulation object 
            COSMOSObject = swApp.GetAddInObject(cwProgID);
            if (COSMOSObject == null) ErrorMsg(swApp, "COSMOSObject object not found", true);
            COSMOSWORKS = COSMOSObject.CosmosWorks;
            if (COSMOSWORKS == null) ErrorMsg(swApp, "COSMOSWORKS object not found", true);
 
            // Open the active document and use the COSMOSWORKS API

...

           }
 
        /// <summary> 
        /// The SldWorks swApp variable is pre-assigned for you. 
        /// </summary> 
        public SldWorks swApp;
    }

Unmanaged C++ COM

#include "stdafx.h" 
#include <string>
#import "sldworks.tlb" raw_interfaces_only, raw_native_types, no_namespace, named_guids  // SOLIDWORKS type library
#import "swconst.tlb" raw_interfaces_only, raw_native_types, no_namespace, named_guids   // SOLIDWORKS constants type library
#import "cosworks.tlb" raw_interfaces_only, raw_native_types, no_namespace, named_guids   // SOLIDWORKS Simulation type library
 
using namespace std;
 
int _tmain(int argc, _TCHAR* argv[])
{

    // Initialize COM
    // Do this before using ATL smart pointers so that 
    // COM is available
    CoInitialize(NULL);
 
    // Use a block so that the smart pointers are destructed when 
    // the scope of this block is exited
    {
        // Use ATL smart pointers
        CComPtr<ISldWorks>  pSwApp;
        CComPtr<ICosmosWorks> pCOSMOSWORKS;
        CComPtr<IDispatch> pCOSMOSDispatch;
        CComPtr<ICwAddincallback> pCOSMOSObject;
        CComPtr<IDispatch> pDispatchSafeArray = NULL;
        CComPtr<ISafeArrayUtility> pSwSafeArray = NULL;
        HRESULT hres;
 
        if (pSwApp.CoCreateInstance(__uuidof(SldWorks), NULL, CLSCTX_LOCAL_SERVER) != S_OK) {
            return(0);
        }
        if (pSwApp.CoCreateInstance(__uuidof(ICosmosWorks), NULL, CLSCTX_LOCAL_SERVER) != S_OK) {
            return(0);
        }
        if (pSwApp.CoCreateInstance(__uuidof(IDispatch), NULL, CLSCTX_LOCAL_SERVER) != S_OK) {
            return(0);
        }
        if (pSwApp.CoCreateInstance(__uuidof(ICwAddincallback), NULL, CLSCTX_LOCAL_SERVER) != S_OK) {
            return(0);
        }

        hres = pSwApp->GetSafeArrayUtility(&pDispatchSafeArray);
        hres = pDispatchSafeArray.QueryInterface<ISafeArrayUtility>(&pSwSafeArray);
 
        // Determine host SOLIDWORKS major version
        USES_CONVERSION;
        CComBSTR bstrNum;
        std::string strNum;
        char *buffer;
 
        pSwApp->RevisionNumber(&bstrNum);
        strNum = W2A(bstrNum);
        long m_swMajNum = strtol(strNum.c_str(), &buffer, 10);
 
 
        // Calculate the version-specific ProgID of the Simulation add-in that is compatible with this version of SOLIDWORKS
        long cwVersion;
        cwVersion = m_swMajNum - 15;
        CComBSTR cwProgID;
        CComBSTR strVersion;
        wchar_t temp_str[11];
        _itow_s(cwVersion, temp_str, 10);
        strVersion = SysAllocString(temp_str);
        cwProgID = OLESTR("SldWorks.Simulation.");
        strVersion = cwProgID.Append(strVersion);
 
 
        // Get the SOLIDWORKS Simulation object 
        pSwApp->GetAddInObject(strVersion, &pCOSMOSDispatch);

        if (pCOSMOSDispatch == NULL) {
            CComBSTR msg;
            msg = (OLESTR("COSMOSObject object not found: "));
            long res;
            pSwApp->SendMsgToUser2(msg, 0, 0, &res);
        }
 
        hres = pCOSMOSDispatch->QueryInterface(__uuidof(CwAddincallback),(void**)&pCOSMOSObject);
        pCOSMOSObject->get_CosmosWorks(&pCOSMOSWORKS);

        if (pCOSMOSWORKS == NULL) {
            CComBSTR msg;
            msg = (OLESTR("COSMOSWORKS object not found: "));
            long res;
            pSwApp->SendMsgToUser2(msg, 0, 0, &res);
        }
 
        // Open the active document and use the COSMOSWORKS API

        . . .

    }

    // ATL smart pointers are destructed so that all COM objects 
    // held on to are released
    // Shut down COM because you no longer need it
 
    // Stop COM
    CoUninitialize();
 
    return(0);

}
 

See Accessing SOLIDWORKS Objects.