Transaction problem - opening a family inside a document in code

[emil]

I am trying to do this : views.ElementAt(0).AreAnnotationCategoriesHidden = true;

to a view of a family.

with the following code

familyDoc = this.revitApplication.Application.OpenDocumentFile(filename);
using (TransactionGroup t = new TransactionGroup(familyDoc))
// using (SubTransaction t = new SubTransaction(familyDoc))
{
t.Start();
if (familyDoc != null)
{
IEnumerable<Autodesk.Revit.DB.View> views
= new FilteredElementCollector(familyDoc)
.OfClass(typeof(Autodesk.Revit.DB.View))
.Cast<Autodesk.Revit.DB.View>()
.Where<Autodesk.Revit.DB.View>(v => v.CanBePrinted);
Autodesk.Revit.UI.PreviewControl vc = PreviewElementHost.Child as Autodesk.Revit.UI.PreviewControl;
if (vc != null) { vc.Dispose(); }
views.First().AreAnnotationCategoriesHidden = true;
PreviewElementHost.Child = new Autodesk.Revit.UI.PreviewControl(familyDoc, views.Last().Id);
t.RollBack();
}
}
}
catch (System.Exception ex)
{
throw ex;
}

I allways get that Im either not in a transaction or the transaction group is null.

Any suggestions ?

yes I have automatic transactions annotated on the class.

Regards,

Emil

[kwhite]

You may have your try statement called out before the snippet of text that you posted, but I am not seeing it.  I do, however, see the catch statement.

I am also not seeing t.Commit(); in your code.  I do see the t.Start() and t.Rollback().

I am still learning a lot about writing code myself, but maybe those things I see above will be a help to you.

Keith

[emil]

here is the correct code with the try block , but that isnt the problem, the problem is that the transactions are connected to the documents and Im opening a new family in code there

            try
            {
                familyDoc = this.revitApplication.Application.OpenDocumentFile(filename);
                using (TransactionGroup t = new TransactionGroup(familyDoc))
//                using (SubTransaction t = new SubTransaction(familyDoc))
                {
                    t.Start();

                    if (familyDoc != null)
                    {
                        IEnumerable<Autodesk.Revit.DB.View> views
                            = new FilteredElementCollector(familyDoc)
                              .OfClass(typeof(Autodesk.Revit.DB.View))
                              .Cast<Autodesk.Revit.DB.View>()
                              .Where<Autodesk.Revit.DB.View>(v => v.CanBePrinted);

                            //views.ElementAt(0).AreAnnotationCategoriesHidden = true;
                            Autodesk.Revit.UI.PreviewControl vc = PreviewElementHost.Child as Autodesk.Revit.UI.PreviewControl;
                            if (vc != null) { vc.Dispose(); }
                            //views.First().DisplayStyle = DisplayStyle.Rendering;
                            //views.First().AreAnnotationCategoriesHidden = true;

                            if (st == SwingType.DOOR)
                                PreviewElementHost.Child = new Autodesk.Revit.UI.PreviewControl(familyDoc, views.First().Id);
                            else if (st == SwingType.WINDOW)
                                PreviewElementHost.Child = new Autodesk.Revit.UI.PreviewControl(familyDoc, views.Last().Id);
                            else if(st == SwingType.FURNITURE)
                                PreviewElementHost.Child = new Autodesk.Revit.UI.PreviewControl(familyDoc, views.Last().Id);
                            t.RollBack();
                    }
                }
            }
            catch (System.Exception ex)
            {
	        t.RollBack();
                throw ex;
            }

[emil]

The reason you dont see a commit is simple, Im temporarily changing properties before displaying the view in a preview control.

and then rollbacking that because I dont want to change the family object itself.

And I get an error when I dont have a transaction associated with this.

that is if I try to do anything to the view before I display it (this is the view associated with the family object) I get an error.

views.First().AreAnnotationCategoriesHidden = true;

[emil]

using the right type of transaction is important, this works

using(Transaction t = new Transaction(familyDoc))

also apparently I have to commit the transaction to be able to see the changes in the preview control.

so that is working 🙂

[arnostlobel]

 Yes, you have figured out, emil. Rather then having the right transaction it is about having a transaction in the right document. A transaction must always be open in the document that is being modified.

[arnostlobel · Accepted solution]

Emil,

A minute ago I posted a comment based on my wrong looking at your code. I then deleted a part of the comment , looked at your code again, and now I am posting a new comment.

Yes again, you need a transaction in order to modify a document. You mentioned the "right transaction", and that is a little misleading, for there is only one kind of transactions in Revit and that is the one represented by the Transaction class. Neither TransactionGroup nor SubTransaction is a transaction in spite of their similar names. Both those latter classes are related to transactions and are parts of the overall transaction framework. However, neither is enough to allow modifications of a document. (There is a lot more on the subject in the SDK documentation as well as in the RevitAPI.chm help.)

By the way, you probably also have figured out by now that you need to name your transaction in order to be able to start it.

[ssw9UZNL]

Hello,

In your first line, family doc, what can I pass in, instead of 'this'.

Essentially I want to be able to open a family file from within revit, using a path that I have.

Thanks

familyDoc = this.revitApplication.Application.OpenDocumentFile(filename);
using (TransactionGroup t = new TransactionGroup(familyDoc))