Back in 2015 when I started learning programing macros in SharpDevelop in Revit to change different parameter’s value like Sheet names, Room numbers or custom Parameters, I decided to find a time saving solution to something more serious.
In our office there was a need to create about 35 Sheet Sets for printing purposes from few hundreds of drawings in our project. Sheets created in our project were divided to series. Because we wanted to have more descriptive information in project browser then just a simple Sheet number we added a custom Project Parameter to Sheets called “Drawing Sheet Series”. (i.e. Sheets begging with number 20 had this parameter set to “(20) General Arrangment”)
This way all the sheets in our project were divided.
As a beginner to start with this task I needed some help. I didn’t know how to alter Revit print settings. It wasn’t easy to understand Revit API help file but I found a useful macro at Boos Your BIM web page (link is hear) which is creating a Sheet Set from Sheets containing in their number specific letters. In my case I needed to do it for all Sheets therefor changes were required. Additionally because it was written in C# and I was more fluent in VB.Net I decided to translate it.
Below you can find a final macro prepared for Revit 2015:
'
' Created by SharpDevelop.
' User: Pawel.Paszkiewicz
' Date: 28/10/2015
' Time: 18:35
'
' Change "Drawing Sheet Series" text to the name of your Sheet Parameter which segragets sheets.
'
Imports System
Imports Autodesk.Revit.UI
Imports Autodesk.Revit.DB
Imports Autodesk.Revit.DB.Architecture
Imports Autodesk.Revit.UI.Selection
Imports System.Collections.Generic
Imports System.Linq
Imports System.Diagnostics
Imports System.Text
<Autodesk.Revit.Attributes.Transaction(Autodesk.Revit.Attributes.TransactionMode.Manual)> _
<Autodesk.Revit.DB.Macros.AddInId("80CD1D8D-FB71-49FA-94F0-2BDACB7CD2C9")> _
Partial Public Class ThisDocument
Private Sub Module_Startup(ByVal sender As Object, ByVal e As System.EventArgs) Handles Me.Startup
End Sub
Private Sub Module_Shutdown(ByVal sender As Object, ByVal e As System.EventArgs) Handles Me.Shutdown
End Sub
#Region "This is the code to be collapsed"
Public Sub CreatePrintSet_from_DrawingSheetSeriesParameter()
'If you are copying this macro to Application-Level Macro (computer specific macro) remove ".application" after "Me." below an change "Partial Public Class ThisDocument" to "ThisApplication" above.
Dim curDoc As Document = Me.Application.ActiveUIDocument.Document
'This is a list to store all Sheet parameter values for comparison
Dim SheetParamlist As New List(Of String)
'This is a list to store all Print Sets actually created
Dim createdPrintSets As New List(Of String)
'get list of all sheets in project file
Dim sheetList As List(Of ViewSheet) = getAllSheets(curDoc)
'get list of all ViewSheetSets in project file
For Each curSheet As ViewSheet In sheetList
Dim DrawingSheetSeries As String
If curSheet.LookupParameter("Drawing Sheet Series").AsString IsNot Nothing
DrawingSheetSeries = curSheet.LookupParameter("Drawing Sheet Series").AsString
'Make a VPrint Set only for Sheets in a specific group defined by parameter
If DrawingSheetSeries.Contains("") Then
'Leave empty if you don't need to filter parameter names
'If you need to filter off some parameter names add text between "". i.e DrawingSheetSeries.Contains("24")
'Check if a sheet is already added to a print set by checking if its parametre is on the list
If SheetParamlist.Contains(DrawingSheetSeries) Then
Else
'add parameter to the list and make a print set from all drawings with this parameter
Dim newViewSet As New ViewSet
SheetParamlist.Add(DrawingSheetSeries)
'this adds all drawings to a new print set
For Each Sheetinlist As ViewSheet In sheetList
If DrawingSheetSeries = Sheetinlist.LookupParameter("Drawing Sheet Series").AsString Then
newViewSet.Insert(Sheetinlist)
End If
Next
'get the PrintManger from the current document
Dim printManager As PrintManager = curDoc.PrintManager
'set this PrintManager to use the "Selected Views/Sheets" option
printManager.PrintRange = PrintRange.Select
'get the ViewSheetSetting which manages the view/sheet set information of current document
Dim viewSheetSetting As ViewSheetSetting = printManager.ViewSheetSetting
'set the views in this ViewSheetSetting to the newly created ViewSet
viewSheetSetting.CurrentViewSheetSet.Views = newViewSet
Dim setName As String = DrawingSheetSeries
'create transaction
Using curTrans As New Transaction(curDoc, "Create Sheet Sets")
curTrans.Start()
Try
'Save the current view sheet set to another view/sheet set with the specified name.
viewSheetSetting.SaveAs(setName)
'commit changes
curTrans.Commit
createdPrintSets.Add(setName)
'handle the exception that will occur if there is already a view/sheet set with this name
Catch ex As Autodesk.Revit.Exceptions.InvalidOperationException
Dim td As New TaskDialog("TaskDialog")
td.CommonButtons = TaskDialogCommonButtons.Ok
td.CommonButtons = TaskDialogCommonButtons.Cancel
'td.MainIcon = TaskDialogIcon.TaskDialogIconWarning
td.AllowCancellation = True
td.MainInstruction = "Print Set """ & setName & """ is already in use"
td.ExpandedContent = "Existing print set will be renamed to: ""name_old1"" (or ""_ 2__etc.)." & Environment.NewLine & "New print set will be named: ""name_1"" (or ""_ 2__etc.)."
td.MainContent = "What would you like to do:"
td.AddCommandLink(TaskDialogCommandLinkId.CommandLink1, "Replace existing Print Set")
td.AddCommandLink(TaskDialogCommandLinkId.CommandLink2, "Rename existing Print Set")
td.AddCommandLink(TaskDialogCommandLinkId.CommandLink3, "Rename this Print Set")
Dim tdResult As TaskDialogResult = td.Show()
curTrans.RollBack()
'OPTION 1: If user clicks the first command link: "Replace existing Print Set"
If TaskDialogResult.CommandLink1 = tdResult Then
curTrans.Start()
Dim VSSList As List(Of ViewSheetSet) = getAllViewSheetSets(curDoc)
For Each viewSheetSet0 As ViewSheetSet In VSSList
If viewSheetSet0.Name = setName Then
viewSheetSetting.CurrentViewSheetSet.Views = newViewSet
viewSheetSetting.SaveAs(setName & "_temp")
viewSheetSetting.CurrentViewSheetSet = viewSheetSet0
viewSheetSetting.Delete
Dim VSSList3 As List(Of ViewSheetSet) = getAllViewSheetSets(curDoc)
For Each viewSheetSet1 As ViewSheetSet In VSSList3
If viewSheetSet1.Name = (setName & "_temp") Then
viewSheetSetting.CurrentViewSheetSet = viewSheetSet1
viewSheetSetting.Rename(setName)
End If
Next
End if
Next
curTrans.Commit
createdPrintSets.Add(setName)
'OPTION 2: If user clicks the first command link: "Rename existing Print Set"
ElseIf TaskDialogResult.CommandLink2 = tdResult Then
curTrans.Start()
Dim VSSList1 As List(Of ViewSheetSet) = getAllViewSheetSets(curDoc)
For Each viewSheetSet2 As ViewSheetSet In VSSList1
If viewSheetSet2.Name = setName Then
viewSheetSetting.CurrentViewSheetSet.Views = newViewSet
viewSheetSetting.SaveAs(setName & "_temp")
viewSheetSetting.CurrentViewSheetSet = viewSheetSet2
Try
viewSheetSetting.Rename(setName & "_old1")
TaskDialog.Show("ViewSetRenameOld","Existing print set was renamed to: """ & setName & "_old1""")
Catch ex2 As Autodesk.Revit.Exceptions.InvalidOperationException
curTrans.RollBack()
Dim VSSList4 As List(Of ViewSheetSet) = getAllViewSheetSets(curDoc)
Dim i As Integer = 1
Dim Z As Boolean = False
Do While Z = False
For Each viewSheetSet4 As ViewSheetSet In VSSList4
If viewSheetSet4.Name = (setName & "_old" & i) Then
i = i + 1
Else
Z = True
End If
Next
Loop
curTrans.Start()
viewSheetSetting.SaveAs(setName & "_old" & i)
TaskDialog.Show("ViewSetRenameOld","Existing print set was renamed to: """ & setName & "_old" & i)
End Try
End If
Next
Dim VSSList2 As List(Of ViewSheetSet) = getAllViewSheetSets(curDoc)
For Each viewSheetSet3 As ViewSheetSet In VSSList2
If viewSheetSet3.Name = setName & "_temp" Then
viewSheetSetting.CurrentViewSheetSet = viewSheetSet3
viewSheetSetting.Rename(setName)
End If
Next
curTrans.Commit
createdPrintSets.Add(setName)
'OPTION 3: If user clicks the second command link: "Rename this Print Set"
ElseIf TaskDialogResult.CommandLink3 = tdResult Then
Try
curTrans.Start()
'Save the current view sheet set to another view/sheet set with the specified name.
viewSheetSetting.SaveAs(setName & "_1")
'commit changes
curTrans.Commit
createdPrintSets.Add(setName & "_1")
'handle the exception that will occur if there is already a view/sheet set with this name
Catch ex1 As Autodesk.Revit.Exceptions.InvalidOperationException
curTrans.RollBack()
Dim VSSList As List(Of ViewSheetSet) = getAllViewSheetSets(curDoc)
Dim i As Integer = 1
Dim Z As Boolean = False
Do While Z = False
For Each viewSheetSet2 As ViewSheetSet In VSSList
If viewSheetSet2.Name = (setName & "_" & i) Then
i = i + 1
Else
Z = True
End If
Next
Loop
curTrans.Start()
viewSheetSetting.SaveAs(setName & "_" & i)
curTrans.Commit
createdPrintSets.Add(setName & "_" & i)
End Try
Else
End If
End Try
End Using
End If
Else
End If
Else
End If
Next
If createdPrintSets.Count = 0 Then
TaskDialog.Show("End", "NO PRINT SETS CREATED!")
Else
TaskDialog.Show("End", "No of Prints Sets Created: "& createdPrintSets.Count & Environment.NewLine & Environment.NewLine & "Names of Print Sets Created: "& Environment.NewLine & (String.Join(Environment.NewLine, createdPrintSets.ToArray)))
End If
End Sub
#End Region
'----------------------------------------------------
'collector
'----------------------------------------------------
Public Function getAllSheets(curDoc As Document) As List(Of ViewSheet)
'get all views
Dim sheetCollector As New FilteredElementCollector(curDoc)
sheetCollector.OfCategory(BuiltInCategory.OST_Sheets)
Dim SheetsCollection As New List(Of ViewSheet)
For Each x As ViewSheet In sheetCollector.ToElements
SheetsCollection.Add(x)
Next
Return SheetsCollection
End Function
Public Function getAllViewSheetSets(curDoc As Document) As List(Of ViewSheetSet)
'get all ViewSheetSets
Dim VSSCollector As New FilteredElementCollector(curDoc)
VSSCollector.OfClass(GetType(ViewSheetSet))
Dim VSSCollection As New List(Of ViewSheetSet)
For Each s As ViewSheetSet In VSSCollector.ToElements
VSSCollection.Add(s)
Next
Return VSSCollection
End Function
End Class
Additionally I added a function which asks you what to do when an a Print Set is existing.
Please find below links download Revit files with this macro for Revit 2014, 2015 and 2016 version:
PrintSets2014
PrintSets2015
PrintSets2016
Hope it will be useful.