Get Length units of a Revit file

[george1985]

How to get the Length units of the currently opened Revit file - via Revit api?

I found a similar topic, but without an answer.

I am not sure how to obtain length units from this Units object.
    Units units = doc.GetUnits();

I would be very grateful for some code snippet, in any programming language.
Thank you in advance for the help.

[jeremy_tammik]

GetUnits is documented. Please read the documentation on it:

https://www.revitapidocs.com/2024/9ed56178-e9ae-b4bc-1c0e-e6a867ae3557.htm

Note that it returns a Units object containing the document's default settings for formatting numbers with units.

Note the word formatting.

Also note that all lengths in the Revit database are stored in imperial feet:

https://thebuildingcoder.typepad.com/blog/2011/03/internal-imperial-units.html

That cannot be changed, so there is no purpose in asking a Revit file for its length units; the answer will always be the same: imperial feet, consisting of 12 inches a 25.4 millimetres.

[Mohamed_Arshad · Accepted solution]

Hi @george1985 

    You need to use the format option to get the particular Unit like Length. Kindly check the below code snippet for additional reference.

Reference Code Snippet

///The Sample will get Length Unit from the projec and get the unit name and display to the user.

Units units = doc.GetUnits();
FormatOptions option = units.GetFormatOptions(SpecTypeId.Length);
ForgeTypeId unitTypeIs = option.GetUnitTypeId(); //Length Unit
string unitName = LabelUtils.GetLabelForUnit(unitTypeIs);

TaskDialog.Show("Information", unitName);

Hope this will helps 🙂

[george1985]

Hi @jeremy_tammik ,

Have you even read my post?
You used the same GetUnits link, which I have in my post.

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@jeremy_tammik wrote:

GetUnits is documented. Please read the documentation on it:

https://www.revitapidocs.com/2024/9ed56178-e9ae-b4bc-1c0e-e6a867ae3557.htm

Note that it returns a Units object containing the document's default settings for formatting numbers with units.

Note the word formatting.

---

GetUnits is not documented. Click on the link you yourself copy-pasted, and you will only see "Gets the Units object" text. That's all:

If you further check the Units class, and you will see outdated information. UnitType does not exist since Revit 2021.1:

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@jeremy_tammik wrote:

Also note that all lengths in the Revit database are stored in imperial feet:

https://thebuildingcoder.typepad.com/blog/2011/03/internal-imperial-units.html

That cannot be changed, so there is no purpose in asking a Revit file for its length units; the answer will always be the same: imperial feet, consisting of 12 inches a 25.4 millimetres.

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Another misleading information. It has nothing to do with my question.
Nowhere in my post, I ask how Revit internally records units in its database.

I would appreciate if you would refrain from replying, if you don't know the answer.
Such replies of yours, just shed bad light on our Autodesk support.

[george1985]

Hi @Mohamed_Arshad ,
Brilliant!
Thank you very much for the shared knowledge and solution.