View Full Version : A round of Applause to Danny...
bimologist
2005-12-05, 05:53 PM
Great job at the AU. Explained in simple terms etc. Now I am clear about the API.
Thanks
Danny Polkinhorn
2005-12-05, 08:26 PM
:Oops: Wow, thanks. Considering there were only about half of the people in the room at the end of the class than there were at the beginning, I'm feeling that you're in the minority who got much out of it. But, I appreciate it.
bimologist
2005-12-05, 08:36 PM
those other half saw it was a REVIT class and felt like attending and when you started talking about overloading their head got overloaded and left. You had to have some programming experience to be in that class. Without it you were talking VB to them, well which you were infact but they did not understand.
Really I enjoyed it. I think you did not go too complicated and covered basic connection etc. I learned a lot.
With that said , can you create a leader with a texzt on it using the API?
also
can you open a dialog and pick from a list for the text , I remember you said no dialoging when in command, but said there was some way to do it.
I want to create a dumb tagging routine for our keynotes and wanted to translate that over to revit.
Danny Polkinhorn
2005-12-05, 08:52 PM
Yes, I'm thinking next year that it should go under the Programming section and not the Building Design section.
Unfortunately, you can't create text with the API in Revit 8.1.
Because your app must run in a single transaction, it must start and end before the user can interact with Revit. The user can of course interact with any dialogs that are part of your application.
If any Revit dialogs pop up during your programs execution, you can overload it and provide answers to the prompt using the OnDialogBox event.
With that said , can you create a leader with a texzt on it using the API?
also
You can always create a generic annotation family and use a text parameter to change the text. That is the only way at the moment
can you open a dialog and pick from a list for the text , I remember you said no dialoging when in command, but said there was some way to do it.
Yes, you can create winForms that you open and select text from etc. Drag and drop in the forms is another thing all together...;-)
Guy
gibson.tim91884
2005-12-06, 03:59 PM
:Oops: Wow, thanks. Considering there were only about half of the people in the room at the end of the class than there were at the beginning, I'm feeling that you're in the minority who got much out of it. But, I appreciate it.
We stayed to the end, and I thought it was great. The examples got me thinking about how I might want to use the API, and what is possible (or not).
Some constructive critisism, though: I thought you spent too much time up front explaining some of the more mundane programming aspects. I think that people who can already program can figure most of that out on their own; but people who don't want to know how to program don't care, they just want to see some cool examples.
I felt the presentation would have kept more people in the room if you'd jumped right into examples and covered the basic programming stuff (where to find the dll, debugging tips, etc) as you went instead of up front.
It also didn't help that you were the only Revit class in the time slot; you likely had a lot of people who were there for that reason only.
dnilsson
2005-12-06, 04:39 PM
The most programming I've ever done was some lisp with R9-14, so I found the upfront explanations very helpful. I was just along for the ride after that, but I did get an appreciation for what can and cannot be done with the API right now. So if I do decide to get into it on my own, I'll have a head start. That was what I was looking for from the class, though I didn't really know it before hand.
So thanks.
bimologist
2005-12-06, 06:09 PM
If any Revit dialogs pop up during your programs execution, you can overload it and provide answers to the prompt using the OnDialogBox event.
Okay so can u call an external program via a shortcut key or mouse to menu is the only way?
Also I am thinking out loud from what people have mentioned. Add an Annotation with the leader showing the parameter I want. Then the person selects that annotation and launches my APP and my app goes in and updates the value of that parameter from what he/she selects in my dialog boxes? would this be fair to say?
let me know your thoughts
Danny Polkinhorn
2005-12-06, 07:51 PM
I felt the presentation would have kept more people in the room if you'd jumped right into examples and covered the basic programming stuff (where to find the dll, debugging tips, etc) as you went instead of up front.
It also didn't help that you were the only Revit class in the time slot; you likely had a lot of people who were there for that reason only.That was the problem. I knew that there would be Revit users there without any development experience, so I had to do something for them. If I teach again next year, I think it'll be a "what's new in the API" class and it'll be in the CP track. Thanks for the feedback.
Also I am thinking out loud from what people have mentioned. Add an Annotation with the leader showing the parameter I want. Then the person selects that annotation and launches my APP and my app goes in and updates the value of that parameter from what he/she selects in my dialog boxes? would this be fair to say?Yes, that would be possible with the current API. Just iterate the current selection, grab the text object, and populate it with the results from your dialog.
Also, you can create a keyboard shortcut for your custom app by editing your keyboard shortcuts file.
"MA" menu:"Tools-External Tools-My App"
Kirk Bricker
2005-12-08, 09:58 PM
Thanks for the API class Danny. It was a little over my head in terms of the programming language stuff, but it was interesting since I have done a little lisp, and scripts in vanilla Autocad.
I do have a question about the possibilities of external commands. Correct me if I am wrong, Revit can only spell check for dumb text items only. Is there a way to force Revit to spell check the entire model? For instance text labels, view titles, room tags, schedules etc.
Danny Polkinhorn
2005-12-08, 10:01 PM
It is not possible to force Revit to spell check the entire model.
You could write your own spell checker and check those items with your custom application. You would probably want to buy a spell checker component instead of rolling your own.
You could write your own spell checker and check those items with your custom application. You would probably want to buy a spell checker component instead of rolling your own
You don't need to buy one. Here (http://aspell.net/win32/) is a well respected *nix spell checker ported to windows. And here (http://www.codeproject.com/csharp/NetSpell.asp) is a .NET checker.
Full project spell checking is one for the Revit wishlist.
Guy
Solomon
2005-12-09, 02:18 PM
Great job at the AU. Explained in simple terms etc. Now I am clear about the API.
ThanksAgreed - Job well done. It was informative about the possibilities of the Revit API, which admittedly seem slimmer than I had originally hoped... But I'll definitely be attending the class next year as well.
Thanks again on a well-done class...
Solomon
Well appart from some Access Data base work, I know practically nothing about programming basic or Basic. Nevertheless I enjoyed Danny's class and understood the principles. I thought it was pitched just right. Thanks
Powered by vBulletin® Version 4.2.5 Copyright © 2024 vBulletin Solutions Inc. All rights reserved.