I'm not sure how to phrase this question, so I'll explain what I need to do and maybe there's someone who can help me accomplish the task.
I want to link a text substitution, to a spreadsheet or text file, that would provide the sheet numbers to the plan sheets when they Batch Print.
I have a civil roadway project of about 500 sheets and a spreadsheet with path and filenames; all sheets use a common border reference file; each sheet is in a single .dgn file; we use Batch Print with a pen table to text substitute the filename, date, user & scale, and want to number the sheets when we print and edit the numbering at the spreadsheet.
All suggestions are greatly appreciated, DRL
There is no way you can do this with text substitution really. If you were to rename all your model names for your drawing model then you could use the model name is the drg number and the $modelname$ or similar could be used but how you rename each model without doing it manually... would require vba... you could try the drawing file name and place a BG fill mask in the border refererence file to obscure the extension of the name ie drawing name.dgn then you could download and instal the free program bulk file rename utility and it will let you rename all you file drawing names to a sequential number scheme of you choice say for example CIV100.dgn then you can get it to rename each drawing by + 1 so all your drawing end up with CIV100- 499 in seconds you can rename the lot anything you want great tool...
then in the border ref file you use the text substitution $file$ ( or whatever for the short file name) use the text justifcation such that the DGN extension is always the same distance from the edge and put a BG fill over the extension and ensure its ontop by the bring to front... now in theory the file name will be the drawing number and will print under the fill...
Otherwise its tags and you'll need to write your own export/ import tags from excel vba macro or very cheaply buy somethnig like caddpro title block manager from Adam Lambert ( under $250 AUD) or Flexitable from LA solutions (don't know price ) but either one will import and export tags from excel but you have to have the tag in the dgn first... I think you can put the tag in the ref border file then create a macro ( vba probably) to copy the tag from the ref file and place it in the active drg and use the batch processor... or maybe you could just make simple macro to merge the border ref file and its tag and batch processor that... ( this ones easier) then use the flexitable / caddpro approach to import export the drawing numbers...
once you got this in place you would only put the tags into new drawings ie all the title block info should be tags copied or placed into the live file... I use to have a model with the tag set so it overlayed the drg border sheet then I merged it into the active but left the border sheet as a ref file... by the way Caddpro does that part automatically for you once you redesigned you board title sheet file...
I hope this was of help
Lorys
Started msnt work 1990 - Retired Nov 2022 ( oh boy am I old )
But was long time user V8iss10 (8.11.09.919) dabbler CE update 16 (10.16.00.80)
MicroStation user since 1990 Melbourne Australia.click link to PM me
Good Day Lorys,
I was afraid that my solution was going to be as you have explained. I work for a State agency that will not entertain any notion of spending for third party software. We are using a pen table & text substitutions to number sheets at this time. We have a code scheme and we maintain a database of drawing files; we assign a new code to each drawing created and organize the database in desired numerical order; then we renumber with a text editor that has column capability; after that... it's just a copy/paste operation into the pen table.
Thank you for taking the time to respond.
Sincerely,
D.L.