Using the C1LicenseActivation Tool

In This Topic

The C1LicenseActivation Tool is the legacy activation tool used prior to 2020. It can be used to activate serial keys that predate July 2020 (ComponentOne version 2020 v2), as well as license old products after activating a new serial key using the MESCIUS License Manager.

When you use the C1ControlPanel web installer to install any ComponentOne product, the C1LicenseActivation tool automatically gets installed to the following location:
C:\Program Files (x86)\MESCIUS\ComponentOne\C1StartMenu\Apps.

Alternatively, you may install it separately on the C1ControlPanel under the Products | Tools tab.

Activating an Old Serial Key

If you have activated a new serial key after July 2020 using the MESCIUS License Manager, running the C1LicenseActivation tool will automatically generate and install old-style keys so that you may build fully licensed applications using older products. You should see a similar dialog:

ComponentOne old keys License activation

To use the C1LicenseActivation tool for activating an old serial key, follow these steps:

Run the C1LicenseActivation tool. The C1LicenseActivation - Activate License window opens as shown in the image below.
Enter your name, company, and serial number.
Select Automatically over the Internet option.

Notes:

Activating your key over the internet will work for offline machines too. As of July 2020, the offline activation mechanism has been taken down and the tool now works the same for online or offline activation.
If you have a 28-digit license key you can use just the first 17 digits of your serial number to unlock older products through C1LicenseActivation. For example, for SE307AC-3G-XXXXXX-06-6WNWR1K you would use SE307AC-3G-XXXXXX.

Using C1LicenseActivation by Command Line

To access C1LicenseActivation by command line, use the following command line options:

C1LicenseAction.exe [switches and options]
  /a[:sn]         activate serial number
  /as[:sn]        activate serial number silently (mostly for hard evals).
  /u:username     preset username (used with /as)
  /c:company      preset company name (used with /as)
  /au:authnumber:authcode
                  authorization number and code.  will invoke local activation
  /d[:sn]         deactivate serial number
  /p:productCode  product code (retrieve reg info, show in UI)
  /n:productName  product name (show in UI; spaces as underscores)
  /s:sn           silently deactivate serial number (don't show the UI)
  /x:YYQ          calling product version date (to check expiration)
  /0              always return zero exit code
                  (for MS Setups that choke if the return code is non-zero)
  /zero           always return zero for successful ops.
  /r:pc1,pc2,...  restrict serial numbers to those specified (must be before /i)
  /i:YYYYQ,pc1,pc2,...
                  installer switch: skip activation and exit quietly if a
                  license is already installed for any of the product codes
                  on the list (to avoid multiple redundant licensing prompts).
  /gcdetect       silently creates and installs legacy licenses based on
                  new GrapeCity licenses, then exits.
 The [sn] values are optional.