Bentley Building Application Deployment Guide for ProjectWise Managed Workspaces [TN]


  
 Applies To 
  
 Product(s):Bentley Building Suite
 Version(s):1.5
 Environment: N/A
 Area: N/A
 Subarea: N/A
 Original Author:Bentley Technical Support Group
  

Overview

March 2010, v8i (SELECTseries 1) release “REFRESH” ‐ ProjectWise 08.11.07.133+

Installing Building Applications into a ProjectWise Managed Workspaces (Typical Configuration)

This document:

*Note: This document will provide recommendations and implementation guidance that can be applied to the integration of Bentley Building Electrical Systems application into a ProjectWise environment, but does not provide a complete guide to fully integrate the Bentley Building Electrical Systems supporting database.

A PDF version of this same information is availabe at: http://communities.bentley.com/products/building/building_analysis___design/m/building_analysis_and_design_gallery/128465.aspx

Restriction and Limitations of integrating Building Application in a ProjectWise Managed workspace:

Before You Begin

A fully operational and configured ProjectWise Server and a defined datasource must be available. Access to ProjectWise Administrator and the ProjectWise Client applications with corresponding administrator privileges are required. Please consult your ProjectWise implementation team and/or administrators before initiating ProjectWise Manage workspaces.

Install and configure all the Bentley Building and other Bentley application onto a client workstation. This will ensure the \Documents and Settings\All Users\Application Data\Bentley\MicroStation\Workspace has all the require components for you application prior to importing it into ProjectWise. Use this client to complete the instruction in this document.

Overview of Steps:

  1. Import Workspace files into PW in a folder called Building Workspace (Using Manage Workspace Wizard) (approx. 30+ Min)
  2. Import MicroStation Configuration File to ProjectWise Configuration Setting Blocks (Using Manage
    Workspace Wizard) (approx. 10 min)
  3. Add/Edit ProjectWise CSBs (approx.5 Min)
  4. Add exclusions (approx.5 Min)
  5. ProjectWise Application Support (approx. 5 min )
  6. Link CSBs to the Projects (approx.5 Min)
  7. Test/Validate (Troubleshoot)

* Time estimates are approximated based on out‐of‐the‐box configuration and based on a remote connection to the PW server. Individual result will vary

Step 1: Import Workspace & Dataset files into PW (Using Manage Workspace Wizard)

30+ minutes

Use the Import Managed Workspace wizard; Import Data to ProjectWise from the File System

  1. In ProjectWise Administrator, under Workspace Profiles>Managed (Right‐Click), this will open the Import Managed Workspace Wizard. In the Welcome dialog, Select Next
  2. On the Choose Desired Action page, from the actions options, select the second option to "Import Data ProjectWise from File System", Then select Next
  3. On the Import and Validate ProjectWise Folder Structure and Documents page, select the workspace to import in the Local File System list (default locations ‐ ..\Documents and Settings\All Users\Application Data\Bentley\MicroStation\WorkSpace). Then in the ProjectWise list, select the folder to import the workspace into. If the folder does not exist yet, you can right‐click in the list and select New Folder to create one.

4. Click Validate.
During the validation process, the wizard is compares the content of the local workspace with the contents stored in ProjectWise. Since this is a fresh install, there shouldn’t be any files to compare against and this process should be rather quick. In the future, you can use this utility to update a workspace and/or dataset, It will perform a compare of the two directories and identify whether files exist or not, it does not compare the content of the file, only whether the files exist or not.

Once the validation is complete the Validation of File System Structure against ProjectWise dialog opens. The following dialog compares the File system to the ProjectWise Mappings you have selected. Select an item to view its status. Items with a red ‘X’ indicates the file/folder is not present in the mapped ProjectWise repository, while the green check indicates it is present in the mapped ProjectWise repository. 

The tree structure in the left hand panel will display the status of each item as whether it present or not in the ProjectWise repository. Items with a red ‘X’ indicates the file/folder is not present in the ProjectWise repository, while the green check indicates it is present in ProjectWise repository Select an item in the list on the left to see what the status of the item is in ProjectWise. Since this is a fresh install, the entire workspace will be marked as not present and can be imported in its entirety, verify all directories are selected and select Resolve.

5.  When ready, click Resolve to upload all missing and/or mismatched items to ProjectWise. When finished, click Next, and then Continue to return to the first page of the wizard to begin Step 2.

Step 2: MicroStation Configuration File to ProjectWise Configuration Setting Blocks (Using manage Workspace wizard)

Use the Import Managed Workspace wizard; import MicroStation Configuration File to ProjectWise Configuration Setting Blocks (CSB).

If you are continuing from Step 1, skip to task 2, bypassing task 1 (opening the "Import Managed Workspaces…" wizard.)

1.  Open the "Import Managed Workspaces…" wizard. In ProjectWise Administrator, under Workspace Profiles>Managed (Right‐Click). Then select "Import Managed Workspaces…" this will open the Managed Workspace Wizard. In the Welcome dialog, Select Next \

2.  On the Choose Desired Action page, from the actions options, select the first option to "Import MicroStation Configuration File to ProjectWise Configuration Setting Blocks", Then select Next

3.  Choose a MicroStation Installation and Workspace Root:

4.  Scan Workspace, In the Workspace Configuration Files dialog, select the Scan Workspace, this will initiate a Scanning Workspace process

5.  When the text, “Scanning for Workspace Configuration Files completed successfully”, appears, Select Next

6.  The Workspace configuration scan will result in a list of Site, Project and User configuration files that will be imported.

For this Building application integration, not all the configuration files are required to be converted into CSB., It is acceptable to import all configurations file found, but for ease of management, you want to be more selective and exclude:

7.  This scans the entire workspace that you selected to import on the previous page. Once this is done you can also add or remove individual files. Upon successful completion of the processing of the configuration files, Select Next again

8.  On the Configuration Settings Blocks page, review the ProjectWise Configuration Settings Blocks that will be created. Configuration Settings Block names can be changed and/or reassigned to different ProjectWise levels, or they can be removed if unwanted.

9.  Please review the configuration file setting, if any errors or changes are noted, please use the back button to step backward in the Workspace Import Wizard, however if satisfied select Import, this will begin the process to convert your configuration files into ProjectWise Configuration Setting Blocks also referred to by the acronym CSB or CSBs (plural). Select the Import button to import the configurations.

10. When the import is finished (*** IMPORT SUCCESSFUL ***), click Next.

11. After this you have the option to either close the wizard or go back to the first page of the wizard to select another action. For this exercise, we are done with the Workspace Import Wizard, therefore select Close. Proceed to the ProjectWise Administrator to review the newly‐created configuration blocks in ProjectWise Administrator to verify the import. (Datasource>Workspace Profiles>Managed)

 Step 3: Add/Edit ProjectWise CSBs

In ProjectWise Administrator, under Workspace Profiles>Managed

In this step, you are going to complete the following tasks:

In V8i SELECTseries 1 Refresh release (ProjectWise 08.11.07.133+), a new level called ‘Predefined’ was added to the top of the processing order for configuration settings blocks in manage workspace. This level gives users the ability to set predefined variables in ProjectWise managed workspaces. Variables assigned to the Predefined level will be processed before the MicroStation local configuration is gathered.
In previous versions, the processing of the MicroStation local configuration would incorporate any configuration files defined in the local MicroStation workspace into the managed workspace. The out‐ofthe‐box installation delivers only one configuration file (workspace/standards/standards.cfg) which by itself is fairly harmless too most managed workspaces but this directory is also a very popular destination for local customizations which could inadvertently alter the desired result of a manage workspace. Defining the Workspace Root at the ‘Predefined’ level will provide you the highest level of configuration management available in ProjectWise.

Predefined:

Edit the ‘Predefined’ Level CSB called "WorkspaceRoot" ‐ This is a critical task
Assign the _USTN_WORKSPACEROOT to the appropriate ProjectWise Folder. This is the root directory of the ProjectWise workspace defined and imported in Step 1.

Name: _USTN_WORKSPACEROOT

Description: _USTN_WORKSPACEROOT

Edit Value:

Operation Type: '='‐ Assignment

Value Type: Change 'String' to 'ProjectWise Folder'

Value: Change value to point to ProjectWise Workspace, browse to pw:\\<servername>:<datasource name>\Documents\Building Workspace.

Tip: Since Workspaces can be version specific, you may want rename the WorkspaceRoot CSB to include the major version number, such as WorkspaceRoot_081107.

Tip: Use the CSB description to organize and manage collection of CSB. For example, change the description of WorkspaceRoot_081107 CSB to "08.11.07 Workspace Root", this will allow us to sort 08.11.07 CSB by description.

Directive: %include

Description: MicroStation Standards

Add Value:

Value type: Configuration Setting Block

Value: standards: Predefined Configuration File Block

Delete the Standards.cfg from the ProjectWise repository

Locate the pw:\\<server name>:<datasource name>\Documents\Building Workspace\Standards\standards.cfg, and delete it.

Note: Since the Workspace Root is defined at the ‘Predefined’ level, configuration files that are loaded into ProjectWise, as part of the workspace, are processed from within the ProjectWise repository. For Example, the delivered standards.cfg, typically located in the ..\workspace\standards\ directory will be processed. However, it is recommended that the standards.cfg be deleted and allow configuration to be managed by the ProjectWise CSB version of standards.

Step by Step Guide to edit WorkspaceRoot CSB:

Task 1 of 2:

Edit the ‘Predefined’ Level CSB called "WorkspaceRoot" ‐ This is a critical task

Assign the _USTN_WORKSPACEROOT to the appropriate ProjectWise Folder. This is the root directory of the ProjectWise workspace defined and imported in Step 1.

Name: _USTN_WORKSPACEROOT
Description: _USTN_WORKSPACEROOT
Edit Value:
Operation Type: '='‐ Assignment
Value Type: Change 'String' to 'ProjectWise Folder'
Value: Change value to point to ProjectWise Workspace, browse to
pw:\\<server name>:<datasource name>\Documents\Building Workspace.

1. In ProjectWise Administrator , under Workspace Profiles>Managed>Predefined, open the WorkspaceRoot CSB for editing by double clicking or right‐clicking and selecting properties from the right ‐click menu.

2. Select the Configuration tab in the WorkspaceRoot Properties dialog. Select the pencil icon to edit the _USTN_WORKSPACEROOT variable

3. Select the row in the values table and select modify

4. This will initiate the "Edit Value" Dialog. In this dialog, this is where we reassign the workspace to point to the ProjectWise workspace. Change the Value type: from String to ProjectWise Folder, this will enable the browse button, next to the Value: entry box, select the browse button and locate the ProjectWise workspace. For this example, we are looking for pw:\\<server name>:<datasource name>\Documents\Building Workspace.
Before:

After:

Select OK, to close Edit Value dialog, select OK, to close the _USTN_WORKSPACEROOT dialog and proceed to Task 2.

Task 2 of 2:

Directive: %include

Description: MicroStation Standards

Add Value:

Value type: Configuration Setting Block

Value: standards: Predefined Configuration File Block


1. Select the plus icon and select ‘ Add Directive’

2. This will open the Modify directives dialog. Verify the directive is set to ‘%include’, then
select the ‘Add’ button to define the value to be included.

3. The Add Button will open the ‘Edit Value’ dialog box. From the value type pull down,
select the ‘Configuration Setting Block’. Then select the ‘…’ button, by value to browse
for the Configuration Setting Block.

4. Select the Standards ‘Site’ configuration file block, and select OK

5. The results in the Edit Value dialog should be as follows:

6. Select OK, to return to the Modify Directive Dialog.

7. Select OK, to return to the Workspace Properties dialog. The results of the
WorkspaceRoot properties CSB should be as follows:

END – Step by Step Guide to edit WorkspaceRoot CSB:

Predefined: (Continued)

Create new ‘Predefined’ Level CSB called "Building_WorkspaceRoot”

Predefined: (Continued)

Predefined: (Continued)

Global:
 Create New Global Level CSB called "Global_Variables”
 (Recommended for Administration, Certification and debugging)

Project:
 Perform the following configuration options depending on the method of Project integration with ProjectWise:
 (Please consult your ProjectWise implementation team as to the appropriate method
for project integration)

 Preferred method: Project Support for ProjectWise Projects
 If your projects folders have been promoted to PW projects, then the _USTN_PROJECTDATA can be automatically extracted by defining the following dynamic Project level CSB. The _USTN_PROJECTNAME is no longer necessary.
Folders that have been promoted to a ProjectWise Project have the ProjectWise icon associated with the Folder icon as displayed in the diagram above.

Create New Project Level CSB called "Dynamic_Project"

  1. Add Variable to the Dynamic_Project CSB
     Name: _USTN_PROJECTDATA
     Description: ProjectWise Project Name
     Add Value:
      Operation Type: '='‐ Assignment
      Value Type: String
      Value: $(dms_project(_DGNDIR))

Project: (Continued)

Please note: Since the _USTN_PROJECTNAME is automatically populated by the MicroStation Manager, and ProjectWise bypasses the MicroStation Manager , the information about the project name displayed from MicroStation file menu, Workspace>About Workspace, may not display the correct information. _USTN_PROJECTNAME remains undefined.

Edit Project Level CSB ‐ identify the Project CSB that was created from a project configuration file
 (i.e. ArchProjectTemplateNcsUS, Structural_Imperial , Triforma_Imperial, etc…)

Locate the _USTN_PROJECTDESCR in the CSB file and add the following directive.

Project: (Continued)
Alternate Method: Project support for the standard ProjectWise Folders (works with ProjectWise Projects also)

In order to support .pcf files converted into a ProjectWise CSBs as they are supported in MicroStation, a new variable in the Project CSBs needs to be defined. The _USTN_PROJECTNAME is required to properly resolve the definition of _USTN_PROJECTDATA which is equal to $(_USTN_PROJECT)$(_USTN_PROJECTNAME) . The _USTN_PROJECTNAME configuration variable will need to be defined for each project CSB in order to properly support project content and datasets.

Step 4: Add exclusions (variables to be exclude from copy‐out)

By default there are certain configuration variables that ProjectWise may not use when managed workspaces are in use. You can remove any of these variables so that ProjectWise will use them, or you can add to the list of excluded variables In ProjectWise Administrator, under Workspace Profiles>Managed>Variables to exclude from copy out
Add the following additional Variables to exclude from copy out
• MS_BUMP (Supports Visualization)
• MS_ROSEDB (Supports STEP import/export in MicroStation)
• MS_ROSEDB_STRUCTURAL (Supports STEP import/export in Structural Modeler)
These files, defined by these configuration variables, will be excluded during the download of the workspace

In the v8i 08.11.07 (SELECTseries 1) release of building applications, a registry based program class
definitions to support Building applications was introduced. The corresponding v8i 8.11.7 release of
ProjectWise will deliver the default building application definitions using these registry program class
definitions. The program class name is the preferred method to define ProjectWise application support
because it uses the Window registry to locate the designated executables. This is the recommended
and most reliable method for building application initiation in a ProjectWise Managed Workspace.

 

Step 5 ProjectWise Application Support

 ProjectWise Application Associations for Building Applications using the Program Class Name

Program Class Name ‐ A Program Class Name defines and stores, in the Windows registry both, the executable and any command line arguments as defined during the installation on the local machine. This is the most reliable and universal application definition since ProjectWise does not store any hard coded directory path information. Registry supports relies on the clients registry to provide ProjectWise with the proper drive/directory location of application to launch. This allows an organization to have the applications installed in varying directories and drive locations on the local machines and reduce the requirement of installation consistency across an organization. All other customizations can be accommodated through strategic definitions of CSB files.

In the v8i 08.11.07 (SELECTseries 1) release of building applications, a registry based program class definitions to support Building applications was introduced. The corresponding v8i 8.11.7 release of ProjectWise will deliver the default building application definitions using these registry program class definitions. The program class name is the preferred method to define ProjectWise application support because it uses the Window registry to locate the designated executables. This is the recommended and most reliable method for building application initiation in a ProjectWise Managed Workspace.

In ProjectWise Administrator, under Applications:

1. Select on one of the building application and either double click or right‐click and select properties from the right‐click options menu.

2. Select, the Actions Tab, Select the default Open Action (indicated by the Open), then select the modify button

3. In the Modify Properties dialog, verify the Program Class name:

The following tables list the Building application and their corresponding Program Class name for v8i 08.11.07:

Bentley ArchitectureBentley.Architecture.Application.081107
Structural Modeler (Bentley Structural)Bentley.Structural.Application.081107
Bentley Building Mechanical SystemsBentley.Mechanical.Application.081107
Bentley Building Electrical Systems (DE)Bentley.Electrical.DE.Application.081107
Bentley Building Electrical Systems (US)Bentley.Electrical.US.Application.081107
Bentley Building Electrical Systems (UK)Bentley.Electrical.UK.Application.081107
Bentley Building SuiteBentley.Building.Suite.Application.081107
Bentley SpacePlannerBentley.MicroStation.Application
Add command line Argument: ‐ws_SPACEPLANNER=1
Bentley Architecture w/ SpacePlannerBentley.Architecture.Application.081107
Add command line Argument: ‐ws_SPACEPLANNERDG=1

4. If you need to edit or create a new program class association, select the browse button adjacent to the program class entry field to open the 'Select Associated Programs' dialog. Select the Advance tab, and edit or enter the program class name.
Unfortunately, to date, there is no program class browser. Thes  program classes will need to be populated manually during the Select Associated Programs. Once the program class is entered, Select the option designating the "Enter text is a program class name" and Select OK to save your changes and close the "Select Associated Programs" dialog. 

5. Select OK to close "Modify Properties.." dialog.

6. Select OK to close the application properties dialog.

FOR BENTLEY ARCHITECTURE ONLY:

Bentley Architecture requires the inclusion and assignment of the arch_roles CSB to either the Project or the Application to successfully initiate the Bentley Architecture Application. Please select the best method based on your environment and requirements. The preferred method is to attach the arch_roles via the Bentley Architecture definition in ProjectWise. Please note, If an arch_roles CSB is attached at both the application and Project, the arch_roles at the project will override those defined in the application.

Note: As mentioned previously, when the Workspace Root is defined at the ‘Predefined’ level, configuration files that are loaded into ProjectWise, as part of the workspace, are processed from within the ProjectWise repository. Since the building datasets are included into the MicroStation workspace, this issues extends to any configuration files located in the datasets. The out‐of‐the‐box installation of building application delivers only one configuration file, arch_roles.cfg, as part of the Bentley Architecture Dataset. Like the standards.cfg, it is recommended that the arch_roles.cfg be deleted from the datasets in the ProjectWise repository and allow configuration to be managed by the ProjectWise CSB version of arch_roles.

Option 1: Attaching the archroles per the Projector Project Configuration (Preferred Method)

Option 2: Attaching the arch_roles to the Bentley Architecture definition in ProjectWise

With this method, you may experience the following message switching between file that are not associated with the application "Bentley Architecture", because architecture is linked to the arch_roles CSB. It is not necessary to restart unless the file you are accessing is outside your project or other CSB are defined.

In ProjectWise Administrator, under Applications:
1. Select on 'Bentley Architecture' application definition and either double click or right‐click and select properties from the right‐click options menu.
2. Select the Managed Workspace tab and Add the arch_roles CSB to the Application level to the application definition

The arch_roles CSB should also be attached to the ProjectWise application definition for 'Bentley Architecture / SpacePlanner'

Step 6 Link CSBs to the Project

In the ProjectWise Explorer locate the project directory. (For example:
pw:\\<server name>:<datasource name>\Documents\Building Workspace\ArchProjectTemplateNcsUS), rightclick and get the properties of this folder. Select the Workspace Tab

For example: the Project CSB called "ArchProjectTemplateNcsUS"
The result should be similar to the image below, (with/without Personal Workspace)

Personal workspace settings allows user‐specific workspace configuration for managed workspaces. By default, you may not have Personal workspace associated if there is nothing defined in your personal workspace, once something is defined in the personal workspace it is automatically associated. (To review the contents of your personal workspace CSB, in ProjectWise Explorer file menu select Tool>Options, select the Personal Workspace tab.

Note: The option, not to display the compatibility warning when building applications are initiated, is stored in your Personal Workspace.

Step 7 Test/Validate (Troubleshoot)

To test or Validate you Integration, in the ProjectWise Explorer, locate the project directory the delivered file empty.dgn in the project ArchProjectTemplateNcsUS (pw:\\<server name>:<datasource name>\Documents\Building Workspace\ArchProjectTemplateNcsUS). Associate the empty.dgn with the Bentley Architecture application by selecting the properties option from the right‐click menu. Then open the file and validate it is in a managed workspace, if it is properly configured you should see –

Troubleshooting
If you are presented with the following message to restart your MicroStation Session, then there is something different in the managed configuration that requires a change in your manage workspace.
[image49]

This dialog is common and to be expected if you are opening files from another project. However, this dialog does not typically appear if you are opening different files from within the same project but from different subdirectories. If it does occur:

See Also

Product TechNotes and FAQs

External Links

Bentley Technical Support KnowledgeBase

Bentley LEARN Server

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