Navisworks COM API how to programmatically get all properties

Posted on by

Finally – it took a while but here is a generic routine in VBA (Excel) that allows you to find all the properties. I have my own class that “just works” called findNavis, but this should help others on how to get and list [to the debug window] all the tabs of the properties window in Navis.

I want the dwg (LcOaNode::SourceFile) and the AutoCAD handle (LcOpDwgEntityAttrib::Value) and the stuff in brackets is the attribute name::property name. Here is the vba code (I did this from Excel)

[vb]

Sub PrintActiveNodeInfoForSelectedItems()

Dim nw As New findNavis

If (nw.isValid) Then
Dim i As Long
Dim results As InwOpSelection
Set results = nw.mstate.CurrentSelection
‘results.SelectAll ‘ this selects everything – but it makes all the other commands below work

Debug.Print ""
Debug.Print ""
Debug.Print ""

Debug.Print "Found this many items" & results.paths.count

For i = 1 To results.paths.count

Debug.Print "**new"
‘*****START
‘http://forums.augi.com/showthread.php?100059-Navisworks-API-How-to-%28VBA-VB6-NET%29
Dim propn As InwGUIPropertyNode2
Dim prop As InwOaProperty
Dim propvec As InwOaPropertyVec
Debug.Print nw.mstate.SmartTagText(results.paths(i))
Set propn = nw.mstate.GetGUIPropertyNode(results.paths(i), True)
Dim ga As Variant
Dim gai As InwGUIAttribute
Dim gaa As Variant
For Each ga In propn.GUIAttributes
Set gai = ga
Debug.Print "attribute:" & gai.ClassName & " " & gai.name Beep
For Each gaa In gai.Properties

Set prop = gaa
Debug.Print " Property:" & prop.username & "->" & prop.value

‘LcOpDwgEntityAttrib
Next
Next

‘ Set propvec = mstate.ObjectFactory(eObjectType_nwOaPropertyVec)
‘ Set prop = mstate.ObjectFactory(eObjectType_nwOaProperty)
‘ prop.name = "Mark No"
‘ prop.username = "Mark No"
‘ prop.value = i
‘ propvec.Properties.Add prop

‘ propn.SetUserDefined 0, "CT", "CT", propvec
‘********END
Next
End If
End Sub

[/vb]

2 thoughts on “Navisworks COM API how to programmatically get all properties”

  1. smashed this with another post and got good results. please notice the two filter statements that I should convert and pass as arguments. The filter statements dump a smaller chunk of the rather large amount of properties now exposed in NW 2018 from Revit that could be considered as “noise” – the materials properties. enjoy!

    Sub PrintActiveNodeInfoForSelectedItems()

    Dim nwObj As NavisworksAutomationAPI15.Document
    Set nwObj = GetObject(, “Navisworks.Document.15”) ‘nw 2018

    nwObj.Visible = True
    nwObj.StayOpen ‘ YOU HAVE TO DO THIS and do it following the line above… why?
    ‘because the “GetObject” above says “attach onto the existing running copy of navisworks” …
    ‘and if you don’t do this stayopen thing, the ability to attach to it disappears.
    ‘You have been warned – took me HOURS to figure this stupid tidbit out) –
    ‘I had to restart navis all the time, which … is stupid for live automation (it is ok to do it for background processing)

    Dim nw As New findNavis

    Set nw.mstate = nwObj.State

    If 1 = 1 Then ‘(nw.isvalid) Then
    Dim i As Long
    Dim results As InwOpSelection
    Set results = nw.mstate.CurrentSelection
    ‘results.SelectAll ‘ this selects everything – but it makes all the other commands below work

    Debug.Print “”
    Debug.Print “”
    Debug.Print “”

    Debug.Print “Found this many items” & amp; results.Paths.Count

    For i = 1 To results.Paths.Count

    Debug.Print “**new”

    ””””””’Dim nwGeo As InwOaNode
    ””””””’Set nwGeo = nw.mstate

    ‘*****START
    ‘http://forums.augi.com/showthread.php?100059-Navisworks-API-How-to-%28VBA-VB6-NET%29
    Dim propn As InwGUIPropertyNode2
    Dim prop As InwOaProperty
    Dim propvec As InwOaPropertyVec
    Debug.Print nw.mstate.SmartTagText(results.Paths(i))
    Set propn = nw.mstate.GetGUIPropertyNode(results.Paths(i), True)
    Dim ga As Variant
    Dim gai As InwGUIAttribute
    Dim gaa As Variant

    For Each ga In propn.GUIAttributes
    Set gai = ga

    Dim topLevel As Integer
    Dim Setfilter As Integer

    topLevel = 0
    Setfilter = 1

    If Setfilter = 1 Then ‘ filter for only the properties titles i want.

    If gai.ClassName = “LcOaNode” Or gai.ClassName = “LcRevitData_Element” Or gai.ClassName = “LcRevitId” Or gai.ClassName = “LcRevitData_Parameter” Then

    Debug.Print “attribute:” & amp; gai.ClassName & amp; ” ” & amp; gai.Name; ” Beep”

    If topLevel = 1 Then

    For Each gaa In gai.Properties

    Set prop = gaa

    Debug.Print ” Property:” & amp; prop.UserName & amp; “->” & amp; prop.Value

    ‘LcOpDwgEntityAttrib
    Next

    End If

    End If
    Else
    Debug.Print “attribute:” & amp; gai.ClassName & amp; ” ” & amp; gai.Name; ” Beep”

    If topLevel = 1 Then

    For Each gaa In gai.Properties

    Set prop = gaa

    Debug.Print ” Property:” & amp; prop.UserName & amp; “->” & amp; prop.Value

    ‘LcOpDwgEntityAttrib
    Next

    End If

    End If

    Next

    ‘ Set propvec = mstate.ObjectFactory(eObjectType_nwOaPropertyVec)
    ‘ Set prop = mstate.ObjectFactory(eObjectType_nwOaProperty)
    ‘ prop.name = “Mark No”
    ‘ prop.username = “Mark No”
    ‘ prop.value = i
    ‘ propvec.Properties.Add prop

    ‘ propn.SetUserDefined 0, “CT”, “CT”, propvec
    ‘********END
    Next

    End If

    End Sub

  2. oh also… love the simple findNavis class although I wonder how it could be extended? you will notice I bypassed the isValid test and will probably use another method to test the class object that is contains something…

Comments are closed.