topic Re: Detecting -NoGui option in a plugin in Navisworks API Forum

Detecting -NoGui option in a plugin

alexisDVJML — Fri, 12 Sep 2025 15:24:47 GMT

I'm starting to think of a version of our plugin that could be automated and run some of its features without any UI.

I know Navisworks can be launched without UI using the -NoGui option.

Before I start tracking under debugger what happen in such situation, does anyone have some clues/guidelines?

For now I subscribe to Application.GuiCreated and started wrtiing mycode based on Application.Gui != null but:
- this even comes very late
- not even sure if I will receive such event for a CommandHandlerPlugin when Navisworks run with -NoGui option
- not sure which document events will still happen

Thanks in advance for any clues

Re: Detecting -NoGui option in a plugin

jabowabo — Mon, 22 Sep 2025 12:45:47 GMT

Are you using the Automation API? You can use it to run other plugins without the GUI and pass arguments as needed.

Re: Detecting -NoGui option in a plugin

alexisDVJML — Mon, 22 Sep 2025 13:02:52 GMT

Hi,

No, or at least not yet.
But yes the overall idea is to be able to automate some repetitive an/or long to run tasks of our plugin.

For now I'm at stage 1: trying to understand what can be done in the plugin to have it run "in batch mode".
I will probably have to run it under debugger, launching Navisworks with the -NoGui option.
But I wished I could got some feedback here instead of having to rediscover all details, limitations and tricks 😉

Re: Detecting -NoGui option in a plugin

jabowabo — Mon, 22 Sep 2025 13:29:01 GMT

@alexisDVJML wrote:

Hi,

No, or at least not yet.
But yes the overall idea is to be able to automate some repetitive an/or long to run tasks of our plugin.

The Automation API should do exactly what you want. Basically, you create an executable application, start Navisworks with no GUI from it, and run your plugin from there.