Getting some data from Revit shared parameters with Dynamo

I recently ran into an issue with shared parameters that have the same name but different GUIDs. This happens when somebody creates the new shared parameter instead of using an existing one. And the difference between parameters’ GUIDs is a huge problem: Revit knows that these parameters are not the same by looking at the GUID.

Revit does not show parameter GUID unless you export this parameter to the txt file. And this may be a problem if you have tons of shared parameters loaded to the project.

So I thought that it would be a good idea to build a Dynamo script for reporting some information about shared parameters. Firstly I queried unique Ids for the shared parameters:

Turns out, these Ids are not the GUIDs that I was looking for. This could be checked by opening the shared parameters txt file. That’s why I built a couple of custom nodes using the Revit API to extract data from shared parameters:

The first one (called “SharedParameters.GUID“) extracts names and GUIDs from the shared parameters in the Revit project. These are the GUIDs that could be found in the shared parameters.txt file.

The second one (called “SharedParameters.Info“) extracts type, group, and unit type from shared parameters in the Revit project. This data may be useful for managing parameters (like sorting / grouping) in Dynamo.

Shared parameters nodes are included in the recent Zhukoven.com package update (2018.9.21 – see the downloads section).

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This project is a huge timesaver and a one-stop shop for several design applications’ APIs. Moreover, it is open and free for everyone.

And if you are interested in supporting the project, head over to support page: apidocs.co/support

WhatsApp Dynamo package is now available for download

Today I released my tiny WhatsApp Dynamo package, and it’s now available for download and testing @ dynamopackages.com. WhatsAppDynamo provides integration with WhatsApp Web platform, allowing you to send text data (like URLs, file paths, parameter names, etc.) using Dynamo. Note that due to the platform limitations, images and files are not currently supported – they could be sent only as a hyperlink.

Currently WhatsAppDynamo package consists of a single custom node called “WhatsApp.SendMessage”. This node creates a WhatsApp message (string) in appropriate format to be used in WhatsApp Web platform. As I’ve already said, images and files are not supported due to WhatsApp limitations. Input desired phone number or leave this field blank (“UsePhoneNumber” switch is set to ‘False’ by default) to choose your contact later in browser.

Omit any zeroes, brackets or dashes when adding the phone number in international format: ‘+001-(555)1234567‘ must be converted to ‘15551234567‘ . Also please keep in mind that this phone number must have an active account on WhatsApp, otherwise you won’t be able to send your message.

Please feel free to test the package, and report issues & bugs here: Dynamo packages. It supports Dynamo 1.3.0+ & Revit 2016+

Download links: WhatsAppDynamo_(Rev.2017.7.12), Dynamopackages.com

Using Dynamo to send WhatsApp messages (proof of concept)

Today a lot of companies and AEC professionals use cloud messengers and productivity tools to organize projects and enhance collaboration. Some of these tools have an API to interact with (Trello, Slack, Asana, for instance), making them suitable for instant information delivery. If you use one of the above mentioned tools, you’re lucky! Dynamo community has already introduced a couple of packages that may streamline your data flow:

• DynAsana (free download @ dynamopackages.com)
• DynaSlack (free download @ dynamopackages.com)
• CONDUCTOR – Trello Tools for Builders (updated July 10, 2018: buy download for free @ provingground.io). Conductor is now free and open-source.

But what about WhatsApp? Unfortunately, it doesn’t provide us with the official API, but it has a web version that recognizes special URLs. These URLs could be compiled inside Dynamo in  appropriate format, and used to notify your teammates of some significant project issues!

A few words about Dynamo and Visual Programming

What is Visual Programming , and why does it generate a lot of hype among AEC professionals? In simple words, Visual Programming lets you build your program by manipulating with graphical elements rather than by specifying them textually. VP basically acts as a mind map, connecting one’s design ideas with the software API (“application programming interface”) to put design ideas to life. You’ve probably seen my previous post with the “Hello, World!” image from Dynamo (Dynamo == Open Source Visual Programming Revit addin):