ezexb

A read-only CAXA EXB parser with a Rust core, Python API and command-line tools. No CAXA installation is required.

Status: experimental. The reader supports a limited set of EXB layouts and returns explicit diagnostics for unsupported content. APIs may change before 1.0. Use it to extract supported data; check the read report before relying on a complete drawing.

Install

Requires GIL-enabled CPython 3.10 or newer. For a published release:

python -m pip install ezexb

To build from a source checkout, install Rust 1.83 or newer and run:

python -m pip install .

Prebuilt release wheels target Linux x86_64 and aarch64 (glibc 2.28+), Windows x86_64, and macOS Intel / Apple silicon. A source install requires a Rust toolchain. See development for an editable installation and tests.

Read a drawing

import ezexb

document = ezexb.read("drawing.exb", strict=False)
print("Complete:", document.report.complete)

for diagnostic in document.report.diagnostics:
    print(diagnostic.code, diagnostic.stream_path, diagnostic.span)

for entity in document.entities:
    if entity.kind == "Line":
        print(entity.geometry.start, entity.geometry.end)

strict=False requests a partial document. The default, strict=True, raises IncompleteReadError when required content cannot be read; the exception carries the same structured report. Unknown build profiles raise UnsupportedFeatureError in both modes. Input and resource errors always raise.

Coordinates are stored in each block's coordinate system, and physical units are not inferred. Use read_world() to expand a selected space. A complete report means completeness within the supported reader profile, not full EXB compatibility or CAXA display equivalence.

Command line

ezexb capabilities --json
ezexb read drawing.exb --partial --json
ezexb inspect drawing.exb --json
ezexb streams drawing.exb --sha256 --json
ezexb metadata drawing.exb --json
ezexb preview drawing.exb --output preview.bmp

List document.spaces to choose a space ID for world coordinates or an approximate SVG. For example, if the desired space has ID -7:

ezexb world drawing.exb --space=-7 --partial --json
ezexb svg drawing.exb --space=-7 --partial --output drawing.svg --json

read --partial can exit successfully with report.complete=false; inspect the JSON report in automation. Extraction commands refuse to overwrite existing files. preview extracts a cached BMP; svg generates an approximate drawing preview.

Supported data

Support depends on the exact layout and build profile. Dimension/symbol construction, table/style resolution and regeneration, view placement/clipping, associativity, physical units, external references, native font layout and complete rendering remain unsupported. SVG uses approximate text and strokes; it does not regenerate hatch fills. A qualified zero-radius ARC pattern is retained as DegenerateArc with a diagnostic and is not drawn. Writing and DXF export are not provided.

Documentation

• Documentation index
• Reading, supported profiles and diagnostics
• Container and stream inspection
• Metadata, previews and stream analysis
• Rust core
• Development and releasing

License

MIT; see LICENSE. This license covers ezexb's own code. Third-party drawings and vendor materials are not included in source or binary distributions.