Trouble importing family type txt file with nested family type parameters

[fritzQH7E9]

I'm trying to import a .txt file with nested family type parameters in it. I get an error message that says "The input file contains invalid parameters or values for the type:". I'm pretty sure i've got the syntax right. anybody ever get this error message or know why? screenshots below.

[MostafaElashmawy]

If you can share the family and the text file, I can check them.

[fritzQH7E9]

here it is

[MostafaElashmawy]

Your family works great when I import it into a project and all the selections are correct from the text file.

Check attached where I imported to a project then edit family and saved it.

[barthbradley]

edit...family and type catalog work fine and dandy at my end. 

[fritzQH7E9]

Thanks for the replies. Mostafa's family works just the way I was hoping. I can't figure out how you got it to work though. When I try INSERT>IMPORT FAMILY TYPES and then select the text file I always get an error message. Are you importing the family types in some other way?

[barthbradley]

Can you explain the solution, @MostafaElashmawy?  

[RDAOU]

@fritzQH7E9 

The catalog you have attached has been generated manually and not through Revit. Parameters which are <Family Type> are NOT EXPORTABLE and CANNOT be set using Family Types Catalogs (from .txt file). Only parameters which has alpha/numeric input can be set using Type Catalogs. 

You are not getting the error anymore because what @MostafaElashmawy most probably did is

1. Either - Opened the coma delimited file in excel and deleted the K+T##OTHER## column 
2. OR - Opened the family and re-exported the Catalog from Revit (ie: the parameter K + T is not exported)

If I were you, I would be careful with how to use Type Catalogs in this case. You need to pay attention to the <Family Type> parameter because you need to set such parameter manually. Meaning if you decide to use Type Catalog 

1. In a NEW FAMILY, the Catalog will NOT set any value for the K+T or any other <Family Type> parameter
2. In the EXISTING FAMILY - 
   • Choosing to delete or overwrite old type will cause all <Family Type> parameters to default to same value in all types => breaking your family
   • If you choose to import new types only (recommended)… you will need to set all <Fmily Type> manually for the new types 

[MostafaElashmawy]

What I did is that instead of trying to import the types to the family.

I just put the txt and rfa together in same folder and imported the family into a project. I found that it's working properly.

Then I opened the family from inside the project and saved it as new family and exported the text file. 

[RDAOU]

@MostafaElashmawythere is nothing wrong with the family and the txt and .rfa can be in different folders that is not an issue … the defect is in the Type Catalog. Open the txt exported from Revit and compare it to his

[MostafaElashmawy · Accepted solution]

Yes I understand that, but when I imported the family types to the project, all of the types in the text file where added to the project including all the parameter.

So for some reason, this txt file shared by @fritzQH7E9  works fine if you use it directly while loading the family to the project. But it can't be open properly when he tries to load it inside the family.

Hope my point is clear.

[RDAOU · Accepted solution]

@MostafaElashmawy 

I understand what you did, in the project it loads with whatever in nested and pre-assigned already...However, @fritzQH7E9  is using the catalog to batch generate types in Family Editor which never worked or at least this has been the case with Family Editor since 2010 making it impossible to use catalogs to batch generate types within the family environment when the family has nested components and <Family Type> parameters is used to switch between them. 

When modeling such families the workflow is as such (you probably knew this but it might be helpful for who ever comes across this post wondering):

1. Load the nested element to be used including all its types into the host
2. Model family with 1 Type only
3. Export Famiy types (save and close)
4. Edit the Comma Separated Value file
   • add column for the <Family Type> parameter
   • Assign/Fill in the values for (Family: Type) manually in the csv
   • save and close
5. Generate types when loading into the project

[fritzQH7E9]

Thanks for the replies. I was able to get my type catalog loaded in using the way that RDAOU and Mostafa described. RDAOU summarized how to do this pretty well in his post. Basically, if you are setting a nested family type parameter with a .txt file you have to load it by opening a project and then using the load family command. If you try and load the .txt file directly into the family it won't work.

I'm using excel spreadsheets to create a bunch of different types so this is very helpful to be able to do!

[barthbradley]

Oh, I see. So, the long and short of it is that didn't load it correctly.