yes/no parameter in schedule looks different when the family has that parameter locked

[HVAC-Novice]

I noticed yes/no parameters can either be a checkmark or show YES in a schedule. They all are type parameters. I found out the ones that show YES were locked in the family (use "1=1"or some other true condition in formula field). When I remove that formula and just have it checked for each type, it will look normal (checkmark)

How can I make schedules look consistent regardless of how the parameter was set? For some families I just use a formula to make sure every type is set to a value. That shouldn't really matter for the schedule yes is yes. 

My preferred look would be the checkmark. Maybe there is an application where spelling out YES/NO makes sense. but it should be consistent in a schedule. 

[barthbradley]

So, the ones that are checked/unchecked are user inputted and the one that are "Yes"/"No" are driven by formulas; right? 

[barthbradley · Accepted solution]

Hide the ones that have a checkmark and create a Calculated Parameter with the formula =[the name of the hidden Yes/No Parameter].  

[Alfredo_Medina]

Can you remove the formula that forces the parameter to be true, and then simply check the value of those parameters to be true in a schedule? Then all rows will look the same, with the checkmark instead of the word "Yes". What's the point of making a parameter and then locking its value to be always true by a formula?

[HVAC-Novice]

I did that, but now it shows all of them "YES" instead of a checkbox. There wasn't an obvious way to force it to checkbox-format. 

Alfredo Medina: that is what I ended up doing. But in some families it is just better to lock this parameter down when they always are supposed to be "yes". Like when i create a new type or someone inadvertently sets something I want to be sure this is checked. 

[Alfredo_Medina]

If a parameter always must have the same value, most likely that parameter is not needed, and it could be replaced by something else, such as creating another type in the family. 

[barthbradley]

I'm having a hard time following.  The ones that say "yes" are driven by formulas. In order to make them a checkbox, you would need to remove the formula -- which I'm assuming is important in the parametric function of the Family. 

[barthbradley]

If you want only checkboxes, why don't you just Filter the Schedule to remove the ones that say "Yes" or "No". I'm sure there's a rule that you can use to get rid of them.  

[barthbradley]

You know, instead of having checkboxes in the Schedule, what about a dot or another character map symbol? That way you wouldn't need to mess with those formula-driven "Yes" Values. I mean, the bottom line is that this is just about how the Schedule looks on the Sheet; right?  Format it differently then.  

[HVAC-Novice]

Just to clarify this example a bit more. The parameter in this case declares a light fixture to be an emergency fixture. It does at least 3 things for me:

- in the family, it shows the emergency light symbol so the contractor sees which are emergency fixtures

- in an emergency light schedule I add up all the wattages to get the load for emergency power sizing. that schedule will be on a sheet, but the column with that yes/no parameter is hidden. So it isn't an issue.

- in another schedule it shows all light fixtures that are connected to a panel. That way I make sure none of the emergency fixtures are circuited to a regular panel (since they are powered by the inverter). I also make sure all non-emergency fixtures are circuited to a panel. this schedule doesn't go one a sheet, but it is easier to see if the yes/no is consistent. this also means the schedule needs to show all the instances regardless of if it is a checkmark or YES.

- for regular light fixtures the yes/no parameter is instance since only few fixtures are on emergency power. But AC-powered EXIT signs always will be set to "yes" since they always will be on the emergency lighting system. Contrary to that, a battery-EXIT sign would never be on emergency power. So if I create a new type for an AC-powered EXIT fixture, it automatically will have the correct parameter setting. 

I'm sure there other reasons why in some cases we could use different ways to set the value of a parameter. But in all cases it makes sense that they all look the same in a schedule. If a parameter is instance, type, or driven by equation shouldn't matter. IMHO, this is a missing feature in Revit or an odd way how they display the yes/no. they probably should make that user-selectable (like format units). 

So, in my current project I probably just remove the formula from the family. But I'm sure at some later point I will come across the same issue where it will be less practical to sue a workaround (or limitation of my family).

Hah, and it gets even weirder. When in schedule editor I see the checkmark and yes/no. but when I move the schedule on a sheet, all of those will be Yes/NO. This is opposite to WYSIWYG. so maybe I'm better off to do what Barthradley suggested and create a new parameter that will show the same in the schedule editor. This isn't what I want, but at least it is consistent and i can keep my family as is and use formula where needed. 

Edit: I just noticed another advantage of Barthradley's method of using an interim parameter. it prevents me from accidentally unchecking. So maybe Revit actually is onto something here. They make it a checkmark where it can be edited in the schedule (type or instance parameter). and when it can't be edited, it has no checkmark. So, for this i do what Barthradley suggested with the additional yes/no parameter. 

[bdewilde]

Great suggestion of the Dot. But I can't get it to show up. What exactly do I need to type and do I need to place it in " " marks?

[RDAOU]

@bdewilde It’s a text symbol/character so yes you need to place it between quotation marks “”

[Mike.FORM]

@bdewilde you need to create a calculated parameter for all the fields you want to show as a dot, then you hide (not remove) the original yes/no parameter in the schedule so that it doesn't show up. The formula would be     if(Parameter Name, "●",  "")