How can you avoid the “Resolve Link” dialog for title block images in Autodesk Inventor?

Yes, you absolutely can sell your Inventor add-in, and Autodesk provides a formal channel for doing so through the Autodesk App Store. Here’s what you need to know:

Selling Your Add-In via Autodesk App Store

• Eligibility
• Submission Process
• Monetization Options
• Guidelines

Step-by-Step: Enable 18' Pipe in Tube & Pipe Routes

1. Edit Content Center Family
   • Open Content Center Editor from the Tools tab.
   • Locate the pipe family you're using (e.g., ANSI B36.10 Steel Pipe).
   • Right-click → Edit Family.
   • Add a new row with:
     • Nominal Diameter: 18
     • Outside Diameter: 18.0 (or per spec)
     • Wall Thickness: as required
     • Ensure all required parameters are filled.
2. Publish the Family
   • Save and publish the updated family back to Content Center.
   • Restart Inventor if needed to refresh the library.
3. Update Tube & Pipe Style
   • Go to Tube & Pipe Styles.
   • Select your style (e.g., "Steel Pipe").
   • Click Edit next to the pipe component.
   • Click Change Size → Select the new 18' size.
   • Apply and save the style.
4. Create Route with 18' Pipe
   • Start a new route.
   • Select the updated style.
   • The 18' pipe should now be available for placement.

The "+/-" toggle in the Edit Parts List dialog controls the expansion or collapse of structured BOM rows, especially in hierarchical assemblies. Unfortunately, this UI element isn’t directly exposed via the Inventor API or VBA as a toggle method.

However, there are workarounds depending on what you're trying to achieve:

Control Structured View via PartsListRow.ChildRows

You can simulate expansion/collapse by hiding or showing child rows programmatically. Here's a VBA snippet that toggles visibility:

Dim oDrawDoc As DrawingDocument
Set oDrawDoc = ThisApplication.ActiveDocument

Dim oPartsList As PartsList
Set oPartsList = oDrawDoc.ActiveSheet.PartsLists.Item(1)

Dim oRow As PartsListRow
For Each oRow In oPartsList.PartsListRows
    If oRow.ChildRows.Count > 0 Then
        ' Toggle visibility of child rows
        Dim oChildRow As PartsListRow
        For Each oChildRow In oRow.ChildRows
            oChildRow.Visible = Not oChildRow.Visible
        Next
    End If
Next

This doesn’t affect the "+/-" icon directly, but it mimics the behavior by collapsing or expanding rows.

Use HealthStatus to Detect Failure

Every feature in Inventor has a HealthStatus property. You can use this to check if a feature is up-to-date, suppressed, or has failed.

Example (VBA-style pseudocode):

Dim oFeature As PartFeature
Set oFeature = oPartDoc.ComponentDefinition.Features.Item(\"MyExtrude\")

If oFeature.HealthStatus <> kUpToDateHealth And oFeature.HealthStatus <> kSuppressedHealth Then
    oFeature.Suppressed = True
End If

Use ApplicationEvents.OnSaveDocument with Filtering

You can hook into the global OnSaveDocument event and check whether the document being saved is a part, even if the save was triggered from an assembly.

VB.NET Add-In Example

Private Sub m_ApplicationEvents_OnSaveDocument( _
    ByVal DocumentObject As Inventor.Document, _
    ByVal BeforeOrAfter As Inventor.EventTimingEnum, _
    ByVal Context As Inventor.NameValueMap, _
    ByRef HandlingCode As Inventor.HandlingCodeEnum) _
    Handles m_ApplicationEvents.OnSaveDocument

    If BeforeOrAfter = EventTimingEnum.kBefore Then
        If TypeOf DocumentObject Is PartDocument Then
            ' Optional: Check if this is being saved as part of an assembly save
            ' You can compare with ActiveDocument or use Context map
            Dim partDoc As PartDocument = CType(DocumentObject, PartDocument)
            ' Run your logic here
        End If
    End If
End Sub