Integrate Card SDK in your own application
This article includes updates for Nexus Card SDK 6.4.
Nexus Card SDK is a set of software components and configuration tools which implement all functionality to produce professional ID cards. You can integrate Card SDK into your own application through web services.'
Interfaces, development platforms, and development languages
SOAP-API deprecated
Starting with Card SDK 6.3 the SOAP-API will be deprecated. The interface is still available but will no longer be maintained or updated. Technical Support for this interface will no longer be available.
Card SDK includes an interface based on a web service. The web service offers easy integration into applications that originally does not support the use of ActiveX (for example, Java or HTML based applications). The web service is primarily intended as an easy to use inter-process communication interface, which runs on the same machine as your application does. But it also supports a distributed system architecture in which a separate PC for card production may be used. In this case, your application communicates with the web service on this separate PC over a local area network (LAN). This even allows a non Windows operation system like Linux as platform for your application.
The web service is based on SOAP* but is also available in a simple RESTful style. See Introduction to API for more information.
Using C# or Java with typical integrated development environments (IDEs) like Visual Studio or Eclipse, it is very easy to consume a SOAP based web service by generating wrapper classes
using the IDE or corresponding tools. More low level languages like C or JavaScript may use the lean RESTful interface. For developers not familiar with web services, show typical ways to use them with popular programming languages and IDEs, see Use Nexus Card SDK with different programming languages.
Components in Nexus Card SDK
To provide the functionality to produce professional ID cards, the SDK offers the following components:
The CardDesigner to design graphical layouts. It is a WYSIWYG editor to create layouts which can be printed using the SDK's printing component. The CardDesigner may be embedded in an integrators application or may be used as a standalone application. In the latter form it also allows management of card types and an easy to use card production environment (initial solution for simple and easy card production).
The Capture Component to capture photos, signatures, fingerprints and documents. Supported capture devices are video cameras, digital cameras, scanners, signature pads and more.
The Production Component to print and to encode ID cards. We support all ID card printers for ID1, ID2 and ID3 cards for which a windows printer driver is available. Standard laser or inkjet printers for paper badges may also be used. Chip encoding can be done printer integrated or with standalone devices. The SDK supports the encoding of contactless RFID chips as well as contact chip Smartcards for a Public Key Infrastructure (PKI). However, printing and chip encoding are separate features. You may use them combined or separately.
The Configuration Manager to configure the components. It configures basic settings like user interface appearance and language, the SDK's license and all connected devices like printers, capture devices and chip encoders. Currently these languages are supported by the user interface of all SDK's components: English, German, Swedish, French, Italian, Spanish, Portuguese, Arabic, Chinese, Russian, and Polish.
Applications and use cases
The purpose of the SDK is the provision of components (including their configuration tools) to be embedded into a system integrator's application. Typical examples are applications for time attendance and access control, for airports and seaports as well as for applications to produce national ID cards.
The application programming interface (API) of the SDK uses a web service on SOAP* and REST technology. This allows a straightforward usage by all common software frameworks and development languages. Still available is the set of ActiveX components which was introduced as interface of previous SDK versions. However, for new developments we highly recommend to use the web service interface.