Tuesday, July 20, 2010

Inside Type Catalogs – Part 2

A common question I get often is how do I declare a certain type of parameter in a type catalog. So I created a cheat sheet of sorts to share.

Discipline = Common

Type of Parameter:Parameter declaration:
Textparam_name##OTHER##
Integerparam_name##OTHER##
Numberparam_name##OTHER##
Lengthparam_name##LENGTH##FEET
Areaparam_name##AREA##SQUARE_FEET
Volumeparam_name##VOLUME##CUBIC_FEET
Angleparam_name##ANGLE##DEGREES
Slopeparam_name##SLOPE##SLOPE_DEGREES
Currencyparam_name##CURRENCY##
URLparam_name##OTHER##
Materialparam_name##OTHER##
Yes/Noparam_name##OTHER##
<Family Type>param_name##OTHER##


useful notes:
  1. Yes/No values in type catalogs are defined as 1 or 0 with 1 equaling Yes and 0 equaling No.
  2. Family Type parameter values are defined as:
    1. family name : type name
      1. note no “.rfa” in name,
      2. there is a space : space between the family name and type name.
      3. also any inches in the type name require an extra “ mark in the value, so 12” Base is defined as 12”” Base )
    2. family name (only, if family has no type names)

System Parameters:

System Parameter:Parameter declaration:
KeynoteKeynote##OTHER##
ModelModel##OTHER##
ManufacturerManufacturer##OTHER##
Type CommentsType Comments##OTHER##
URLURL##OTHER##
DescriptionDescription##OTHER##
Assembly CodeAssembly Code##OTHER##
CostCost##CURRENCY##


useful notes:
  1. A known issue with type catalogs and system parameters is that the parameter in the family must be filled out for the type to load the value from the catalog properly.
If this is helpful to you guys, I will expand the list to include other disciplines.


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7 comments:

Dimitri Harvalias said...

Dave,
helpful and timely. Much appreciated.

Matt said...

Cost doesn't work. Is there a special way to add this?

Dave Baldacchino said...

Are you saying that the Currency doesn't work as shown in the table?

Anonymous said...

How do you fill out a system parameter if the parameter is hidden in the family?

Dave Baldacchino said...

What do you mean by "hidden"? Are you referring to parameters that only show up when the family is loaded in the project environment? If so, I believe those parameters cannot be populated through a type catalog, which is why I have some posts discussing the use of a custom shared parameter in lieu of the built-in "Type Mark".

J R S N B said...

Dave, I'm seeing inconsistent behaviour with regards to the double double quotes.

My process is as follows:
- I have a master Excel file with a bunch of formulae for setting the parameters for each type.
- I export this to a CSV file.
- I change the extension of the CSV file to TXT
- I open the family in a project and select all of the types in the catalog.
- I then save the family from the project.
The resulting family has a catalogue file and all the types in the Excel spreadsheet (in case it gets separated from the catalogue file).

That said, what I'm finding is that both the type names for the family and the type names for family paramters each only need a single set of quotes, not a double set of quotes, when quotes are required in the name.

Let me know if I can offer any clarification.

Dave Baldacchino said...

The double quotes are only required for type names where you want the quote to be included in the name.

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