Data Operations

The Eriksson Beam API provides operations for exchanging data between your application and Eriksson Beam. This section covers the core operations for reading and writing beam design data.

Overview

Operation Method Description
Pull PullBeamDesignerAsync Retrieve data from Eriksson Beam
Push PushBeamDesignerAsync Send modified data to Eriksson Beam
List Files GetOpenBeamProjects Get list of open project files
Save SaveProject Save a project to disk
Create CreateProjects Create new blank project files

The Pull-Modify-Push Pattern

The standard workflow for modifying beam designs:

// 1. Pull current state
var design = await client.PullBeamDesignerAsync("project");

// 2. Modify properties
design.DesignCriteria.ProjectInformation.DesignerName = "Jane Doe";
design.StructuralModel.Loading.SelfWeightMultiplier = 1.2;
// ... more modifications

// 3. Push changes back
await client.PushBeamDesignerAsync("project", design);

Critical Rules

Always Pull Before Modifying

Never create a BeamDesign directly. Always pull first to preserve existing data:

// CORRECT: Pull first
var design = await client.PullBeamDesignerAsync("project");
design.DesignCriteria.ProjectInformation.DesignerName = "Jane";
await client.PushBeamDesignerAsync("project", design);

// WRONG: Direct creation causes data loss!
var design = new BeamDesign();  // All fields are defaults!
design.DesignCriteria.ProjectInformation.DesignerName = "Jane";
await client.PushBeamDesignerAsync("project", design);  // Overwrites EVERYTHING

Batch Changes Before Pushing

Pushes are expensive. Make all modifications first, then push once:

// CORRECT: Single push
design.DesignCriteria.ProjectInformation.DesignerName = "Jane";
design.DesignCriteria.ProjectInformation.ClientName = "ACME Corp";
design.StructuralModel.Loading.SelfWeightMultiplier = 1.2;
await client.PushBeamDesignerAsync("project", design);  // One push

// WRONG: Multiple pushes
design.DesignCriteria.ProjectInformation.DesignerName = "Jane";
await client.PushBeamDesignerAsync("project", design);  // Slow!
design.DesignCriteria.ProjectInformation.ClientName = "ACME Corp";
await client.PushBeamDesignerAsync("project", design);  // Slower!

Project Identification

Methods accept a beamProject parameter that identifies which project to operate on:

Value Behavior
"" (empty string) Use the single open project (fails if multiple open)
"ProjectName" Match by file name without extension
@"C:\path\file.ebf" Match by full file path 
// Single file open - no identifier needed
var design = await client.PullBeamDesignerAsync();
var design = await client.PullBeamDesignerAsync("");

// By name (without extension)
var design = await client.PullBeamDesignerAsync("MyProject");

// By full path
var design = await client.PullBeamDesignerAsync(@"C:\Projects\MyProject.ebf");

Error Handling

All data operations can throw these exceptions:

Exception Cause
ObjectDisposedException Client has been disposed
ServerErrorException Server rejected the operation
ErikssonBeamNotRunningException Connection lost
OperationCanceledException Timeout exceeded
ArgumentNullException Null parameter provided 
try
{
    var design = await client.PullBeamDesignerAsync("project");
    // Modify...
    await client.PushBeamDesignerAsync("project", design);
}
catch (ServerErrorException ex)
{
    Console.WriteLine($"Server error: {ex.Response.ErrorMessage}");
    // Check ex.Response.ResponseCode for specific error type
}
catch (ErikssonBeamNotRunningException)
{
    Console.WriteLine("Lost connection to Eriksson Beam");
}
catch (OperationCanceledException)
{
    Console.WriteLine("Operation timed out");
}

Units

Unless otherwise noted, the API uses inches and pounds for dimensional and force values respectively. Always verify units match your expectations when working with specific properties.

Next Steps