Applies to HTML Viewer, IE Browser publications.

When a user buys a copy of your publication, you need to send him a key that allows him to upgrade to another certificate than the default one (so he can access the registered version). This key can be created by clicking the Make Key button in the "Restricted Publication Tools" tab or pressing CTRL+K.

The Key Generator will ask you to enter the user's name, optionally his/her company's name and the user's system ID (for hardware-locked keys). Then press Generate: the registration code will appear. Press Copy to clipboard or Save As to save the registration code to a text file: you can then send this text file or registration code to your end user, with additional instructions if you want (it's up to you).

Portable publications use a license file to store registration information. HTML Executable can generate this license file directly in the same folder as the publication EXE file: press Generate License File. If you use hardware-locked registration keys, HTML Executable will automatically determine the system ID (useful for a USB stick for instance).

Learn more about how to lock a publication to a given USB drive

The source code for the key generator is freely available to registered users of the Professional/Commercial editions (see your registration notice).

A stand-alone portable key generator is available to registered users of the Professional/Commercial editions (see your registration notice).

We offer scripts (php, C#, Pascal, VB and VBA scripts for php, asp.net, VBA... applications) that let you generate keys for your publications online on a web server. You could integrate this script function in your own registration system. Scripts are available to registered users of the Professional/Commercial editions.

We provide Paypal users with a full Paypal kit (detailed tutorial and php source code) to generate and deliver registration keys by email instantly after a completed payment. Hardware-locked keys are supported too.

If you want to verify the integrity of a uninstall confirmation code (deactivation feature), use the dedicated function shipped in the key generator scripts (please refer to the script's documentation).

Hardware-locked keys

To prevent end users from distributing their key to others or to avoid fraudulent purchases, you can configure the publication to work with hardware-locked keys. In that case, the key issued to a registered user will be based on a unique system ID that depends on the user's computer hardware. The key will consequently only work on the user's computer and it becomes useless if it is shared with other persons.

Enable or disable the use of hardware-locked keys thanks to the properties of the certificate.

To compute the unique system ID, the publication uses one or several properties of hardware components like serial numbers, features... You can decide which properties should be used by clicking Advanced in the Restricted Publication Tools tab:

• Use the HD serial number: this is the serial number that gets assigned to the main hard disk when it is formatted in Windows. Default for all projects made before HTML Executable 3.6.
• Use the Manufacturer-allocated serial number: the publication determines the manufacturer-allocated number of the disk on which its EXE file is located (useful only if you are making a portable publication) or of the first hard disk available.
• Use CPU ID and info: the publication retrieves some specifications of the CPU.
• Use combination: CPU ID and info + Manufacturer-allocated serial number.

Note: this type of key depends on the user's computer, so if users change their computer, reformat their disk (due to a crash), change the motherboard of their computer, the system ID will be different. In this case, the key won't work again: you will have to issue a new registration key to your users or provide them with an easy way to get a new one.

This simulation is based on our key generator php script as described above.

You can see the working sample here

Alternatively, you can use the online activation feature if you have the HTML Executable Activation Kit.