Room Label customization

[micah]

Can someone good with labels, parametric and instance, help?

See attached.

For some reason I am unable to click into the question mark when inserting this customized label (when inserted into project) to manually enter the room size.

Also I'd like the Volume portion of the label to disappear when there is nothing to compute there (no ceiling at the moment). This "non-visibility" is happening the way I like for the ceiling height, why not for the volume?

[Alfredo_Medina]

Tags can't have instance parameters. But you can have different types of the same tag family, and apply each type of tag for each case.

[micah]

Thank you for clarifying. However I've had editable labels, how do I
achieve that?

--
*Micah D. Smith, AIA*
Architect

* MS*|*A*rchitecture
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[GHASEM_ARIYANI]

hi @micah

in the Area and Volume Computations dailog box, select Area and Volume.

[kh_jea]

First off, tags can have instance parameters.

Secondly, you say it's a custom parameter. Make sure you're using a shared parameter which is used in the tag AND the project (assigned to rooms). This way you will be able to fill in the value.

The reason why the top empty parameter shows as a questions mark, whereas the bottom one doesn't. The top one stands on it's own, the bottom oe is combined with another parameter in the label.

Lastly, the valua for the volume will either display the actual volume or "not computed". I don't think you can turn this of. You could however create a type in your tag family which replaces this two-part label with a label for just the area.

[Alfredo_Medina]

---

@Anonymous wrote:
Thank you for clarifying. However I've had editable labels, how do I
achieve that?

---

You need to have multiple types in the same room tag family. It does not work by instance. Then, use each type in each case. What do you mean by "I've had editable labels"? Can you provide an example?

[micah]

Hello,

As requested, I have attached an example of a correctly working editable room label from another project, before I started customizing the label for a new project. My new label cannot be clicked into and edited this way for my new project. Shared parameters seem to be matching up correctly, referencing the same file.

[Alfredo_Medina]

I think we were referring to 2 different meanings of the word "editable". I was referring to tag families not having instance parameters in the tag itself, meaning that in order to have one tag show volume and the other one show area, you need to do that with two types, because it is not possible to turn off or on properties of the tag by instance parameters. 

Your meaning of "editable" is to be able to click inside the value and edit the value. That is different. And of course, that is possible, in most cases, but in room areas. You cannot edit the area of the room by just editing the value in the tag. The sample that you posted is most likely a custom instance shared parameter in the room tag, showing that text, which I don't think it is really related to the room entity. If you change that text, the room is not going to change, is it?

[micah]

Now we are on the same page with what I mean by editable - I want to click into the question mark and manually enter the room size. For example I should be able to enter 10'-0" x 10'-0". 

Also you are right, I am not intending for this to be a parametric label, just "editable" - as in click and type in the text. I can do it on some of my older projects in my trouble shooting / testing, but in others, including a new project using my current template, I am not able to edit that label. 

Also, I believe my shared parameter file is correct in all cases. This wouldn't be a shared parameter anyway, would it? It is just a place-holder label in a room label family.

[micah]

I have a related issue with the same tag, see attached. The ceiling height portion of the lower label (also not parametric) is grayed out and not "editable."

I wonder if the issue is due to my Shared Parameters.txt file, which I edited a few months ago to combine two different shared parameter files, which I did because Revit only allows one shared parameter file. I have attached this file as well, in case anyone can make sense of it and tell me if there is an error there. I'm not sure what all this text means, I just cut/and pasted and edited the text lines trying to maintain the format of the original.

[ToanDN]

The project and the family must be using the same shared parameters from the same source. Edit your family and make sure it is the case.

[Alfredo_Medina]

Normally, that is not possible. Because the room tag reads the area of the room, not its dimensions. It is possible by other means, through a custom shared parameter that just shows text that you can type into. But that is a custom tag. You cannot do that in the default room tags, because "width" and "depth" are not built-in parameters of a room, only "area".

[micah]

Hello ToanDN,

Thank you for helping me trouble-shoot. Please see the attached image showing that both the project and the label are referencing the same Shared Parameters file.

I have other projects also using this room tag family and shared parameters file without an issue. This tells me there is something wrong with my current project (and current project template).

[micah]

Hello Alfredo,

Thank you for your continued efforts. As I mentioned above, I am NOT trying to create a parametric tag for the purpose of showing room dimensions.

I AM trying to simply click into the "?" placeholder portion of the room tag and enter the room dimensions with text (manually).

Also as previously mentioned, the lower portion of the room tag is a two part label showing Ceiling Height (manually entered text) and Floor Finish (manually entered text). The Ceiling Height portion of the label is grayed out and not allowing me to enter text there, while I am able to enter text for the floor finish.

Please help, anyone, maybe someone from Autodesk???!!! What other resources are there for me? I hope to avoid spending $185 per hour with my software vendor's support crew. If someone can help for less $ please let me know. Desperate to figure this out ASAP.

[Alfredo_Medina]

---

@Anonymous wrote:
...

Please help, anyone, maybe someone from Autodesk???!!! What other resources are there for me? I hope to avoid spending $185 per hour with my software vendor's support crew. If someone can help for less $ please let me know. Desperate to figure this out ASAP.

@micah

$185 per hour? and, they were not able to solve this question?

[micah]

@Alfredo_Medina

I have not hired them, only asked for a price.

Do you have any additional thoughts on what is going on with this issue, what in the world I'm doing wrong? Thanks again for your assistance.

Micah

[Alfredo_Medina · Accepted solution]

The problem is this: to add a custom label to a tag, the tag needs to be a shared parameter. When the room tag is loaded into the project, the label that corresponds to that parameter (for example, a text shared parameter called "Room Dimensions"), remains uneditable because that parameter does not exist yet in the project. That's why you can't edit the ? symbol. 

Solution: Manage > Project parameters > Add > Shared parameter > Select > (find your "Room Dimensions" parameter or similar) > Instance > applies to from the list of categories on the right, select "Rooms" > OK.

Now, click on the tag, hover the mouse over the ? symbol, and now you should see a tooltip that says "Edit parameter", just click on ? symbol, and you will be able to type in it. Also, if you click on the room entity, now the parameter will be available also in the properties of the room. None of these things were happening before because the parameter had not been added to this project. It works in the other project because the parameter was added to that project, not to this one.

[micah]

@Alfredo_Medina

As I follow along with your instructions I am doing fine until I need to select the missing parameters. Under my Parameter Group: Exported Parameters / Parameters: Room Number is all there is available to me. Other unrelated parameters are available in other groups (Schedules and Sheets).

Is it possible that I had parameters like "Room Dimension" and "Ceiling Height" get lost along the way somewhere? They seem to exist and work fine in older projects, even though they reference the same shared parameters file.

Is it possible that parameters are "sticky" and remain even after a new file is referenced? Remember, not long ago I did my best to merge two Shared Parameter files into one text file because Revit only allows 1 file, and I previously had ended up with two or more Shared Parameter files along the way while learning Revit.

How do I re-build or find the missing shared parameters, if that is what happened? I have back-ups of my data, if I need to "go back in time" to find an older Shared Parameters file. 

[Alfredo_Medina · Accepted solution]

If the shared parameter exists in the room tag family, but does not exist in your shared parameters file, then open the room tag family, click on the label > Edit label > select the parameter > edit button > Export, close, reload, etc... That will put the missing parameter into your existing shared parameters file.

[micah]

@Alfredo_Medina

That helped, thank you, but the problem is not fixed yet. Your most recent instruction has "pushed" the missing Parameters into the "Exported Parameters" group and I see them in my project! However I am still not able to edit those labels in my project. Any ideas?