Double-click on DGN file in File Explorer starts a new MicroStation process. I want it to open that DGN in the already-running MicroStation process, not start a new instance of MicroStation.
When I already have a DGN open in MicroStation (V8 or CONNECT), I'd like to be able to open a different DGN in that MicroStation instance/process by double-clicking on that DGN in File Explorer. Unfortunately, doing this opens a new, additional MicroStation instance.
How can I get the behavior I want here?
Thanks!
P.S. Here is my use case. I want to be able to create a spreadsheet with list of DGN files (with full paths) in it, as a hyperlink. I want to be able to click on any entry/link to get that DGN to open in my current MicroStation window. I don't want it to open ten MicroStation instances if I click on ten file links in this spreadsheet.
Hi Eiren,
I am not sure i understand you but I believe this depends on Windows. Review this wiki article and the following thread
https://communities.bentley.com/communities/other_communities/askinga/w/askinga/600/open-only-a-single-instance-of-microstation-from-windows-explorer
https://communities.bentley.com/products/microstation/f/microstation-forum/66455/open-only-a-single-instance-of-microstation-for-windows-7/170257#170257
Maria Garcia
Thanks for your feedback, Maria. The entry for .dgn files in my Windows 10 doesn't allow me to set SingleInstance=Yes. It only allows me to select an app. Here's the Windows 10 Settings box:
Isn't this something other people want to be able to do with DGN files and MicroStation V8/V10 in modern Windows versions?
This is not a setting for MicroStation to control, When you are double clicking a file through windows explorer the operation is controlled by Windows. While in MicroStation if you do a File > Open this will open the file in the already open session and close out the previous dgn that is open. According to the one post that Maria had posted this functionality was removed by Microsoft In Win 7 and newer.
Thanks, Melissa. Actually, I believe MicroStation could control how it behaves in this way.Take AutoCAD 2019 as an example. If I have a DWG file open in AutoCAD 2019 and I double-click on a different DWG file in Windows 10's File Explorer, that new DWG opens in the same AutoCAD window — it does not create a totally separate AutoCAD window.Note: I'm not talking about the fact that AutoCAD opens this in addition to other DWG files it might already have open — that's its multi-document interface (MDI). I am talking about the fact that the existing AutoCAD process handles the double-click event and opens that DWG in itself. By comparison, MicroStation V8 and CONNECT would just open a totally new MicroStation instance in this case.So there is hope that MicroStation could work differently, based on AutoCAD 2019's example. It seems that it is not just up to Windows. But it seems that this might require an effort to make MicroStation work in this way. I'd love it if there were even a command-line argument for ustation.exe (or microstation.exe for CONNECT) to make this possible.I wonder how often people who do this want each double-clicked-on DGN to open in a different MicroStation process/instance. I suspect it may be more common for users to want those to re-use the already-running MicroStation process/instance, thereby closing the file that was active. The same as if you dragged a DGN file into the MicroStation window.Another Note: If you already have two AutoCAD 2019 instances running (because you started both on purpose), I don't know how it/they decide which one of the two instances will be used to open any DWG you click on. I haven't tested this and it's not a use case that matters to me. But I wanted to mention it since I realize it is a question in this general area.