Bentley Communities
Bentley Communities
  • Site
  • User
  • Site
  • Search
  • User
MicroStation
  • Product Communities
MicroStation
[Archived] AskInga Wiki What happens when you launch MicroStation?
    • Sign In

    • -AskInga
      • +3D MicroStation
      • +AccuDraw Secrets
      • +Animation - Rendering
      • +Behind The Scenes
      • +Cells
      • +Colours
      • +Conversion - Translation
      • +Coordinate Input
      • +Design Settings
      • +Dimensions
      • +DWG
      • +EDG
      • +Element Manipulation
      • +Element Properties
      • +Element Selection
      • +Freeware - Shareware
      • +Interface Look And Feel
      • +Internet - E-Links - Links
      • +Keyins
      • +Levels
      • +Line Styles
      • +Models
      • +MSM Archive
      • +Other
      • +Presentations
      • +Printing - Plotting
      • +Programming - Automation
      • +Rasters - Images
      • +References
      • +Tags - Data Fields - Fields
      • +Text - Fonts - Annotation
      • +Views
      • +Windows - Interacting With
      • -Workspaces - Configuration
        • All about saving DWG files
        • Auto-open a file to a specific model
        • Change the MicroStation Manager workspace options
        • Complete list of MicroStation V8's configuration variables
        • Compress your UPF file
        • Configuration variable operators
        • Configuration variable processing
        • Configure your compress options
        • Control the output location of MicroStation Packages
        • Convert MDF files to DGNLIB
        • Create new UPF every time you start MicroStation
        • Creating a configuration file
        • Current working directory
        • Customized Standards Checker Reports
        • Degeek MS DESIGN HISTORY REVISION NUMBER FORMAT
        • Deleting your UPF while retaining most settings
        • Digging into your workspace
        • Disable stuff MicroStation can or can't do
        • Do you really need to restart MicroStation when editing variables?
        • Edit Project variables via workspace configuration
        • Get rid of MicroStation Text Window
        • Have only one UPF regardless of the workspace you are using
        • How to figure out what the command line switches are
        • How to set WORKDIR DGNDIR after starting MicroStation
        • Learning about workspaces
        • List the configuration variables
        • Lock down your variables
        • Managing MicroStation backup directories
        • MicroStation J and V8 workspaces on the same computer
        • MicroStation J enhanced workspace functionality
        • MicroStation J Workspaces
        • Monitor your UPF file
        • Move your custom interface from one machine to another
        • MS_RFDIR limitations
        • Open V7 files without reconfiguring V8
        • Open Windows Explorer to location of workspace files
        • Preprocessor directives for processing configuration files
        • Quickly restore the defaults with a command line switch
        • Referencing other configuration variables
        • Regarding the last line in a configuration file
        • Report your variables with Expand Echo keyin
        • Return to the MicroStation Manager
        • Run Debug from a modified icon
        • Run debug from the command prompt DOS window
        • Set temporary variables with the Expand Set keyin
        • Set up a seed file for your UPF file
        • Setting the MS_OPENV7 variable
        • Sharing your workspace
        • Shawn Foster's BE 2005 presentations
        • Show all configuration variables not just some
        • Show full path of active file in title bar
        • Specify sub-folders when making a new project
        • Specify the folder for msdebug.txt
        • Temporary files
        • The types of configuration variables
        • The User Preference File [UPF]
        • Total length of file paths
        • Transcending the workspace and time continuum
        • Understanding configuration variables
        • Understanding MicroStation BASIC configuration variables
        • Use a library legend to help manage your library definitions
        • User interface hierarchy
        • Viewing and determining the configuration variables
        • What happens when you launch MicroStation?
        • What is a workspace?
        • Working with V7 files in V8
        • Workspace root
        • You're the CAD Manager, now what?
    • graffiti

     
     Questions about this article, topic, or product? Click here. 

    What happens when you launch MicroStation?

    AskInga logo

    Original Article Date: March 26, 2004

    There are five levels of configuration that determine how MicroStation will behave when started, as well as when it's opened. These variables are defined in a variety of configuration files and are processed in a very specific order. Learn more about these cascading files in this article! A must read for the new CAD Administrator.

    There are five levels of configuration that determine how MicroStation will behave when started, as well as when it's opened. These variables are defined in a variety of configuration files and are processed in a very specific order.


    Level #0 - System (Processed First)
    These are the very first variables to be processed by when MicroStation is started, and are set by MicroStation itself rather than the user. The variables at this level can be found in configuration files located in the ...\program\microstation\config\system\*.cfg folder and can be overridden by variables at any higher level.

    Level #1 - Application (Processed Second)
    Application level variables are the second to be processed by MicroStation when it is started. They are usually set by MicroStation related application programs that you may be running and the configuration files are typically found in the ...\Program\MicroStation\config\appl\ folder. Settings made at this level can be overridden by settings at any higher level.

    Level #2 - Site (Processed Third)
    These are the third set of variables to be processed and are often set by a system or site manager to facilitate using MicroStation in workgroups. This means that the variables defined here would control or define things such as corporate wide standards to be used by all MicroStation users. The configuration file for the site level is ...\Workspace\Standards\standards.cfg and any setting made at this level can be overridden by settings at any higher level.

    Level #3 - Project (Processed Fifth)
    Project configuration variables are the fifth (the last) to be processed by MicroStation when it is started. They are usually set by a site or project manager to facilitate using project-related standards. Settings for the project level are normally located in ...\Workspace\Projects\...\*.PCF files. Settings made at this level can be overridden by settings at the User level.

    Level #4 - User (Processed Forth)
    User level variables are the fourth to be processed by MicroStation. Found in ...\Workspace\Users\*.UCF files, these files determine which project configuration file (PCF) is processed. User-level configuration variable settings take precedence over all other level settings. Since the user configuration variables are highest in precedence, there is no need for a user to modify configuration variable definitions at any other level.

    The first four levels (System, Application, Site and Project) are meant to be set by the CAD Administrator using a text editor while the user-level variables may be changed by each user via Workspace > Configuration without the fear of disturbing any other user's configuration.

    The order of processing:
    So, to sum that up, there are five levels of configuation that are defined as having a Level Number of 0 - 4. When MicroStation is started, it processes or reads these files in this order:

    Level # 0 - System ...\Program\MicroStation\config\system\*.cfg
    Level # 1 - Application ..\Program\MicroStation\config\appl\*.cfg
    Level # 2 - Site ...\Workspace\Standards\*.cfg
    Level # 4 - User ...\Workspace\Users\*.ucf
    Level # 3 - Project ...\Workspace\Projects\...\*.pcf

    The following illustrates what happens when you fire up MicroStation:

    However, when MicroStation is determining or resolving variables it does so in this order:

    Level # 4 - User
    Level # 3 - Project
    Level # 2 - Site
    Level # 1 - Application
    Level # 0 - System


    Final Notes:
    If a variable is not set at any level, MicroStation looks for an operating system environment variable of the same name.

    MicroStation uses the value of the configuration variable at the highest level it is set...that is...the first place it finds it.

    If you compare the order in which the files are processed to the hierarchy of the level settings (or numbers), you see that the later the level is processed, the higher it's priority, with one exception:

    In order of priority, the project level configuration variables are on a lower level than the user level configuration variables, but MicroStation processes the user level configuration variables first.

    This is done since the UCF file (user configuration file) determines which PCF (project configuration file) is to be processed. Although the project configuration file is the last in line to be processed, the user configuration file has the last word.

    AskInga Article #199

    • Askinga
    • Article
    • WorkSpacesConfiguration
    • Share
    • History
    • More
    • Cancel
    • Danielle Schutz Created by Bentley Colleague Danielle Schutz
    • When: Thu, May 22 2008 11:09 AM
    • Inga Morozoff Last revision by Bentley Colleague Inga Morozoff
    • When: Tue, Jun 8 2010 2:46 PM
    • Revisions: 4
    • Comments: 0
    Recommended
    Related
    Communities
    • Home
    • Getting Started
    • Community Central
    • Products
    • Support
    • Secure File Upload
    • Feedback
    Support and Services
    • Home
    • Product Support
    • Downloads
    • Subscription Services Portal
    Training and Learning
    • Home
    • About Bentley Institute
    • My Learning History
    • Reference Books
    Social Media
    •    LinkedIn
    •    Facebook
    •    Twitter
    •    YouTube
    •    RSS Feed
    •    Email

    © 2023 Bentley Systems, Incorporated  |  Contact Us  |  Privacy |  Terms of Use  |  Cookies