Adding tag to text/ Exporting to excel.

RE: Adding tag to text/ Exporting to excel.

Jon Summers — Fri, 27 Nov 2015 15:12:55 GMT

[quote user="owens_2k"] [2013] I am trying to export text from Microstation (XM) to Excel[/quote]

[quote user="SB Owens"] [2015] I'm not sure if PowerDraft V8i has the capability to do so[/quote]

You've marked this thread as answered. Since you've changed platform, and answers are different, it might be better to start a new thread.

I don't believe that PowerDraft includes the batch processor.

FlexiTable™

FlexiTable can export tags, it can work through multiple DGN files and it's PowerDraft enabled!

RE: Adding tag to text/ Exporting to excel.

SB Owens — Fri, 27 Nov 2015 14:56:33 GMT

Hi.

Finally got my head around Tags! Is there a way to automate the "generate report" for a large number of files? I know the poster above stated that batch processor could be used but I'm not sure if PowerDraft V8i has the capability to do so.

Re: Adding tag to text/ Exporting to excel.

Jon Summers — Thu, 28 Nov 2013 15:13:47 GMT

[quote user="owens_2k"]I am trying to export text from MicroStation (XM) to Excel[/quote]

There is an XYZ Text tool that might help. Key-in: DIALOG TOOLBOX XYZTXT

More info in MicroStation help.

MicroStation Tags

You might consider using MicroStation tags for your titleblock data. Tags have a number of advantages over plain old text. First, they have a name, so you know the purpose of the tag. Second, they have reporting tools to that it's easy to create, say, a CSV file of tag data that you can open directly using a spreadsheet application.

Thirdly — although this isn't built-in to MicroStation — titleblocks using tags lend themselves to automation. Many organisations use tagged titleblocks to help harvest the kind of information you want. Some even update titleblocks from their Excel data.

Re: Adding tag to text/ Exporting to excel.

owens_2k — Thu, 28 Nov 2013 15:13:36 GMT

Lorys,

Thank you for the detailed reply! I only want information to go in one direction and thats from Microstation to excel. I will have a look through the documentation you suggested and see if I can get up to speed.

Thanks!

Re: Adding tag to text/ Exporting to excel.

Lorys — Thu, 28 Nov 2013 15:05:42 GMT

yes it relatively easy once you get some basic concepts but unfortunately with just plain microstation and no customised coding like VBA its a one way traffic flow from microstation to excel .. to get excel to send back to microstation you either are going to have to learn VBA programing and create the code or pay for someone elses code like Adam Lambert's Cadd Pro (Aus) or Jon Sumers of La Solutions (UK) Flexitable these guys have built user friendly GUI's to send tags in both directions..

As your a total newby it would take too long to explain how to do tags and tag reports

but essentially

1st step define or create a tag set

2nd set the feilds to hold tag data and what they will be and if visible

3rd attach a tag to an element

4th populate the tag fields ie keyin values ie text or numbers

5th continue attaching tags one at a time to each element you want tagged.

6th define a tag report template > set what you want to catch from the tags or the elements attributes that the tag is associated or linked to

7th create tag report > based on the template you tell mstn to go fetch the tag data and it puts it into a comma delimited text file report.rpt or aname.rpt

8.th rename the report extension rpt to csv and just open with explorer whichwill now launch your file with Excel

9th reformat your columns how you want with headings as the export will only have column data but its in the order you defined in the template..

10th you can do this in the batch processor to extract the tag data for many drawings then merge all the excel or text data together...

And thats it sounds a lot but I can do this really quick now because I really understand it also if your tagset and report template are well named you can keep using them over and over...

Now to really understand how follow a brilliant tutorial at www.eatyourcad.com ( if you still cant work it out email me offline and I'll send you link to my video presentation on tag reports I did at one of our BE user group meetings sorry no sound)

and search for TAGS 101.. I promise if you print it out and follow it in mstn you'll be a tag expert in no time... and you'll start finding things you should have been using tags on all along...

BTW This is very much easier if you buy caddpro or flexitable .. it will pay for itself first plan set of 20 plans in time saved and I used it for populating title block details and up reving 5000 drawing title blocks in 500 drawing files in under 1 hour on major freeway project...as its bidirectional ....so the exel file became our drg register and transmittal doc too...with the 3rd party program there is no text intermediate steps it goes straight to excel and straight to dgn...

Great resources for newbees

If you want great very low cost microstation (ebooks only under $8 us ) newbee self help books ( but will quicky take you to advanced user) :- www.adagebooks.com he has table of contents for download check em out...

Also there is a subscriber only microstation only magazine called Control Alt Delete at www.penbrush.com. ( Im a bit biased here as I'm a contributing writer for the mag) also has table of contents download for last issue... great resource material ...97% content 3% advertising but its microstation related advertising...

Good luck and keep posting

Lorys