First Connection

This guide walks you through connecting to Eriksson Beam and performing your first data operations. By the end, you'll have a working console application that pulls data, modifies it, and pushes changes back.

Complete Example

Here's a complete, working example:

using System;
using System.Threading.Tasks;
using ErikssonBeam.API.BeamClient;
using ErikssonBeam.API.BeamDesigner;

class Program
{
    static async Task Main(string[] args)
    {
        // Configuration
        var licenseKey = Environment.GetEnvironmentVariable("ERIKSSON_LICENSE_KEY");
        var executablePath = @"C:\Program Files\Eriksson Software\Eriksson Beam\ErikssonBeam.exe";
        var projectFile = @"C:\Projects\MyBeam.ebf";

        // Set up launcher arguments
        var launcherArgs = new ErikssonBeamLauncherArgs
        {
            LicenseKey = licenseKey,
            ExecutablePath = executablePath,
            FilesToOpen = new[] { projectFile },
            CloseErikssonBeamOnClientDisconnect = true,
            IdleTimeoutMs = 30000
        };

        // Launch Eriksson Beam and get a client
        using (var launcher = await ErikssonBeamLauncher.LaunchErikssonBeam(launcherArgs))
        {
            var client = launcher.Client;

            // Pull the current beam design
            var design = await client.PullBeamDesignerAsync();

            // Display current values
            Console.WriteLine($"Project: {design.DesignCriteria.ProjectInformation.ProjectName}");
            Console.WriteLine($"Designer: {design.DesignCriteria.ProjectInformation.DesignerName}");

            // Modify some values
            design.DesignCriteria.ProjectInformation.DesignerName = "Updated via API";
            design.DesignCriteria.ProjectInformation.Date = DateTime.Now;

            // Push changes back to Eriksson Beam
            await client.PushBeamDesignerAsync("", design);

            Console.WriteLine("Changes pushed successfully!");
        }
        // Eriksson Beam closes automatically when launcher is disposed
    }
}

Step-by-Step Breakdown

1. Configure Your Environment

var licenseKey = Environment.GetEnvironmentVariable("ERIKSSON_LICENSE_KEY");
var executablePath = @"C:\Program Files\Eriksson Software\Eriksson Beam\ErikssonBeam.exe";
var projectFile = @"C:\Projects\MyBeam.ebf";
  • License Key: Stored in an environment variable for security
  • Executable Path: Full path to ErikssonBeam.exe
  • Project File: Path to a .ebf file to open

2. Set Up Launcher Arguments

var launcherArgs = new ErikssonBeamLauncherArgs
{
    LicenseKey = licenseKey,
    ExecutablePath = executablePath,
    FilesToOpen = new[] { projectFile },
    CloseErikssonBeamOnClientDisconnect = true,
    IdleTimeoutMs = 30000
};
Property Description
LicenseKey Your API authorization key
ExecutablePath Path to ErikssonBeam.exe
FilesToOpen Array of project files to open on launch
CloseErikssonBeamOnClientDisconnect Auto-close Eriksson Beam when done
IdleTimeoutMs Connection timeout in milliseconds

3. Launch and Connect

using (var launcher = await ErikssonBeamLauncher.LaunchErikssonBeam(launcherArgs))
{
    var client = launcher.Client;
    // ...
}

The using statement ensures proper cleanup. When the launcher is disposed:

  • The client connection is closed
  • Eriksson Beam closes (if CloseErikssonBeamOnClientDisconnect is true)

4. Pull Data

var design = await client.PullBeamDesignerAsync();

This retrieves a BeamDesign object containing all input data from the currently open project.

5. Modify Data

design.DesignCriteria.ProjectInformation.DesignerName = "Updated via API";
design.DesignCriteria.ProjectInformation.Date = DateTime.Now;

Access and modify properties through the BeamDesign hierarchy.

6. Push Changes

await client.PushBeamDesignerAsync("", design);

Push the modified design back. The empty string "" targets the single open project.

Alternative: Connect to Running Instance

If Eriksson Beam is already running, connect without launching:

var connectionArgs = new ErikssonBeamConnectionAttemptArgs
{
    LicenseKey = licenseKey,
    MaxAttempts = 10,
    WaitTimeBetweenAttemptsMs = 1000
};

// Find any running instance
var client = await ErikssonBeamFinder.GetFirstSupportedBeamClient(connectionArgs);

try
{
    var design = await client.PullBeamDesignerAsync();
    // Work with design...
}
finally
{
    client.Dispose();
}

Important: Eriksson Beam only listens for API connections for 10 minutes after launch. If you can't connect, restart Eriksson Beam.

Common Patterns

Batch All Changes Before Pushing

Pushes are expensive operations. Always batch modifications:

// DO: Batch changes
design.DesignCriteria.ProjectInformation.DesignerName = "Jane Doe";
design.DesignCriteria.ProjectInformation.ClientName = "ACME Corp";
design.DesignCriteria.ProjectInformation.Date = DateTime.Now;
design.StructuralModel.Loading.SelfWeightMultiplier = 1.2;
await client.PushBeamDesignerAsync("", design);  // One push

// DON'T: Push after each change
design.DesignCriteria.ProjectInformation.DesignerName = "Jane Doe";
await client.PushBeamDesignerAsync("", design);  // Slow!
design.DesignCriteria.ProjectInformation.ClientName = "ACME Corp";
await client.PushBeamDesignerAsync("", design);  // Slower!

Always Pull Before Modifying

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

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

// DON'T: Create directly (causes data loss!)
var design = new BeamDesign();  // All fields are default values!
design.DesignCriteria.ProjectInformation.DesignerName = "Jane Doe";
await client.PushBeamDesignerAsync("", design);  // Overwrites ALL fields!

Next Steps