[V8i Ss3] How can one modify a "built-in" toolbar?

How  exactly do you want to modify the Standards's tool box? remove an item, replace or add?  all modifications are done through a dgnlib file.

I want to add an icon to the Standard toolbar. We "deleted" it in the menu in a DGNLIB and replaced it with a new menu item of the same name that calls up a copy with a space added to the toolbar name so we could use the toolbar toggle key-in on it. But because of this chicanery the check that displays for open toolbars no longer functions.

If there  was a way to edit the actual toolbar the toggle would work as designed automatically.

The Application Tools > MicroStation leaf does not indicate a dgnlib name. So it appears the icons and tools in it come from internal codes?

In earlier versions, there were resource files generated by edits that allowed you to add to a built in toolbar. I found an explanation for replacing a built in menu item but not any method to add to or modify a built in toolbar not coming from a DGNLIB. The menu edit allows you to actually modify a menu without being in the DGNLIB, so you don't need to replace dgnlib's on every PC, only to add the new dgnlib to the network located GUI dgnlib files.  

I've searched all the dgnlib's and found no toolbars. But since menus allow you to hide and replace items without using the delivered dgnlib's, why don't toolbars?

tools and toolboxes are internal,  you would need to copy them into your own dgnlib file and then modify them.

That's what we have done, but is there a way to then hide the original versions and have our versions act in their stead? Kind of the way you hide and replace menus from the delivered dgnlib's.

And if so, does it support the checkmark icon for known to be open tool boxes.

And if it does not, how can we get our added toolboxes to also display the checkbox icon if we supply them with a menu item to open or close them?  

Hi Chuck,

I have to say I am confused completely and don't understand well enough what did you do and what you want to achieve. You are mixing toolbar and menu and it's not very clear what did you modify where :-(

caddcop said:

I want to add an icon to the Standard toolbar.

As far as I know, it's not possible. MicroStation toolbars are stored in ustation.dgnlib (and tasks in GUI.dgnlib) that is locked, so it cannot be modified.

caddcop said:

We "deleted" it in the menu in a DGNLIB

Standard toolbar cannot be deleted. So I guess you did something else: Maybe you deleted Standard item from MicroStation Tools menu?

caddcop said:

But because of this chicanery the check that displays for open toolbars no longer functions.

It looks to me that you are mixing pines and apples: How hardcoded MicroStation interface works and what is possible to implement using user-oriented customization tool. In my opinion the customization is about to allow users to add own tools and not to completely replace existing interface. It's even not possible technically, because in customization there is e.g. not any link between customized parts (menu, context menu, toolbars...), but these links (dependencies) are hard coded for MicroStation tools (like checkbox displayed in menu as you mentioned).

So this is not any chicanery, it's as designed and I guess nothing like this has ever been promised.

caddcop said:

The Application Tools > MicroStation leaf does not indicate a dgnlib name. So it appears the icons and tools in it come from internal codes?

Not. The most of existing MicroStation GUI is stored in DGNLIBs like ustation.dgnlib or GUI.dgnlib. Some parts are still hardcoded, e.g. view menu, partially context menu, maybe toolboxes but I am not sure.

caddcop said:

The menu edit allows you to actually modify a menu without being in the DGNLIB, so you don't need to replace dgnlib's on every PC, only to add the new dgnlib to the network located GUI dgnlib files.  

What do you mean by menu edit? Is it MenuBar group in Customize dialog? This customization is also stored in dgnlib.

Two final notes:

• When you want to modify MicroStation behaviour beyond standard customization, use MDL. There are far more options how to hook and tweak MicroStation internals. But I agree with Rod this is not good idea in general.
• MicroStation CONNECT Edition (despite of this is still buggy and slow product) provides some new concepts in terms of ribbon customization and ability to define own dynamic GUI. A bigger part of this is still for developers (because customization GUI is limited), but is more flexible than how V8i works.

With regards,

  Jan

OK

MicroStation still by default, uses the default workspace as a global location for workspace modifications. If you made the workspace a networked workspace, everyone loaded any dgnlib in the ...\WorkSpace\Interfaces\MicroStation\default folder in addition to any dgnlib found in a named UI folder that is selected by a user under the Interface menu.

In earlier versions, you could edit a built in toolbar with the default Interface active and it would become part of the interface for all users on that networked workspace. I believe it did this via resource files which were named *.m01, *.m02 and my have included some *.r01 as well.

When you have hundreds of users and limited programming resources, you find you have to rely on non-programming techniques whenever possible. We had some users ask us to add an "alternative" tool to one of the standard toolbars. As implemented, that required us to create a new copy of the existing toolbar and add the icon for that tool.

To make this available to all users and to not have to send out an information message, we found we could "delete" a standard menu item that used to call up the standard toolbar and replace it with one that calls up the modified tool bar. But since the toolbar being replaced  is one that appears on the menu, it gets the automatic check mark icon to indicate its open or closed condition. Therefore it would be very desirable to be able to have our doppelganger also get a check mark icon. Also, this closes the standard toolbar but does not open its replacement. Users need to do this manually.

So if we could somehow edit the standard toolbar directly (which does not appear to come from a DGNLIB as far as I can tell) we could add out new icons and it would automatically be added to everyone's standard tool bar. It seems annoying that we can do that with menus but not with toolbars.

When I add customization of any kind, I try to make it look and act like it's just part of MicroStation, but these limitations seem to prevent me from being able to do that.

OK

MicroStation still by default, uses the default workspace as a global location for workspace modifications. If you made the workspace a networked workspace, everyone loaded any dgnlib in the ...\WorkSpace\Interfaces\MicroStation\default folder in addition to any dgnlib found in a named UI folder that is selected by a user under the Interface menu.

In earlier versions, you could edit a built in toolbar with the default Interface active and it would become part of the interface for all users on that networked workspace. I believe it did this via resource files which were named *.m01, *.m02 and my have included some *.r01 as well.

When you have hundreds of users and limited programming resources, you find you have to rely on non-programming techniques whenever possible. We had some users ask us to add an "alternative" tool to one of the standard toolbars. As implemented, that required us to create a new copy of the existing toolbar and add the icon for that tool.

To make this available to all users and to not have to send out an information message, we found we could "delete" a standard menu item that used to call up the standard toolbar and replace it with one that calls up the modified tool bar. But since the toolbar being replaced  is one that appears on the menu, it gets the automatic check mark icon to indicate its open or closed condition. Therefore it would be very desirable to be able to have our doppelganger also get a check mark icon. Also, this closes the standard toolbar but does not open its replacement. Users need to do this manually.

So if we could somehow edit the standard toolbar directly (which does not appear to come from a DGNLIB as far as I can tell) we could add out new icons and it would automatically be added to everyone's standard tool bar. It seems annoying that we can do that with menus but not with toolbars.

When I add customization of any kind, I try to make it look and act like it's just part of MicroStation, but these limitations seem to prevent me from being able to do that.