User Guide
User Guide
User Guide

Sharing Level Definitions

A set of level definitions, or level structure, can be stored for shared usage in the level library component of a DGN library file, which is simply a special purpose DGN file.

To manually attach a Level Library
  1. In the Level Manager dialog box, from the Levels menu's Library submenu, choose Attach.
    The Attach Level Library dialog box opens.

  2. Select the level library to attach and click OK.
    The levels from the library display at the bottom of the Level List.

To detach a Level Library
  1. In the Level Manager dialog box, from the Levels menu's Library submenu, choose Detach.
    The Libraries dialog box opens.

  2. Select the level library to detach and click OK.
    The levels from the library are removed from the bottom of the Level List.

The manual attachment of libraries is useful when attaching a limited number of libraries to a small number of DGN files. If you need to make a larger number of libraries available to a larger number of DGN files, you can use the MS_DGNLIBLIST configuration variable. This configuration variable allows you to define the path to specific level libraries that MicroStation looks for levels. This eliminates the need to attach each level library to each DGN file.
To define the MS_DGNLIBLIST configuration variable
  1. From the Workspace menu, choose Configuration.
    The Configuration dialog box opens.

  2. In the Category list box, select Primary Search Paths.
    Configuration variables which specify default search paths for various type of MicroStation files are listed to the right.

  3. In that list box, select DGN Library List.

  4. Click the Edit button.
    The     Edit Configuration Variable dialog box opens.

  5. Enter the path to the DGN libraries you want available. You can enter multiple paths.

  6. From the dialog box's File menu, choose Save.

  7. Click OK to accept the changes.

Resynchronizing DGN file levels with library levels

While a level library is attached to the open DGN file, when you place an element while the Active Level is set to a library level, the level definition is copied from the library to the open DGN file. Because the copy can be modified independently of the original, the levels can become unsynchronized. Should this happen, you may at some point decide to resynchronize them.

To resynchronize DGN file level definitions with their level library sources
  1. In the lefthand pane of the Level Manager dialog box, select the open DGN file.

  2. Click the Update Levels icon.

Alternative Method — To resynchronize DGN file level definitions with their level library sources
  1. In the lefthand pane of the Level Manager dialog box, right-click the open DGN file.
    A pop-up menu opens.

  2. From the pop-up menu, choose Update Levels.

Administrators can limit the effects of synchronization to particular level properties by setting the configuration variable MS_LEVEL_EDIT_ATTRIBUTE_LIST.

The MS_LEVEL_AUTO_SYNC_ATTRIBUTE_LIST configuration variable can be set to automatically resynchronize the level attributes (as set in the variable) of library and reference levels each time the file is opened. Library levels are synchronized from the level library while Reference levels are synchronized from their source file.

To activate Automatic Resynchronization of Level Attributes of Reference and Library Levels
  1. From the Workspace menu, choose Configuration.
    The Configuration dialog box opens.

  2. In the Category list box, select Level.

  3. In the Modify levels related configuration variable list box, select Level Attribute Auto Synch.

  4. Click the Edit button.
    The     Edit Configuration Variable dialog box opens.

  5. Key in one or more (separated by a comma) attributes to be automatically synchronized.

  6. Click OK to accept the changes.