Revit Shared Parameters: Create the File, Add to Projects, Schedule and Tag

Revit shared parameters are parameter definitions stored in a text file outside any project or family, so the same parameter can be used in many families and projects (Autodesk: Shared Parameters).

According to Autodesk, two things need a shared parameter: showing information in a tag, and building a schedule that spans several categories. This article walks through the full process in Revit 2027 with a real example: creating two parameters, Mã cấu kiện (element code) and Đợt thi công (construction phase), assigning them to walls, floors and doors, then building one combined schedule. To learn Revit properly by discipline, see the Learn Revit course path.

Shared parameter vs project parameter vs family parameter

The Parameter Properties dialog in Revit 2027 says exactly this: a project parameter "Can appear in schedules but not in tags", while a shared parameter "can be shared by multiple projects and families, exported to ODBC, and appear in schedules and tags".

A common misunderstanding: a shared parameter shares the definition, not the values. Autodesk states that information entered in one project is not applied to another project using the same parameter.

The 4-step workflow for Revit shared parameters

Steps 1–2: create the shared parameter file, groups and parameters

1. Click Manage › Settings › Shared Parameters. The first time, Shared parameter file is empty.
2. Click Create..., choose a folder, name the file, for example IIC-shared-parameters.txt, and click Save.
3. Under Groups, click New..., name the group, for example Quản lý cấu kiện (element management), and click OK.
4. Under Parameters, click New.... The Parameter Properties dialog opens.
5. Enter the Name Mã cấu kiện. Keep Discipline as Common. Set Data Type to Text. Click OK.
6. Repeat steps 4–5 for Đợt thi công with Data Type Integer.
7. Click OK to close the dialog.

With Discipline set to Common, Revit 2027 offers 26 data types, from Text, Integer, Length, Area and Volume to Currency, URL, Material, Image, Yes/No, Multiline Text and Family Type.

Choose the data type carefully. According to Autodesk, an existing shared parameter cannot be renamed or have its type changed; it can only be moved to another group or deleted.

Inside the shared parameter file

Opening the new file in Notepad shows:

# This is a Revit shared parameter file.
# Do not edit manually.
*META	VERSION	MINVERSION
META	2	1
*GROUP	ID	NAME
GROUP	1	Quản lý cấu kiện
*PARAM	GUID	NAME	DATATYPE	DATACATEGORY	GROUP	VISIBLE	DESCRIPTION	USERMODIFIABLE	HIDEWHENNOVALUE
PARAM	0ba3ee11-e7f2-4508-9951-3899c1e92c47	Đợt thi công	INTEGER		1	1		1	0
PARAM	1a8b8cc0-0afb-48e4-8b0d-a978e62e9c6c	Mã cấu kiện	TEXT		1	1		1	0

Three things to read from it:

• Each parameter has a GUID, a unique code. Revit identifies parameters by GUID, not by name. Two files that each contain a Mã cấu kiện parameter hold two different parameters.
• The second line says Do not edit manually. To change a parameter, delete it and create a new one in the Edit Shared Parameters dialog.
• The file is saved as UTF-16, so names with Vietnamese diacritics are kept.

According to Autodesk, a Revit session references only one shared parameter file at a time, and the file should sit in a shared network folder (Autodesk: About Setting Up Shared Parameter Files). A company is best served by one common file, backed up regularly, with one person allowed to add parameters.

Step 3: add shared parameters to a project with Project Parameters

In Revit 2027 the Project Parameters dialog has a search box and icon buttons at the bottom instead of the old Add button.

1. Click Manage › Settings › Project Parameters.
2. Click the New Parameter icon at the bottom.
3. Under Parameter Type, choose Shared parameter and click Select....
4. Pick the group Quản lý cấu kiện and the parameter Mã cấu kiện, then click OK. Name, Discipline and Data Type turn grey because they come from the file.
5. Choose Instance if each element has its own value; Type if the whole type shares one value.
6. Under Group parameter under, choose Identity Data so the parameter appears in that section of Properties.
7. In Categories, type a name in Category name search and tick Walls, Floors and Doors.
8. Click OK. Repeat for Đợt thi công.

Tick Hide un-checked categories to see only the selected categories when checking.

Step 4: enter values and build a multi-category schedule

Entering values in Properties

1. Select a wall.
2. In Properties, scroll to Identity Data. The two new parameters are there.
3. Enter T-01 for Mã cấu kiện and 1 for Đợt thi công. Click Apply.

Building a multi-category schedule

According to Autodesk, a schedule spanning several categories needs shared parameters (Autodesk: Create Schedules with Shared Parameters).

1. Click View › Create › Schedules › Schedule/Quantities.
2. In the Category list, choose <Multi-Category>. Name it, for example Bảng mã cấu kiện (element code schedule). Click OK.
3. On the Fields tab, type a field name in Parameter Name Search, select it and click the add arrow. Add Category, Family and Type, Mã cấu kiện and Đợt thi công.
4. Click OK. The schedule lists every wall, floor and door in the project.
5. Enter missing values directly in the schedule cells; Revit writes them back to the elements.

Autodesk notes that without a filter, a multi-category schedule shows every category that can carry the parameter. On the Filter tab, filter by a shared parameter to keep only the elements that have it. Schedules in general are covered in schedules in Revit.

Shared parameters in families and tags

Add a shared parameter to a family as Autodesk describes (Autodesk: Add Shared Parameters to Families):

1. Open the family and click Family Types.
2. At the bottom, click New Parameter.
3. Choose Shared parameter, click Select... and pick the parameter.
4. Choose Instance or Type and click OK. Enter a value or formula.
5. Save the family and load it into a project.

Autodesk points out an important detail: the first time a family with a shared parameter is loaded into a project, the parameter definition is stored in the project. Changing the parameter's group in the family and reloading does not override the project definition, because that would affect other families using the same parameter.

To show the parameter in a tag, open the tag family, edit its Label and add that shared parameter. A full example is in structural drawing annotation in Revit. Family creation in general is covered in creating Revit families.

Parameters Service: managing parameters in the cloud

Revit 2027 has a Parameters Service button (shortcut PM) on the Manage tab. Its tooltip says it manages shared parameters and imports them into a Revit session. Autodesk Construction Cloud administrators manage parameters in this window; other users can only browse.

For companies not on Autodesk Construction Cloud, the .txt file remains a simple and sufficient way to manage shared parameters.

Common problems

Vietnamese parameter names show as boxes in schedules

With the Revit 2027 Metric Multi-discipline template, the schedule shows Mã c□u ki□n instead of Mã cấu kiện. The cause: the template's text type named 2.5mm Arial actually uses the font Trebuchet MS, which lacks many Vietnamese characters such as ả, ấ, ệ, ợ.

The fix:

1. On Annotate, click the small arrow in the corner of the Text panel to open the text Type Properties.
2. In Type, choose the text type the schedule uses.
3. Change Text Font to Arial and click OK.
4. Open the schedule, go to Properties › Appearance › Edit, and check that Title text, Header text and Body text use the corrected type.

After the change, both the on-screen schedule and the schedule on the sheet display Vietnamese correctly. Fix the font in the company template so it does not recur; see Revit templates.

Other problems

Frequently asked questions

Where are Revit shared parameters stored?

The definitions live in the .txt file you create. When a parameter is added to a project or family, Revit copies the definition into that file, so the project shows the parameter on any computer.

If the .txt file is lost, does the project lose its parameters?

No. The parameters and values are already in the project. You just cannot add that parameter to new projects or families, which is why the .txt file must be backed up.

Instance or Type?

Instance when each element has its own value, such as an element code. Type when every element of a type shares one value, such as a manufacturer's product code.

Can shared parameters be exported to IFC?

Yes. Shared parameters are the usual way to carry company-specific information into IFC files. Exporting is covered in exporting IFC from Revit.

In short, Revit shared parameters live outside the project in a .txt file and are identified by GUID. Use them to show information in tags, to schedule several categories together, or to keep one parameter set across all of a company's projects.