CADD Manager's Series
Engineering\CADD Systems Office
Customizing the Interface
Learning Objectives
Upon completion attendees
will:

Know how to create custom
tool boxes.

Know how to create Tasks
and Workflows.

Know how to create context
menus.
User Level Customization

If a file named FDOTSS3.dgnlib is created in the
C:\FDOTSS3\Workspace\Interfaces\MicroStation\FDOTSS3 directory it will
automatically be loaded into the workspace when FDOTSS3 starts.

This was provided so users can customize their interface without access to
the server.
Creating a DGNLIB
Interface customization should be stored in a DGN Library (.DGNLIB) file.

Create a new design file with a DGNLIB extension.

Append the path to your DGNLIB to the MS_DGNLIBLIST variable.
 Must be in MS_DGNLIBLIST before customization tools are available.
The DGN Library
A DGN Library stores many types of resources.
 Levels
 Civil Cells

Custom Linestyles

Features

Text, Dimension, and Print Styles

Standards
Be very careful not to embed unwanted resources!!!!
 Don’t draw in the DGN Library when testing tools.
 Compress unwanted resources when necessary.
Customize Dialog
Used to add and manage custom toolboxes, tools, tasks, and Main tasks; and
customize menus, context menus, view pop-up menu, tentative pop-up menu,
and icons. Opens when you select Workspace > Customize.
Tools & Tool Boxes

Custom tools and tool boxes are the building blocks for your custom interface.
 The Tools store the key-in or commands to be executed.
 Custom toolboxes are used to organize tools.

You can drag and drop both tools and tool boxes into other areas of the
customize dialog to create tasks or menus.
 This creates a link to the original tool making maintenance easier.
Tool Boxes

Tool Boxes are created by clicking the “New
Tool Box” icon in the Customize dialog.
 Or right-click on you DGNLIB file in the
User Tools section and select “New Tool
Box” from the context menu.

The toolbox is added below your insertion
point in the left pane.

The toolbox's name must be unique to the
DGN file, it can be of any length, and it cannot
contain the backslash (\) character.
Tools

Custom tools can be set up to help you draw
elements, adjust settings, run other
applications, link to Web sites, and more.

Tools are created by clicking the “New Tool”
icon in the Customize dialog.
 Or right-click on you DGNLIB file in the User
Tools section and select “New Tool Box”.

The tool is added below your insertion point in
the left pane. The tool's name must be unique
to the toolbox, it can be of any length, and it
cannot contain the backslash (\) character.
Tool Properties
The tool’s properties define its function and appearance.

Key-in: Enter a key-in for the tool to run.

Balloon Text: Tooltip that appears when you
pass the pointer over the icon.

Icon: You can change that icon to a file in the
open DGN file, an imported bitmap file (BMP
file), an imported icon file (ICO file), or a
MicroStation icon.

Tool Presentation: Determines what is
presented for the tool in the custom toolbox:
Icon and Label (the default), Icon Only, or
Label Only.
MenuBar
MicroStation allows you to customize its
main menu bar.

You can change the standard
MicroStation menus and menu items by
deleting them or adding to them.

You can create custom menus and
menu items by copying standard ones
or by creating new ones.
Menu Capabilities
There are several “capabilities” available, should you need to change the default
display of menus.



_USTN_CAPABILITY <+CAPABILITY_UI_LOADFROMACTIVEFILE — Used if you want to have
access to the features on the Tools tab while working in a DGN file that is not specified by the
configuration variables listed above. If this capability is set, you will see the custom tools, tasks, and
menus from the open DGN file in addition to those in the specified DGN libraries.
_USTN_CAPABILITY <+CAPABILITY_UI_IGNOREMENUSFROMDGNLIBS — Used if you want to
hide all menu customizations.
_USTN_CAPABILITY <+CAPABILITY_UI_IGNOREMENUSFROMRSCMODFILE — Used if you want
to hide all menu customizations that were loaded from a user interface modification file. This capability
takes effect only if the CAPABILITY_UI_IGNOREMENUSFROMDGNLIBS function is NOT set.
Context Menus
A context menu is a menu that appears when you rightclick.

You can customize this menu by adding menus and
menu items to it.

You can customize the context menu by copying
toolboxes and tools to it so that you can activate tools
from these menus.

You can show or hide and enable or disable these menus
and menu items based on “named expressions” or in-line
expressions.
Adding Properties

When you are working with
context menus and context menu
items, right-clicking in the gray
area below the existing properties
presents the Add pop-up menu,
which allows you to add more
properties to the selected item.
Popup Menus
Popup Menus are similar to Context Menus but are triggered by different
keyboard and mouse clicks.

View Popup Menu
 A view pop-up menu is a menu that appears when you press the <Shift>
key and right-click.

Tentative Popup Menu
 A tentative pop-up menu is a menu that appears when you press the
<Shift> key and the tentative buttons (left- and right-hand mouse buttons)
at the same time.
Tasks
A task is a set of tool references grouped to facilitate a particular job. A
sequence of tasks can be grouped into a workflow.

The tool references grouped into a
task can be standard MicroStation
tools, custom tools, or a mixture of
both types.
Main Tasks
A Main task is a set of referenced
tools grouped together because you
need to use them often.

You can create a Main task and
assign it to one or more tasks.
 After a Main task has been
assigned to a task, it appears
at the top of the Tasks dialog
when that task is selected.
Adding Main Task

Select the Task to associate
with your Main Task then rightclick in the Properties area and
select “Add Main Task”.

You can then define the path to
the customized Main Task.
Contact Information
Jimmie Prow
CADD Applications Support Coordinator
Phone no: (850) 414-4863
Toll Free no: (866) 374-3368 extension 4863
Florida Department of Transportation
Engineering / CADD Systems Office
605 Suwannee Street, Mail Station 69
Tallahassee, Florida 32399-0450
email
ecso.support@dot.state.fl.us
jimmie.prow@dot.state.fl.us
web:
http://www.dot.state.fl.us/ecso