I found this thread about CONNECT Worksets. It's helpful, and is basically what I intend to do. I plan to use the client "Worksets" directory to store the CFG and the DGNWS, while using that CFG file to direct everything else of note into the appropriate network project directory.
What I'm not sure of is HOW those worksets will get created. The project directory usually exists long before the design software is brought into play, for contracts, reports, other documentation, etc. I don't NEED the workset to create anything except the CFG and DGNWS, so I probably need to disengage any workset templates. I'm not sure how to do that.
I'm also not sure that worksets will be created by power users. There are a few of us in the office I could trust to follow documented procedure, but we aren't always the ones to get our hands on a project first...That leaves me leery of allowing MicroStation/ORD to create the worksets. Managers downlead drawing files, then pick whomever is available to start working on them. If we're lucky they go to one of the power users first, but we aren't always that lucky.
Since the standards are (essentially) defined by the workspace and the project directories will already exist, would it be possible to create a custom tool to generate the CFG and DGNWS file? VBA preferred, because that's all I really know how to write. That would get me closer to a workset generator that most people could be trusted to use. Perhaps a way to trigger it when a drawing is opened that isn't part of a workset? I know Microstation has a warning dialog for that, so maybe there's a program hook?
I'm open to any and all solutions. Training is essential, of course, but you can't train everyone for every eventuality.
File branding is going to be another issue entirely (Gawd, don't just copy stuff from that other project) but I'll deal with that later.
Once you have a workset set up you can use it as a template to create new ones.
Although not sure how you would control the mapping for the extra folders/files existing outside the workset since it doesn't sound like there is a standard setup for these.
Timothy Hickman
CADD Manager | CADD Department
timothy.hickman@colliersengineering.com
Main: 877 627 3772|
1000 Waterview Drive Suite 201 | Hamilton, New Jersey 08691
There is a lot to unravel here. Let's start with the easy part.
To restrict standard users from creating WorkSpaces and WorkSets set this variable.
MS_CONFIGURATIONOPTS = DisallowCreatingWorkSpace;DisallowCreatingWorkSet
Then have your Admins set this...
#CAD Admins#add the following line to your personal.ucf file - remove the leading # character#%undef MS_CONFIGURATIONOPTS
(Note: This does not work in MSCE U17, or ORD 2022 R1 - there is a defect filed for it)
Using a template WorkSet is the easiest way to create a new WorkSet. The your template WorkSet folder could be empty.
If you want to do something custom through a VBA you will need to set the _USTN_WORKSETDGNWSTEMPLATE variable to your template dgnws file. You have to let ORD create this from a template, there is no way to create a new one manually on your own. It's also good to have this set in the event that a dgnws becomes corrupted. You just delete the corrupted dgnws, and ORD will create a new one from the template next time you open the WorkSet.
So a custom WorkSet creation VBA would just have to copy in a template .cfg and rename it.
Rod WingSenior Systems Analyst