Data Navigator

Data Navigator loads tabular data, matches each row to a Revit element, and gives you selection and view-focus actions directly inside Revit. Use it for QA reports, clash lists, model diff exports, and any workflow where a spreadsheet row needs to point back to a host or linked model element.

Experimental

Data Navigator is currently in the Experimental panel. Features and behavior may change as development continues.

Getting Started

Find Data Navigator on the Amorphous ribbon tab in the Experimental panel.

Press F1 from the ribbon button to open this page.

---

Features

• Host and link resolution - Resolve rows against the active host model or a mapped Revit link
• Flexible ID mapping - Use ElementId or UniqueId columns, with Auto detection when the data is consistent
• Primary and secondary IDs - Map fallback ID columns for reports that include more than one identifier
• Source value mapping - Use a source column to group, label, or filter rows after import
• Status chips - Separate Pending, Resolved, Unmapped, Link Unavailable, Invalid ID, and Not Found rows
• Selection actions - Select individual rows or all filtered rows in Revit
• View-focus actions - Zoom, isolate, or create a section box around resolved elements
• Grid shortcuts - Double-click, Ctrl-double-click, Shift-double-click, and Alt-double-click resolved rows
• Shareable presets - Save setup choices to .dnpreset.json files and reuse them across projects
• Collapsible setup rail - Keep mapping options available without crowding the data grid

---

How to Use

Basic Workflow

1. Click Data Navigator on the ribbon
2. Click Load CSV and choose the exported report or spreadsheet data
3. Choose a profile: Current Host Only or Mapped Host / Link
4. Pick the primary ID column and any optional secondary ID or source value columns
5. Click Resolve to match rows to Revit elements
6. Filter the grid and use the action bar to select, isolate, zoom, or section box the resolved rows

Tip

Use Current Host Only for reports exported from the active model. Use Mapped Host / Link when the CSV contains IDs from a linked model and you need to route those rows to the correct loaded link.

Loading a CSV

Start by loading a CSV file. Data Navigator auto-detects common delimiters, including comma, semicolon, tab, and pipe. If more than one delimiter could work, it prefers the option that produces the most consistent column layout.

Note

Data Navigator reads CSV files. If your source data is in Excel, export the worksheet to CSV first.

Mapping Columns

The setup rail controls how rows resolve back to Revit.

Setup Field	Description
Profile	Chooses whether rows resolve against the current host only or a mapped host/link target
Resolve Side	Chooses which side of a mapped report should be used for Revit navigation
Primary ID	Main identifier column used to find elements
Secondary ID	Optional fallback identifier column
Source Value	Optional grouping or label column shown with resolved rows
Resolve	Runs the matching process against the selected target

The inline ? help explains the active profile and resolve-side choice without leaving the window.

Reviewing Results

After resolving, each row receives a status. Use the chips and grid filters to focus the list before taking action.

Status	Meaning
Pending	The row has not been resolved yet
Resolved	The row matched a Revit element
Unmapped	The row does not have enough mapping information
Link Unavailable	The row targets a link that is not loaded
Invalid ID	The ID value cannot be read as an ElementId or UniqueId
Not Found	The ID was valid but no matching element was found

Tip

Filter to Not Found or Invalid ID when checking whether an external report still matches the current model.

Acting on Rows

Action	What It Does
Select In Revit	Selects the currently selected resolved rows in Revit
Select Filtered Rows	Selects all resolved rows that remain after filtering
Isolate Selection	Temporarily isolates host elements in the active view
Zoom To Selection	Focuses the active view around the resolved rows
Section Box Selection	Creates or updates a section box around resolved rows

Double-click shortcuts are also available in the grid:

Shortcut	Action
Double-click	Select the row in Revit
Ctrl + double-click	Zoom to the row
Shift + double-click	Create a section box
Alt + double-click	Isolate host elements

Note

Revit cannot isolate individual elements inside a linked model through this workflow. Linked rows are skipped for isolate actions, but they can still be used for zoom and section box actions.

---

User Interface

Main Window

Area	Description
Setup rail	Load files, choose profile, map columns, and run Resolve
Status strip	Summarizes row counts by resolution state
Data grid	Shows imported rows, mapping results, and resolved element details
Action bar	Sends selected or filtered rows back into Revit
Selection details	Shows details for the current row or selected rows
Preset dropdown	Loads, saves, and tracks reusable setup presets

Presets

Presets save the setup configuration, including profile, ID columns, source mapping, and filters. They are stored as .dnpreset.json files under:

%AppData%\Amorphous\DataNavigator\Presets\

Drop a preset file into that folder and it appears in the preset dropdown automatically. The dropdown shows (modified) when the current setup no longer matches the loaded preset.

---

Options & Settings

Option	Description	Default
Profile	Current Host Only or Mapped Host / Link	Current Host Only
ID Type	Auto, ElementId, or UniqueId	Auto
Primary ID Column	Main ID field used for resolution	Selected by user
Secondary ID Column	Optional fallback ID field	None
Source Value Column	Optional grouping or label field	None
Rail collapsed state	Remembers whether setup is expanded	Last used
Last preset path	Reloads the last selected preset	Last used

---

Use Cases

Scenario	Recommended Approach
Clash report follow-up	Load the CSV, resolve by element ID, then zoom or section box each issue
QA punch list review	Filter to unresolved or failed rows and select matching elements for correction
Linked-model audit	Use Mapped Host / Link to route rows to the correct loaded Revit link
Handoff verification	Confirm that exported IDs still resolve cleanly after model updates
Model Diff Audit review	Load a diff CSV and jump to changed elements in the host or linked model

From the developer

This tool is meant to close the loop between reports and the model. If a workflow produces a CSV with Revit IDs, Data Navigator should make that report actionable instead of leaving you to copy and paste IDs by hand.

---

Tips & Best Practices

• Use UniqueId when possible because it is more stable across sessions than ElementId
• Save presets per report type so repeated exports can be loaded with the same mapping
• Resolve before filtering heavily so the status chips reflect the full file
• Use Section Box Selection for linked elements when isolate is unavailable
• Keep the source CSV with the project record if the review needs to be reproduced later

---

Limitations

Limitation	Details
CSV input only	Export Excel files to CSV before loading them
Loaded links only	Linked model rows require the target link to be loaded in Revit
Document-specific IDs	ElementId values must come from the same document they are resolved against
Linked isolation	Individual linked elements cannot be isolated through the Revit API
Model changes after export	Deleted or replaced elements may no longer resolve from older reports

---

Troubleshooting

Rows do not resolve

Possible causes:

• The wrong profile is selected
• The ID column is mapped to the wrong CSV field
• The linked model is not loaded
• The report came from a different model or an older model state

Solution: Confirm the source model, profile, target link, and ID column. Try switching the ID type from Auto to the specific identifier type in the file.

Link rows show Link Unavailable

Cause: The target linked model is not loaded in the active Revit document.

Solution: Reload the link in Revit, then click Resolve again.

Select works but isolate is disabled

Cause: Every selected resolved row belongs to a linked model.

Solution: Use Zoom To Selection or Section Box Selection instead. Revit cannot isolate individual linked elements through this workflow.

---

Related Tools

• Model Diff Audit - Create snapshot and diff CSV outputs that can be loaded into Data Navigator
• Element Data Manager - Export element data to CSV or Excel
• Copy From Link - Copy selected elements from linked Revit models