Welcome
This online reference guide documents the SOLIDWORKS Application Programming
Interface (API), which you can use to automate and customize the SOLIDWORKS
software.
The API contains hundreds of functions that you can call from Visual
Basic for Applications (VBA), VB.NET, Visual C#, Visual C++ 6.0 , and
Visual C++/CLI. These functions provide direct access to SOLIDWORKS functionality
such as creating a line, inserting an existing part into a part document,
or verifying the parameters of a surface.
API Help is available on the Web and locally. To enable your desired access
to API Help, select Help > Use SOLIDWORKS Web Help. A check mark
indicates that API Help is enabled on the Web.
You can find the SOLIDWORKS primary interop assemblies (SolidWorks.Interop.*.dll)
and type libraries (*.tlb) in the install_dir folder. Find the SOLIDWORKS
redistributable interop assemblies in:
- install_dir\api\redist\CLR2.
These interops
were created using Microsoft .NET Framework Version 2.0. Use them in
your SOLIDWORKS VSTA (VB.NET and C#) macros.
- install_dir\api\redist.
These interops were created using Microsoft .NET Framework Version 4.0. Use
them in your SOLIDWORKS add-ins (VB.NET and C#).
Every supported interface available in the SOLIDWORKS API, including
its associated properties and methods, is documented; undocumented SOLIDWORKS
API interfaces and functions are not supported and should not be used.
Obsolete APIs are not supported. SOLIDWORKS recommends that you use the
most current version of the API.
Use of the SOLIDWORKS API assumes that you are familiar with VBA, VB.NET,
Visual C#, Visual C++ 6.0, or Visual C++/CLI.
NOTE: All of the sample code
supplied is provided on an as-is basis, and is only intended to
demonstrate ways of using the SOLIDWORKS API. No representations or
warranties are made regarding these samples. Any licensed user of
SOLIDWORKS is free to use any or all of these samples in connection with
building applications related to SOLIDWORKS, and is granted a royalty-free, non-exclusive license for these samples, or parts thereof.
Intellectual property rights of the samples remain with SOLIDWORKS. Any
confidentiality provisions of the SOLIDWORKS license apply to the
samples.