How to check the exisiting of ribbon tab and ribbon panel? And how to get them?

[Anonymous]

I find all commands of my assembly and create a button for each of them. I want to do it through cycle. I can create a ribbon tab and a ribbon tab panel:

// The uic_app is UIControlledApplication instance
uic_app.CreateRibbonTab(tab_name);
var panel = uic_app.CreateRibbonPanel(tab_name, panel_name);
...
var button_data = new PushButtonData(cmd_name, cmd_text,
	this_assembly_path, cmd_type.FullName);

var push_button = panel.AddItem(button_data) as PushButton;
...

But I need to check the existing of them and get them if they already exist. How can I do it?

[matthew_taylor]

Hi @Anonymous,

While there are other ways to find some of this info, here's the easiest to get all info:

Imports adWin = Autodesk.Windows
...
Private MyRibbon As adWin.RibbonControl
...
MyRibbon = Autodesk.Windows.ComponentManager.Ribbon
  For Each tab As adWin.RibbonTab In MyRibbon.Tabs
...
    For Each panel As adWin.RibbonPanel In tab.Panels    
...
etc...

There are .FindTab ,.FindPanel , and .FindItem functions also.

(Note that this method is unsupported by Autodesk, but I've never had any trouble with it when using Revit 2011-2017.)

Cheers,

-Matt

[Anonymous]

Thank you, Matt.

I try to use your advice, but I have a problem. This is my code (the comment shows where I get exception):

public static void AddButton(
    UIControlledApplication uic_app, Type cmd_type,
    Type aviability_type) {

    try {

        ResourceManager base_res_mng = new ResourceManager(
            typeof(Resources));

        ResourceManager res_mng = new ResourceManager(
            cmd_type);

        /* if command hasn't own resources then use their
         * default values which are defined inside of
         * Resources class. */
        if (res_mng == null) {
            res_mng = new ResourceManager(typeof(Resources)
                );
        }

        string tab_name = base_res_mng.GetString(
                "_Ribbon_tab_name");

        var ribbon = adWin.ComponentManager.Ribbon;

        var tab = ribbon.FindTab(tab_name);

        if (tab == null) {
            tab = new adWin.RibbonTab();
            tab.Name = tab_name;
            tab.Id = tab_name;
            ribbon.Tabs.Add(tab);
        }

        string panel_name = res_mng.GetString(
                "_Ribbon_panel_name");

        var panel = tab.FindPanel(panel_name);

        if (panel == null) {
            panel = new adWin.RibbonPanel();
            panel.Id = panel_name;
            tab.Panels.Add(panel);
        }

        string this_assembly_path = Assembly
            .GetExecutingAssembly().Location;

        // **********************************
        // Get localized help file name
        string help_file = Path.Combine(Path
            .GetDirectoryName(this_assembly_path),
            base_res_mng.GetString("_Help_file_name"));

        string help_topic_id = res_mng.GetString(
            "_Help_topic_Id");

        string cmd_name = cmd_type.Name;
        string cmd_text = res_mng.GetString("_Button_text");
        string cmd_tooltip = res_mng.GetString(
            "_Button_tooltip_text");
        string long_description = res_mng.GetString(
            "_Button_long_description");

        // the button image key name
        string button_img = "_Button_image";

        // the button tooltip image key name
        string tooltip_img = "_Button_tooltip_image";

        Bitmap btn_image = (Bitmap)res_mng.GetObject(
            button_img);

        BitmapSource btn_src_img = Imaging
            .CreateBitmapSourceFromHBitmap(
            btn_image.GetHbitmap(), IntPtr.Zero,
            WPF.Int32Rect.Empty, BitmapSizeOptions
            .FromEmptyOptions());

        Bitmap ttp_image = (Bitmap)res_mng.GetObject(
            tooltip_img);

        BitmapSource ttp_bitmap_src=Imaging
            .CreateBitmapSourceFromHBitmap(
            ttp_image.GetHbitmap(), IntPtr.Zero,
            WPF.Int32Rect.Empty, BitmapSizeOptions
            .FromEmptyOptions());

        // --------------------------------------------
        adWin.RibbonButton button
        = new adWin.RibbonButton();

        button.Name = cmd_name;
        button.Image = btn_src_img;
        button.LargeImage = ttp_bitmap_src;
        button.Id = cmd_name;
        button.AllowInStatusBar = true;
        button.AllowInToolBar = true;
        button.GroupLocation = Autodesk.Private
          .Windows.RibbonItemGroupLocation.Middle;
        button.IsEnabled = true;
        button.IsToolTipEnabled = true;
        button.IsVisible = true;
        button.ShowImage = true;
        button.ShowText = true;
        button.ShowToolTipOnDisabled = true;
        button.Text = cmd_text;
        button.ToolTip = cmd_tooltip;
        button.MinHeight = 0;
        button.MinWidth = 0;
        button.Size = adWin.RibbonItemSize.Large;
        button.ResizeStyle = adWin
          .RibbonItemResizeStyles.HideText;
        button.IsCheckable = true;
        button.Orientation = System.Windows
          .Controls.Orientation.Vertical;
        button.KeyTip = "TBC";
        button.Description = long_description;

        // --------------------------------------------

        // I GET THE EXCEPTION HERE: 
        // Object reference not set to an instance of 
        // an object.
        panel.Source.Items.Add(button); 

        res_mng.ReleaseAllResources();
        base_res_mng.ReleaseAllResources();
    }
    catch (Exception ex) {
        Debug.WriteLine(ex.Message);
    }
}

I don't understand why I get this exception. I call this method inside of my `OnStartup` method. Did you get such problem?

Thank you.

[matthew_taylor]

Hi @Anonymous,

You asked how to find if they exist!

I wouldn't create them that way, considering the Revit API does that already.

Create them using the *fully supported* Revit API as you showed in your initial question.

Cheers,

-Matt

[Anonymous · Accepted solution]

static class Tools {

    /* Through the using of the tabs_dict 
     * dictionary I try to minimize the exceptions 
     * count. */
    static Dictionary<string, string> tabs_dict =
        new Dictionary<string, string>();

    public static void AddButton(
        UIControlledApplication uic_app, Type cmd_type,
        Type aviability_type) {

        ResourceManager base_res_mng = new ResourceManager(
            typeof(Resources));

        ResourceManager res_mng = new ResourceManager(
            cmd_type);

        /* if command hasn't own resources then use their
    	 * default values which are defined inside of
    	 * Resources class. */
        if (res_mng == null) {
            res_mng = new ResourceManager(typeof(Resources)
                );
        }

        string tab_name = base_res_mng.GetString(
                "_Ribbon_tab_name");

        try {
            /* Through the using of the tabs_dict 
             * dictionary I try to minimize the exceptions 
             * count. */
            if (!tabs_dict.ContainsKey(tab_name)) {

                uic_app.CreateRibbonTab(tab_name);
                tabs_dict.Add(tab_name, tab_name);
            }
        }
        catch { }

        string panel_name = res_mng.GetString(
                "_Ribbon_panel_name");

        RibbonPanel panel = uic_app.GetRibbonPanels(
            tab_name).FirstOrDefault(
            n => n.Name.Equals(panel_name, StringComparison
            .InvariantCulture));

        if (panel == null) {
            panel = uic_app.CreateRibbonPanel(tab_name,
                panel_name);
        }

        string this_assembly_path = Assembly
            .GetExecutingAssembly().Location;

        // **********************************
        // Get localized help file name
        string help_file = Path.Combine(Path
            .GetDirectoryName(this_assembly_path),
            base_res_mng.GetString("_Help_file_name"));

        ContextualHelp help = new ContextualHelp(
            ContextualHelpType.ChmFile, help_file);

        help.HelpTopicUrl = res_mng.GetString(
            "_Help_topic_Id");

        string cmd_name = cmd_type.Name;
        string cmd_text = res_mng.GetString("_Button_text");
        string cmd_tooltip = res_mng.GetString(
            "_Button_tooltip_text");
        string long_description = res_mng.GetString(
            "_Button_long_description");

        // the button image key name
        string button_img = "_Button_image";

        // the button tooltip image key name
        string tooltip_img = "_Button_tooltip_image";

        PushButtonData button_data = new PushButtonData(
            cmd_name, cmd_text,
            this_assembly_path, cmd_type.FullName);

        button_data.AvailabilityClassName =
            aviability_type.FullName;

        PushButton push_button = panel.AddItem(
            button_data) as PushButton;

        push_button.ToolTip = cmd_tooltip;

        Bitmap btn_image = (Bitmap)res_mng.GetObject(
            button_img);

        BitmapSource btn_src_img = Imaging
            .CreateBitmapSourceFromHBitmap(
            btn_image.GetHbitmap(), IntPtr.Zero,
            WPF.Int32Rect.Empty, BitmapSizeOptions
            .FromEmptyOptions());

        push_button.LargeImage = btn_src_img;

        Bitmap ttp_image = (Bitmap)res_mng.GetObject(
            tooltip_img);

        BitmapSource ttp_bitmap_src=Imaging
            .CreateBitmapSourceFromHBitmap(
            ttp_image.GetHbitmap(), IntPtr.Zero,
            WPF.Int32Rect.Empty, BitmapSizeOptions
            .FromEmptyOptions());

        push_button.ToolTipImage = ttp_bitmap_src;
        push_button.LongDescription = long_description;
        push_button.SetContextualHelp(help);

        res_mng.ReleaseAllResources();
        base_res_mng.ReleaseAllResources();
    }
}

[matthew_taylor]

Err, @Anonymous

The item you marked as a solution didn't show how your tab dictionary was created, so it's only half a solution.

Cheers,

-Matt

[Anonymous]

This works for me

            string tabName = "TabName";
            string panelName = "PanelName";
            try
            {
                a.CreateRibbonTab(tabName);
            }
            catch { }
            List<RibbonPanel> panelList = a.GetRibbonPanels(tabName);
            RibbonPanel panel = null;
            foreach (RibbonPanel rp in panelList)
            {
                if (rp.Name == panelName)
                {
                    panel = rp;
                    break;
                }
            }
            if (panel == null)
            {
                panel = a.CreateRibbonPanel(tabName, panelName);
            }

a.CreateRibbonPanel(tabName, panelName);
}