Connect - Changing the location of the ucf file

Has anyone tried changing the location of the ucf file for MS Connect.  I have tried but it seems to get locked and you can't really see when it getting set and locked in the debug file.

Parents
  • is there a specific reason why you are attempting to change this ?

    Timothy Hickman

    CADD Manager | CADD Department

    timothy.hickman@colliersengineering.com

    Main: 877 627 3772| 

    1000 Waterview Drive Suite 201 | Hamilton, New Jersey 08691

  • We have been putting the ucf on a network drive for a long time now and we like it that way. It's easier to check and manage, it's not buried 10 levels deep in some hidden folder and unique on every machine you may work on.

    Mark Segelquist
    KDOT CADD Administrator


    GEOPAK user since 1990

    "...the status quo is not a stream, let alone a 'mainstream'. It is a stagnant swamp. It is the innovators who carry mankind forward."  - Ayn Rand

  • I'm sorry about that. I was talking about personal.ucf/personal.dgnlib/personal.upf and all personal*.xml which are stored to the users appdata folder.
    In V8i we used a network workspace, so everybody could login on any pc with the same personal interface.

    in our company the users appdata folder is locked which is no good at all.
    we want those files back to the network!

    Is there now a way to solve this issue?
  • Mark,
    The only workaround I've found still doesn't allow you to store these files in a different location.

    MicroStation CONNECT has many new SEED variables, including one for just about every file stored in the default prefs folder. You can point those variables to your standard files on a server so that when a new user opens MicroStation CONNECT for the first time they get the correct default files copied in. In a case where the user files have be upgraded or become corrupted they can start MicroStation with the -RestoreDefaults command line switch to reset everything.

    Not the best, but it's the best I've found so far.

    We recently published a tip on this topic:
    envisioncad.com/.../microstation-connect-ucf-and-pcf-files

    Rod Wing
    Senior Systems Analyst

  • Oh, that's bad. Especially the upf file and anything really personal should be configurable. So in opposite to V8i, the variable MS_USERPREF now does not change anything? Unbelievable!

    Some background where to go:

    • The default location of the upf is still in Windows LOCALAPPDATA (C:\Users\$(USERNAME)\AppData\Local\Bentley\...) as it was in V8i. LOCALAPPDATA is per user, open for write to the user logged in, and remains on drive C:  Advantage: Each user has an own upf, can write into it, speed is perfect, free of network issues. Disadvantage: It never follows the user from PC to PC.

    • In V8i a comment in the cfg (1) noted that you can change the path to APPDATA (C:\Users\$(USERNAME)\AppData\Roaming\Bentley\...). So while this was not factory default, you had the choice. APPDATA is per user, open for write to the user logged in, and during a Windows session on drive C: But: If your company uses Windows Roaming Profiles with a profile server, with logoff the content will be stored on the profile server. And the next login into a different PC would copy that locally to the other PC! That's why it's called "roaming" Advantage: Each user has an own upf, can write into it, speed is perfect, free of network issues, Follows user to any PC. Disadvantage: none! You just need the roaming profile strategy in Windows.

    • Windows 10 by the way brings UE-V (User Experience Virtualized). This seems to selectively enable applications like MicroStation to let the settings roam to even different end devices like Windows PC, Windows Phones (well...) and other devices. At least from PC to PC. So an enhancement to roaming profiles. Is this the way to go for Bentley? The upf files should find an optional home in that future concept, I think.

    • Ah, also popular: Redirecting writeable personal files like upf directly to a network drive: This is never good. An upf file suffers from speed issues and damage because of network unreliability. Don't do that. If possible use APPDATA or UE-V approach. If you can't (like me), implement a sync, robocopy or xcopy mechanism: Copy upf from network to LOCALAPPDATA before opening MicroStation, copy back to network after exit of MicroStation. Maybe this is also a way as long as CE doesn't allow you to change the location.

    (Mark said "in our company the users appdata folder is locked which is no good at all."
    This is strange, that's one of the few official places user have privileges to write in Windows environment. Somewhere the settings have to be written. Can they at least open the Bentley folders for write?)

    Bigean

    (1) msconfig.cfg

    #----------------------------------------------------------------------
    #
    # The default is to use a completely local (non-network) installation. 
    # If you want it to be possible for your MicroStation settings to be part of
    # a roaming user profile then consider this alternative value for
    # _USTN_HOMEROOT:
    #
    #       _USTN_HOMEROOT  : $(_USTN_UserAppDataPath)
    #
    #----------------------------------------------------------------------
    ...
    _USTN_HOMEROOT          : $(_USTN_LocalUserAppDataPath)

    ...

  • My UPF for Connect, which is stored locally, gets corrupted far more often than the one I store the network when using V8i. I'd estimate it gets corrupted almost weekly.
  • OMG, In V8i we seldom had problems with UPF either. We wait as long we can before we update to CE, solution for all these important issues. then it takes a lot of strength to adapt our standards.
Reply Children
No Data