Hi,
In our plot sheets, we have a line of text for the revision number, i.e. 'B'
Waht I'd like to do is to have this revision letter added to the PDF file names, i.e File_name_B.PDF
How can this be done? using V8 2004 and we use PDF.plt driver
Many thanks in advance!
cad.station9: Hi, In our plot sheets, we have a line of text for the revision number, i.e. 'B' Waht I'd like to do is to have this revision letter added to the PDF file names, i.e File_name_B.PDF How can this be done? using V8 2004 and we use PDF.plt driver Many thanks in advance!
As you can see from my post to Phil, we need a new tool to achieve this more easily.
As a workaround you can use the following workflow we have established in our office for a long time. This workflow uses the name of the sheet model to produce a pdf file name.
1. Rename your sheet model according your file naming specification.
2. In your Bentley plot driver (*.plt ) or (*.pltcfg) add the following line to specify your PDF file name. default_outFile = "$(MS_PLTFILES)$(MS_PLTMODELNAME).plt"
Be aware that there are much more options to automatically specify the PDF file name when creating a PDF.
HTH
Gunnar
I should have provided more reason for my reply, so my apologies for that. That is useful information (FWIW, I am aware of the standards you refer to), but with all due respect, my reply did not say that there were no "standards" or that this was not a "usual task". It was simply in how such information could exist and how any organization might implement it and expect it to be passed through on output. You bring up one a couple of ways that it could be implemented, but that could also be done through any number of other very varying things (e.g. tags, XML fragments, database, plain text, design history, "other" applications, configuration variables, etc.) Also, how that information gets through (e.g. filenames, "stamps" on output, archives, etc.) could also vary. That is all where the "pretty specific to your processes and workflows" comes in. Some of this is possible today, but trying to account for all the different ways that it could be done is something that probably requires the customization that I inferred.
But, this is not to stifle ideas or discussions on the topic. What do others think about this? What do you do to "track" revisions?
Phil,
I agree that in detail all standards vary. This is why I referred to ISO 13567. Most CAD standards I know rely on this world wide standard, so this is a good starting point. The point is, that ISO 13567 describes a faceted classification. The variation in the CAD standards is 1. which facets are used 2. which notation is derived from the choosen facets.
Therefore a tool relying on the facets of ISO 13567 could easily manage inumerable different file naming standards when the tables for each facet are configurable by the user (administrator). This is what ISO 13567 for good or for bad allows.
I agree that there are various ways to implement such functionality. However IMHO the range of obvious solutions is not as broad as you indicated.
Obiviously tags and fields have a great potentential to represent the input, because they have a history of serving such purposes.
Not to create metadata for the designfile for document management purposes out of the necessary user input would waste a great chance. A filename has to be specified, but most users miss the opportunity to facilitate document retrieval by creating a set of metadata. This could be done on the fly by a tool like that.
What you speak of is all true -- having been involved with developing, implementing, and "enforcing" standards, it sounds a lot easier than it is. I once heard a statement about standards, they are like toothbrushes... everyone has one, but most do not want to use anyone else's :) Seriously, we are all about standards -- we are involved with a number of them and encourage their use. We have even implemented tools in MicroStation to help in that cause (see this blog post for more regarding that).
Another "twist" in all this is the revision "format" itself. If you go to Help > Contents and search for MS_DESIGN_HISTORY_REVISION_NUMBER_FORMAT, I believe you will see what I mean.
PS - there are other ways to "track" revisions, too, that I did not specify previously. The V8 DGN file has a revision file property and ProjectWise is quite customizable in that aspect.
Thank you all for your kind help.
Phil, you mentioned that "Tags" can be used...Could you please provide extra details on how we can use tags and tags sets in this mathod?
We use tags in our DGN's for other purposes, but how can we use it (As a revision number) in the PDF file name?
What code (if this is how to implement this idea) can be used?
TIA