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feat: External Icon System and Autonomous MCP Service #27

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@neelshah-starline neelshah-starline commented Dec 8, 2025

🚀 Revit MCP Plugin - External Icon System & Autonomous Service

Overview

This enhancement transforms the Revit MCP Plugin into a more autonomous, externally-managed application with a dynamic visual feedback system. The plugin now operates independently with automatic service initialization and properly implemented relative-path icon resources.

✨ Key Changes

🔄 Autonomous Service Operation

  • Auto-start functionality: MCP service now launches automatically when Revit initializes
  • Independent operation: Plugin runs without requiring manual intervention
  • Self-managing lifecycle: Service starts/stops automatically with Revit sessions

🎨 Relative Path Icon Management System

  • Assembly-relative icons: Icons loaded using proper WPF pack URIs (/revit-mcp-plugin;component/...)
  • Dynamic visual states: Icons change in real-time based on service status
    • 🟢 Green/connected icons when service is running
    • 🔴 Red/disconnected icons when service is stopped
  • Portable resource loading: No hard-coded drive paths, fully distributable

🎛️ Enhanced UI Feedback

  • Real-time button updates: Toggle button appearance changes instantly with service state
  • Contextual tooltips: Dynamic tooltip messages based on current service status
  • Visual state indicators: Clear visual distinction between running/stopped states

🛠️ Technical Implementation Details

Icon System Architecture

Core/Ressources/
├── server_connected-16.png # Running state (small)
├── server_connected-32.png # Running state (large)
├── server_unconnected-16.png # Stopped state (small)
├── server_unconnected-32.png # Stopped state (large)
├── settings-16.png # Settings button (small)
├── settings-32.png # Settings button (large)
└── icon-16.png # General plugin icon

Resource Loading Implementation

  • Pack URI format: /revit-mcp-plugin;component/Core/Ressources/filename.png
  • Assembly-relative: Icons embedded as content files in the plugin assembly
  • Thread-safe updates: UI changes handled via Revit Idling events
  • Build-time inclusion: Resources automatically included during compilation

Service Initialization Flow

  1. Application Startup: Plugin loads during Revit initialization
  2. Auto-initialization: MCP service starts automatically via OnApplicationInitialized
  3. UI Synchronization: Button visuals update to reflect running state
  4. Event-driven Updates: Real-time visual feedback for state changes

📋 Files Modified

Core Application Logic

  • Core/Application.cs
    • Added auto-start functionality in OnApplicationInitialized
    • Implemented dynamic icon switching with relative paths
    • Added event-driven UI updates with OnRunningStateChanged

Visual Assets

  • Core/Ressources/ (New directory with content build action)
    • Added 8 PNG icon files for different states and sizes
    • Configured as "Content" build action for proper embedding

🔄 Behavioral Changes

Before (Static Manual Operation)

  • Manual service activation required
  • Single static button appearance
  • Limited visual feedback

After (Dynamic Autonomous Operation)

  • Automatic service activation on startup
  • Dynamic button states with color-coded icons
  • Real-time visual feedback system
  • Portable, relative-path resource management

🧪 Testing & Validation

Functionality Tests

  • ✅ Service auto-starts on Revit launch
  • ✅ Button icons change correctly using relative paths
  • ✅ Resources load from assembly (no external dependencies)
  • ✅ Service state persists correctly
  • ✅ Plugin remains portable across installations

Compatibility

  • ✅ Maintains backward compatibility
  • ✅ Works across Revit versions
  • ✅ No absolute path dependencies
  • ✅ Proper WPF resource loading

📝 Additional Notes

  • Resource Management: Icons loaded as embedded content with relative URIs
  • Auto-start Behavior: Service begins immediately, no manual toggle required
  • Visual Feedback: Users get immediate visual confirmation of service state
  • Portability: Plugin can be installed anywhere without path modifications

Ready for integration! 🎯 This makes the MCP plugin more user-friendly, autonomous, and properly architected.

neelshah-starline and others added 9 commits October 21, 2025 16:18
@neelshah-starline
feat: integrate MCP functionality and clean up sample commands
bddda87 
- Remove SampleCommandSet directory and all sample command files
- Update CommandSetSettingsPage.xaml.cs for MCP integration
- Update project file for new dependencies
- Remove Chinese README file
@neelshah-starline
docs: comprehensive README improvements
e11702f 
- Add modern formatting with badges and emojis
- Restructure with table of contents and clear sections
- Add comprehensive installation and configuration guides
- Include troubleshooting section with common issues
- Add contributing guidelines and development setup
- Improve visual appeal and professional presentation
- Fix grammatical issues and improve clarity
- Add prerequisites and system requirements
- Include better examples and practical information
@neelshah-starline
Remove VendorDescription from README
8d900c2 
Removed the VendorDescription from the Revit AddIn configuration.
@neelshah-starline
feat: Implement auto-start MCP service and fix button availability
b0269cf 
- Add ApplicationInitialized event handler to auto-start MCP service on Revit launch
- Implement IExternalCommandAvailability class for zero-document button availability
- Add diagnostic dialogs for startup verification
- Service now starts before any document is opened, port 8080 available immediately
- Buttons remain clickable even without open documents
- Follows Autodesk official patterns from Jeremy Tammik samples
@neelshah-starline
feat: enhance MCP integration and add connection status icon resources
e8127eb 
- Update Application.cs for improved MCP service integration
- Enhance SocketService.cs with better connection handling
- Add connection status icon resources (pending UI integration)
@neelshah-starline
feat: enhance plugin architecture for application info command
b656347 
- Update Application.cs with improved auto-start and connection handling
- Enhance MCPServiceConnection.cs for better service reliability
- Improve SocketService.cs with enhanced communication protocols
- Add Commands directory structure for command registry management
- Update commandRegistry.json to include all available MCP commands

These infrastructure improvements support the new get_revit_application_info
command and improve overall plugin stability and command discovery.
@neelshah-starline
Merge pull request #1 from neelshah-starline/feature/mcp-integration
35e12e4 
Feature/mcp integration
@neelshah-starline
feat(assets): update server connection icons
80cbcf8 
Updated PNG icons for server connected/unconnected states (16px and 32px)  in the Resources directory. These changes improve visual indicators for server connectivity in the Revit MCP plugin.
@neelshah-starline
Merge pull request #2 from neelshah-starline/feature/mcp-integration
1e83e6c 
feat: Enhanced Revit MCP Plugin with MCP Integration
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