	Product:	MicroStation
	Version:	V8i, CONNECT
	Environment:	N\A
	Area:	Interchange
	Subarea:	SHP

Problem

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:

Solution

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.

Other language sources

Original Author:

Craig Calvin

GIS Files: Unable to Open, Import or Reference

Problem

Solution

See Also

Other language sources

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

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