How to force certain settings

For the default text and dimension styles, you have two options. One is to save them to a DGNLIB file and set your configuration to find that file automatically (MS_DGNLIBLIST). They will then be available in every drawing in that workspace, including existing files. You also have the option to save them into your seed file, where they will be available for every drawing created from that seed file. This will not affect existing files.

Once you have set up your styles so that they are available to you, you can use your seed file to set them as the default. Open the seed file, go to the Text Styles dialog and the Dimension Styles dialog, and set your chosen style to Active. Save Settings (not just save) to save these changes to the file. You can do this for a lot of styles and tool settings. You just need to remember to Save Setting.

I don't know about Coincident World...I thought there was a way, but it's possible I am mistaken, or that it's been removed.

Thank you! That helps a lot. The coincident world isn't a big thing, more of a convenience.

Hello Clayton,

I am unaware of the MS_REF_COINCIDENTWORLD variable (don't see it as an option for Configuration Variables). However, the MS_REF_DEFAULTSETTINGS variable is working for me (see example below).

MS_REF_DEFAULTSETTINGS = TrueScale=1,scaleLineStyles=0,AttachMethod=CoincidentWorld

Can you share your MS_REF_DEFAULTSETTINGS variable definition here?

As for Text Styles: are you looking to update existing Design Files or set the default for new Design Files. Mary's suggestion will do it for the latter. To update existing Design Files, you could issue the following key-in commands:

textstyle active <Text Style Name>;filedesign

Example

textstyle active FDOT (Large);filedesign

You could use the Batch Process tool to update multiple Design Files.

My full variable value for MS_REF_DEFAULTSETTINGS:

TrueScale=1,AttachMethod=CoincidentWorld,nestMode=live,NestDepth=0,SaveRelativePath=1