Custom configuration variable creation

Mark Plum said:

MS_DEF

MicroStation configuration variables have the prefix MS_.  That enables you to distinguish them from your custom configuration variables.

Mark Plum said:

I am attempting to have two custom variables (MS_POINTCLOUDDIR and MS_REALITYMESHDIR)

You've created a maintenance problem.  How will you distinguish your variables from MicroStation's variables in, say, a year's time?  Choose a distinct prefix that means something to your project or organisation.  For example, since your organisation is Poe and P Associates, why not PP_POINTCLOUDDIR and PP_REALITYMESHDIR.

OK, no problem with the change of syntax of course (and I understand your point). Still, let me change those variables to PP_POINTCLOUDDIR and PP_REALITYMESHDIR and point those to a particular directory. How do I get Point Cloud> Attach and Reality Mesh> Attach to default to that (those) directory(s) at the workset level? Also, what happened to runmacro.ma (it does not seem to be included with Connect (or has not been updated to this latest edition of MicroStation)?

the intent of those directories was not an attempt to fix this issue.

Tim: Yeah, no doubt. Nonetheless, the issue still exists... I actually like the new structure within CONNECT although it has taken a bit willpower to embrace it. 

Agreed Tim. I know one of the thoughts was the Admin can tell the users this is where to start but if the user browses to any other location then he returns to that location the next time he does that operation in the WorkSpace/WorkSet.  The only way I know to return to the defaults is to delete the user settings.  I would think as a user that if I was returned to a starting point and I had to navigate away from it 90% of the times I was attaching something this would be annoying.

agreed - and this is the dilemma. Currently we remember where you were last and all dialogs work this way.

We are going to get both sides of this. Some want it where it is reset each time as mentioned in this thread and others will not want it to work this way. They want it to remain like it is currently.

If a change is made, then every dialog with a save as, export, import, attach, open, close, etc... will need this control, not just the two mentioned above.

Is there a starting point variable for all the windows open dialogs? I would think that would be a start to allow the admin control. These two dialogs don't seem to have them. If the 90% use case is always attach from this location then a variable to start them in that location would be helpful.  Also things like these would 90% of the time be in a folder or two within a project and the user wouldn't navigate far from the base folder but something like a reference could be all over the project in different discipline folders etc.  Maybe its not an all approach as you suggest, but I do like consistency as then the user knows what to expect every time.

Is there a starting point variable for all the windows open dialogs? I would think that would be a start to allow the admin control. These two dialogs don't seem to have them. If the 90% use case is always attach from this location then a variable to start them in that location would be helpful.  Also things like these would 90% of the time be in a folder or two within a project and the user wouldn't navigate far from the base folder but something like a reference could be all over the project in different discipline folders etc.  Maybe its not an all approach as you suggest, but I do like consistency as then the user knows what to expect every time.