Getting Started with Entitlement API in C#/.NET

In this post, we’ll walk through the step‑by‑step process of integrating Autodesk’s Entitlement API into your AutoCAD plugin with C#/.NET. You’ll learn how to install the SDK, configure the client, and perform license validation at startup.

Setup flow: install package → configure client → validate license

Prerequisites

Visual Studio 2022 or later
.NET Framework 4.8 (or .NET 6+ for .NET Core plugins)
Valid license.token file (from your Autodesk account)
NuGet package: Autodesk.EntitlementApi

1. Install the Entitlement API SDK

Install-Package Autodesk.EntitlementApi -Version 1.0.0

2. Configure the EntitlementApiClient

In your Plugin.cs (or main entry class), initialize the client with your API base URL and credentials:

plugin.cs

using Autodesk.Entitlement;

public class Plugin : IExtensionApplication
{
    private EntitlementApiClient _entitlementClient;

    public void Initialize(IExtensionApplication app)
    {
        var baseUrl = "https://api.autodesk.com/entitlement/v1";
        var apiKey  = Environment.GetEnvironmentVariable("ENTITLEMENT_API_KEY");
        _entitlementClient = new EntitlementApiClient(baseUrl, apiKey);

        ValidateLicense();
    }

    public void Terminate() { /* cleanup */ }

    private void ValidateLicense()
    {
        var token = File.ReadAllText("license.token");
        var response = _entitlementClient.ValidateTokenAsync(token)
                             .GetAwaiter().GetResult();

        if (!response.IsValid)
            throw new UnauthorizedAccessException("License validation failed: " + response.Message);
    }
}

3. Validate and Activate

After validating the token, you can optionally activate a floating seat:

Plugin.cs

// Activate a floating license for the current machine
var machineId = Environment.MachineName;
var activation = _entitlementClient.ActivateAsync(token, machineId)
                        .GetAwaiter().GetResult();
if (!activation.Success)
    Debug.WriteLine("Activation warning: " + activation.Message);

4. Error Handling & Logging

Wrap your calls in try‑catch to handle network issues or API errors gracefully:

try
{
    ValidateLicense();
}
catch (Exception ex)
{
    Debug.WriteError($"Entitlement error: {ex.Message}");
    // Optionally disable plugin features or prompt user
}

⚠️ Tip: Use HttpClientFactory and retry policies (e.g., Polly) to make your entitlement calls resilient to transient failures.

Introduction to Entitlement API

High‑level overview and key concepts.

Preparing Test Data

Design realistic entitlement records for testing.

Official Entitlement API PDF

Official Autodesk desktop entitlement API reference.

Next Steps

In Post #3, we’ll explore how to craft professional‑level test data and automate license‑scenario testing in your CI pipeline.

Introduction to Autodesk Entitlement API & Plugin Licensing

A high‑level overview of the Entitlement API, its role in plugin licensing, and key concepts for managing licenses in AutoCAD.