Ask user to select insertion point with an illustration of the result

[atir5UTNF]

I've created some detail items from the API, and I want to ask user to select an insertion point.

I want the draw a box or the the element I've created when the user moves the cursor, like Revit does when moving or adding a new element.

How can I achieve this behavior?

[jeremy_tammik · Accepted solution]

That is a good idea. The Revit API does not add full support for this functionality, unfortunately. You can achieve something similar in two ways that I am aware of:

• Prompt for family instance placement
• Simulate a jig

The PromptForFamilyInstancePlacement and PostRequestForElementTypePlacement methods prompt the user to place instances of a specified FamilySymbol and display a preview of the placement using the built-in Revit family placement functionality:

• https://www.revitapidocs.com/2024/619d8d3f-ac64-26bf-cd82-0f6c37221367.htm
• https://www.revitapidocs.com/2024/f9bf4ed3-0354-6bc1-6db3-e34fcbace950.htm

However, they are asynchronous, so not wholly integrated into the add-in code.

A sketchier preview can be achieved by drawing some transient graphics of your own to simulate what is known in AutoCAD as a jig:

• https://thebuildingcoder.typepad.com/blog/2020/10/onbox-directcontext-jig-and-no-cdn.html#3
• https://thebuildingcoder.typepad.com/blog/2021/05/refreshment-cloud-model-path-angle-and-direction.h...
• https://thebuildingcoder.typepad.com/blog/2023/03/lookup-ideas-jigs-and-acc-docs-access.html#3.1