We have had a recent problem with older working drawings getting mixed up with newer ones. The boss has asked that we find a way to put a 'last print' date on our sheets so we can see which set is the newer set. Using text fields I managed to do this. When printed using MS's print dialog the field updates before print so the proper date and time are shown. We've discovered, though, that PO does not update the field before printing. The drawing will show the date and time of the last time it was printed using the regular print dialog. Is there a way to make PO update the text field when printing so that it displays the date and time that it was printed using PO? I've checked the print attributes and settings but I don't see anything that says you can tell it to do that.
Thanks.
Since text fields will not update in a design file that is opened in read-only mode, or in references, pen table text substitution is often the simplest, quickest, and most versatile choice for stamping information on printed output. However, you can get master file fields to update when printing through Print Organizer.
The key is to turn off the "open design files in read-only mode" preference, accessible through the Print Organizer Edit / Preferences menu item, or via cfgvar. This will have the side effect of updating the last modified time on your DGN files whenever you print, as MicroStation will set the LastPrintedTime property. This may or may not be desirable to you.
There is also an 'update fields when printing' cfgvar, documented in the Printing category. You may find it helpful to automatically force field values to update prior to printing. This can take some time, however, depending on the size of your design file.
Information in this article may be useful:
http://communities.bentley.com/other/old_site_member_blogs/bentley_employees/b/andrew_edges_blog/archive/2008/08/31/print-text-substitution.aspx
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