How to License the WinForms HTML Editor

Starting with version 9.x, the WinForms HTML Editor uses a license-key activation system that replaces the older "download the unlocked DLL" workflow. After you purchase a Developer License or Source Code License, you receive a license key. You apply that key once at application startup, in code, before any WinFormHtmlEditor instance is created. There is no longer any need to swap DLLs, clear the Visual Studio Toolbox cache, or distribute a separate "unlocked" build.

Where to find your license key

Sign in to your My Account section on the SpiceLogic website. Each row in your Purchase Record grid exposes the license key for that purchase. Copy the key string for the WinForms HTML Editor Control product.

Apply your license key in code

Set the static WinFormHtmlEditor.LicenseKey property once at application startup, before any editor instance is created. In a typical Windows Forms project, the right place is Program.cs (or your application's main entry point):

using SpiceLogic.HtmlEditor.WinForms;

internal static class Program
{
    [STAThread]
    private static void Main()
    {
        // Apply the license key once, before any WinFormHtmlEditor instance is constructed.
        WinFormHtmlEditor.LicenseKey = "PASTE-YOUR-LICENSE-KEY-HERE";

        ApplicationConfiguration.Initialize();
        Application.Run(new MainForm());
    }
}

For VB.NET, set the same static property at the beginning of your application's startup module:

Imports SpiceLogic.HtmlEditor.WinForms

Module Program
    <STAThread>
    Sub Main()
        WinFormHtmlEditor.LicenseKey = "PASTE-YOUR-LICENSE-KEY-HERE"

        ApplicationConfiguration.Initialize()
        Application.Run(New MainForm())
    End Sub
End Module

Important: WinFormHtmlEditor.LicenseKey is a static property. It applies to every editor instance in the process. Set it exactly once, as early as possible in your startup path, and never per-form.

Trial mode vs licensed mode

If you have not yet purchased, you can still install the NuGet package and use the editor in trial mode without setting a license key. The editor is fully functional in trial mode for evaluation. Once you set a valid LicenseKey value, the editor switches to licensed mode for the remainder of the process and any trial reminders are suppressed.

Verifying activation

Run your application after setting the key. If the key is recognized, no trial reminders appear. If the key is missing or malformed, the editor continues to run in trial mode — check that the key was copied without surrounding whitespace and that the assignment runs before any editor instance is created. The key string is stored only in memory for the lifetime of the process; nothing is written to disk by the editor itself.

Source Code license customers

The Source Code license gives you an extra folder containing the full C# source of the editor. That source has the license-key logic stripped out. If you reference those projects directly from your own solution and build the editor from your copy of the source, it runs in licensed mode automatically — no WinFormHtmlEditor.LicenseKey assignment is needed.

You are not required to build from source. You can keep using the SpiceLogic.HtmlEditor.WinForms NuGet package and set WinFormHtmlEditor.LicenseKey at startup, exactly like a Developer License customer would. The Source Code license simply gives you the option to switch from the NuGet package to the included source when you need to customize the editor's internals, debug into the source, or satisfy a procurement requirement that every third-party component ship with source.

Upgrading from earlier versions

If you are migrating from a pre-9.x build that used the legacy "download the Unlocked DLL" model, you no longer need to swap DLLs, clear the Visual Studio Toolbox, or close and reopen Visual Studio. Install the SpiceLogic.HtmlEditor.WinForms NuGet package and set WinFormHtmlEditor.LicenseKey at startup. That is the entire migration.