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Method and Property Naming in SOLIDWORKS API

The SOLIDWORKS API (as well as SOLIDWORKS itself) is backward compatible, meaning that the old versions of the API are compatible with newer versions of SOLIDWORKS. This means that the API method signatures and behaviors should not be changed when a new version is released. To achieve this, SOLIDWORKS introduced a revision system for method and interface names. Whenever a new version of the API is available, it is added to the class diagram as MethodName Last Revision + 1. For example, ISldWorks::OpenDoc6 is a newer version of the method ISldWorks::OpenDoc5. Similarly, IModelDoc2 is a newer (and current) version of the interface IModelDoc.

Obsolete Methods and Interfaces​

While SOLIDWORKS is backward compatible and all versions of methods should be available, it is recommended to use the latest version that is compatible with the minimum targeted version of SOLIDWORKS.

This is mainly done for the following reasons:

  • Obsolete methods (or any remarks and descriptions) may not be available in the API documentation. Therefore, it may be necessary to maintain API help documentation for previous versions.

Obsolete IModelDoc API interface{ width=250 }

  • The reasons for adding alternative methods are not always known. This could be due to some error (or behavior) present in the old version method, which may introduce unknown side effects if used.

  • There may be issues when seeking support, as the first obvious suggestion would be to upgrade the method to the newer version, as the older method may be considered "out of warranty."