Here are a few quirky "gotcha" items you can encounter when you get serious about using the keynoting tools.
If you apply User Keynotes and then change the number values (the Key Value parameter) for them in your keynote file they don't change in the Revit project to reflect the new numbers, even after you Reload the file. That strikes me as undesirable but I believe I understand why. There is no
GUID to keep track of. I'm wrong, actually there is one, it's the Key Value parameter but it isn't effective as one. When you change it...Revit can no longer reference it in the project. In order for Revit to update the Key Value too there would need to be a separate GUID (that we can't change), so it could keep track of them.
When this happens Revit keeps the old value intact. You'll have to select the keynote tag and redirect it to the correct value. You can also type in the correct value in the Properties Palette. Yet another way to manage this issue (in a project) is to have a master User Keynote legend (drafting or legend view). Place an
array of a small detail component (not grouped and associated though) and apply each User Keynote to them so you end up with one keynote for each unique one you plan to use throughout the project. This view serves as your master "fixer" view. You can go through them all in this one view and fix any that need to be updated. All the others that have been placed throughout the project will inherit the change...change in one place...changes it everywhere else, phew.
Does that make sense? How or why would this even happen? Need a practical example? Let's say you create your own keynotes for architectural finishes that use the numbering scheme A200 and there are values that run from A201-225. You apply keynotes to a lot of stuff. During a design review the project manager decides that we should revise our existing A200 series to AW200 (wood finishes) and create a new AM200 series for metal finishes. Never question the pm :)
When you renumber the A200 series and reload the keynote file into the project the existing numbers in the keynote tags don't change. If you click on the tag and then the keynote value Revit will open the keynote file but it won't expand the list to show it is associated with the correct keynote, you'll have to do that. As I mentioned before you can just select the keynote tag and in the properties palette type in the new value, inserting the new "W" in the number. That will fix it and when you open the keynote file to check it will work correctly. Not a big deal for one or two or ten. Hundreds is another story.
Another item is that keynotes will still show up in a legend (on the sheet) even if the item that has been tagged isn't visible in the view. For example, if you apply a keynote tag to an element and then use Visibility/Graphics to turn that category off, the keynote legend still sees the keynote tag...and it shows up in the list.
Yet another item is that keynote tags that are in Legend Views aren't included (selected) when you use the Select all Instances option In Entire project.
If, for some reason, you decide you want to use that to delete all the keynotes you won't get the ones in Legend views. You'll have to open those views to track down any refugees. If you want to test it out yourself just add some keynotes to elements in the project. Also add a keynote to something in a legend view. Go back to the other project view(s), right click on a keynote tag and use Select all Instances - In Entire Project, then Delete them. Now visit the project browser and try to delete the keynote tag there. You'll get an error message telling you there is still a keynote tag in the project, like this message.
Unsolicited plug, if you do anything with keynotes at all, are you using Steve Faust's Keynote Manager (
Revolution Design)? Why not? I really can't imagine spending any time dealing with keynotes without it, seriously.
Seriously nice little application. I should mention it supports multi-user editing and it creates backup files. That saved me and my recent client some heartache a few weeks ago. A quick search of the backups and back in business we were.
