Forge - The category 'rfaFile' in '$(rfaFile)' is unrecognized - api

Question

We are getting an error while executing a WorkItem in Forge's Design Automation API.
The error is this:
Error: The category 'rfaFile' in '$(rfaFile)' is unrecognized. Valid values are args, settings, appbundles, engine, engines.
And it happens right after the 'Start preparing script and command line parameters.' in the report.txt. We are not really sure why's this happening. It looks like the error is thrown in the activity. The activity looks like this:
function publishActivity() {
return $.ajax({
url: "/api/forge/design_automation/activities",
headers: {
"X-CSRF-Token": csrfToken,
"Forge-Token": forgeToken
},
method: "POST",
contentType: "application/json",
data: JSON.stringify({
activity: {
"id": "DeleteWallsActivity",
"commandLine": [ "$(engine.path)\\\\revitcoreconsole.exe /i \"$(args[rfaFile].path)\" /al \"$(appbundles[TestAppId].path)\"" ],
"parameters": {
"rfaFile": {
"zip": false,
"ondemand": false,
"verb": "get",
"description": "Input Revit model",
"required": true,
"localName": "$(rfaFile)"
},
"result": {
"zip": false,
"ondemand": false,
"verb": "put",
"description": "Results",
"required": true,
"localName": "result.rfa"
},
"inputJson": {
"verb": "get",
"description": "input json",
"localName": "params.json",
"ondemand": false,
"required": false,
"zip": false
}
},
"engine": "Autodesk.Revit+2021",
"appbundles": [ "petar3db.TestAppId+test" ],
"description": "Deletes walls from Revit file."
}
})
}).done(function(data) {
console.log("Activity created");
bundleUploadData = data["uploadParameters"];
}).fail(function(jqXHR, textStatus) {
console.log("Failed to create activity", jqXHR.responseJSON);
console.log(jqXHR, textStatus);
});
}
and it looks like the "localName": "$(rfaFile)" is causing the trouble.
Let's take a look at our WorkItem code which we execute via websockets:
{
"headers": {
"Authorization" : "Bearer <token here>"
},
"action": "post-workitem",
"data": {
"activityId": "petar3db.DeleteWallsActivity+test",
"arguments": {
"rfaFile": {"url": "https://developer.api.autodesk.com/oss/v2/signedresources/da992c60-a3d7-469d-8c3e-d0f089e2e509?region=US", "pathInZip": "emptyfam.rfa"},
"result": {"verb": "put", "url": "https://developer.api.autodesk.com/oss/v2/signedresources/b78151c1-93aa-495f-96c8-183bca26e071?region=US"},
"inputJson": {"localName": "params.json", "url": "the url to the file"}
}
}
}
the really strange part is that this process worked just fine and started throwing this error when we added "inputJson" into the activity and workItem. (We want to send some JSON data to the AppBundle with the WorkItem)
What can be the issue? Are missing something?

Answer 1

As for "localName": "$(rfaFile)", to be noted that if the local name is defined like this, Design Automation will come up a valid name for this argument by its own logic. If you want to fully control the input file, such as accessing it in the addin(Appbundles)'s code, it is recommended to define a "real" localName instead, e.g. "localName": "input.rfa"
In your case above, you may need to:
Remove /i \"$(args[rfaFile].path)\" from commandLine in the Activity
Define "localName": "inputRFA", so the input will be downloaded, unzipped as a folder named as inputRFA. emptyfam.rfa should be under this folder.
Call OpenDocumentFile in the addin to open a Revit file, get document
Call document.LoadFamily(".\inputRFA\emptyfam.rfa", out family); in the adding to open/load rfa file. See this Revit API

Answer 2

There is a mismatch in parameter name in activity with the argument name in workitem. Correct way to post the workitem should be:
{
"headers": {
"Authorization" : "Bearer <token here>"
},
"action": "post-workitem",
"data": {
"activityId": "petar3db.DeleteWallsActivity+test",
"arguments": {
"rfaFile": {"url": "https://developer.api.autodesk.com/oss/v2/signedresources/da992c60-a3d7-469d-8c3e-d0f089e2e509?region=US", "pathInZip": "emptyfam.rfa"},
"result": {"verb": "put", "url": "https://developer.api.autodesk.com/oss/v2/signedresources/b78151c1-93aa-495f-96c8-183bca26e071?region=US"},
"inputJson": {"localName": "params.json", "url": "the url to the file"}
}
}
}
Change the argument field rvtFile to rfaFile.