Element Templates

Mark, I am not sure that I follow you question, basically a template define properties of elements. this includes the level that the elements are placed on , color, style , weight etc. so when you pick your template this set that information for you so that when the element is placed it is placed with those attributes. does this help, if not can you provide more information on what you are trying to accomplish ?

Mark,
Maybe a brief description on what you are looking to do may help. We can certainly explain what templates are and the options they have, but a workflow/steps/etc... of what you need will be more beneficial in helping us get you an answer.

Tim,
I don't quite understand your explanation of how to select a different property in the element template. I have a single template set up with multiple levels, colors, and line weights. Can you explain further of how to select one of the secondary properties?

Thanks.

Hi Rod,

Unknown said:

I don't quite understand your explanation of how to select a different property in the element template.

As far as I know there is no such option. If there are e.g. 4 color defined in a template, still full color table is available ... which consequently means it's easy to select a color that doesn't conform to the template. But I am also curious if some trick exists.

Regards,

  Jan

With OpenRoads transitioning to the use of Element Templates instead of xin file preferences I can see how this would be useful for specifying different display properties for plan view vs. profile view, etc. I'm just curious on how you can use this in standard MicroStation.

It is what Jan has stated. There is no "multiple choice". If a template is selected and you have only set one choice for all the settings, then it sets these as the "active" settings for the element placement. The user can still choose another setting, it does not stop them from doing this, it only gives them a "default" setting so they do not need to choose or remember what it is supposed to be. Templates do not keep users from picking different options, it only sets a default so the user does not HAVE to choose. Now - going forward if you want to check elements to see if they are "following" a template, then the element can be associated with the template and you can run standards checker to flag anything not following the template. They may be an instance where a template may fit several scenarios where more than one color will still work for the template. This is where you would add these additional settings. Although the template itself when selected can only set one color (its default) there are several others colors that will still fit into the requirements. So if the user chooses one of the other colors, when standards checker is run, these elements would pass because one of the colors selected is in the list. It doesn't limit the users choices of colors that they can pick, it only limits what will pass when the template is used by standards checker against the element.

An example would be if I created a template that had 3 colors in it (lets say green, blue and red). The default color is red. I choose the template and it sets my color to red. It does not prevent me from choosing another color and it does not limit my choices to only 3 colors. I can choose what I want, but it defaulted to red. Lets say I pick orange for the color. I run standards checker and it scans the element with the template provided. As long as the element is red, green or blue, it would pass, but since it is not, it would be flagged.

I hope this makes sense.
Let me know.

Thank you Jan and Tim, that explanation makes sense.

Thank you Jan and Tim, that explanation makes sense.