Install the HotDocs Open SDK

The HotDocs Open SDK is a software development kit used for developing host applications and system integrations for HotDocs Server and HotDocs Cloud Services. When creating a host application or integrating HotDocs with third-party software, it is recommended to use the HotDocs SDK, as it provides a suite of standard methods for performing common tasks. This page explains how to install the HotDocs Open SDK for use with a local installation of HotDocs Server.

Installation Methods

There are two ways to install the HotDocs Open SDK. Either:

  • Install using the HotDocs Open SDK NuGet package – this installs the compiled HotDocs Open SDK DLLs in an existing Visual Studio project, using the NuGet Package Manager.
  • Manual installation, using the steps below – this also allows you to use the uncompiled HotDocs Open SDK projects in your own solution, rather than the compiled DLLs.

1. Download the HotDocs Open SDK

The HotDocs Open SDK is free to download. To download the SDK:

  1. Open your web browser and navigate to the HotDocs Open SDK GitHub page.
  2. Click Download ZIP (at the bottom of the right-hand column) to downloaded a zip file containing the current version of the HotDocs SDK.
  3. Once the zip file has downloaded, navigate to the downloaded file and extract the contents to a convenient location on your hard drive.

When you open the folder, you can see that the HotDocs SDK contains a Visual Studio Solution file and multiple Visual Studio Projects. To integrate with a local installation of HotDocs Server, you require the HotDocs.SDK and HotDocs.Server.SDK projects.

2. Using the HotDocs Open SDK in your solution

There are two options for using the HotDocs SDK in your solution. You can either load the individual project files into your solution; or you can build the HotDocs SDK DLLs and add them to your own project.

2. 1 Loading a HotDocs Open SDK Project into Visual Studio

To load a HotDocs Open SDK project into an existing Visual Studio solution:

  1. Open Visual Studio and load your existing solution.
  2. Right-click on the top-level solution file in the Solution Explorer and navigate to Add > Existing Project .
  3. Navigate to the extracted HotDocs SDK folder.
  4. Open the HotDocs.Sdk folder and select the HotDocs.Sdk.csproj file. Click Open. The project now appears in your solution.
  5. Repeat steps 2 and 3. Open the HotDocs.Server.Sdk folder and select the HotDocs.Server.Sdk.csproj file. Click Open. The project now appears in your solution.

2.2 Building the HotDocs Open SDK DLLs

2.2.1 To build the HotDocs Open SDK DLLs:

  1. Open Visual Studio.
  2. Navigate to File > Open > Project/Solution.
  3. Navigate to the extracted HotDocs SDK folder and select the HotDocs.Sdk.sln file. Click Open. The HotDocs SDK solutions opens in Visual Studio.
  4. From the Build menu and select Build Solution.
  5. Navigate to the HotDocs SDK folder. Open HotDocs.Sdk.Server > bin > Release. Visual Studio has created the following DLL files:

- HotDocs.Sdk.dll

- HotDocs.Sdk.Server.dll

- HotDocs.Sdk.Server.Contracts.dll

2.2.2 To add the DLLs to an existing Visual Studio solution:

  1. Open Visual Studio and load your existing solution.
  2. In the Solution Explorer, expand the project to which you need to add DLL references.
  3. Right-click on the References folder and select Add Reference.
  4. Click the Browse button.
  5. Navigate to the HotDocs SDK folder and go to HotDocs.Sdk.Server > bin > Release. Select the following DLLs:

- HotDocs.Sdk.dll

- HotDocs.Sdk.Server.dll

- HotDocs.Sdk.Server.Contracts.dll

Click the Add button. The DLLs are added to the Solution.