Category Archives: ETABS API

Attaching to a Manually Started Instance of ETABS

These instructions document the steps necessary to attach to instances of ETABS that were started manually. The example code is in VB.NET.

Attaching to a Manually Started Instance of ETABS

Start ETABS manually, e.g. by clicking on the program shortcut.
Instead of creating a new ETABSObject, attach to the instance of the ETABSObject that was created and added to the Running Object Table by ETABS. The code below creates an ETABSObject and starts the program: Continue reading →

The plugin must reference the ETABS2016 API library (either ETABS2016.DLL or ETABS2016.TLB ), which must be registered on the developer’s and the user’s systems. This registration takes place during the installation of ETABS. The ETABS2016.DLL is compiled as AnyCPU, hence it can be referenced by both 32bit and 64bit plugin projects Continue reading →