# Deleting zombie Parameters

**URL:** <https://forum.dynamobim.com/t/deleting-zombie-parameters/112603>\
**Category:** Revit\
**Created:** [October 7, 2025, 9:26am UTC](https://forum.dynamobim.com/t/deleting-zombie-parameters/112603 "2025-10-07T09:26:34Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 8\
**Page:** 1

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**Author:** ![JBE](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/f6c823/32.png) [@JBE](https://forum.dynamobim.com/u/JBE)\
**Post date:** [October 7, 2025, 9:26am UTC](https://forum.dynamobim.com/t/deleting-zombie-parameters/112603/1 "2025-10-07T09:26:34Z")

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Hi, I’m trying to delete specific redundant parameters from a model (needs to work in both Revit 2024 and 2025), some are vanilla project parameters and some are project parameters created from shared parameters.

In Dynamo i can use Clockwork’s Document.ProjectParameters to capture all the project parameters created from Shared Parameters (not sure why it doesn’t pick up vanilla project parameters), and I can delete them with the OOB Delete node. They vanish from the Revit UI as desired but they live on in the database to be picked up again by the Clockwork node as Zombie parameters.

In Rhino.Inside Revit I can collect the vanilla project parameters and project parameters from shared parameters but I can only delete the vanilla project parameters, but those must definitely be gone from the database as RIR doesn’t collect them anymore.

In Python in Dynamo, i can collect _all_ the parameters, delete both the vanilla and project parameters from shared parameters, but they all live on as zombie parameters (this is the case with the OOB, GeniusLoci and Springs delete nodes).

What I’m looking for is killing these redundant vanilla and project from shared parameters the way you can with the Lookup tool. Any advice please? (This seems to be an API question?)

Thanks!

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**Author:** ![Marcel\_Rijsmus](https://sea2.discourse-cdn.com/flex022/user_avatar/forum.dynamobim.com/marcel_rijsmus/32/8539_2.png) [@Marcel\_Rijsmus](https://forum.dynamobim.com/u/Marcel_Rijsmus)\
**Post date:** [October 7, 2025, 10:37am UTC](https://forum.dynamobim.com/t/deleting-zombie-parameters/112603/2 "2025-10-07T10:37:15Z")

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Hey,

Try this

> **[Purge Shared Parameters From a Revit Model | OpenDefinery/Blog](https://opendefinery.com/blog/purging-shared-parameters-in-revit/)**
>
> I made a critical mistake when launching my BIM program at one of the largest tech conglomerates in the world... Oh, and I found a way to fix it, too. I have always felt that BIM standards should always focus primarily on the data structure of...

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**Author:** ![JBE](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/f6c823/32.png) [@JBE](https://forum.dynamobim.com/u/JBE)\
**Post date:** [October 7, 2025, 10:50am UTC](https://forum.dynamobim.com/t/deleting-zombie-parameters/112603/3 "2025-10-07T10:50:38Z")

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Thanks Marcel, that Lookup\>SnoopDB\>Delete is what i want to replicate but i need to be able to do it en masse for numerous specific parameters.

There’s a handy warning in there though about it deleting those parameters from the families too, which is both risky and super helpful depending on the context.

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**Author:** ![Mike.Buttery](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/b19c9b/32.png) [@Mike.Buttery](https://forum.dynamobim.com/u/Mike.Buttery)\
**Post date:** [October 7, 2025, 11:54pm UTC](https://forum.dynamobim.com/t/deleting-zombie-parameters/112603/4 "2025-10-07T23:54:09Z")

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Simple graph; select, filter, check, delete - be careful what you wish for

 ![delete_shared_parameters](https://us1.discourse-cdn.com/flex022/uploads/dynamobim/original/3X/a/b/abcee2982cb21a392322ea558eec7dcdc30caf43.png)

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<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![JBE](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/f6c823/32.png) [@JBE](https://forum.dynamobim.com/u/JBE)\
**Post date:** [October 8, 2025, 7:57am UTC](https://forum.dynamobim.com/t/deleting-zombie-parameters/112603/5 "2025-10-08T07:57:58Z")

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Hi Mike, thanks for this, i copied your graph and it worked perfectly, the parameters are no longer collected by All Elements of Class and the total number of parameters goes down.

Which is very confusing! I think the problem is I’ve been using a Python script with a FilteredElementCollector().OfClass(ParameterElement) instead of the AllElementsOfClass node and that still finds the deleted parameter, (but can’t find a specific project parameter i created for the test that is visible in the UI).

So it looks like the solution is to select the parameters by Class using the OOB node (especially as my Python script is behaving erratically). Thanks!

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**Author:** ![rsantosDWTCQ](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/a8b319/32.png) [@rsantosDWTCQ](https://forum.dynamobim.com/u/rsantosDWTCQ)\
**Post date:** [September 15, 2026, 4:55am UTC](https://forum.dynamobim.com/t/deleting-zombie-parameters/112603/6 "2026-09-15T04:55:42Z")

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Hi Mike, i tried your given graph and it seems it collected wisely the unnecessary paramaters that i prefer to delete. But i am having error on last output which is to delete them. Can you help me why is having that?

 ![image](https://us1.discourse-cdn.com/flex022/uploads/dynamobim/original/3X/2/c/2cb76fb1ea1287b84d7ee56fb533d6c03b434a13.jpeg)

 ![image](https://us1.discourse-cdn.com/flex022/uploads/dynamobim/original/3X/c/7/c7cc7fbae23e2a7a38cb07a494987b5a978e8710.jpeg)

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<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![Mike.Buttery](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/b19c9b/32.png) [@Mike.Buttery](https://forum.dynamobim.com/u/Mike.Buttery)\
**Post date:** [September 15, 2026, 7:17am UTC](https://forum.dynamobim.com/t/deleting-zombie-parameters/112603/7 "2026-09-15T07:17:50Z")

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Is it possible that no parameter names have the character sequence `"string"` so the filter is returning an empty list? Change the ‘searchFor’ value which will be in the parameters you want to delete. If you run it twice in a row (or you’re on auto run) it may throw the same warning

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**Author:** ![Robert\_Younger](https://sea2.discourse-cdn.com/flex022/user_avatar/forum.dynamobim.com/robert_younger/32/205603_2.png) [@Robert\_Younger](https://forum.dynamobim.com/u/Robert_Younger)\
**Post date:** [September 15, 2026, 3:17pm UTC](https://forum.dynamobim.com/t/deleting-zombie-parameters/112603/8 "2026-09-15T15:17:57Z")

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The string “string” pulls no results because Mike used that as a placeholder search term when he originally proposed the script.

You’re supposed to replace that string with the search term of your choice.
