Initialization and User Authentication
In each of the GX API languages a context needs to be initialized and maintained while the API is in use. In each case application and version strings are required. application is a string that describes your application, and version is a string for your version information. In UI applications it is a good idea to pass the optional Windows HWND handle of your application's main window. This will result in a UI based progress bar and will allow a greater subset of the API to function. One can even call other GX API scripts and GXs etc. reliably this way and have their UIs display.
Initializing the GX API establishes the credentials of the person running your program. These credentials are required to grant access to various features in the API used by your program. Although most of the GX API is available to anyone with a Seequent ID (freely and easily established at https://id.seequent.com/register), certain features are restricted to authorized users in order to support licensing restrictions, both with Seequent and with Seequent's partners. Attempting to create context with a call to GXContect.create() will trigger the need for your user to be authenticated. Authentication is managed by Seequent Connector, which is part of the Geosoft library and part of all installed Geosoft technologies. There are two scenarios to be aware of:
Your program running with installed Geosoft technology: In most cases, we expect your users will have some version of the Geosoft application installed, which as a minimum may simply be the free Geosoft Viewer. In this case your user will likely already be authenticated, and GXContext.create() will use this authentication such that your user will not be challenged to sign-in. If for some reason we cannot determine the credentials of your user, they will be challenged to authenticate (sign-in) using their Seequent ID credentials. Authenticating, in this case, requires an internet connection.
Your program running independently: It is also possible to run your program from a system without any existing Geosoft technology. In this case you will have shipped the Geosoft DLLs to support the GX API calls together with your program. The first time your program calls GXContext.create(), your user will be challenged to provide their Seequent ID and password on a sign-in dialog. Should your user not have a Seequent ID, they will have the opportunity to register on https://id.seequent.com/register. Once registered and authenticated, the authentication information is maintained on your user's system and, under normal circumstances, your users will not be challenged again. Note that an internet connection is required to register a new Seequent ID and to authenticate for the first time. Once authentication is established an internet connection is no longer required as the saved authentication is used each time your user runs your program.
IMPORTANT: Should your users need to use your program without an Internet connection, possibly in the field or while travelling, they must establish their identity on their system before disconnecting from the Internet. This can be done by simply running your program once when connected to the Internet. This only needs to be done once.