Apps
Merge View - User Guide
Sample Code Revit Batch Processor 1.1.16 documentation
The Merge View is where you process incoming documents. This is the main screen you’ll use daily to:
Match incoming files to documents in your database
Record revision information
Review matching status before processing
Merge files into their final locations
Think of this view as your document processing workbench. All the settings you configured earlier come together here to help you quickly process batches of documents.
This guide covers how to use the Revision Information section and understand the Document Matching Results.
Before processing documents, you need to provide two pieces of information about the revision batch:
What it is: The official date for this revision batch.
Why it matters: This date is saved with each document’s revision history. It might be:
The date you issued drawings for construction
The date documents were submitted to the client
The date of a planning submission
Any other significant milestone date
How to use it:
Click on the date picker control
A calendar will pop up
Navigate to the month and year you need
Click the date to select it
The selected date will appear in the control
Important: You must select a date before you can merge documents. The “Merge Documents” button won’t work until you’ve chosen a date.
Tips:
Use the date from your project transmittal or cover sheet
Be consistent - decide if you’re using issue dates, approval dates, etc., and stick with it
The date format shown depends on your computer’s regional settings
What it is: A brief description explaining what this revision is for.
Why it matters: This helps you (and anyone else) understand the purpose of the revision when looking at document history later. Good descriptions make it easy to find specific revisions.
How to use it:
Click in the text box
Start typing your description
As you type, you’ll see suggestions appear below the box
These suggestions come from descriptions you’ve used before
Click a suggestion to use it, or keep typing your own
The Smart Suggestions Feature:
As soon as you start typing, the application looks through your previous revision descriptions and shows you ones that start with what you’ve typed.
Example:
You type: “Issued”
You see suggestions like:
Issued for Construction
Issued for Tender
Issued for Approval
Click one to use it, or keep typing your own description
Why this helps:
Keeps your descriptions consistent
Saves typing time
Reduces typos
Helps you remember the exact wording you used before
Important: You must enter a description before you can merge documents. The “Merge Documents” button won’t work until you’ve provided one.
Good Examples:
“Issued for Construction”
“Client Comments Incorporated”
“Planning Submission”
“Reissued - Contractor Queries Answered”
Avoid vague descriptions like:
“Updates” (What updates?)
“Changes” (What changed?)
“Version 2” (Why version 2?)
The “Merge Documents” button will only become active (clickable) when you’ve provided both pieces of information:
✓ Revision Date - Selected from the date picker ✓ Revision Description - Entered in the text box
If the button is grayed out, check that you’ve filled in both fields.
Note: The button also requires that your database is connected and the system isn’t busy processing something else.
After the application scans your incoming folder, it shows you a list of all files it found and whether it could match each one to a document in your database. This section helps you understand what you’re looking at and what actions you might need to take.
The results appear in a table in the middle of the screen, with a summary bar at the top and action buttons at the bottom.
At the top of the results table, you’ll see a summary that gives you a quick overview:
Total: How many files were found in your incoming folder
Matched: How many files were successfully matched and are ready to process (shown in green)
Warnings: How many files have minor issues but can still be processed (shown in orange)
No Match: How many files couldn’t be matched or have errors that need fixing (shown in red)
Example:
Total: 25 | Matched: 18 | Warnings: 3 | No Match: 4
This tells you that out of 25 files, 18 are good to go, 3 have warnings you should be aware of, and 4 need attention before they can be processed.
Below the summary, you’ll see a table with one row for each file found in your incoming folder. The table has alternating white and light gray rows to make it easier to read.
Here’s what each column tells you:
This column shows a colored circle that quickly tells you the status of each file:
🟢 Green Circle - All Good
The file was successfully matched to a document in your database
The revision is the next logical step from what’s currently in the database
You can merge this file without any concerns
Hover your mouse over the circle to see more details
🟠 Orange Circle - Warning
The file was matched to a document, but there’s something to be aware of
Usually means the revision isn’t sequential (for example, going from revision B to revision D, skipping C)
You CAN still merge these files - the warning just alerts you to check if this is intentional
Hover over the circle to see exactly what the issue is
🔴 Red Circle - Error (Needs Attention)
Something is preventing this file from being processed
There are three types of red circle errors:
Missing Revision Information
The application couldn’t find revision information in the filename
Check that your filename includes the revision markers you configured in Settings
Example error: “No revision information found in filename”
Duplicate Document
You have multiple files of the same type trying to match the same document
For example: Two PDFs both trying to match document ABC-001
Remove the duplicate or process files separately
The error message will list all the duplicate filenames
No Match Found
The application couldn’t find a matching document in your database
The document number in the filename doesn’t exist in your database
Use the “Add New Documents” button to add it, or check if the filename format is correct
Tip: Always hover your mouse over the colored circle to see the full explanation.
Shows the name of the file in your incoming folder.
Example: ABC-001-Rev-A.pdf
This is just the filename, not the full path to where it’s stored.
Shows the revision code that was extracted from the filename.
Examples:
A, B, C (letter revisions)
01, 02, 03 (number revisions)
P01, P02 (prefixed revisions)
If blank: The application couldn’t find revision information in the filename, which will cause a red error status.
Shows the document number from your database that the file matched to.
Example: ABC-001
If blank: No matching document was found in your database (red “No Match Found” error).
Shows the document name/title from your database. This helps you confirm the right document was matched.
Example: Ground Floor Plan
If blank: No match was found.
Shows the current revision of the matched document in your database.
Example: If the database shows revision B and your incoming file is revision C, you’ll see:
Incoming Rev: C
Current Rev: B
Status: Green (C follows B)
If your incoming file skipped a revision (like going from B to D), you’ll see an orange warning.
A plain-English explanation of what’s happening with this file.
Examples you might see:
Green Status:
“Match OK - Sequential revision”
“Match found”
Orange Warning:
“Warning - Revision not sequential (Current: A, Incoming: C)”
This means the database shows revision A, but your incoming file is revision C (skipping B)
Red Errors:
“ERROR - No revision information found in filename (blocks merge)”
Check your filename format and Settings configuration
“ERROR - Duplicate document (blocks merge). Same file type matched to document ABC-001. Duplicates: ABC-001-A.pdf, ABC-001-A-Copy.pdf”
Multiple files are trying to match the same document - remove duplicates
“No match found”
This document number isn’t in your database
When the application checks a file, it can find multiple issues. But it only shows you one status per file - the most important issue.
Here’s the order of importance (most serious first):
🔴 Missing Revision (Most Serious)
If a file has no revision information, this error shows up first
Even if the file matches a document, the missing revision is the critical problem
🔴 Duplicate Document
If you have multiple files of the same type for the same document
Only checked if the file has revision information
🔴 No Match
The document number isn’t in your database
🟠 Revision Not Sequential
The file matches, but the revision skips a number
This is just a warning - you can still merge
🟢 All Good (Least Serious)
Everything checks out fine
Example: Imagine you have a file called ABC-001.pdf (no revision in the name).
The document ABC-001 exists in your database
But you’ll still see a red “Missing Revision” error
That’s because missing revision is more important than whether it matched
Another Example: You have two files: ABC-001-Rev-A.pdf and ABC-001-Rev-A-Copy.pdf
Both are PDFs trying to match document ABC-001
You’ll see a red “Duplicate Document” error
The application can’t tell which one is the right file to use
The application checks if your incoming revision is the “next” logical revision after what’s currently in the database.
Sequential means: The next letter in the alphabet
Examples:
Current: A, Incoming: B → ✓ Sequential (green)
Current: A, Incoming: C → ✗ Not Sequential (orange warning)
Current: B, Incoming: C → ✓ Sequential (green)
Sequential means: The next number in sequence
Examples:
Current: 5, Incoming: 6 → ✓ Sequential (green)
Current: 5, Incoming: 7 → ✗ Not Sequential (orange warning)
Current: 01, Incoming: 02 → ✓ Sequential (green)
For more complex revision numbering, the application currently accepts any incoming revision without a warning. This can be customized based on your specific needs.
If a document in your database doesn’t have a revision yet (the revision field is blank), any incoming revision is accepted as OK.
The list of files and their matching status updates automatically in these situations:
You click the Refresh button: This is the manual way to update the list whenever you want.
After you add new documents: When you use the “Add New Documents” button and successfully add documents to the database, the list automatically refreshes to show you the new matches.
After you merge documents: Once the merge process completes, the list refreshes to show you which files are still in the incoming folder.
Tip: If you add or remove files from your incoming folder outside the application (using Windows Explorer, for example), click the Refresh button to see the changes.
Hover over colored circles: Move your mouse over any colored status circle to see a tooltip with detailed information about that file’s status.
Click a row: You can click on any row to select it. The row will be highlighted.
Scroll through results: If you have many files, use the scrollbar on the right or your mouse wheel to scroll through the list.
Review the results: Look through the list to see which files are ready (green), which have warnings (orange), and which need attention (red).
Fix issues: Based on what you see, you might need to:
Remove duplicate files from your incoming folder
Check that filenames have revision information
Add missing documents to your database
Refresh when needed: After making changes, click the Refresh button to see updated results.
Add new documents: If you have files with “No match found,” you can add them to your database using the “Add New Documents” button.
Proceed with merge: Once you’re satisfied with the results and have entered revision information, click the “Merge Documents” button.
At the top of the screen, you’ll see messages that tell you what’s happening:
Blue/Gray Messages: General information (auto-disappears after a few seconds)
“Successfully matched 18 documents. 3 warnings.”
“Refresh completed.”
Orange/Yellow Messages: Warnings that need your attention (stay visible longer)
“Document matching completed with issues. 15 can be merged, 3 warnings. Errors: 2 missing revision, 1 duplicate, 4 no match.”
Red Messages: Errors that need to be fixed (stay visible until you dismiss them)
“Error during document matching: [details of what went wrong]”
Check Your Settings:
Make sure your incoming folder path is correct
Verify your revision markers (prefix and suffix) match your file naming
Confirm your filing rules are set up correctly
Make sure all the file types you use are listed in supported file types
Check Your Database:
Ensure your database is connected
Verify the documents in your database are up to date
Green Circles (All Good):
Double-check the matched document number is what you expect
Verify the revision makes sense (going from A to B, 1 to 2, etc.)
These files are ready to process
Orange Circles (Warning):
Read the warning message to understand what’s not sequential
Decide if the revision jump is intentional (sometimes you skip revisions)
These files CAN still be merged - the warning is just alerting you
If it’s a mistake, you may want to fix it before merging
Red Circles (Error):
Missing Revision: Check your filename includes the revision markers
Duplicate: Remove extra copies of files or rename them
No Match: Either add the document to your database or check if the filename is correct
Processing Many Files at Once:
Look at the summary numbers first to get an overview
Focus on fixing red errors before anything else
Deal with duplicates first, then missing revisions, then no matches
Frequent Orange Warnings:
If you often skip revisions (like going from A to C), this is normal
The warnings are just making sure you’re aware
You can still merge - just make sure it’s intentional
Lots of “No Match Found” Errors:
This usually means you have new documents that aren’t in your database yet
Use the “Add New Documents” button to add them in a batch
Or double-check that your filing rules are extracting document numbers correctly
What you see: The table is empty, Total count shows 0
What to check:
Is your incoming folder path correct? (Check in Settings)
Are there actually files in that folder?
Do the files have file extensions you’ve set up as supported? (Check Settings)
Can you open the folder in Windows Explorer?
What you see: All files have red circles with “No match found”
What to check:
Is your database connected?
Does your database actually have documents in it?
Are your filing rules extracting the document numbers correctly from filenames?
Try testing with one file you know should match
What you see: All files have red circles saying “ERROR - No revision information found”
What to check:
Do your filenames actually include revision information?
Are the revision prefix and suffix in Settings correct?
Does the prefix and suffix match exactly what’s in your filenames?
Example: If your files look like ABC-001-Rev-A.pdf, your prefix should be Rev- and suffix should be something like .pdf
What you see: Multiple files showing “ERROR - Duplicate document”
What to check:
Do you have actual duplicate files in your incoming folder?
Look for files with names like Document(1).pdf or Document-Copy.pdf
Remove or rename the duplicates
What you see: Matched + Warnings + No Match doesn’t equal Total
This is normal! The “No Match” count includes all the red errors (missing revision, duplicates, and actual no matches). Some categories overlap.
The Refresh operation is usually pretty quick:
Few files (under 100): Less than a second
Medium batch (100-500): A few seconds
Large batch (500-1000): 5-15 seconds
Very large batch (over 1000): 15-30 seconds or more
What affects speed:
How many files are in your incoming folder
How many documents are in your database
How complex your filing rules are
Tip: Keep your incoming folder organized. After processing files, move them out or archive them so the folder doesn’t get too full.
Everything you see in the Merge View comes from settings you configured earlier:
From Current Folder Settings:
Incoming Folder Path: Where the application looks for files
Revision Prefix/Suffix: How the application finds revision information in filenames
Filing Rules: How the application figures out document numbers from filenames
Supported File Types: Which files the application processes
From Database Settings:
Documents: The list of documents that incoming files are matched against
Current Revisions: What the incoming revisions are compared to
Once you’ve reviewed the results and entered revision information, clicking “Merge Documents” will:
Update your database with the new revision information
Move files to their final locations based on your filing rules
Export metadata if you have cloud integration enabled
Give you a summary of what was processed
This is covered in more detail in separate documentation about the merge process.
🟢 Green = All good, ready to merge 🟠 Orange = Warning, can still merge but be aware 🔴 Red = Error, needs to be fixed before merging
Message |
What It Means |
What To Do |
|---|---|---|
No match found |
Document number not in database |
Use “Add New Documents” or check filename |
ERROR - No revision information found |
Filename doesn’t have revision markers |
Check filename format and Settings |
ERROR - Duplicate document |
Multiple files for same document+type |
Remove duplicate files |
Warning - Revision not sequential |
Revision skips a number/letter |
Verify this is intentional, can still merge |
[ ] Review all red errors and fix them
[ ] Check orange warnings and confirm they’re OK
[ ] Verify green matches look correct
[ ] Enter Revision Date
[ ] Enter Revision Description
[ ] Click “Merge Documents” when ready