topic Re: EDU license serial number via AC API / GDL REQUEST in Archicad C++ API

EDU license serial number via AC API / GDL REQUEST

BerndSchwarzenbacher — Mon, 09 Sep 2024 09:25:17 GMT

Hi,

For an EDU license the GDL REQUEST options "program_info" and "Configuration_Number" return keySerialNumber=0 and empty string for "stConfigurationNumber". I assume the AC API does the same thing ( https://archicadapi.graphisoft.com/documentation/apienv_protectiondataid) Unfortunately I can't confirm that right now.

Is there another way to get the EDU serial number in the API and/or GDL?

Re: EDU license serial number via AC API / GDL REQUEST

Piotr Dobrowolski — Mon, 15 Nov 2021 17:07:48 GMT

The 0 retported by GDL request is also true for Trial and Demo. So if the product is about to be allowed for EDU then You are on the safe side, no comercial license will get access.

Piotr

PS. I hate the current Requests for serials in GDL - the old REQ was very good because it worked in Parameter script and I couel easilly lock all if not licensed... now it is a pain in the ...a... because if using REQ - the reported serial is the temporary one if the soft license key is used ;(

Re: EDU license serial number via AC API / GDL REQUEST

BerndSchwarzenbacher — Mon, 15 Nov 2021 18:34:43 GMT

Thanks Piotr for your answer. Unfortunately I have the requirement to allow access only for EDU licenses with specific serial numbers. And my question is about how to obtain those serial numbers of a running Archicad EDU instance.

Regarding your PS:
From my experiments it seems that the configuration number is fixed for software licenses and hardware licenses. So maybe you can try the request "Configuration_Number" instead of the serial number for those cases.

Re: EDU license serial number via AC API / GDL REQUEST

Piotr Dobrowolski — Mon, 15 Nov 2021 19:00:55 GMT

PS.PS. But we cannot access the "Configuration_Number" in the parameter script ;( and that was my point...

Re: EDU license serial number via AC API / GDL REQUEST

BerndSchwarzenbacher — Mon, 15 Nov 2021 20:06:31 GMT

Ah I see! I didn't understand that. Thanks for clarifying 🙂

Re: EDU license serial number via AC API / GDL REQUEST

akomporday — Tue, 16 Nov 2021 13:59:42 GMT

Hello Bernd,

The serial number of EDU and Trial licenses is not exposed via the API. There is a good reason for that: while in the case of commercial licenses the serial number is just a pure technicality, for EDU and Trial licenses, the serial number is basically the license itself, bearing the entitlement for the user to use Archicad. This is why it's not exposed via the API, lest Add-Ons would be an e-mail address away from being able to snatch EDU and Trial licenses of our users.

If you need to restrict the usage of your Add-Ons, I'm afraid your only option is to introduce your own licensing/entitlement scheme (like many commercial Add-On vendors do).

Regards,

Andras

Re: EDU license serial number via AC API / GDL REQUEST

BerndSchwarzenbacher — Tue, 16 Nov 2021 14:17:43 GMT

Hello András,

Thank you very much for the detailed clarifications!

Re: EDU license serial number via AC API / GDL REQUEST

easyDoesIt — Sun, 19 Feb 2023 00:53:47 GMT

Hi Andras,

Just resurrecting this topic from 2021. Is there a way to know how many licenses (in the case of a commercial net dongle) that a keyserialnumber is associated with.

Re: EDU license serial number via AC API / GDL REQUEST

BerndSchwarzenbacher — Mon, 20 Feb 2023 15:49:31 GMT

Hi Mark,

You won't get it from GDL as far as I know, but you can get it via the C++ API with the following function: https://archicadapi.graphisoft.com/documentation/acapi_protection_getnumberoflicenses

(starting AC26, before that, there was a different function with similar functionality).

Best,

Bernd

Re: EDU license serial number via AC API / GDL REQUEST

easyDoesIt — Tue, 21 Feb 2023 00:33:41 GMT

Thanks for the info Bernd. I was hoping to avoid a add-on for this purpose in the off chance there may already be a way GDL can access this. I believe there are a few requests that are not documented that Graphisoft may be able to advise on that may do this?

Seems to me having this option would provide a good basis for developers to produce objects that are locked to a keySerial with a certain number of licenses without having to maintain a license management add-on nor ask users to install a add-on. Simpler the better!

Re: EDU license serial number via AC API / GDL REQUEST

Barry Kelly — Tue, 21 Feb 2023 01:20:10 GMT

@easyDoesIt wrote:

Seems to me having this option would provide a good basis for developers to produce objects that are locked to a keySerial with a certain number of licenses without having to maintain a license management add-on nor ask users to install a add-on. Simpler the better!

I'm not quite sure what you mean by this.

You can already lock to a particular license number (not EDU), and if that license is a multiple network license, your GDL object will be available for all of those network licenses.

As far as I know allowing a single or network license is exactly the same.

If your check matches the allowed license number, then all is good.

I don't think you can pick and choose to say allow it for only 5 out of the 10 network licenses if that is what you are trying to do.

It is all or nothing as far as I know.

Barry.

Re: EDU license serial number via AC API / GDL REQUEST

easyDoesIt — Tue, 21 Feb 2023 01:42:13 GMT

Thanks Barry. I was thinking more to lock the license to a key with a maximum number of users, any number under the maximum is ok.

So if the object allowed maximum 5 users yet the key had 10 network licenses attached then it would not match and be locked out.

If the object allowed maximum 5 users yet the key had say 3 (or 5) network licenses then it this is ok and object will function.

Basically, it is trying to stop users purchasing a object for a select number of users on the same key when they actually have more.

Re: EDU license serial number via AC API / GDL REQUEST

Barry Kelly — Tue, 21 Feb 2023 02:00:11 GMT

I see.

I am not sure if there is a GDL command to find the number of licenses attached to a key.

As far as I know, you can only detect the license number being used by Archicad.

You are not actually interacting with the actual license key.

Barry.

Re: EDU license serial number via AC API / GDL REQUEST

LeeJaeYoung — Wed, 15 Mar 2023 11:33:36 GMT

This is a question that I accidentally read the article.
Did you lock GDL using API C++?

It's not my opinion, it's a question I'm asking because I'm curious about how I can do it because someone told me that they are locking GDL using the api.

Re: EDU license serial number via AC API / GDL REQUEST

BerndSchwarzenbacher — Wed, 15 Mar 2023 22:57:15 GMT

I haven't done it but there would be several possibilities that I can think of:

1. An C++ Add-On can have a BuiltIn Library for the Add-On. You could allow only users with certain license keys to place/manipulate objects from this builtin library. Those objects don't show up as "normal" objects as far as I know. You have to provide a way to even create them.

2. You can change parameters of objects with an Add-On. So with this you could lock an object by setting e.g. a flag in the object.

There are probably several further possibilities. It depends on what you actually want to achieve. Some things like getting AC key identification can be done directly in GDL as well.

Re: EDU license serial number via AC API / GDL REQUEST

LeeJaeYoung — Thu, 16 Mar 2023 02:19:47 GMT

I don't understand the first explanation.
Can I ask for a more detailed explanation?
And what part of the api can I understand by studying?
It would be really nice if it was in the sample file.

In the case of number 2, I don't know if I misunderstood, but it seems that it is possible to change it by deploying and executing the api, is that correct?

Re: EDU license serial number via AC API / GDL REQUEST

BerndSchwarzenbacher — Thu, 23 Mar 2023 07:39:43 GMT

Generally you should check the following: APIEnv_ProtectionDataID

1. For BuiltInLibrary parts you should check the commands ACAPI_Register_BuiltInLibrary and APIAny_GetBuiltInLibpartUnIdID.

One related example in the SDK is called 'LibPart_Test', but it doesn't directly deal with built in lib parts.

2. Yes you can change objects with the API. Also the above mentioned example 'LibPart_Test' has some code where the change the parameters of an object.

Also I want to highlight a third option: to directly lock an object in GDL. You can check the GDL Request option 'configuration_number'. It's less powerful but might be sufficient in a lot of situations.

I hope this helps a bit. The start with the C++ API can be tough. Unfortunately providing a working example is also quite a lot of work for which I can't invest the time right now.

Re: EDU license serial number via AC API / GDL REQUEST

LeeJaeYoung — Thu, 23 Mar 2023 08:31:16 GMT

thank you so much.

I will study api c++ more and ask again.

You told me how to do this, but I can't find the function no matter how much I search. Is this a function you know?

This is something I can't find in apidevkit.chm either.
If so, where should I look for this function?

API_ParID paramId = ACAPI_Parameter_Create("MyParam", APIParBooleanType);

API_ParValue paramValue;
BNZeroMemory(&paramValue, sizeof(paramValue));
paramValue.boolValue = true; // set the parameter value to true
ACAPI_Parameter_SetValue(paramId, &paramValue, sizeof(paramValue));

Is there any way to lock GDL using API C++? - Graphisoft Community

Re: EDU license serial number via AC API / GDL REQUEST

BerndSchwarzenbacher — Fri, 24 Mar 2023 12:20:06 GMT

There is no single function in the API to achieve locking of GDL objects. I just generally described ideas of how it would work and what to study.

The code you mentioned includes functions that don't exist in the Archicad C++ API!