Update a Tag Based on Instance Parameter of Host?

[HFA_Josh_Coppick]

I want to update a Specialty Equipment Tag (or any tag) to identify whether equipment is or is not relocated based on the equipment's Project Instance Parameter.

Currently, we have to select between two different types, one labeled "(Relo)" (shown below), to distinguish between them on our demo plans, but our current manual selection strategy is overly time-consuming, and I don't imagine automation should be too difficult.

The tag types:

Example tags in the project:

The actual equipment families that we are tagging have an associated "RELOCATED" Project Parameter set up by our internal BIM team, shown here:

I would like to associate the tags to correspond automatically to this already existing parameter. I cuold not solve it myself on initial investigation. It seems that Tag Instance Parameters don't work (?) and perhaps Project Parameters cannot be associated with family parameters/Shared Parameters in the first place (?). But maybe I'm thinking about this the wrong way or mistaken.

Any thoughts on how I could solve this? Thanks in advance. I can't share the project files due to policy.

[mhiserZFHXS · Accepted solution]

I think the best way to accomplish this would be to link your RELOCATED parameter to a shared text parameter. If RELOCATED is checked, the text parameter reads "RELO." If its not checked, its blank. 

If (RELOCATED, "(RELO)", "")

Then add a label to your tag that reads this new parameter. So the label isn't turned off or on. It just either populated or its not. 

[HFA_Josh_Coppick]

Thanks mhiser!

I like the idea, but I'm running into issues trying to implement. Maybe the issue is that RELOCATED is a project instance parameter?

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@mhiserZFHXS wrote:

link your RELOCATED parameter to a shared text parameter.

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I don't know how you would link a project parameter ("RELOCATED") to a shared parameter (or if it's possible). The reason it is a project parameter in the first place is that we have the filters automatically altering the line type and color, and filters sort based on project params, so I don't think this can be changed from a project parameter.

The reason it is an instance is that we need each instance of the family to be alterable, (perhaps obviously for this use-case).

The issue I run into with the project instance parameter is that I can't seem to create another parameter to reference back to this.

• Family instance (& type) parameters can't reference this.
  
  • (you can't type a formula into an instance textbox and the associate parameter button only connects the instance to a global parameter)
• Global parameters can't reference back to project parameters.
• Other project instance parameters can only reference global parameters as well.

It seems like I just can't quite grab the data. Is there something I'm missing? Or will I have to rewrite the RELOCATED parameter as another type of parameter? Or maybe there's some other work-around solution?

Thanks so much for your response 🙂

[mhiserZFHXS]

Oh, did you have all of those bold "project parameter" notes before or did you edit your post? Sorry if I missed that before. 

You're going to have to do a little reworking to make this happen. 

You can have a shared parameter both within the project as well as in a family. It just has to be the SAME shared parameter. That way you can use it in the family to drive another parameters formula as well as in the project to drive your filters. So you'll have to do what I mentioned above, as well as adding that shared parameter to your project parameters. 

You'll also have to modify your filters to work with the new parameter. 

So yea, this will take a little bit of work, but if this is your regular workflow, it sounds like it could save you a lot of time in the long run. 

[mari.shimode]

Hi @HFA_Josh_Coppick, did you find the information provided useful? If so, please use Accept Solution so that others may find this in the future.

If you still have the issue, please let us know. Thank you.

[mari.shimode]

Hi @HFA_Josh_Coppick, since I think @mhiserZFHXS's first reply is useful to the community, I have marked it as an accepted solution so others who have the same question can refer to it.

If you're still having the issue or have any other questions related to what you originally asked, please create a new topic with a link to this post included so the community can follow the conversation easily.