Another important command in Tables is the "Edit Table" button. This command takes you to all your table settings via the "Schedule Properties" dialog. Here you can make various adjustments to your Tables schedule, such as adding more parameters or adjusting filters, grouping or formatting.
The "Edit" command opens the Tables "Schedule Properties" dialog
Let's go through all the tabs of the Schedule Properties dialog. We'll start with the second, yet most important one:
"Fields" tab
Here you will find all the parameters we can find in the Revit database - and even more. With these parameters you can build up your own Tables schedule just like you would do in Revit.
Overview and Workflow "Fields" Tab
Workflow – "Fields" tab (Parameters):
- To make it easier for you to deal with the parameters we have built a global filter that differentiates between element parameters, type parameters, host parameters and feature parameters. Sounds complicated, but you'll find out that it's not!
- Double-click on one of the available fields in the left selection or use the plus button to choose your parameters, just like the Schedules in Revit. The minus button allows you to remove fields from your selection
- With the controls you can easily change the order of your selection in the column on the right
- Confirm the dialog with OK and your Tables schedule will be generated with the desired selection of fields
With the group filter you'll get an easy overview
Calculated parameters
With the command "Add calculated parameters" you can add any number of your own columns with simple or complex formulas in Tables – basically everything that your Excel knowledge allows. These can be simple conditions but also complex calculations with values that you can get from other spreadsheets using reference functions.
Command "Add calculated parameters"
Auxiliary dialog for creating your own calculated parameters
Calculated parameters can be changed subsequently. To do so you can click the "Edit parameters" button.
Command "Edit Parameters"
Adding formulas for Revit parameters
Existing writable Revit parameters (e.g. shared parameters) can also be consistently linked to a formula in this way.
Formula for existing Revit parameters
Workflow – "Formula for existing Revit parameters":
- Select the parameter you want to link to a formula and click on the command button "Edit parameter"
- In the formula help dialog you can now enter your formula. You can select the parameters available in your table by double-clicking on them
- Confirm with OK the input of your formula - done!
Note: If you need parameter values for your formula, but you don't want to make them visible in your table, you can either hide these columns directly in your table (right-click on column and hide in context menu), or use the checkboxes of the "Hide column" column in the "Formatting" tab in Tables.
Tip: You can use any Excel function you know for your formulas! Search the internet for "SVERWEIS" or "SUM(S)" - you will be amazed what you can do with tables!
Output of formulas in the xlsx table
Another Tip: You can also define read-only parameters for the user in your shared parameter definition file. However, with Tables you can edit them.
Settings of the „Filter“ tab
Here you can filter your Revit data before it is displayed in the xlsx list.
Overview and Workflow "Filter" tab
Workflow – „Filter“ tab:
- With the small controls at the bottom left of the tab, you can add new filter rules, delete existing ones or change their order. The plus adds new filters. You can use as many filters as you like.
- A new filter rule is inserted, which you can now edit from left to right.
- Confirm the dialog with OK and your xlsx list will be created with the desired selection of fields and the set filters.
Tip: You can also filter your data directly in the table using the built-in filter options. To do so, select the "Show Filter" command from the "Data" ribbon in the panel. However, if you select "Filter" via the Tables tab, only the filtered data will be listed in your list.
Settings of the „Sorting/Grouping" tab
With the settings options that you find in the tab, you can sort or group your parts list in a similar way as you are used to in Revit for the parts lists.
Overview and Workflow "Sorting/Grouping"
Workflow – „Sorting/Groupng" tab
- With the small controls at the bottom left of the tab you can add new sorting or grouping rules, delete existing ones or change their order. The plus adds new rules. You can use as many rules as you want
- Edit rules for sorting/grouping from left to right
- Confirm the dialog with OK and your xlsx list will be created with the desired selection of fields and the sorting/grouping you have set up
Settings of the „Formatting“ tab
Overview and Workflow "Formatting" tab
In the "Formatting" tab you can additionally edit the following settings for each selected parameter:
- The column "Field" shows you the parameter you want to edit. Only this one is readable.
- Column header: Here you can overwrite the column headers of your Tables xlsx table with a name of your choice. By default, Tables uses the parameter names for the column headers
- Included in table: Here you select whether the selected parameter should be present in your Tables xlsx table. Filtering and sorting / grouping also works if the parameter should not be contained in the table as a column
- Hide column: With this check mark you can hide existing parameters in your Tables xlsx table in advance. This is useful for auxiliary columns that you need for the calculation but do not want to have directly visible. The column is present in the Tables xlsx table – only hidden. Of course, you can also hide and show the individual columns directly in the Tables interface. To do so, right-click on the column header and select "Show" or "Hide" from the context menu
- Calculation type: Here you can set how your parameter values should be displayed in the footer lines. For example, you can sum up numerical values. Tables uses partial sums for this
„Appearance“ tab
The settings you can make here change the appearance of your Tables xlsx table. With the available cell format styles you can preformat the individual areas of your table. The styles refer to all columns of the respective area.
Overview and Workflow "Appearance" tab
Tables is based on the Revit component lists for the table areas:
- Header: This is the area with the column headers
- Footer: The bottom "total" row of a table. This is used to display totals. The footer is generated if the "Total" checkbox is activated in the "Sorting / Grouping" tab
- Group header: If groupings with activated header are specified in the "Sorting / Grouping" tab, a group header will be displayed for each of them
- The group footer behaves similarly to the group header. In addition, calculations such as partial totals can be displayed in the group footers if the calculation type has been selected accordingly in the "Formatting" tab
- Blank line: Switch between groupings. These can also be specially assigned a format style
- Even and odd data rows: The individual revise elements are listed here. You can format both the even and the odd data rows individually
The formatting areas in Tables
Workflow – „Appearance“ tab
- Activate format styles
- Select the desired table format styles for the individual areas of your Tables xlsx list.
- Confirm the dialog with OK and your list will be created with the desired selection of fields with the format styles you preset.
Note: You can also format the individual sections of your Tables xlsx list directly in Tables – even column by column, so that you are more flexible. Tables saves the column-by-column formatting for you, so you can be sure that your table will always look the same, no matter what data is read in from Revit.
Column-by-column formatting (example for the "Header" area)
Extended header:
If you want the header of your table to span multiple rows, you can consider the number of rows of your extended header in the "Display" tab.
Extended header
Specifying the number of lines for an extended header
This way, the columns of the rows above will be taken into account if you want to insert new parameters later on, for example.
Settings of the „Chart“ tab
We believe that additional value can be generated through the proper management and presentation of information. That's why every list generated with Tables has a chart already integrated, which only needs to be activated - and BIM data becomes even more transparent.
Overview and Workflow "Chart" tab
Workflow – "Chart" tab
- Activate the "Show chart" checkbox so that the three simple properties of the integrated Tables chart can be edited
- Select your desired chart type and data source. Here there is the description parameter, which describes the expression of your chart as well as the value parameter, which represents the expression value
- Confirm the dialog with OK. In addition to your list, a simple but meaningful diagram is now also displayed
A diagram integrated in Tables
Your created chart can be edited later by clicking on the chart (1) and using the context-dependent chart ribbons (2) to make your changes (3) – just like you're used to from your favorite spreadsheet.
Subsequent editing of diagrams in tables
„General“ tab
Last but not least we'll talk about the "General" tab, which is actually the first tab in the dialog. Here you can set general things like the name of your table. In addition, you can specify the selection of elements via the data source and whether linked files should also be taken into account. If you work with phases, you can define your selection here. If you want your tables list to also include elements from linked Revit projects, simply activate the "Include linked elements" checkbox.
Overview and Workflow "General"
Status: 10.08.2023
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