The Situation

When you connect a configuration to MicroStation 2023 using the Manage Configuration utility it appears not to read a custom Standards.cfg file. 

This manifests as variables that you have defined being displayed in the Configuration Dialog as undefined or appearing with default or other values. Close inspection will reveal that the variables being read are those from the first configuration listed in the Manage Configuration Utility. The configurations are listed in the UI in the same order.

This is due to an unexpected change in the underlying Microsoft form code used by the Manage Configuration UI shown on the Work Page which results in the first configuration listed by the Manage Configuration Utility always being read regardless of which configuration is selected and shown as active. 

Solution

This bug has been fixed and is expected to be available in MicroStation 2023.1.

Workarounds in the initial 2023 release are as follows:

1. A quick fix is to change the order of the listed configurations. Move the one you need to the top of the list:
   
   Other configurations subsequently listed will then be affected by the bug so while this is the easiest solution it is not s complete resolution.
2. If you only need a single configuration remove all the others from the Manage Configuration Utility by unticking the 'Visible' option. In the case of the Example configuration this must be done by editing configuration.xml. Please see this blog for details of the XML syntax and what to change: Configuration Tips - Manage Configuration Utility
3. Also described in that blog is the use of _USTN_USER_CONFIGURATION to set only one configuration to be visible which sidesteps the Manage Configuration UI completely avoiding this problem.

Notes:

• Configured shortcuts using command line switches are unaffected by this bug as they do not interact with the Manage Configuration UI.
• MicroStation 2023 introduces the _USTN_RESTRICT_MANAGE_CONFIGURATION and MS_CONFIGURATIONXML_PATH variables also described in  Configuration Tips - Manage Configuration Utility