Get Linked Element ID — BIMO Documentation

Get Linked Element ID lets you pick one element inside a loaded Revit link and read its numeric Element ID from the linked document.

Current availability: the command is registered under BIMO > Manage, but it is hidden in the default Ribbon scheme. It appears only when enabled by the current plan, workspace, or branded ribbon configuration. If the command is missing, contact your BIMO administrator or support@bimo.tools.

When To Use It

Obtain an identifier from a linked model for coordination or debugging.
Send an element reference to a colleague together with the linked-file name.
Prepare an input value for Find Linked Element.
Confirm which linked object was picked from the host model.

Requirements

A Revit project must be open.
The project must contain a loaded Revit link.
Pick an element inside the RVT link, not the link instance itself, a host-model element, or a CAD link.

How To Use It

Run Get Linked Element ID.
Revit displays the prompt Pick an element inside a link.
Click one element inside a loaded Revit link.
BIMO displays a result such as:
Linked Element ID: 123456
Select Copy output to clipboard to copy the full result text, or close the dialog.

Press Esc to cancel the pick and finish without changes.

What The Result Represents

The command reads Reference.LinkedElementId, so the number belongs to the element inside the linked document.

The returned value:

is not the host-model RevitLinkInstance ID;
is not a UniqueId;
does not identify which instance was picked when the same link is inserted more than once;
is useful only together with the linked-file context.

To locate the object later, enter the ID in Find Linked Element and then select the required link instance.

Result And Model Impact

The command does not open a transaction or modify model elements.
It processes one picked element per run.
It has no settings, presets, or variants.
In Revit 2023 and newer builds, BIMO also sets the picked linked reference as the current Revit selection.
In earlier Revit versions, the command only shows the ID; the element not remaining highlighted is expected.

The selection change in Revit 2023+ does not alter geometry or parameters and does not require Undo.

Warnings

Record the linked-file or model name together with the ID. The number alone is not enough to coordinate across different documents.
When one linked model has several instances, the same linked element produces the same linked-document ID for every instance.
The number is not copied automatically. Use Copy output to clipboard in the result dialog.
This command does not find the element or create a 3D view. Use Find Linked Element for that workflow.

Troubleshooting

Problem	What To Check
The command is missing	It is hidden in the default Ribbon scheme. Check the plan, workspace, or branded ribbon configuration.
Revit does not let you pick the object	Click an element inside a loaded RVT link, not the link instance or a host-model element.
Pressing Esc closes the command	This is the expected cancellation path; the model remains unchanged.
The result belongs to the wrong object	Run the command again and zoom closer before picking inside the link.
The element is not left selected	Automatic selection is implemented only for Revit 2023 and newer.
You need to locate the returned ID	Run Find Linked Element, enter the ID, and select the correct link instance.
You need the number without its label	Copy the result and remove `Linked Element ID:` manually.

Known Limitations

Returns one linked-element ID per run.
Selection is limited to elements inside Revit links.
Does not display the link-file name, element type, category, or UniqueId.
Does not keep a history of previous results.
Does not include the selected link-instance context in the output.