When trying to import, open or reference a GIS file (SHP, MIF/MID, or TAB) the following message appears:"[...FilePath...shp] is not in a recognized file format"
When attempting to open:
When attempting to import or reference:
Reason 1: Using a version older than MicroStation V8i SELECTseries 1 (08.11.09.171)
The ability to open, import and reference GIS files (SHP, MIF/MID, or TAB) was introduced in MicroStation V8i SELECTseries 1 (08.11.07.171). Older versions do not include this feature.
Reason 2: Supporting files are missing
Shapefile Format: SHP Require at least three files in the same directory, with the same name and with the following extensions: File Extension Description .shp Shape Format: Describe the feature geometry such as points, polylines, and polygons .shx Shape Index Format: A positional index of the feature geometry to allow seeking forwards and backwards quickly .dbf Attribute Format: Columnar attributes for each shape, in dBase III format In addition to the three mandatory files listed above, you can include the following optional files: File Extension Description .prj Project Format; contains the coordinate system and projection information, a plain text file describing the projection using well-known text format .sbn and .sbx A spatial index of the features .fbn and .fbx A spatial index of the features for shapefiles that are read-only .ain and .aih An attribute index of the active fields in a table or a theme's attribute table .ixs A geocoding index for read-write shapefiles .mxs A geocoding index for read-write shapefiles (ODB format) .atx An attribute index for the .dbf file in the form of shapefile.columnname.atx (ArcGIS 8 and later) .shp.xml Metadata in XML format .cpg Used to specify the code page (only for .dbf) for identifying the character encoding that will be used MapInfo Format: MIF/MID Require at least two files in the same directory, with the same name and following extensions: MIF (Stores geometry) MID (Stores database attributes for the geometric data) MapInfo Format: TAB Require a number of files to be present in the same folder. These files make up a standard MapInfo project.
Shapefile Format: SHP
Require at least three files in the same directory, with the same name and with the following extensions: File Extension Description .shp Shape Format: Describe the feature geometry such as points, polylines, and polygons .shx Shape Index Format: A positional index of the feature geometry to allow seeking forwards and backwards quickly .dbf Attribute Format: Columnar attributes for each shape, in dBase III format In addition to the three mandatory files listed above, you can include the following optional files: File Extension Description .prj Project Format; contains the coordinate system and projection information, a plain text file describing the projection using well-known text format .sbn and .sbx A spatial index of the features .fbn and .fbx A spatial index of the features for shapefiles that are read-only .ain and .aih An attribute index of the active fields in a table or a theme's attribute table .ixs A geocoding index for read-write shapefiles .mxs A geocoding index for read-write shapefiles (ODB format) .atx An attribute index for the .dbf file in the form of shapefile.columnname.atx (ArcGIS 8 and later) .shp.xml Metadata in XML format .cpg Used to specify the code page (only for .dbf) for identifying the character encoding that will be used
Require at least three files in the same directory, with the same name and with the following extensions:
File Extension
Description
.shp
Shape Format: Describe the feature geometry such as points, polylines, and polygons
.shx
Shape Index Format: A positional index of the feature geometry to allow seeking forwards and backwards quickly
.dbf
Attribute Format: Columnar attributes for each shape, in dBase III format
In addition to the three mandatory files listed above, you can include the following optional files:
.prj
Project Format; contains the coordinate system and projection information, a plain text file describing the projection using well-known text format
.sbn and .sbx
A spatial index of the features
.fbn and .fbx
A spatial index of the features for shapefiles that are read-only
.ain and .aih
An attribute index of the active fields in a table or a theme's attribute table
.ixs
A geocoding index for read-write shapefiles
.mxs
A geocoding index for read-write shapefiles (ODB format)
.atx
An attribute index for the .dbf file in the form of shapefile.columnname.atx (ArcGIS 8 and later)
.shp.xml
Metadata in XML format
.cpg
Used to specify the code page (only for .dbf) for identifying the character encoding that will be used
MapInfo Format: MIF/MID
Require at least two files in the same directory, with the same name and following extensions: MIF (Stores geometry) MID (Stores database attributes for the geometric data)
Require at least two files in the same directory, with the same name and following extensions:
MapInfo Format: TAB
Require a number of files to be present in the same folder. These files make up a standard MapInfo project.
MicroStation Wiki - GIS Files: Open, Import or ReferenceMicroStation Wiki - GIS Files: Elevation DataMicroStation Wiki - GIS Files: Elevation data not applied after importMicroStation Help - Using GIS Files