Migrating Customizations to MS XM


 Product:MicroStation
 Version:V8 XM Edition
 Environment:N\A
 Area:Administration
 Subarea:N/A

Overview

There are two scenarios for which you will need to go to WORKSPACE > CUSTOMIZE on the MicroStation pull-down list. First, you have existing customization that you need to bring over from a previous version of MicroStation. Second, you would like to create custom tools, menus, tasks, etc. for your users to choose from in order to make their workflow easier and more consistent to company standards.

Prior to the V8 XM Edition, customizations of the user interface were stored in interface modification files (*.m01, *.p01, *.s01, and *.r01). which were grouped in various directories under Bentley's WorkSpace\Interfaces\MicroStation directory. When you chose an interface in the MicroStation Manager dialog, you specified a directory from which the interface modification files were read.

Bentley is now moving towards task-based designs which means that as of the V8 XM Edition, customized user interfaces, including customized tools, toolboxes, tasks, and menus, are created with the Customize dialog and are stored in DGN libraries, rather than in interface modification files.

Warning: It is highly recommended that you import interface customizations created in previous editions into DGN libraries. Combining the old-style customizations with DGN library customizations will cause unpredictable results in the user interface. Once you have imported your customizations into a DGN library you should remove the old interface modification files from your system.

If you have previously used Settings Manager, then you have taken steps towards guiding your users through a series of menu items to help in the finished design process. Settings Manager controlled a series of menu items to be used or accessed during a design process. It controlled active levels, colors, menus/tools, cells, scales, etc. All users needed to do was select the proper menu item from Settings Manager and it would control what was needed.

If you wish to continue to use your existing tools and menus, that is not a problem. These are still available and updateable. However, we are now attempting to make the process in which a manager maintains these easier.

The Process

Let's examine your existing customizations, where you want to migrate over to XM. First, do you know where the customizations are that you have created? Do you know what files contain the customizations? You need to get everything in order first; your Settings Manager files, custom toolboxes, toolframes, pulldowns, MDLs, Macros and anything else you used to create the interface.

*Please note* - If you do not know what files are used and where they are located (arbitrarily created tools under WORKSPACE > CUSTOMIZE), or if you are using MDLs, etc. then you must find out before continuing. Technical Support analysts can not tell you what you have created or where it is placed, as this is your responsibility. There is training available, as well as information under the HELP inside of MicroStation. This functionality needs to be understood in order for you to continue past this point.

XM can use the same files and structure that MS/J or V8 uses. Therefore, your files can go in the same directory structure you are currently using. However, you may want to create a separate directory structure for XM until you get things organized and created the way you want. 

   

 At this point MicroStation XM can read and use the interface components found in this folder, however it's strongly advised to move the components into the DGNLIB rather than retain them in the ustn.m01.

 

The next step is to copy the custom toolboxes from Application Tools > MicroStation on the left side of the dialog  to User Tasks on the right side of the dialog.

  

The action of copying and pasting may seem redundant, but since the V7 ustn.m01 file will be removed from the interface folder, the custom toolboxes will disappear from the Application Tools.  Since they've been copied these to the User Tools, they will still be available via the dgnlib. 

Settings Manager STG Files:

If you are currently using Settings Manager and wish to incorporate this into the tools, templates and tasks, then you will need to do the following:

 

Here is another image of what some templates might look like. If you wish, you can now link these templates to any custom tools or just use them by themselves.

At this point, you've migrated custom toolboxes and the contents of setting manager files from V7 to the XM dgnlib.

Menu Bar

Custom menu bar items are automatically read and loaded from the V7 m01 file into the dgnlib.  They will appear in italic font in the Menu  option on the right side.

 

At this point the custom items are available to be copied into the dgnlib. 

Recapping - The old resource files (ustn.m01, etc.) are in the new interface folder where they are currently being read by XM.  Custom tool boxes have been copied from the ustn.m01 to the User Tasks.   And, Settings Manager files from V7 have been imported into the Template tab of the Customize dialog. And custom menu bar items have been automatically read and manually copied into the menu option of the Customize dialog. 

The next step of this process is to delete the V7 interface modification file from the XM interface folder.

Since the V7 ustn.m01 file has been deleted, there are no references to it's content.  This includes the Menu option.  you can now rename, move, edit and populate the imported menu items to suit your needs.

The tools tab will list your design files current tools, tasks, and menus that are available. There are User Tools which are the custom tools we create, and there are Application Tools which are delivered by applications. There are also User Tasks which are those tasks that we will generate and Application Tasks which these are delivered by the application. Notice the User Tools and the User Tasks both have sub-headings by the filename currently open. This is where you will put your Tools and Tasks.

Templates will control settings like levels, color, fill mode, text style, cell name, cell scale, dimension style, etc.

Tools are similar to the old toolboxes. But now instead of controlling settings, it has been simplified. You supply the command string, description, associate a template (to control the settings) and give it an icon.

Tasks contain tools. Tasks are a workflow of options users will go through to complete a section of your design. For example, laying out contours or doing a single-line diagram. The specified task will have all the tools available to complete these tasks.

Once you have the tools and templates, you can now create Tasks. Under User Tasks, you want to design a workflow for your users to pick from in order to do certain things (IE: Sheet layouts, Drainage, Details, etc.). At this point, it would be similar to what you did if you had set up a menu in Settings Manager.

*Note* - From this point forward, the data you have created now exists in the active design file you have had open during the creation process. You should no longer need the settings files or the ustn.* files from the previous version of MicroStation. If you now define the MS_DGNLIBLIST variable to include this design file and your workspace is shared (depending where this is defined), all users should see our Tools, Tasks, and Templates.

Tools and Templates need to be created first. Once these are created, then you can create your Tasks and Pull-down menus.

Where should I put my Tools and Templates? Now that you have your Templates and Tools created, where do you put them? You can use the Templates and Tools without putting them in a Task or pull-down menu. When you choose to place an element in your file you have several choices you can make, one of which is to choose a template. There are two ways to use a template. You can click on the template and have it set your active attributes, or you can depress the Template ICON and have the element being placed linked to the Template settings (so if the template changes, so does the element). One way just controls the active settings currently being used and the other actually links the element to the template.

Tools are nothing new, as you can use your custom tools just as you have previously. Opening them and docking them where you want still works the same way, allowing you to continue using the same workflow as you have in the past.

However, now you can link your tools together in a Task or pull-down menu. So, you can choose to put your tools in a Task menu or a pull-down menu. You may want to use your pull-down menu for instances where a hierarchy structure is needed to pick from, and your Tasks for one shot items.

An example of a pull-down is as follows:

An example of a Task is as follows:

See also

Other language sources

 Original Author:Bentley Technical Support Group