Selling Plugins on the Autodesk App Store

[Domzinator]

Hi all i have a few questions regarding selling applications on the App store. 

1. Will Autodesk Add Toolsbars automatically or do you have to take care of that?
2. Will Autodesk take care of loading your app (.dll's) when the application starts?
3. Where do i find the standard installer template? 

[daniel_cadext]

1, you have to create a CUIx for your application, normally a ribbon panel

2, You create the bundle with PackageContents.xml for loading via ApplicationPlugins folder

https://help.autodesk.com/view/OARX/2023/ENU/?guid=GUID-BC76355D-682B-46ED-B9B7-66C95EEF2BD0

https://help.autodesk.com/view/OARX/2024/ENU/?guid=GUID-5E50A846-C80B-4FFD-8DD3-C20B22098008

3, Send them a zipped bundle

download one of the free apps i.e XLSX Field Evaluator Trial and have a look inside the bundle

https://apps.autodesk.com/ACD/en/Detail/Index?id=4446191126131749248&appLang=en&os=Win64

[TerryDotson]

Not meaning to hijack the thread, but my inquiry is totally relevant to the subject. Is anyone using the AppStore to sell that uses their PayPal account primarily for direct sales (not going through the AppStore)?  In other words, you can only have one PayPal account tied to your bank account and don't want Autodesk getting an IPN pingback for sales that didn't originate on the AppStore.

[daniel_cadext]

I’m only using the Appstore, I am using the entitlement API for licensing. I don’t have the infrastructure to handle doing that myself

[Domzinator]

Are you allowed handeling your own licencing in your own way. I currently host my work licencing on my own server and want to handle my plugins i sell the same way

[daniel_cadext]

I’m sure you are as there are other apps that do.  I chose the Entitlement API for a couple reasons.

1, My app doesn’t run on any of the clones because of missing APIs.

2, It’s a lot of work setting up / managing servers / APIs

3, I don’t need to see anyone’s or company’s personal data. Nothing is ever transmitted to me (except money), so I don’t need to do all the yada-yada over the legal stuff for different regions

[Domzinator]

This is interesting. Another question. How does the entitlement api handle copying of the app and sendindingnit to other users?

Would you be able to point me in the right direction to using the entitlement api?

[daniel_cadext]

“Sending it to other users?”

entitlement API checks sysvar ‘ONLINEUSERID’, so another user’s id would fail. In that case it’s up to you how to handle it. My app defaults to trial mode.

There’s a sample here:

https://www.keanw.com/2016/02/securing-your-autocad-app-using-net.html

[ntclmain]

Have navigate this official link?
https://damassets.autodesk.net/content/dam/autodesk/www/pdfs/app-store-getting-started-guide.pdf

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About Entitlement API

https://damassets.autodesk.net/content/dam/autodesk/www/adn/pdf/entitlement-api-for-desktop-apps.pdf

it is just a piece of code to query  license information from Autodesk server.

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if your App is published as paid App,  each time a customer buys your App on Autodesk App store, a record (entitlement) of that user is written to Autodesk server.

A query send to Autodesk server includes:  App unique ID number (provided by Autodesk when you create a draft App) and User ID (read from user's computer, he/she must sign-in to run Autodesk products)

Autodesk server will answer you if license is available to this user or not.

example of App ID

License table, look from publisher side