Compare Templates

Compare Templates provides a detailed side-by-side comparison of two view templates, showing all parameter values and their controlled status. Use it to troubleshoot unexpected view behavior, standardize templates across your project, or understand the differences between similarly-named templates.

Getting Started

Find Compare Templates on the Amorphous ribbon tab in the Data Tools panel.

To access Compare Templates:

Navigate to the Amorphous tab
Find the Data Tools panel
Click the dropdown arrow on the Template Manager split button
Select Compare Templates from the menu

The command requires an open Revit document with at least two view templates to compare.

Features

Side-by-side parameter comparison - View all template parameters in a single table with both values displayed
Controlled status visibility - See which parameters are controlled by each template
Difference highlighting - Parameters with different values are highlighted for easy identification
Difference-only filtering - Toggle to show only parameters that differ between templates
Category grouping - Parameters organized by their Revit category for easier navigation
Status indicators - Clear visual feedback showing “Different” or “Same” for each parameter

How to Use

Basic Workflow

Click the dropdown arrow on Template Manager
Select “Compare Templates” from the menu
The Template Selection dialog opens
Select Template A from the first dropdown
Select Template B from the second dropdown
Click “Compare” to analyze the templates
Review the results in the comparison window

Selecting Templates

The Template Selection dialog lists all view templates in your project alphabetically. Use the dropdowns to select the two templates you want to compare:

Element	Description
Template A	The first template (displayed in left column of results)
Template B	The second template (displayed in right column of results)
Compare	Analyzes both templates and opens the results window
Cancel	Closes the dialog without comparing

Reviewing Results

The Comparison Results window displays all parameters from both templates:

Column	Description
Parameter	The parameter name (e.g., “V/G Overrides Model”, “Detail Level”)
Category	The parameter category grouping (e.g., “Graphics”, “Extents”)
Template A	Value and controlled status for the first template
Template B	Value and controlled status for the second template
Status	Shows “Different” or “Same” for quick scanning

Understanding the Value/Controlled display:

Each template column shows the parameter value followed by its controlled status in parentheses:

Standard (Controlled) - Parameter value is “Standard” and the template controls this parameter
Coarse (Not controlled) - Parameter value is “Coarse” but the template does not control it
(not set) (Not controlled) - Parameter has no value and is not controlled

Filtering to Differences

Use the “Show differences only” checkbox to focus on what matters:

Checked (default) - Shows only parameters where the templates differ
Unchecked - Shows all parameters from both templates

The filter info text (e.g., “Showing 12 of 87 parameters”) indicates how many parameters are currently displayed versus the total analyzed.

User Interface

Template Selection Dialog

Element	Purpose
Close button (X)	Closes the dialog
Template A dropdown	Select the first template to compare
Template B dropdown	Select the second template to compare
Validation message	Displays error if invalid selection (e.g., same template twice)
Cancel button	Closes without comparing
Compare button	Opens comparison results (enabled when valid selection made)

Keyboard shortcuts:

ESC - Close the dialog
Enter - Click Compare (when enabled)

Comparison Results Window

Element	Purpose
Title bar	Shows “Compare View Templates” with close button
Subtitle	Displays names of both templates being compared
Summary	Shows total parameters and number of differences found
Show differences only	Checkbox to filter the parameter list
Filter info	Shows count of visible vs. total parameters
Parameter table	Scrollable grid with all comparison data
Close button	Closes the results window

Visual indicators:

Amber/yellow row background - Parameter has different values between templates
Standard row background - Parameter values are the same

Keyboard shortcuts:

ESC - Close the window
Arrow keys - Navigate rows in the table

Use Cases

Scenario	How Compare Templates Helps
Troubleshooting view differences	Compare the template assigned to a “correct” view with a “problem” view to find the parameter causing issues
Standardizing templates	Compare office standard template with project template to identify deviations
Template cleanup	Compare similarly-named templates to determine if they’re duplicates that can be consolidated
Documentation	Export template differences for project handoff or QA documentation
Learning templates	Compare a working template with default to understand what parameters were customized
Migration verification	After copying templates between projects, verify all parameters transferred correctly

Options & Settings

Default Filter State

Option	Default	Description
Show differences only	On	When enabled, only shows parameters with different values

Window Behavior

Resizable - Drag window edges to resize (minimum 700x400 pixels)
Draggable - Click and drag the title bar or any empty area to move
Modal - The results window blocks interaction with Revit until closed
Centered - Opens centered over the Revit window

Tips

Start with differences - Keep “Show differences only” enabled to quickly identify what varies between templates, then uncheck to see the full picture
Check controlled status - A parameter might have the same value in both templates but only be controlled by one; check the controlled status when troubleshooting
Use meaningful names - Give templates descriptive names so they’re easy to identify in the dropdown lists
Compare in pairs - If you need to compare multiple templates, do pairwise comparisons (A vs B, then A vs C) to build a complete picture
Look at categories - Use the Category column to focus on specific parameter groups (Graphics, Extents, etc.)
For audit purposes - Use Template Manager to first identify which templates are in use, then use Compare Templates to analyze specific pairs

Limitations

Limitation	Details
Two templates only	Each comparison analyzes exactly two templates; for more, run multiple comparisons
Read-only	Compare Templates only displays differences; use Revit’s native template editor to make changes
Parameter values	Some complex parameters may display as “(not set)” if the API cannot retrieve their values
No export	Results cannot be exported directly; use screenshots or Template Manager’s Excel export for documentation
Linked models	Only compares templates in the active document, not linked models

Troubleshooting

Compare button stays disabled

This happens when:

The same template is selected in both dropdowns
One or both dropdowns have no selection

Solution: Select two different templates from the dropdowns.

Many parameters show “(not set)”

Some template parameters are not accessible via the Revit API, particularly for internal or specialized settings.

Workaround: Focus on the parameters that do show values; the most common graphics and visibility settings are typically available.

No differences found but views look different

If Compare Templates shows no differences but views using these templates look different:

Verify you’re comparing the correct templates
Check if views have local overrides that bypass the template
Some visual differences may come from workset visibility or linked model settings not controlled by view templates

Window appears blank or freezes

This may occur with very complex templates or in large projects.

Solution: Wait a few seconds for the comparison to complete. If the issue persists, close and reopen the tool.

Template Manager - Audit template usage across sheets and views, apply templates in bulk
Transfer VG - Copy visibility/graphics settings between views
QuickVis - Quick visual style changes and overrides