The AutoCAD Developer Documentation survey has been posted twice over the past 4 years, but the results of those surveys and how those responses were used hasn't really been shared. Because we value the input from our communities, I am giving you a glimpse into the survey results and a number of documentation improvements that have been made as a result of the responses in the past few years. Of course, there is always room for improvements and we hope that you will continue providing us valuable feedback in future surveys. The most recent survey was conducted in early 2016 (148 responded), and the first one was conducted in early 2013 (405 responded).
Link to the original article related to the 2016 survey - AutoCAD Developer Documentation Survey - 2016.
Note: Keep in mind, the information in this posting is based on the voluntary responses of those that create custom solutions which extend the functionally of AutoCAD and AutoCAD-based products; the information doesn't directly represent the user base of those that use AutoCAD or AutoCAD-based products and is in no way representative of where Autodesk is investing in product development.
Assumptions: Those that responded to the survey are most likely developers, CAD administrators, and others that extend the functionality of AutoCAD and AutoCAD-based products.
What Release(s) of AutoCAD Do You Support?
When asked, a majority of the respondents indicated they were targeting the latest 2 releases while a percentage also indicated they support 2 or more previous releases along with the latest release. The following is a summary of the results of the respondents in the most recent survey:
- AutoCAD 2016 - AutoCAD 2017 (70%+)
- AutoCAD 2014 - AutoCAD 2015 (55%+)
- AutoCAD 2012 - AutoCAD 2013 (25%+)
In addition to those AutoCAD releases that respondents identified, the following are the most popular AutoCAD-based vertical products that the respondents identified they were developing for in the most recent survey (items are not listed in any specific order):
- AutoCAD Architecture
- AutoCAD Civil 3D
- AutoCAD Map 3D
- AutoCAD Mechanical
What Programming Languages Are the Most Popular?
As a developer, there are many different programming languages available and many more seem to be introduced each year. While there are no endless options available for developing custom applications that can be loaded into AutoCAD or AutoCAD-based products, there are a number of mainstream options available. Respondents stated these were the top programming languages that they used and their order of importance\usage:
- C#
- AutoLISP
- VB.NET
- C++
- VBA
- JavaScript
- F#
Do You Use the Developer Documentation in the ObjectARX SDK or Product?
The AutoCAD developer documentation is delivered as part of the AutoCAD product and ObjectARX SDK. 75+% of all respondents stated that they use the developer documentation that is part of the ObjectARX SDK which makes sense given the number of respondents that use the C#, VB.NET, and C++ programming languages to extend the functionality of AutoCAD and AutoCAD-based products. The ObjectARX SDK contains these documentation components:
- ObjectARX Developer's Guide
- ObjectARX Reference Guide
- ObjectARX Interoperability Guide
- ObjectARX Migration Guide
- ObjectARX Readme
- Managed .NET Reference Guide
Note: The Managed .NET Developer's Guide was made available as part of the ObjectARX SDK starting with the 2017 release.
The AutoCAD product documentation contains these developer documentation components and they are used by more than 82% of all respondents:
- General Customization (UI, scripting, Action Recorder, linetypes\shapes\hatch patterns, slides among more)
- AutoLISP Developer's Guide
- AutoLISP Reference Guide
- AutoLISP Tutorials
- ActiveX Developer's Guide
- ActiveX Reference Guide
- Sheet Set Object Reference
- Transmittal API Reference
- CAD Standards Plug-in
- Connectivity Automation Object Reference
The JavaScript Developer's Guide and JavaScript Reference Guide are linked to the AutoCAD product documentation, but not part of the product documentation set.
For the respondents, these were the most commonly accessed/used documentation components and the order of importance:
- Managed .NET Developer's Guide
- Managed .NET Reference Guide
- General Customization Guide
- AutoLISP Reference Guide
- ObjectARX Developer's Guide
- ObjectARX Reference Guide
- AutoLISP Developer's Guide
- ActiveX Reference Guide
- ActiveX Developer's Guide
While a majority of respondents identified that they use the documentation that is part of the product and ObjectARX SDK, 30+% of the respondents identified that they were unaware of these documentation components:
- Sheet Set Object Reference
- Transmittal API Reference
- CAD Standards Plug-in
- Connectivity Automation Object Reference
- JavaScript Developer's Guide
- JavaScript Reference Guide
How Do You Want to Access the Developer Documentation?
Respondents of the survey identified these delivery methods as the most desirable for accessing the developer documentation; methods are listed in the order of importance:
- CHM
- HTML (via product documentation)
- Microsoft Help (via Microsoft Visual Studio)
88+% of all respondents have expressed interest in being able to access all the developer documentation from a single location online, and that 85+% have access to the Internet while they are authoring programs.
Of those that responded, 33+% of them access the ObjectARX and Managed .NET Reference documentation via the Microsoft Help feature in Microsoft Visual Studio. However, 35% of the respondents were unaware that the ObjectARX and Managed .NET Reference documentation could be integrated into Microsoft Visual Studio. Even though there was a vast range in those that knew or didn't know about the documentation integration with Microsoft Visual Studio, many respondents expressed interest in accessing developer documentation from within Visual Studio that wasn't just the ObjectARX and Managed .NET Reference Guides.
The documentation components that respondents want to access from Microsoft Visual Studio and their priority are:
- Managed .NET Developer's Guide
- ObjectARX Developer's Guide
- JavaScript Developer's Guide
- ObjectARX Interoperability Guide
- JavaScript Reference Guide
- ObjectARX Migration Guide
- Sheet Set Object Reference
- VBA/ActiveX Reference
- ObjectARX Readme
- VBA/ActiveX Developer’s Guide
- CAD Standards Plug-in Reference
- Connectivity Automation Object Reference
- Transmittal Object Reference
The responses of both surveys have lead to a number of minor and major improvements to the AutoCAD developer documentation. I will mention the improvements made in Part 2.
Sincerely,
Lee
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