Shape files to Microstation V8i

If SHP is opened or converted to DGN in vanilla Microstation then attributes are listed only as graphical element properties and without symbology. Technically the attributes are exposed as so called Items (ECObjects) and attached to each element. Items can be reviewed, browsed, searched and edited but not labeled. Items can’t be attached by standard tools in v8i version but will be more usable in future versions .

Manually the points can be labeled using Insert Field tool in Text editor.

1. Open Text editor (Place Text tool)

2. Right click in text window and choose Insert [Text] Field.

3. Field Type set to Element Properties and choose element to be labeled.

4. From Fields editor choose Property to be labeled.

5. Place Text.

Regarding VBA there are some limitations as there are no public API  in any of MicroStation's development languages, for text fields. Using VBA recorder it is possible to add fields but it will work very slow.

To add a more details / explanations to Oto's answer:

Unknown said:

...and without symbology

It's because SHP contains geometry only, not any information about the symbology.

Unknown said:

Items can be reviewed, browsed, searched and edited but not labeled.

To create labels (convert non graphic attributes to placed text) can be done using VBA. It's pretty huge task to create such completely general application working with any SHP and data structure, but not very complex to do it for specific SHP.

Unknown said:

Items can’t be attached by standard tools in v8i version but will be more usable in future versions .

That's true, but also there is a way (workaround) how to attach existing item definition to a new element. But the workflow is key-in based and not very user friendly.

Regards,

  Jan

To add a more details / explanations to Oto's answer:

Unknown said:

...and without symbology

It's because SHP contains geometry only, not any information about the symbology.

Unknown said:

Items can be reviewed, browsed, searched and edited but not labeled.

To create labels (convert non graphic attributes to placed text) can be done using VBA. It's pretty huge task to create such completely general application working with any SHP and data structure, but not very complex to do it for specific SHP.

Unknown said:

Items can’t be attached by standard tools in v8i version but will be more usable in future versions .

That's true, but also there is a way (workaround) how to attach existing item definition to a new element. But the workflow is key-in based and not very user friendly.

Regards,

  Jan