How lock text & data fileds to prevent "graphical" changes but allow editing and fill in?

Hi,

Does anyone knows if I can lock text and/or data fields to prevent any graphical changes like moving or stretching?

I tried it with the level lock and the element attribute lock, but it prevents also editing texte and fill in data fields.

I hope there is a possibility to do this. If not......., I would be happy if this could be added further :)

Thanks

Regards

Raphael

Parents
  • Hi Raphael,

    Unknown said:
    I tried it with the level lock and the element attribute lock, but it prevents also editing texte and fill in data fields.

    Yes, it's correct behaviour. If you lock an element (regardless directly the element or because it's placed in the locked level), the element is locked as the whole, its content, position and attributes etc. Text is stored as one element (simple or complex) and it's not possible to manage access to it in two different ways.

    Unknown said:
    If not......., I would be happy if this could be added further :)

    You can create Change Request to add this feature, but I don't believe such feature will accepted. An opposite feature (to set a text as read-only) can be implemented simplier and would be valuable also.

    I think it can be solved by MDL application, which will monitor element movements placed in a particular level. But it will work only if the application will be started, so it's not 100% solution.

    With regards,

      Jan

  • One more note: Would be the solution (even not complete) to place all texts and data fields into cell? Both texts and fields inside cells can be edited. It doesn't solve the problem with fixed text position (I think it cannot be solved at all), but if the cell will be moved accidentally, which happen less often, it's better visible, because all texts will be moved.

    Regards,

     Jan

  • Hi Raphael

    The use of a Text Style, if a Text Style is assigned to a piece of text, can help control several Text Settings but won't lock the location, Level, Weight and some other settings, The use of Element Templates may also help but there is nothing that will lock what you want and still allow changes. The suggestion that Jan made seems the simplest.

    I Hope This Helps Someone Reading This!  (Intergraph>PseudoStation>MicroStation user since 1980's)

  • Hi,

    and many thanks for your ideas, also if they was not really satisfying. Sorry!

    It surprise me very much if Bentley should not really have interest to implement a solution for this...

    I see data fields such as equipment tabulations and revision fields as a kind of table or form, where I would like to set and lock the formatting etc, but I can put in informations. Unfortunately, experience has shown that sometime people simply modifying such fields just as they like, which I would have liked prevented by a simple lock.

    The idea of ​​the cell could work, but I find this way not so good.

    Subsequent wanted changes by me would be even more inconvenient.

    I have yet found a solution that works well for data fields and partly for texts which in my view is not perfect and certainly not professional:

    Create an element (can also be graphically) that is on a level where you can activate the level lock, or use like me the border of the drawing which is located on level 60. Now create a simple group (control & G) with the texts (Level58), data fields (Level59) and this borderlines (Level60) and now activate the level lock only at the level 60. By grouping with an element that will be locked by level, the texts and data fields can not be changed, moved or deleted, and the filling of data fields still works. Unfortunately text can not be changed.

    Thanks again and maybe Bentley takes this topic still on the wishlist. :)

    Regards

    Raphael

  • I do not believe that their is a method to lock text to a location AND be able to modify the actual text.

    If you would like an Enhancement to be filed, please reply with answers to these questions:

    What exactly are you attempting to achieve?

    Why is this change needed?

    How are you currently working without this change?

    How will this improve your workflow?

    Are you able to provide an example/sample file that provide additional details, if so please attach it to the email with your replies?

    Thank you,

    Dan Koval

    BSW Solutions Manager



  • Hi Raphael,

    Unknown said:
    It surprise me very much if Bentley should not really have interest to implement a solution for this.

    What are basis for your conclusion Bentley really have no interest to implement it? Dan Koval is the first Bentley representative who joined this discussion and he didn't express anything like this. All others responses are personal opinions and advices of users, so they are not relevant to what Bentley will implement in future versions.

    Unknown said:
    ...and maybe Bentley takes this topic still on the wishlist.

    Using this approach, you can be sure it will be not implemented. Frankly, you have done nothing so far to interest Bentley to implement such functionality. Dan Koval provided clear instruction what you should do to add your request to MicroStation feature wish list.

    Regards,

      Jan

Reply
  • Hi Raphael,

    Unknown said:
    It surprise me very much if Bentley should not really have interest to implement a solution for this.

    What are basis for your conclusion Bentley really have no interest to implement it? Dan Koval is the first Bentley representative who joined this discussion and he didn't express anything like this. All others responses are personal opinions and advices of users, so they are not relevant to what Bentley will implement in future versions.

    Unknown said:
    ...and maybe Bentley takes this topic still on the wishlist.

    Using this approach, you can be sure it will be not implemented. Frankly, you have done nothing so far to interest Bentley to implement such functionality. Dan Koval provided clear instruction what you should do to add your request to MicroStation feature wish list.

    Regards,

      Jan

Children
  • Hi Jan,

    Oh, I must apologize for my poorly formulated post.

    It did never been my opinion that Bentley would not be interested. It was more the other way that I would not believe it and Bentley normaly has interest in such problems.

    Sorry if it should be coming over differently.

    This had led me to this statement :

    "You can create Change Request to add this feature , but I do not believe search feature will accepted"

    Yes I have take note of Jan's information and I find this ok .

    It was never my goal to talk bad over Bentley or to do provocations .

    I feel bad....

    Regards

    Raphael

  • Jan,

    But I think also that Bentley, even if a person writes something bad or should invest poorly, this would not be important and regarded as relevant to whether a feature should be added or not.

    I think Bentley will be as objective and check whether a function brings benefit for the  customers (ollective) and act accordingly.

    Regardless of a contribution of a single person.

  • Hi,

    Unknown said:
    ...but I do not believe search feature will accepted

    That was just my personal opinion, nothing more. May be my experience (> 20 years with MicroStation, nearly 10 year work for Bentley, every day developer) leads me to be not very optimistic in terms what and how fast can be added a new feature into such complex application as MicroStation.

    Think about to be a program manager: You have limited resources and budget (regardless how big they are, they are always limited), but at the same time you would like to release "something big" every year. Simultaneously your application is the core for other products and industry specific applications, so you have to be very careful to don't break something important. Not easy job, because you have to balance many different aspects and there is no win for everybody. And if you approve a feature to be included into MicroStation, you have to support it ... forever (which is longer than you can imagine). It's one from nightmares of software development and maintenance lifecycle.

    So the reality is, if you just say here at forum that you would like to have some functionality in MicroStation, the probability it will be done .... is zero. Thousands of such requests exist already in a queue. So what you can do? You have to convince Bentley it's the feature interesting not only for you, but it will bring some value to others also. Such justification is usually clearly visible to you, but not to others. And it's what Dan Koval adviced: To provide as many information as possible, so at least the request can be filled.

    At the same time you should think about MicroStation programmability: If a feature doesn't exist and it will not be likely implemented by Bentley, it can be often added using MDL, NET or VBA by your own. And it's faster way often.

    With regards,

      Jan