API Reference

This section provides comprehensive documentation for the Eriksson Beam API, including architecture, connection methods, data operations, and the data model.

Architecture Overview

The Eriksson Beam API uses Named Pipes for inter-process communication (IPC). This provides fast, reliable communication between your application and Eriksson Beam.

Your Application		Eriksson Beam
ErikssonBeamClient	↔	API Server
BeamDesign objects	Named Pipes / JSON	BeamDesign data

Communication Flow

Client connects to Eriksson Beam via Named Pipes
Requests are serialized as JSON and sent to the server
Server processes the request (pull data, push changes, etc.)
Response is serialized as JSON and returned to the client
Client deserializes the response into .NET objects

Key Characteristics

Aspect	Details
Protocol	Named Pipes (Windows IPC)
Serialization	JSON (Newtonsoft.Json)
Authentication	License key per request
Threading	Async/await throughout
Platform	Windows only (x86)

API Sections

Connection Methods

How to connect to Eriksson Beam:

Class	Purpose
ErikssonBeamLauncher	Launch fresh instance
ErikssonBeamFinder	Find running instances
ErikssonBeamClient	Direct connection
ErikssonBeamFileManager	Batch file operations

Data Operations

Read and write beam design data:

Operation	Description
Pulling Data	Retrieve designs from Eriksson Beam
Pushing Data	Send modifications back
Project Management	List, save, create files

Data Model

The BeamDesign object structure:

Section	Contents
ConcreteExtents	Section geometry
DesignCriteria	Project info, materials, settings
StructuralModel	Loading, bearing, supports
Reinforcement	Prestress, rebar, shear

Quick Reference

Namespaces

using ErikssonBeam.API.BeamClient;     // Client, Launcher, Finder
using ErikssonBeam.API.BeamDesigner;   // BeamDesign, section types

Minimal Example

var args = new ErikssonBeamLauncherArgs
{
    LicenseKey = Environment.GetEnvironmentVariable("ERIKSSON_LICENSE_KEY"),
    ExecutablePath = @"C:\...\ErikssonBeam.exe",
    FilesToOpen = new[] { @"C:\Projects\beam.ebf" },
    CloseErikssonBeamOnClientDisconnect = true
};

using var launcher = await ErikssonBeamLauncher.LaunchErikssonBeam(args);
var client = launcher.Client;

var design = await client.PullBeamDesignerAsync();
design.DesignCriteria.ProjectInformation.DesignerName = "Updated";
await client.PushBeamDesignerAsync("", design);

Important Concepts

License Key

All API operations require a valid license key:

var args = new ErikssonBeamLauncherArgs
{
    LicenseKey = Environment.GetEnvironmentVariable("ERIKSSON_LICENSE_KEY"),
    // ...
};

Keys are validated against Eriksson Software's license server and cached for 7 days.

10-Minute Idle Timeout

Eriksson Beam only listens for API connections for 10 minutes after launch. This timeout is not reset by UI interactions. If connections fail, restart Eriksson Beam.

Pull-Before-Push

Always pull before modifying data to avoid overwriting existing values:

var design = await client.PullBeamDesignerAsync();  // Get current state
design.Property = newValue;                          // Modify
await client.PushBeamDesignerAsync("", design);     // Push back

Disposal

Always dispose connection objects:

using var launcher = await ErikssonBeamLauncher.LaunchErikssonBeam(args);
// or
client.Dispose();

Units

The API uses inches and pounds for most dimensional and force values. Verify units for specific properties in the data model documentation.