Header Explorer - Stop searching for where to find column indexes in Robot Structural Analysis

[Stephane.kapetanovic]

Hello everyone,

Meet Header Explorer, a tool designed to save you from endlessly hunting down “magic numbers” in the forums or API documentation.
If you often need to extract and customize tables in Robot Structural Analysis via API, and you're tired of wasting time trying to find the right column headers, this app is made for you!

Fast header scanning

• Automatically scans and lists all available column headers (from index 1 to 10,000).
• Displays the associated index for direct access to data fields.

Intuitive search

• Instantly locate headers with a dynamic, real-time filter, generating 35 codes per second.
• multi-column search by making any list with keywords separated by semicolons
• Double-click a result to copy it directly to your clipboard.

Multilingual support

• Fully compatible with all printout languages supported by Robot (English, French, German, Spanish, etc.).
• Easily switch between language versions of headers for better clarity.

Clean, modern interface

• Sleek dark mode for enhanced visual comfort.
• Fully resizable and customizable window layout.

Optimized performance

• Visual progress indicator during scanning.
• Scan can be cancelled at any time by pressing the Escape key.

Is Robot Structural Analysis installed on your machine?
Just launch Header Explorer, choose your preferred language, and click Scan.

The application can be stopped at any time by pressing Esc or clicking Exit.
A full scan takes around 5 minutes, but you can begin searching as soon as the scan starts.

Best Regards

Last updated on 08/06/25 Version 1.1.2,  .NET Framework 4.8.

[Romanich]

Hi @Stephane.kapetanovic,

I'm not able to run the app (Windows 11 Pro, 24H2)

[Simau]

Hi @Stephane.kapetanovic 

Same here, Windows 11 Pro 23H2

[Rafacascudo]

same here ,Win 11

[Stephane.kapetanovic]

Thanks for the feedback on portability issues. While .NET 8 and 9 offer significant advancements and greater programming flexibility, the application has been downgraded to .NET Framework 4.8 to remain portable and free for typical forum-related needs, ensuring maximum compatibility across all Windows systems

[WALIDGIO]

Great work @Stephane.kapetanovic , thank you

Quick question: since the header indexes are static, would it be possible to export them to Excel once and refer to that list instead of running the scan every time? Or do they change with Robot versions or languages, making a dynamic scan necessary?

[Stephane.kapetanovic]

hi @WALIDGIO 

Thanks a lot, and that’s a great question.
The scan takes about 5 minutes, roughly the same time you'd spend searching or waiting for a reply on the forum and this app must remain free.

I can’t guarantee that header codes will stay consistent across Robot versions or languages, and relying on a static list would mean losing automatic multi-column detection and language handling. Storing ten thousand codes per language didn’t seem worth the trade-off, but if you’re working in a fixed context, I’d definitely suggest building your own enum and pasting the Header Explorer codes directly into your project’s source.

Best regards

[apolo_xixa]

Hi, @Stephane.kapetanovic 

Do you happen to have this solution available in any public repository?

I'm currently working on automating the extraction of some tables from Robot, and I’d like to build a solution that others in my company can use as well. However, we have different versions and languages across teams, so I’m trying to make it as adaptable as possible. Any reference or shared code would be really helpful.

Thanks in advance!

[Stephane.kapetanovic]

hi @apolo_xixa 

Thank you for your interest in my solution.

I sometimes share private repositories on GitHub where I publish updates and new versions of backend programs such as EXP and Link TKL. These may correspond to specific requests or training exercises. Keep in mind that shareware is often published publicly as early-stage versions with limitations and is not intended to expose clean reusable code. It is also rare for “open repositories” to provide anything other than executables or DLLs, basic logic without the interface, or true open-source projects. Publishing full sources also affects readability, commercial use, and warranty, making any attempt to exploit a copy, a repository, or even a reverse-engineered version far from straightforward and in many cases more costly than purchasing one.

For this particular application, it’s preferable to rely on the scan performed by the app and then publish contextual enumerations to your development teams. You can also find parts of these magic codes shared on the forum, either passed from hand to hand, transcribed in messages, or embedded in some of the free, useful apps available there.

Best Regards