Problem

When I try to open a V7 DGN file with a newer version than "V7" or "J" following message appears:

***
V7.dgn is a V7 format design file.

If you choose to upgrade to the V8 format, the original V7 format file will be saved to the directory D:\Bentley\MS\V8i\081109578en\WorkSpace\projects\un...\out
***

There you have the choice between the following options:

• Upgrade to V8 format
• Open read-only (Keep as V7 format)

How can I maintain V7 DGN files in V7 format and open and edit it with a newer version than "V7" or "J"?

Solution

To enable V7 Workmode:

1. From the Workspace menu, choose Configuration.
   The Configuration dialog opens.
2. In the View/Modify All Configuration Variables list box, select MS_OPENV7.
3. Click Edit.
   The Edit Configuration File dialog opens.
4. In the New Value field, type 3.
   
   
   
   
5. Click OK to return to the Configuration dialog.
6. From the File menu of the Configuration dialog, choose Save.
7. To close the Configuration dialog, click OK.
8. Exit and restart.

To ensure that the project data conforms to the project requirements, the system administrator or project manager should specify the workmode at the project level.

V7 workmode operation differs from other MicroStation V8 workmodes, and for that manner, from previous editions of MicroStation, in a fundamental way:

When operating MicroStation V8 in V7 workmode, it is necessary to manually save changes to the open DGN file by choosing File > Save.

The following capabilities are disabled in V7 workmode:

• -view group creation
• -level creation
• -model creation
• -3D references in 2D design files
• -reference associations
• -references to models created in V8 DGN files
• -references to models created in DWG files

MS_OPENV7

Controls the behavior when opening V7 format files:
0: open with alert dialog (default)
1: upgrade V7 to V8, no alert dialog
2: open V7 as read-only, no alert dialog
3: open V7 for read/write and set workmode to V7, no alert dialog (MS_OPENV7)

V7 Cell libraries and V7 Cells

V8 versions cannot handle V7 cell libraries and cells just like that.
Such libraries (V7.cel) have to be converted to the V8 format first, before they can be attached as a cell library to the V8 version:
1: Copy your existing V7 cell libraries to the location from where you want to use them in the V8 version.
2: Start MicroStation V8x or CONNECT and open a blank file.
3: Go to menu: Element>Cells
4: In the cell library dialog, go to menu: File>Upgrade Files to V8... (In MicroStation CONNECT, pick: File>Attach File... and go to step#8).
5: Select the V7 format cell library (.cel) that you need to convert to the V8 file format
    (to select more than one, click the little black arrow in the lower left corner, select the libraries, click the Add button, followed by the Done button)
6: In the Upgrade Files dialog, check ON the option: Backup and check the path that you want save the backup file to (default location: _USTN_OUT)
7: Click OK to start the conversion of the listed file(s).
8: From the Convert V7 cell Library dialog, pick the units (metric/imperial) with which the cells in the library was created, to get to the proper size in V8
9: The library/libraries are now converted and are in the location from where you have picked them in step#5
10: A message dialog will show to indicate that Conversion has Completed. Click the OK button to close the dialog
11: The files that were originally in the location of step#5, were automatically moved the specified backup location in step#6
       (these files now have the extension .cel.v7)
12: The converted files in step#8, can now be opened/attached as a cell library in the V8 program and the cells can be placed in the V8 or V7 file

See Also

Setting the MS_OPENV7 variable

Other language Sources:

German: V7 DGN Dateien mit neueren Versionen bearbeiten