API Tutorials

This Quick Start Guide presents a series of simple tutorials to help you get started with using the Synthesis API.

Before you begin, we recommend installing or updating your Synthesis application to the latest version. You can check for the latest version in the software by choosing File > Help > Check for Updates or downloading the latest version at http://www.ReliaSoft.com/synthesis/downloads.htm. Note that for VBA, the bit version (32- vs. 64-bit) of the Synthesis Platform that you've installed must match your installed version of Microsoft Office. If they do not match, you may see an error related to ActiveX controls. (See ReliaSoft KB article RS20024.)

In addition, the tutorials assume that you have some basic working knowledge in VBA or VB.NET programming, and that you are generally familiar with the Synthesis Platform environment.

Prerequisites

• To begin, you must reference the Synthesis API object library. The object library is located in the folder where the Synthesis application is installed. By default, this folder is at “C:\Program Files\ReliaSoft\Synthesis 10”. (For Version 9, it is "C:\Program Files\ReliaSoft\Synthesis 9".)

For VBA applications, use the SynthesisAPI.tlb library file. For VB.NET applications, use SynthesisAPI.dll. For help with referencing the library, see this simple How-To Guide.

• If you are coding in VB.NET, add an Imports statement for SynthesisAPI. This is assumed in all VB.NET code samples.

• You will need a Synthesis repository for testing purposes. We recommend creating a new standard repository and saving it on your local drive when working with the tutorials. This will allow you to work and experiment with the examples unhindered by folder and database permissions.

Tutorials

Synthesis Resources

The Synthesis Resources Tutorial is a four-part tutorial that introduces you to the basic functionalities of the Synthesis API. In this tutorial, you will learn how to use the API to connect to a Synthesis repository, create a new resource, update an existing resource and obtain calculated results from a model.

Synthesis Data Warehouse (SDW)

The Synthesis Data Warehouse (SDW) Tutorial demonstrates how to transfer data from an Excel file to the SDW of a Synthesis repository. Data in the SDW can then be transferred to a Weibull++ or RGA standard folio for analysis.

More tutorials coming soon...