Batch Upgrade Journal (for Projects)

[DoTheBIM]

Does anyone know of a batch upgrade journal for projects similar to the one autodesk provides for families?

The batch upgrade for families works great. Just upgraded my 2009 library to 2011 without a hitch. So I thinking It'd be great if I could batch upgrade my projects too. Why? you might ask.... Well we "maintain" (and I use that term loosely) some 200 different models of residential style product. It'd be great if I could get that upgrade done programmatically rather than thousands of clicks. So I took the Autodesk files and modified them for projects. Created a nice list of projects and their paths. Good so far. Then ran the upgrade and whoops, there's linked files that Revit can find. Ok. so I add the few lines of code to ignore that error. but the next project has multiple rooms in one area error. If I add that bit of code to the journal it'll fail on the next project that don't have that error. So I'm having a bit of trouble constructing a project upgrade journal and need some help.

[d.stairmand]

There was a post on here about David Kingham (if i got the name right) altering the upgrade script file to do batch upgrades of projects
Saw it last week somewhere

[twiceroadsfool]

If he doesnt have it, ive got one at work that does just that. Edited from the Family one. Ill post it when i get to the office.

EDIT: Just read the problem youre having. Thats going to happen with mine too. I didnt put any code in for warnings, since there arent any in my library files...

[DoTheBIM]

I can't find Kingham's post but did find an old thread (http://forums.augi.com/showthread.php?t=83775) that two others done the same as I did with the journal file, but they don't accout for error messages and link files prompts as well Kingham's probably doesn't either. Wondering if there's a way to provide for "potential" Revit prompts?

[Dean Camlin]

This is a bit off topic, but is there a new version of the batch upgrade for families? I ran the old one part way through my 2010 library. It stopped on a file that needed manual editing, and after taking care of that & moving the converted files elsewhere, I tried to run the batch process again. Now Revit fails to open the first file in the new series and closes down every time. I can open & save the old families individually, but that will get old quick.

[DoTheBIM]

Per the readme file...

"If a particular family fails to upgrade properly, the utility will stop.
If this occurs, open famlist_rfa.txt in Microsoft Notepad, and remove all previously upgraded families and the failed family from the list.
Save famlist_rfa.txt, and re-run the utility."

[ron.sanpedro]

Does anyone know of a batch upgrade journal for projects similar to the one autodesk provides for families?

For what it is worth, my testing indicates that Revit 2011 still doesn't release memory after an Audit or Update. There seems to be a reuse mechanism, so multiple updates don't crash Revit as quickly as they might, but it isn't like the fix to DWG export, where every dwg releases RAM on completion, rather than waiting for the entire export task.
Which is a longish way of saying I think a batch audit and upgrade might. Even doing it manually I have been closing after each upgrade to release RAM.

just a thought.

Gordon

[Dean Camlin]

Per the readme file...

Thanks, "Do," but I was already doing that. As I said, the routine worked fine, stopped for a file that had to be hand-edited; then when I tried to run it again it refused to open the first file.

[DoTheBIM]

Dean...If you've removed the files already done and the one you hand edited from the txt file list then I'm not sure what else to tell you but maybe that next file also has a problem. Try doing it in smaller chunks. Say skip the first 90% and just run the last 10% of your file list.

[twiceroadsfool]

Like i said, its nothing complex. (If it was, i wouldnt have been able to make it, i suck at code...).

Its the basic one for RVT files/libraries, but it wont succeed if it hits errors.

[Dean Camlin]

Dean...If you've removed the files already done and the one you hand edited from the txt file list then I'm not sure what else to tell you but maybe that next file also has a problem. Try doing it in smaller chunks. Say skip the first 90% and just run the last 10% of your file list.

Yep, I had tried that too, but it didn't work. I even tried rebooting, but no luck. Next I'll try it using a different machine.

[DoTheBIM]

Like i said, its nothing complex. (If it was, i wouldnt have been able to make it, i suck at code...).

Its the basic one for RVT files/libraries, but it wont succeed if it hits errors. Thanks for that. Yeah seems everyone has about the same level of functionality with some tweaks here and there. I was thinking of adding maybe a open 3dview to front/left isometric, zoom to fit, close all other windows and then proceed to save hoping to get a nice thumbnail view in explorer and revit. But if I can't get around this error stuff, I doubt I'll bother. I think I'll shoot off a support request to see if they have any ideas, maybe an ini setting to temporarily suppress error dialogs, that'd be nice.

[Dean Camlin]

Yep, I had tried that too, but it didn't work. I even tried rebooting, but no luck. Next I'll try it using a different machine.

Well, as the kids say, "My bad!" I was dragging the famlist_rfa.txt onto the Revit icon instead of the Upgrade_RFA.txt file. D'oh!

[twiceroadsfool]

Thanks for that. Yeah seems everyone has about the same level of functionality with some tweaks here and there. I was thinking of adding maybe a open 3dview to front/left isometric, zoom to fit, close all other windows and then proceed to save hoping to get a nice thumbnail view in explorer and revit. But if I can't get around this error stuff, I doubt I'll bother. I think I'll shoot off a support request to see if they have any ideas, maybe an ini setting to temporarily suppress error dialogs, that'd be nice.

Not to ask a silly question... But if these are standard library files that people open now and again.... Why not fix the errors so you dont have the warnings at the front end?

Im certainly not an expert at writing codes... But i believe journals arent like regular scripts with different potential outcomes and options that await situations. Theyre more like playlists, i think. With that as the case, i dont think it can do what youre after.

But id love to be wrong...

[DoTheBIM]

Not to ask a silly question...But id love to be wrong...
Not silly at all. Some of these models may not get touched for years. So I would like to keep them up to date with each release instead of just letting them sit there and trying to upgrade them to 5 releases newer and ending up with more problems then just a couple errors on open. It would be quite painful to have to open each project individual and fix potentially a lot of errors that don't neccesarily have any value in fixing. Not saying it isn't worth it for the perfectionist in me but I think I've outgrown some of that quality recently.

I've been thinking the same in regards to capabilities of the journal... so I'd love to be wrong too and that's why I'm asking the question ;). I'm always thinking outside the box. I get bored being inside.:beer::beer:

[DoTheBIM]

Well.... support request pointed me to Autodesk Developer Network, which said we can discuss whether the API can do what I'm after. But I'm pretty sure that it can since this page...www.autodesk.com/developrevit (http://www.autodesk.com/developrevit)... specifically states "Suppress and filter Revit errors" as one of the most significant improvements in the API. Unfortunately I don't personally possess the skills/experience to use the API "yet". :( Nor could I persuade management to pay for such a service. :(:( Nor could I get our IT dept (guy), who does have the skills/experience to take the time to program it. :banghead::banghead: Bahhhh. I wonder if I could muster some learning of VSTA to accomplish it.... Ah well, I guess for now I'll just promote more carpal tunnel.