Is it possible to trigger a Print Preview–style output from Autodesk Inventor using the API?

You’ve got excellent chances-Inventor’s API gives you solid control over renumbering items in a BOM (via BOMView) within an assembly document. Specifically, the BOMView.Renumber method lets you renumber all or selected rows in either the Structured or Parts Only views.

Think of OnSaveDocument like a security camera watching every document in the building-it notices when any file is being saved, and even lets you jump in before the save to stop or modify it. It’s great when you need a ‘big picture’ control. Now, OnSave is more like a door chime on a single office-it just gives you a heads-up when that one document gets saved, and it only rings after the save is done. You can’t stop the save, but you can do something afterward, like update metadata or log it.' Each has its purpose depending on how wide a net you want to cast with your code.

Use a .NET Add-In Instead of VBA

If you're generating the property programmatically, store it in a hidden or obfuscated way:

• Use a non-obvious property name (e.g., _sys_lock_123).
• Store the value in a hidden property set or embed it in a custom XML tag inside the document.
• Avoid exposing it in the iProperties UI.

This way, only your add-in knows how to read/write it.

Visual Studio .NET is widely used for developing Autodesk Inventor add-ins, especially from Inventor 11 onward. Even for Inventor 10, many developers have successfully used Visual Studio .NET (with VB.NET or C#) to build automation tools and UI extensions.

Use a Custom Project Library Folder

• Create a folder on your network or local drive with all your standard .ipt and .iam files.
• In Inventor, go to Projects > Configure Project.
• Under Libraries, add your folder path.
• Save and activate the project.