CONNECT: The use of ItemTypes in stead of Tags

Hi all,

I have often used tags in V8i in combination with C# or mVBA (create taglibrarys, tagsets, tags). With CONNECT is it recommended to use Item Types. I want to create (with a C# add-in) my own ItemType library with its own ItemTypes and properties to attach this to an element. In the MicroStation CONNECT SDK there are some examples (eg DGNECExample), but not easy to understand. On the internet I didn't found much that helps me further.

So my question is: why should I use ItemLibrarys as the only advantage (for me) is that in the (far) future Tags go out? By then, there will be hopefully more and user-friendly documentation...;-)

Whta do you think?

Regards, Aart

Map Enterprise V8i SS4, Decartes Connect Edition Update 2 (10.02.00.22), Visual Studio 2015 C#

Parents
  • Unknown said:
    So my question is: why should I use ItemLibrarys as the only advantage is that in the future Tags go out?

    Bentley Systems have told us that tags are deprecated and and that we should prefer Item Types.  However, if you look at MicroStation's history you can see many technologies that have survived through decades. It's a fair bet that tags won't disappear anytime soon.

    For example, User Command Macros (UCMs) are still around, because so many trivial scripts were written by Intergraph users that Bentley Systems wanted to keep on-side.  About the only technology that I can think of that has really disappeared is MicroStation BASIC: VBA is such a superior technology that to continue using BASIC was laziness on the part of the user.  Even then, it took BASIC fourteen years to be removed from MicroStation (VBA arrived with V8 in 2001, BASIC was removed from CONNECT in 2015)!

    Item Types and EC Schemas are not programmer-friendly today.  Those technologies are well-supported by the C++ MicroStationAPI, somewhat supported by the .NET APIs, and not at all by VBA.  The documentation is terse.

    Unknown said:
    There will be hopefully more and user-friendly documentation

    Let's hope so, and more examples as well, particularly for the .NET APIs.  Keep in mind that this is a tiny niche in Bentley's view of the world.  Independent Software Developers (ISDs) complement Bentley Systems business model, but don't contribute direct profits.

    Our first development using Item Types is AreaAnnotator CONNECT Edition.  We use the C++ MicroStationAPI. 

    Good luck!

     
    Regards, Jon Summers
    LA Solutions

  • Unknown said:
    Independent Software Developers (ISDs) complement Bentley Systems business model, but don't contribute direct profits.

    Well, that sounds to me like Bentley has a bad attitude.  I would think that Independent Software Developers would create software that would make Microstation useful/desireable in additional markets.  For me personally, I am in the Surveying field and there is not much surveying software for Microstation that I can find.  There is lots of surveying software for Autocad and its clones.  My coworkers are always pining over Autocad and the surveying software available for it.  My organization's standard is Microstation, but there are a number of people here who have been pushing to go with the other team.  Who knows, maybe they'll succeed one day.  It doesn't help that the cad administrators here get all bent out of shape when you ask them to do their jobs.

    Just a thought.

    Minion

    Code... We're the good guys now.

  • Unknown said:
    Independent Software Developers (ISDs) complement Bentley Systems business model, but don't contribute direct profits.

    Unknown said:
    That sounds to me like Bentley has a bad attitude

    I wouldn't draw that conclusion.  I think Bentley Systems have a good attitude.  I pointed out a fact, not an opinion.  They publish complex APIs in three programming languages and provide help to us on this and other Forums.  Not so long ago, you might have received a reply from Keith, Barry or Ray Bentley, but I guess they are taking more of a back seat these days.  We benefit nonetheless from excellent commentary from core Bentley developers (even if they do seem impatient with my maladroit questions at times).

    The quarterly updates to MicroStation CONNECT are reflected in the APIs.  For example, I started to investigate Item Types in 2015, in the era of the CONNECT release candidate.  At that time the APIs were not sufficiently mature to enable third-party development (that, by the way, is an opinion).  By 2016 the MicroStationAPI had sufficient support for Item Types to enable us to start writing AreaAnnotator CONNECT Edition, and in 2017 I see that the .NET APIs also have good support for Item Types.

    I take my hat off to Bentley Systems, the Bentley Developer Network team, and the internal developers who spend so much time helping us.

     
    Regards, Jon Summers
    LA Solutions

Reply
  • Unknown said:
    Independent Software Developers (ISDs) complement Bentley Systems business model, but don't contribute direct profits.

    Unknown said:
    That sounds to me like Bentley has a bad attitude

    I wouldn't draw that conclusion.  I think Bentley Systems have a good attitude.  I pointed out a fact, not an opinion.  They publish complex APIs in three programming languages and provide help to us on this and other Forums.  Not so long ago, you might have received a reply from Keith, Barry or Ray Bentley, but I guess they are taking more of a back seat these days.  We benefit nonetheless from excellent commentary from core Bentley developers (even if they do seem impatient with my maladroit questions at times).

    The quarterly updates to MicroStation CONNECT are reflected in the APIs.  For example, I started to investigate Item Types in 2015, in the era of the CONNECT release candidate.  At that time the APIs were not sufficiently mature to enable third-party development (that, by the way, is an opinion).  By 2016 the MicroStationAPI had sufficient support for Item Types to enable us to start writing AreaAnnotator CONNECT Edition, and in 2017 I see that the .NET APIs also have good support for Item Types.

    I take my hat off to Bentley Systems, the Bentley Developer Network team, and the internal developers who spend so much time helping us.

     
    Regards, Jon Summers
    LA Solutions

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