Placing Cells with Active Attributes

You will either place the Cell Relative and then change the cell to be By-Level using the Change Element Attributes but the Cell may use several Levels, and the Graphics in the Cell may not correspond to the levels you need them to be, so you will have to drop the cell, or go thru a tedious Element Properties changes. Other option is to Recreate the cell updating it to be By-level and on the proper levels. I would update the Cell as I need them, or in someone's down time change the cells. This falls apart if the Level Names change from Job-to-job.

in the  bentley  library  utilities forum you will find  two cell utilities  on celltools and the  cell utility,  both are really usefull, so get both

but one I forget  which one will place all the cells from any cell library in a matrix to fit a booklet into a dgn

you can then drop all the cells  in selection set in a  booklet 

force them to be by level and turn them back into cells  with  old school method , attach cell library create fence , place origin and  create cell

the  library can be  a new version name  of the  old  like V2... name .cell yes its one at a time  but  its quicker than you think....

 you can set the  levels and  colours how  you want  and work your way  logically thru each cell and  cross them out  after each one is recreated... once all done

delete the old cell library and  rename the  new one to the old name  and move on to the  next book of cells. you can even share the task amongst your collegues....

once your completely finished  re use the  tool to make a new  book (s) and batch pdf print them they will be very helpful in preview and documenting  your cells for the  whole office /company.... very helpful for setting up cad standards to specify which cells are in what lib and what they look like.. ie north points, scale bars, stamps etc...

This tool is one of the  best tools I ever found at bentley  it can even create list and of course labels all the cells  by name, scale and library name....

Sorry guys. I should have mentioned I have Element Templates set up with the cell name and the LV, CO, ST, & WT I want to see.

Most of them are all By Level. There are 3 cells I want to place on color 5 and their Element Templates are set up that way.

I have created Custom Tools to place each cell according to its Element Template.

When I run the customized tool the cells are place Relative. I can only get the Level to the appropriate setting. The Color and Weight keep the attributes that it has from being created in the cell library years ago.

Do you know what I'm missing to place the cell according to the Element Template?

Notice the Power Pole (PP) is place CO = 2, but the active attributes are set to CO=5

The Key-in line on the Customize tool is set to select the template and place it Relative.

The Element Information is showing the PP is on Level PhoUtility, CO=ByLevel (2)

The PP cell was created on level Default with CO, ST,  & WT set to By Level.

How do I place the cell on Color 5?

Sorry guys. I should have mentioned I have Element Templates set up with the cell name and the LV, CO, ST, & WT I want to see.

Most of them are all By Level. There are 3 cells I want to place on color 5 and their Element Templates are set up that way.

I have created Custom Tools to place each cell according to its Element Template.

When I run the customized tool the cells are place Relative. I can only get the Level to the appropriate setting. The Color and Weight keep the attributes that it has from being created in the cell library years ago.

Do you know what I'm missing to place the cell according to the Element Template?

Notice the Power Pole (PP) is place CO = 2, but the active attributes are set to CO=5

The Key-in line on the Customize tool is set to select the template and place it Relative.

The Element Information is showing the PP is on Level PhoUtility, CO=ByLevel (2)

The PP cell was created on level Default with CO, ST,  & WT set to By Level.

How do I place the cell on Color 5?

Notice the Power Pole (PP) is place CO = 2, but the active attributes are set to CO=5

no - I see its color is "bylevel"

Yes. The end goal is to place that cell on Level = PhoUtility, Color = 5 which is shown in the Elements Templates.

The reason the Element Information shows "ByLevel (2)" is because that is how the cell was created in the cell library. (Level = Default, Color = ByLevel, St = 0, Weight = ByLevel).

I can only get the cell to take on the Element Template's Level name when the cell is placed Relative with the Key-in "template active Photo Planimetrics\Cells\Utilities\Power Pole; place cell relative"

Do you know what I'm missing to place that cell with my Element Template Attributes?

so the "bylevel" color of the level that the cell is being placed on is going to be one color, and you want the cell to be a second color ?

I want the cell, which contains a circle and 2 lines, to all be at color 5. The By Level color of 2 is for the rest of the utility cell to be placed at.

We create all of our existing topo features at color green (CO=2) and the PP & luminaries at color cyan (CO=5) so the designer can see them better. The Utilities are on the same level so something doesn't get accidentally turned off and designed over.

then I wouldn't be using by level settings or level overrides. The cell was created with a bylevel color, so simply setting the "active" color will not work.