topic Re: Disable screen updating in Navisworks API Forum

Disable screen updating

kirill78zah — Mon, 20 Aug 2018 14:39:08 GMT

I noticed a very strange problem in the API (NavisWorks 2018). I created a script that adds a large number of custom properties to model items according to an Excel table. I followed this article - http://adndevblog.typepad.com/aec/2012/08/addmodifyremove-custom-attribute-using-com-api.html.

When I run my script if the properties panel is open, it starts to flicker intensively as if it is constantly updated and most importantly it has a very strong effect on the program's running time. If I run the script when the properties panel is closed the run time is much less.

Can I turn off screen updating?

Is it possible to close the properties panel programmatically?

Re: Disable screen updating

kirill78zah — Mon, 20 Aug 2018 15:12:43 GMT

I noticed another thing. My program also uses Search API (http://adndevblog.typepad.com/aec/2012/05/navisworks-net-api-find-item.html) and if when you start the program open Find Items panel, it behaves the same way and it is also very much slows down the program.

Re: Disable screen updating

Dricosr — Mon, 26 Sep 2022 21:25:18 GMT

Please try this>
While your code runs during you have a active progress, the NW will not update the Ui.

/// <summary> /// Shows the basic concept of using the Progress class /// </summary> private static void SimpleProgressExample() { //first get reference to an instance of the Progress class Progress progress = Autodesk.Navisworks.Api.Application.BeginProgress(); double stage; for (stage = 0.0; stage < 1.0; stage += 0.1) { //Update progress bar progress.Update(stage); //#####Execute your code here########## //You need to adapt this code to your context. } //Update progress bar to 100% progress.Update(1.0); //notify the API that the operation has finished Autodesk.Navisworks.Api.Application.EndProgress(); }

Re: Disable screen updating

roomn — Fri, 04 Jul 2025 14:41:11 GMT

Hello,
I encountered the same performance issue with the properties and find item pane.
The UI keeps refreshing even with an active Progress.

I've seen other posts on this forum board asking for ways to close/open a native DockPane by code but the API doesn't seems to allow this use case.

If there is a workaround to telling my users to manually close the native panes before using custom actions, I'd gladly hear about it.

Regards

Re: Disable screen updating

mikhail_khrushchev — Sat, 05 Jul 2025 07:39:22 GMT

Better iterate through ItemCollection, rather than items one by one

And wrap it into Transaction, this way you could undo all changes in one action call.

Re: Disable screen updating

lanneauolivier — Mon, 07 Jul 2025 09:12:27 GMT

Hi,

It is possible to hide/show dock panel, even created by Navisworks itself.

The easiest is to virtualy click on the ribbon panel's button.

This toggles the tree window

using Autodesk.Windows; ... var ribbonItem = Autodesk.Windows.ComponentManager.Ribbon.FindItem("RoamerGUI_OM_VIEW_TREE", false); Autodesk.Windows.ComponentManager.ApplicationMenu.CommandHandler.Execute(ribbontItem);

You can access visibility thanks to isChecked property when casting ribbonItem as RibbonButton or RibbonCheckBox.

You can get button id inside the xaml file of the native ribbon in the installation directory of Navisworks

Re: Disable screen updating

roomn — Wed, 09 Jul 2025 20:55:47 GMT

Thanks for your reply.
I add no issue finding the right RibbonButton IDs and the toggle works as expected.

Strangly enough (for the FindItem "RoamerGUI_OM_FIND_ITEM" Button at least), isChecked is always False but IsActive toggle with the button executing.
By storing the IsActive value, I can even toggle back on the pane which makes it transparent for the user.