Level libraries in csv or xls instead of dgnlib

Why can't there just be a really simple way to view in (optional, configurable level of) detail the contents of things like dgnlibs, seeds, even datasets? Doesn't have to be put into xml, csv or xls, just a configurable viewing tool, which can stay open as a window to refer to (or print out). Bit like ConfigExplorer. Incl what ways the seed (and dgnlib?) has been over-ruled in the current (or any selectable) dgn. Incl a bit of history, per item, of updating in either direction.

Hi Tom,

Unknown said:

Why can't there just be a really simple way to view in (optional, configurable level of) detail the contents of things like dgnlibs, seeds, even datasets? Doesn't have to be put into xml, csv or xls, just a configurable viewing tool, which can stay open as a window to refer to (or print out). Bit like ConfigExplorer. Incl what ways the seed (and dgnlib?) has been over-ruled in the current (or any selectable) dgn. Incl a bit of history, per item, of updating in either direction.

but there is export yours standard dgnlib file (... being stand means it should not change  without you knowing about it...) to CSV  and open with excel or print to a book  for desk reference..

or else just open the dgn lib itself read only with ustn ..

Lorys 

PS 

Have a look at Keith Little's book "survivors  guide  " see section  on levels and DGN libs thats how I learnt about dgnlibs...

Unknown said:

Well to be quite frank there are over 200 ideas in the ideas section and we have seen no indication that any of them have even been reviewed, let alone considered.   You guys want feed back from users but we are getting little feed back about the ideas we post.  Personally I'm starting to feel like it was a waste of my time writing them up.

David,

We listen and we review the ideas weekly if not more often.  If you notice one has been marked complete.  Currently there isn't a way to mark an Idea to anything other than Under review, Approved, or Complete and this is one of the reasons it is in the EAP section as this is also in a beta try process.  We have a process which is be set up which will move an item into development from the Ideas section but again this is in development.  We also have a criteria with which an item will be moved on but again this is a developing process.  Once we have the process refined we will move Ideas out into the public communities.

Thanks,

John

John,  The only one I see is one and it is flagged Comming Soon.  Everything else is Under Review.   Not Planned is another option.  I'm guessing out of 200 there are a few in there you have no plan of addressing in this release.

Thanks Lorys, so maybe we still have Keith Little for dgnlibs - but far from up to date I think, esp how are they applied to make BD work - a v different kettle of fish.

The knowledge acquisition ways you list are fine, but absolutely no excuse for absence of really good write-up in Help, which should give guidance on use in typical scenarios, if it's to be worthy of name 'Help'. Otherwise, don't bother (well, they don't).

I hate to defend the help ... but every discipline usage is going to different .. but again training courses are the only way..

Have you looked at Bentley learn free tutorials there was a pretty good intro last time I looked for my guys at work...

I wrote  pretty good one myself in one of the control alt delete issues a long while back under symbology and overrides ...

from help search

"Sharing Level Definitions",

"Level Manager dialog "

" Working with Level Libraries "

"Levels"

I read these and even print out make my own manuals and resourses..

Between these and what I have gleaned everywhere else we have a very easy robust system not very easy in acad..

If you still cant work it out skype me some time and Ill talk and show you with swap screens function in skype is pretty good...

thanks Lorys - am getting there slowly, just like to grumble along the way.

thanks Lorys - am getting there slowly, just like to grumble along the way.

Try this and let me know if it helps make things clearer (althought it will prompt other questions I'm sure!): 101 - DGNLIB (Design File Libraries)

I somewhat agree with Thomas that basically dgnlib files is the wrong direction. I don't agree with simple csv files though. Personally all the things stored in dgn files would be better suited to be stored in a file meant for storage of information and shareable. That would be a database file.

Budlite

Sure, anything that reveals what's inside and is easily available.

Unknown said:

The things stored in dgn files would be better suited to be stored in a file meant for storage of information and shareable

But that's the purpose of a DGNLib: it stores information and it is shareable. 

The problems with DGNLibs, voiced here and elsewhere, are that they are opaque and consequently hard to manage.

Unknown said:

That would be a database

Relational databases provide the Structured Query Language (SQL) so you can interrogate them.  XML provides XQuery and XPath.  CSV has nothing except the human eyeball.  There is no query language for a DGNLib, which is why it is opaque: even if you know the question, there's no way to ask.

I'll re-phrase....shareable is referring to the data. Many programs can read and extract data from databases. And yes the process is a query. Few programs can read a dgnlib. Those that can are probably a CADD program also. The real push in the future will be to share more and more data. A dgnlib does not easily lend itself to that. A CSV file is nothing more than output as a delimited text file. It can be read by many programs but it is an intermediate step that could be bypassed. Bentley should be moving more towards sharing of data.