This Client Server article is republished in its entirety from 2002 for reference purposes.
By Ed Yepes, Support Engineer, Bentley Huntsville Office 30 September 2002
Pen Table Text Substitution Enhancements
New pen table text substitution enhancements are now available in MicroStation V8. Just as you could with MicroStation/J, you can use the text substitution feature to replace text in your design file for your printed output.
The text substitution feature in MicroStation/J allowed standard text string variables for text items such as date, time and filename (short or abbreviated). Now, in MicroStation V8, new string variables are available for filename (long), printer driver name, scale and pen table name.
Proposed replacement strings for the date, time, printer driver name (short, abbreviated and full), scale and pen table name (short, abbreviated and full) are special strings that are substituted for the required information during printing processing. When specifying these text substitutions, the system provides a suggested actual string. You can place an identical text string in the design file at the position that you want the text substitution to occur. Alternatively, you can amend the actual string to match an existing text string in the design file.
To define a text substitution entry for the filename, pen table name, printer driver name or scale:
In the design file, place at least one string of text for which you want to substitute the filename, pen table name, printer driver name or scale.
In the Modify Pen Table dialog box's Global Actions section, click the Text Substitutions button. The Text Substitutionsdialog box opens.
From the Text Substitutions dialog box's Edit menu, choose from the following: - Insert Design File Short - Insert Design File Abbrev - Insert Design File Long - Insert PenTable Short - Insert PenTable Abbrev - Insert PenTable Long - Insert PrinterDriver Short - Insert PrinterDriver Abbrev - Insert PrinterDriver Long - Scale
Choosing one of these menu items inserts a list box entry. A special string appears in the Replacement field and a suggested string appears in the Actual field as follows:
| Edit menu item | Actual string | Proposed replacement string | Effect of leaving the proposed replacement string as is |
| Insert Design File Short | $FILES$ | _FILES_ | Replaces the actual string with the filename of the active design file. No truncation takes place. |
| Insert Design File Abbrev | $FILEA$ | _FILEA_ | Replaces the actual string with ...\ followed by the active design file name. Example: ...\master.dgn |
| Insert Design File Long | $FILEL$ | _FILEL_ | Replaces the actual string with the entire path to the active design file and the file name |
| Insert PenTable Short | $PENTBLS$ | _PENTBLS_ | Replaces the actual string with the filename of the pen table file. No truncation takes place |
| Insert PenTable Abbrev | $PENTBLA$ | _PENTBLA_ | Replaces the actual string with the ...\ followed by the pen table file name |
| Insert PenTable Long | $PENTBLL$ | _PENTBLL_ | Replaces the actual string with the entire path to the pen table and the pen table name |
| Insert PrinterDriver Short | $PLTDRVS$ | _PLTDRVS_ | Replaces the actual string with the filename of the printer driver file. No truncation takes place. Example: printer.plt |
| Insert PrinterDriver Abbrev | $PLTDRVA$ | _PLTDRVA_ | Replaces the actual string with ...\ followed by the printer driver file name. Example: ...\cellsub.pen |
| Insert PrinterDriver Long | $PLTDRVL$ | _PLTDRVL_ | Replaces the actual string with the entire path to the printer driver file and the printer driver name. |
| Insert Scale | $SCALE$ | _SCALE_ | Replaces the actual string with the current scale. Example: 40 mu / IN. |
5. (Optional) In the Actual String field, edit the string to match an existing string in the design file.
6. Press Return to update the list box entry with the specified strings.
If you need additional information please look at the online help documentation under Contents->Printing Guide->Print Resymbolization and Pen Tables->Modify Pen Table dialog box. You can also call the Bentley SELECT Support help line. 
Figure 1: Text Substitutions Dialog
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