Tag Archives: Revit API

Revit – Setting Parameters Values in Macro Programming (with VB.Net)

23 May 2017 Pablo 2 Comments

Back in the old days, it was easy to set any parameter value in macro. This was the code I was using in Revit 2014:

element.parameter("Any Parameter Name").set("value")

This was working for Build-in Parameters, Sheared Parameters and Project Parameters. When I migrated some macros to Revit 2017 this formula wasn’t working any more. After some search I found a solution. Unfortunately for every parameter type it’s different.

Build-in Parameters:

Build-in Parameters can be set by referencing to parameter Definition name.

in VB.Net

element.parameter(BuiltInParameter.DEFINITION_NAME).[set]("value")

in Python for Windows Comments parameter:

element.get_Parameter(BuiltInParameter.ALL_MODEL_INSTANCE_COMMENTS).Set("value")

Parameter Definition Name one can find using Revit Lookup or in API help.

Example in VB.Net from my amended macro for sheet parameters: Drawn By, Checked By and Sheet Issue Date:

m_vs.parameter(BuiltInParameter.SHEET_DRAWN_BY).[set](curSheet.sheetDrawn)
 m_vs.parameter(BuiltInParameter.SHEET_CHECKED_BY).[set](curSheet.sheetChecked)
m_vs.parameter(BuiltInParameter.SHEET_ISSUE_DATE).[Set](curSheet.sheetDate)

Shared Parameters:

Shared Parameters can be set by referencing their GUID number.

in VB.Net:

element.parameter(New Guid("guid-wierd-number").[set]("value")

in Python in Dynamo it DOESN’T WORK:

from System import Guid

NewGuid = Guid("7839a188-7b93-457a-9c33-0a4940183f18")
element.Parameter[NewGuid].Set("value")

Guid Number for Shared Parameters can be found in Shared Parameter file i.e

Code example in VB.Net from my amended macro:

 m_vs.parameter(New Guid("3c5aa4ef-99ff-4a51-abfe-7f7129b9fed4")).[Set](curSheet.documentType)

Project Parameters:

Project Parameters can be set by referencing in the formula parameter’s Definition by itself.

in VB.Net:

 Dim ParameterList As IList(Of Parameter)
 Parameterlist = element.GetParameters("Parameter Name")
 Dim Parameter As Parameter
 Parameter = ParameterList(0)
   element.parameter(Parameter.Definition).[set]("value")

in Python in Dynamo it DOESN’T WORK:

ParameterList = element.GetParameters("Parameter Name")
Parameter = ParameterList[0]
element.get_Parameter[Parameter.Definition].Set("value")

Is unsubscriptable with get_Parameter or expects BuiltInParamter.

Any one knows how to make it work in Python in Dynamo?

Bez kategorii, Revit

Revit – VB.Net Macro to make Print (Sheet) Sets from Sheet’s parameter.

12 January 2017 Pablo Leave a comment

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:

Continue reading Revit – VB.Net Macro to make Print (Sheet) Sets from Sheet’s parameter. →

Revit

Revit – Installing Revit Lookup 2016

23 February 2016 Pablo 1 Comment

I encountered some problems while trying to compile Revit Lookup 2016 using the procedure described on the archi-lab.net page for Revit 2014. It didn’t work. SharpDevelop couldn’t build solution.

This was the output information:

Instead of reading it I tried to download the compiled version 2016 from the Internet. Kindly Troy Gates shares it on his blog – Revit Coaster. But it didn’t work either. I received this error.

(here is also a compiled Revit Lookup 2015 at Revit Coaster)

Then I tried again to compile it using SharopDevelop but his time I had read the Output window which was showing what is wrong.

The problem of course was with the path so I tried to locate this path. I found it under Properties by clicking at Revit Lookup in Project Panel.

It can also be accessed through the top menu Project > Project Options..

The wrong path was under Compiling tab in Output Path here:

I changed it to the existing folder in …bin\Debug\ and all went fine.

SharpDevelope nicely compiled the project and put two files RevitLookup.addin and RevitLookup.dll automatically in: C:\Users\UserName\AppData\Roaming\Autodesk\Revit\Addins\2016

Revit started with Revit lookup 2016 already installed.

The complete procedure to Install Revit Lookup 2016 looks like this:

Download the latest Revit Lookup 2016 from https://github.com/jeremytammik/RevitLookup/releases
Open SharpDevelop. It should be installed automatically with revit 2016. You can find the SharpDevelop.exe file in here: C:\Program Files\Autodesk\Revit 2016\SDA\bin
Drag and drop RevitLookup.csproj to the Projects Panel.
Remove existing References from Projects Panel to RevitAPI and RevitAPIUI.
Add references to the RevitAPI.dll and RevitAPIUI.dll that can be found in the main Revit folder at: C:\Program Files\Autodesk\Revit 2016
Right click on References:Go to .NET Assembly Browser and click on the Browse… button.Go to the C:\Program Files\Autodesk\Revit 2016 location and add the RevitAPI.dll and RevitAPIUI.dll file.
Amend the Output Path in menu Project >Project Options.. > Compiling to any existing folderif you have an error like me.
Hit Build Solutions button and watch for errors. If it says that it was Build Successfully then you are good to go.The RevitLookup.addin and RevitLookup.dll will be saved in: C:\Users\Name\AppData\Roaming\Autodesk\Revit\Addins\2016
If you get bunch of warnings with it, its OK as long as its compiled successfully. I didn’t have any.
If you want to use ProgramData instead, copy RevitLookup.addin and RevitLookup.dll to:
C:\ProgramData\Autodesk\Revit\Addins\2016 and remove them from:
%appdata%\Autodesk\Revit\Addins\2016
Open Revit and check if Lookup 2016 is in the Add-Ins tab.

I hope I helped.

Revit

Revit API – Why to learn programming and where to start?

21 February 2016 Pablo Leave a comment

I have recently started my adventure with Revit API.

Main reason – Revit sucks*.

My main question was:
How much I can improve Revit by learning programming in it?

I’m not an expert yet like Jeremy Tammik but I can answer to this question like this: You can do only as much as developers of Revit API allows you to do. Unfortunately they won’t allow you to change Revit core functionality and introduce new features or objects. (It’s not Sketchup 😉 )

API allows an access to the same commands which are used during normal operation of Revit but still not to all of them. API is improved with every new Revit edition and then new commands are made available.

Learning programming with API can allow you to automate tedious tasks, can allow you to build visual interface to commands (i.e Dynamo is one of them) you can save sequences of these commands as Revit Macros or Add-ins and what most important you can join these commands in thousands of different ways.

Remember:
“Any step that cannot be solved through the user interface can almost certainly not be automated either.” Jeremy Tammik

So where to start?

I gathered below the most important links which should answer your questions. Read them. Additionally I will try to help.

First you will need to decide which programming language you should start to learn. It’s not an easy answer. There are 4 of them:

C# (sharp)
VB.Net
Python
Ruby

There is plenty of Macros in C# and VB.Net in the Internet.
This is a huge advantage for these languages. Vast number of commands and a complexity of relations between them make it nearly impossible to learn programming without examples.

I talked with some IT friends and they advices me to learn Python as the most friendly language still with many resources.
VB.Net is little more friendly then C#.
Ruby is the less popular. I didn’t consider to learn it.

And then came the reality. I planed to learn Python but when I encountered a problem in my work I could only find a similar Macro in VB.Net. I decided not to translate it to Python (which I didn’t know too well) but only to slightly amend it to my particular problem. This way I end up amending many Macros and learning VB.Net (and a little C#)

Some time passed and the Dynamo which is based on Python got a lot of improvements and become more stable then before. Increase in implementation of API commands made it really functional.
Interface allows to easily build command structures and amend relations between then. Code Blocks of Python code or the whole Nodes can be used regardless of the predefined Dynamo objects.

I would advice everyone now to learn programming in Dynamo using Python but at the same time understanding of C# and VB.Net may be very useful for solving complex problems. At some point it may also be useful to convert code to Add-in and make a desired functionality a permanent element of the Revit user interface.

Additional very useful tools:

Revit Lookup – This tool allows to investigate how Revit is build, check what parameters have objects and what is the relation between them.

How to install Revit Lookup:

http://archi-lab.net/compiling-and-installing-revitlookup-2014/

Link to download Revit lookup:

https://github.com/jeremytammik/RevitLookup

API help file – RevitAPI.chm – This a library of all the commands available in the current Revit API version along with some examples. If you can’t find a command in there it doesn’t exist.

RevitAPI.chm is a part of Revit SDK which can be downloaded from the Revit Developer Center.