Parameters and Global Parameters

Analyze, review, and delete unused Revit parameters and global parameters found within Revit projects (RVT) or templates (RTE) with Ideate StyleManager.

You can also review parameter usage withn Revit family files (RFA). See related topic: Family and Nested Family Parameters

Parameters

Revit will let you delete parameters from the Manage>Project Parameter tool as well as via Dynamo and the Revit API, but none of those methods will answer this very important question.

Safely delete parameters in Revit

Keep your Revit project and template files clean and easy to use by safely deleting unused parameters with Ideate StyleManager.

Topics in this section:

Found in File

For a parameter to be considered “Used” by Ideate StyleManager it must meet one of these conditions:

The parameter has a value set. Parameters can be used not only for element instance and types, but also for items such as Materials, Filters, etc.
The parameter is used by a schedule or key schedule, even if it is hidden.
The parameter has no value set but is a Shared Family parameter. This condition is shown below. In this scenario the deletion of the parameter will not result in a change to any of the project data because none of the project elements or types have any values set. The Accessories parameter exists within two different families but the values for that parameter are not set within the project.

Parameters defined in a Revit family without any preset values

Isolate Similar

Parameters that have the same name are defined by Ideate StyleManager as being “similar” as shown in the above image for the parameters called “Actuator Location”. When the “Isolate Similar” checkbox is selected, parameters that have the same name will be listed and grouped together by color. All other parameters will be filtered out of the display list. Shared parameters with the same name can exist within the same project if they have different unique IDs (GUIDs) or if they reflect a combination of a shared and non-shared parameter. These ‘similar’ parameters should be reviewed to avoid confusion in project deliverable.

Parameter Types

The Type filter displays a drop-down list of parameter types: Shared Project, Non-Shared Project, Shared Family, Shared Hidden and Shared Orphaned. Learn more about each type: Understanding Parameter Types

Parameter types in Ideate StyleManager

Analyze Options

Projects with many elements and parameters can take several hours to fully analyze. For this reason, there are several Analyze Options which are designed to help you gather usage data in stages. When the Parameter tool is first used in a project, any loaded title block families will be reviewed. Additionally, if the project contains less than 50 Schedules, they will also be reviewe. This pre-analysis helps quickly and safely identify the usage of some of the most common parameter usages.

After the pre-analysis, parameter usage count will display as either [n]+?, which indicates that there are at least some known usages of the parameter or ?, which means that additional Analyze Options must be used to learn more about the usage. In the example below, after launching Ideate StyleManager and selecting Parameters, the initial results for the parameter called “Sheet Group” are 2+? , which are the 2 schedules listed, while “Thickness” is still is not understood and shows ?.

After this pre-analysis is complete, the default analysis mode is Quick Analysis, which can be used to analyze all parameters at once and is particularly useful if your goal is to understand which parameters in the project are unused. To use this method:

Select the Quick Analysis option
Select one or more parameters.
Select the Analyze button. This action will work only on the selected parameters.

After Quick Analysis most non-shared project parameters will have a completed analysis, with the exception of sheet- and view-based parameters due to a potential for Project Browser usage. In the results shown below, the project parameter called “Panel Location” has a total of 247 usages and is complete, while the “Sheet Group” parameter now shows 50+? and “Thickness” is still not understood and shows ?.

These remaining ? apply to any shared parameter or sheet- or view-based parameter and will require In-Depth Analysis in order to be completed. To use this method:

Select the In-Depth Analysis option
Select one or more parameters. It’s recommended that only a few parameters be done at a time for performance reasons.
Select the Analyze button. This action will work only on the selected parameters.

After the In-Depth Analysis is completed on the “Thickness” parameter it now reports 3 usages, which come from a curtain panel and array, while the “Sheet Group” is not used by the Project Browser and remains at 50 usages.

The purpose of the Quick Analysis option is to decrease the amount of time it takes to learn whether a parameter has ANY usages. If time is not a consideration, you can skip the Quick Analysis method and move directly to In-Depth Analysis. Both methods work on the selected parameters only.

Related Topic: Known Issues for Parameters and Performance Tips

Global Parameters

Global parameters are unique project-specific parameters that can be managed in Revit from Manage>Global Parameters. Unlike Parameters, Global Parameters support both Merge and Rename.

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