Name Rules Panel

Construct powerful naming formulas by combining parameters, prefixes, suffixes, and custom formatting options.

Overview

The Name Rules panel is the core of Rename Pro. It is where you set up and edit the naming conventions for your family types.

You can combine parameters from the Parameters panel with prefixes, suffixes, and custom formatting options to create a naming convention that meets your specific needs. Each row in the Name Rules panel represents a segment of the generated name, composed of parameter values and their optional formatting.

The order of the rows directly corresponds to the order of segments in the generated name: the first row represents the first segment, the second row the second segment, and so on.

Section Header

The section header displays the name of the current category and the total number of name rules (rows) defined for it.

Name Rules Grid

Columns

Column	Description
Row Indicator	`▶` for selected row, `≡` for Compound Structure parameter, open circle `○` for Shared Parameter
Prefix	Static text prepended before the parameter value
Keep Start	Number of characters to keep from the start of the parameter value
Parameter	The Revit parameter name used for this name segment
Keep End	Number of characters to keep from the end of the parameter value
Suffix	Static text appended after the parameter value
Separator	Character(s) placed between this segment and the next
Yes Value	Value to use when a `Yes/No` parameter is `Yes` (grayed out for non-boolean)
No Value	Value to use when a `Yes/No` parameter is `No` (grayed out for non-boolean)
Default	Fallback value when the parameter is empty or when it holds a default value like `<By Category>`
Case	Text case transformation dropdown — transform the value to the selected case
Units	Unit format settings for numeric parameters. See Units Format Dialog.

Case Dropdown Options

Option	Effect
(empty)	No transformation — keeps original case
UPPERCASE	Converts all characters to uppercase
lowercase	Converts all characters to lowercase
Capitalize Word	Capitalizes the first letter of each word
tOGGLE cASE	Inverts the case of each character

Units Button

For parameters with units, you have the ability to format them independently of the standard Revit document units. For example, if your document units are set to inches, you can easily format the output value of a specific parameter to display in millimeters. See the Units Format Dialog for more details.

Separator Character (␠)

The separator character ␠ is a visual placeholder that represents a space in your name rules. Because it can be difficult to visually identify an empty space in the naming formula, this character is displayed instead. It is not stored in the JSON settings file or included as ␠ in the new name; it is correctly converted back to a standard space during processing.

When you press the spacebar in any supported field, it will automatically be converted to the ␠ character.

Footer Controls

Prefix Identifier / Suffix Identifier

The Prefix Identifier and Suffix Identifier are used to preserve specific parts of an existing name.

If a prefix identifier (e.g., ...) is defined, the renaming algorithm will retain the original name up to those characters and only replace the portion of the name that follows. Conversely, if a suffix identifier is defined, the algorithm will update the beginning of the name and preserve everything from the suffix identifier onwards.

Examples:

If you set the prefix identifier to ..., a Family Type name like Basement Doors...900x2100x150 will always retain Basement Doors... as its prefix, while the dimensions will change depending on your name rules.
If you set the suffix identifier to ..., a Family Type name like 900x2100x150...Basement Doors will always retain ...Basement Doors as its suffix, while the dimensions will change depending on your name rules.

Edit Compound Structure Button

Certain built-in Revit categories (such as Basic Walls, Compound Ceilings, and others) feature a compound structure parameter. Rename Pro allows you to set up specific, nested rules for these compound structures.

To activate this button, you must first add a structure parameter to your naming rules. This is indicated by the three lines (≡) symbol in the row header indicator. For more information, see the Compound Rules Dialog.

Sort Buttons

The Up Up Arrow and Down Down Arrow sort buttons allow you to reorder parameters within your naming rules formula. Simply select a parameter, a cell within its row, or the entire row, and click the up or down arrows to change its position.

Workflows

Creating a Basic Naming Rule

Select a category in the Categories panel and ensure its checkbox is checked.
In the Parameters panel, scroll down to find the parameter you want to include in your name rule.
Select the parameter and click the right-pointing arrow to add it to the Name Rules panel.
Repeat this process for any additional parameters you wish to include.

Reordering Rules

You can easily change the sequence of segments in your generated name by reordering the parameters in the Name Rules panel. Select any cell or the entire row, and use the up and down arrows located at the bottom right of the panel to move it. Moving a parameter up or down directly shifts its position from left to right in the final output name.

Using Prefix and Suffix

You can assign a custom prefix or suffix to any parameter. These additions will only be applied to the generated name if the parameter actually contains a value.

Trimming Values with Keep Start / Keep End

You can trim parameter values by entering a number into the Keep Start or Keep End cells for a parameter. This will limit the segment to a specific number of characters from either the beginning or the end of the original value, before it is added to the new name.

Shortcuts

Double-click on a row header to remove the parameter from the Name Rules panel and return it to the Parameters panel.