cellmgrv7

Users Guide

CellManagerTake control of your MicroStation cell libraries!

Version 7.8 (for MicroStation/J and earlier)

Axiom1805 Drew StreetClearwater, Florida 337651-727-442-7774 voice1-727-442-8344 [email protected]

CellManager

Copyright 1986-2007 Axiom.All rights reserved.

This document was last modified on 17 August 2007 4:27 PM.

This software and manual are provided as is without warranty of any kind, eitherexpressed or implied, including, but not limited to the implied warranties of

merchantability and fitness for a particular purpose. The entire risk as to the quality andperformance of this program is with you. You are advised to test the program thoroughly

before you rely on it. Should the program prove defective, you (and not the seller normanufacturer) assume the entire cost of all necessary servicing, repair or correction. Anyliability of seller or manufacturer of this software will be limited exclusively to product

replacement or refund of the purchase price. Venue for the resolution of any disputerelated to this license or the use of this product shall be Pinellas County, Florida.

MicroStation is a registered trademark of Bentley Systems, Incorporated.Intergraph is a registered trademark of Intergraph Corporation.AutoCAD is a registered trademark of Autodesk, Incorporated.

Notebook MDL, Notebook, CellStar and CellManager are trademarks of Axiom.

Table of Contents Page 3

Table of Contents

Chapter 1 Introduction--------------------------------------------------------------------11The problem----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 11Bad solutions---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 11The best solution ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 11Sample uses of CellManager --------------------------------------------------------------------- 11The five main functions of CellManager ------------------------------------------------------- 12

Extract ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ 12Manage ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 12Draw Pages------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 12Create Report ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 13Import ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 13

Chapter 2 Installation----------------------------------------------------------------------14System setup for Installation---------------------------------------------------------------------- 14Disk space requirements -------------------------------------------------------------------------- 14Library size limitations ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- 14Windows filename size limitation --------------------------------------------------------------- 14Before You Install ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 14Typical Installation from CD --------------------------------------------------------------------- 15Congratulations------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 22

Chapter 3 Uninstalling --------------------------------------------------------------------23Uninstalling Axiom products --------------------------------------------------------------------- 23

Chapter 4 Quick Start ---------------------------------------------------------------------24Quick Start Objectives----------------------------------------------------------------------------- 24Prerequisites ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 24Demonstration Version ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- 24When should I use CellManager? --------------------------------------------------------------- 24Quick Start step 1 Getting started ------------------------------------------------------------ 25Quick Start step 2 Create a cell library report ---------------------------------------------- 26Quick Start step 3 Draw and plot cell notebook pages ------------------------------------ 29Quick Start step 4 Manage your cell library ------------------------------------------------ 32Quick Start step 5 Extracting cells from a design file ------------------------------------- 39

Chapter 5 Using CellManager ----------------------------------------------------------41Starting CellManager------------------------------------------------------------------------------ 41

Cell Library ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ 41Activity ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 42

File menu -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 42Settings menu --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 43

Change Settings... ----------------------------------------------------------------------------- 43Load Settings ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 43

CellManager

Save Settings----------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 43Save Settings As ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- 43Restore default settings ----------------------------------------------------------------------- 44Settings File: ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 44Local settings and network installations (CELLMGR_INI)----------------------------- 44

Help menu------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 44Help | Contents ----------------------------------------------------------------------------- 44Help | About...---------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 44

Cell Library ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 45

Chapter 6 Configuring CellManager--------------------------------------------------46Overview on configuring CellManager --------------------------------------------------------- 46

Confirmation ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 46General------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ 47

2D Seed File ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ 473D Seed File ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ 47Work File ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 48Update the Work File to match Cell Librarys name.-------------------------------- 48Notify user before overwriting --------------------------------------------------------- 48Automatically save settings on exit ---------------------------------------------------- 48Backup the library when attaching it.-------------------------------------------------- 49Re-open child windows when opening the parent window. ------------------------ 49Output for undefined cell properties --------------------------------------------------- 49Cell Edit ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 50 -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 50 ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 50

Notifications ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 51Duplicate cell name detected in cell library. ------------------------------------------ 52Duplicate cell name created by Export command.----------------------------------- 52Duplicate cell name caused by UnDelete command. -------------------------------- 53Existing CellManager report file will be overwritten. ------------------------------ 53Missing nested cell caused by Delete command. ------------------------------------ 53Missing nested cell caused by Rename command. ---------------------------------- 53Missing nested cell detected in a cell library.----------------------------------------- 53Missing size parameter in plotter configuration file. ----------------------------- 53Parent cell transformation changes a nested cell. ------------------------------------ 54

Output Settings -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 54Output and Post Processing ------------------------------------------------------------- 54Use quotes in commands ---------------------------------------------------------------- 55Plot without margins --------------------------------------------------------------------- 55Highlight fence --------------------------------------------------------------------------- 55

Page Settings----------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 56Method (Choose the method to draw cell on page)---------------------------------- 56

Fit method ..................................................................................................... 56Actual method ............................................................................................... 57Scale method ................................................................................................. 57Scale .............................................................................................................. 57Page Width .................................................................................................... 57Unit................................................................................................................ 57

Cells per Page----------------------------------------------------------------------------- 58Cell origin --------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 58


Level --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 59Font----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 59Draw page border ------------------------------------------------------------------------ 59Draw sheet border ------------------------------------------------------------------------ 59Dont rotate-------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 60Page size ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 60

Plot Settings------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ 60Configuration File ------------------------------------------------------------------------ 61

..................................................................................................... 61Paper --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 61Plotting System --------------------------------------------------------------------------- 61

MicroStation.................................................................................................. 61IPLOT............................................................................................................ 61IPLOT Queue ................................................................................................ 62

IPLOT Settings --------------------------------------------------------------------------- 62

Chapter 7 --------------------------------------------------------------63Why select cells ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ 63Select Cells dialog box ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- 63Cell Name List-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 64Select by Name & Description ------------------------------------------------------------------- 64

String Matching-------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 65Cell Name -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 65Description ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 65Levels ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 66Elements ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 66

Cell types to include ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 66Graphic ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 66Point--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 67Menu -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 67Tutorial ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 67Deleted cells ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 67

Cell order -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 68 ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 68 --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 69

Chapter 8 --------------------------------------------------------------------70Manage dialog box--------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 70Cells in Library: ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ 71Cell list box ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 71Keystroke activated functions -------------------------------------------------------------------- 71

Find---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 72, , and ------------------------------------------------ 72--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 73 ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 73 -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 73

Background ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ 74Image-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 743D orientation---------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 74

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 75------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ 76

CellManager

Element selection criteria: Color, style, weight, level and type------------------------- 76Element selection------------------------------------------------------------------------- 77

Element modification specifications: Color, style, weight & level --------------------- 77--------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 77--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 77

Modify Text ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 78Only process text that fits Element Selection Criteria. ----------------------------------- 78Editing Method -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 78Search ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 79Replace ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 79Width & Height-------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 80Change font ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ 80 ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 80----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 80

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 80Scale--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 81Rotation----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 81--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 81

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 81Point to Graphic ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 81Graphic to Point ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 81--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 82

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 82 ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ 83

Exporting to another MicroStation cell library-------------------------------------------- 83Output Library --------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 83 and ----------------------------------------------------------------- 84How to export cells --------------------------------------------------------------------------- 84Handling Duplicate Cells on Export to another Cell Library --------------------------- 85

Cancel Copy/Move Operation....................................................................... 85Export This Cell (create dup) ........................................................................ 85Export All Cells Regardless .......................................................................... 85Dont Export This Duplicate ......................................................................... 85Dont Export Any Duplicates........................................................................ 86Replace Cell In Output Library ..................................................................... 86Replace All Duplicate Cells .......................................................................... 86Rename Cell In Output Library..................................................................... 86Export Cell With New Name ........................................................................ 86

Exporting MicroStation cells to AutoCAD blocks---------------------------------------- 86AutoCAD block format------------------------------------------------------------------ 86Maintain names of nested orphan cells. ----------------------------------------------- 87Output Directory-------------------------------------------------------------------------- 87 and ------------------------------------------------------------ 87Exporting nested cells ------------------------------------------------------------------- 88Handling Duplicate Cells on Export to AutoCAD ----------------------------------- 88

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 88----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 90

Name and description------------------------------------------------------------------------- 90 Duplicate A Cell --------------------------------------------------------------- 90 ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 91


Chapter 9 ---------------------------------------------------------------------92Extract Cells dialog box--------------------------------------------------------------------------- 92Source Design File: -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 92Cell Seed File: -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 92Output Cell Library: ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 93 -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 93

Chapter 10 --------------------------------------------------------------------94Import AutoCAD blocks to a cell library dialog box------------------------------------------ 94Input Blocks:---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 95Cell Seed File: -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 95Output Cell Library -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 95Import Report File --------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 95

Chapter 11 Choose files to process --------------------------------------------------96Using Axioms Choose Files to Process box------------------------------------------------- 96Adding files to the list ----------------------------------------------------------------------------- 97File and Edit menus -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 97

Browse for files ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 97

Search for files -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 98Search in: --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 98Include subfolders. ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- 98Search for files using:------------------------------------------------------------------------- 98Search for files by date: ---------------------------------------------------------------------- 99 --------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 99 ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ 99----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 99

Drag-and-drop files from Windows Explorer -------------------------------------------- 99

Remove selected files ------------------------------------------------------------------------ 99

Remove all files ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ 99

Save list to file -------------------------------------------------------------------------------100Files to Process ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------100

Right-clicking on the list --------------------------------------------------------------------100Selecting files in the list ---------------------------------------------------------------------100

Using ----------------------------------------------------------------100Using -----------------------------------------------------------------100

Removing files from the list ----------------------------------------------------------------100Version----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------101 -----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------101 -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------101Advanced Commands ----------------------------------------------------------------------------101

Chapter 12 --------------------------------------------------------103Create Report dialog box-------------------------------------------------------------------------103Report file ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------103Template --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------103

CellManager

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------104Supplied templates ---------------------------------------------------------------------------104 ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------104

Note -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------104Lines per page -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------104--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------104

Cells to process -------------------------------------------------------------------------------105 ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------105Key Strings-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------106Sample key file (*.tpl) ----------------------------------------------------------------------------106Keys and what they represent -------------------------------------------------------------------107

Text page layout keys------------------------------------------------------------------------107Keys not associated with any particular cells---------------------------------------------107For each cell:----------------------------------------------------------------------------------108For layout views ------------------------------------------------------------------------------109

Chapter 13 ----------------------------------------------------------- 110Draw Pages dialog box ---------------------------------------------------------------------------110Two methods--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 111Printing from CellManager ---------------------------------------------------------------------- 111

Example: Windows 98------------------------------------------------------------------112Example: Windows NT-----------------------------------------------------------------112Example: Windows 2000---------------------------------------------------------------113

Example for Windows XP ------------------------------------------------------------------113Layout ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------113Page Width and Page Height --------------------------------------------------------------------1143D orientation--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------114Sheets -----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------115Note -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------115Plot Configuration---------------------------------------------------------------------------------115 -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------115 -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------116 ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------116

Chapter 14 and --------------------------- 117 ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------117 ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------117----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------117

Chapter 15 SUBMIT.BAT---------------------------------------------------------------- 118Example SUBMIT.BAT file ---------------------------------------------------------------------118

Chapter 16 Notebook Output ------------------------------------------------------ 119Sample of Notebook Output ------------------------------------------------------------------119

Chapter 17 Trouble Shooting & Technical Notes-------------------------------120Plot file not found due to a space in the path --------------------------------------------------120Restoring default settings ------------------------------------------------------------------------120Troubleshooting IPLOT Systems ---------------------------------------------------------------120


Configure CellManager ---------------------------------------------------------------------120Create fresh plot files ------------------------------------------------------------------------120Setup your submit.bat------------------------------------------------------------------------121Run the submit.bat, stand-alone. -----------------------------------------------------------121What did it do? -------------------------------------------------------------------------------121

Were there any error messages as submit.bat ran?----------------------------------121Did the output look right? --------------------------------------------------------------121

Memory requirements of the Export routine------------------------------------------------122Increase the total amount of memory that can be used by Windows------------------122Close unnecessary applications-------------------------------------------------------------122Reduce the size of the files being processed----------------------------------------------122Exit and restart MicroStation ---------------------------------------------------------------122

Problems installing or re-installing -------------------------------------------------------------123

Chapter 18 Well make (almost) any enhancements you want ------------124We welcome your suggestions ------------------------------------------------------------------124

Chapter 19 Regular Expressions----------------------------------------------------125Using Regular Expressions ----------------------------------------------------------------------125Special characters ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------125

Backslash ( \ ) ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------125Period ( . ) -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------125Asterisk ( * ) ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------125Brackets ( [ ] )---------------------------------------------------------------------------------125Hyphen ( - ) -----------------------------------------------------------------------------------125Caret ( ^ ) --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------126

More about carets -----------------------------------------------------------------------126Dollar ( $ )-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------126

More about dollar signs-----------------------------------------------------------------126Repetitions -----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------127Segments -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------127

Chapter 20 Installation files -----------------------------------------------------------128List of Installation files ---------------------------------------------------------------------------128

Chapter 21 Element Types-------------------------------------------------------------129Table of Element Types with Descriptions ----------------------------------------------------129

Chapter 22 The Layout file ------------------------------------------------------------131What is a Layout file? ----------------------------------------------------------------------------131Layout file details ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------132

Chapter 23 New Features and Fixes------------------------------------------------1367.8a 17 August 2007 --------------------------------------------------------------------------1367.7e 31 January 2007--------------------------------------------------------------------------1367.7d 10 November 2006 ----------------------------------------------------------------------1367.7c 17 August 2006 --------------------------------------------------------------------------1367.7b 9 June 2006-------------------------------------------------------------------------------1367.7a 14 April 2006-----------------------------------------------------------------------------137

CellManager

7.6a 2 July 2004 -------------------------------------------------------------------------------1377.5b 13 February 2003------------------------------------------------------------------------1377.5a 6 August 2002----------------------------------------------------------------------------1387.4c 7 December 2001 ------------------------------------------------------------------------1387.4b 24 September 2001----------------------------------------------------------------------1387.4a 6 September 2001------------------------------------------------------------------------1397.3d 13 April 2001-----------------------------------------------------------------------------1397.3c 10 January 2001--------------------------------------------------------------------------1397.3b 7 December 2000------------------------------------------------------------------------1397.3a 3 November 2000------------------------------------------------------------------------1407.2a 30 May 2000 -----------------------------------------------------------------------------1407.1d 1 September 1999 -----------------------------------------------------------------------1417.1c 3 August 1999----------------------------------------------------------------------------1417.1b 2 June 1999-------------------------------------------------------------------------------1417.1a 5 May 1999-------------------------------------------------------------------------------1417.0c 2 March 1999-----------------------------------------------------------------------------1427.0b 4 November 1998------------------------------------------------------------------------1427.0a 1 October 1998---------------------------------------------------------------------------1426.1a 31 August 1998 --------------------------------------------------------------------------1446.0c 14 August 1998 --------------------------------------------------------------------------146

Chapter 1 Introduction Page 11

Chapter 1 Introduction

The problemMost MicroStation installations use one or more large cell libraries that should be readilyshareable and reusable. However, a great deal of time and effort is wasted by operators orsupervisors recreating cells that already exist in a cell library. Trying to remember theappearance, origin, or size of a cell. Resorting to using MicroStation to perform a trialplacement of the cell to determine its properties, and wrestling with oversized libraries.

Bad solutions Sketching out rough pictures of library cells by hand! Living with bulky libraries. Creating all drawing components from scratch instead of using cell libraries. Asking your co-workers what a cell looks like. Bothering your co-workers to find a particular cell. Manually extracting cells from a drawing to reconstruct a library.

The best solution Use CellManager to create detailed library documentation complete with graphics of

each cell.

Using CellManager to organize and streamline your libraries so cells are easy to find. CellManager eliminates this wasted effort and allows operators and supervisors to

more efficiently utilize the hours, weeks, or months of work already performed andstored in their cell libraries, thus allowing them to complete new projects faster.

Use CellManager to extract all the cells in a drawing in a split second.

Sample uses of CellManager Re-scale all the cells in a library at the touch of a button. Create a notebook showing the graphics of all your cells, complete with index.

CellManager

Split commonly used cells out of a large library and into a separate library. Streamline and organize libraries quickly and easily. Delete, duplicate or otherwise manipulate selected cells in libraries. Create a printed index for each library. Select cells for a particular project. Build a list of cells. Create a list of cells found in a library that fit specific criteria and in description

order.

Create a new library from the cells used in a drawing then export them into a projectlibrary.

Import and export between AutoCAD blocks and MicroStation Libraries.

The five main functions of CellManagerThere are three sections where you do things with your cell libraries, one to create a newcell library from the cells contained in a drawing file and one to create a cell library fromAutoCAD cells. The other main functions (for example, Select Cells, Backup, etc.) workto support these.

ExtractCreate a new cell library from the cells and shared cells existing in a drawing file.

ManageMost supervisors and project leaders will find the Manage facilities useful in maintainingtheir libraries. You can clean up, combine, modify, or split-out cells into new libraries.

Draw PagesCellManager will create a design file that contains the graphics and descriptiveinformation about each cell. Each cell with its descriptive information is placed in an areaproportional to a piece of paper. The design file can easily be plotted as pages to create aphysical notebook of the librarys contents, complete with a detailed Table of Contents.

Chapter 1 Introduction Page 13

Create ReportUsing the Create Report feature a manager can generate a textual catalog of libraryinformation. Reports can be anything from a simple Name/Description list to a reportdetailing everything from size and levels occupied to nested cells and range.

ImportSelect AutoCAD blocks to import into a cell library.

CellManager

Chapter 2 Installation

System setup for InstallationBefore installing CellManager the plotting system should be installed, configured andrunning.

Disk space requirementsThe design file created by CellManagers Draw Pages function will be at least as largeas the original cell library, and may be twice the size or larger. Make sure adequate freedisk space is available. The Create Report text output is much less demanding on diskspace.

Library size limitationsBesides the MicroStation V7 cell library size limit of 32,000 blocks (16.3 megabytes),CellManagers only other limit is a theoretical one of being able to draw only 21,474pages at a time. If you have a library with more than 21,474 cells you need to switch tofour cells per page.

Windows filename size limitationLong file names are supported only to the extent that MicroStation supports them:

Total filename length (including path) has a maximum of 128. Maximum name (not including path) is 64 characters. Maximum extension length is 32 characters.

Before You InstallThis chapter will walk you through a typical Axiom product installation. Theseinstructions apply to both MicroStation V7 and V8. V7 products are used in theexamples.

To install one or more Axiom products, you need:

The latest Axiom product CD; and

Chapter 2 Installation Page 15

A license file on floppy disk for the product(s) you are about to install.

Please shut down all MicroStation sessions on your computer before continuing.

Typical Installation from CD1. Insert the Axiom product CD into your CD drive.

2. The dialog box below should come up automatically. This may take a few momentsdepending on computer and CD drive speed.

CONDITIONAL: In some cases Windows is set to suppress auto-running executables.If the installation process does not begin automatically when you insert the CD, you willneed to start the process manually. From the Windows Start Menu, choose Run andtype in the following:D:\Setup.exewhere D is your CD drive letter.

3. Click the button and the first installation dialog box (below) will appear.

4. Select MicroStation V7 or MicroStation V8 and click .

CellManager

5. Choose which type of installation you want to perform. The Typical installation isbest for most situations and asks the user to make very few decisions.

6. These instructions will describe only the Typical installation path. ChooseTypical and click .


7. Choose the license file for this installation. Place the floppy disk that came with thisinstallation CD into your floppy drive now.

8. Choose I have a floppy disk from Axiom. and click .

Although you have already selected the MicroStation family (V7 or V8) for whichyou want to install Axiom tools, it is common for one computer to have more thanone instance of MicroStation installed on it. For example, you might have twoversions of MicroStation/J installed (07.01.04.16 and 07.02.04.20). You must choosewhich of the two you want to associate your Axiom tools with.

CellManager

9. Highlight the version of MicroStation you want to associate the Axiom tools with andclick .


Since this is a Typical installation, all programs for which an Axiom license wasfound will already be checked-on to be installed. Other items that are alsoautomatically checked-on for installation are the product Users Guides, individualproduct sample files and Axioms MicroStation pull-down menu.

CellManager

10. To proceed with default selections click .

Youve now completed the Pre-Setup.

11. Click to proceed with the installation.


12. The button is grayed-out unless you accept the agreement.

If you accept the license and click , the installation will begin. You can click at any time to abort the installation.

CellManager

13. This is the final dialog box. It shows that the installation is complete. By default theView Readme.pdf option is toggled on and will display the Readme.pdf documentwhen you click .

CongratulationsThats it! You have successfully completed the installation of your Axiom tools.

Chapter 3 Uninstalling Page 23

Chapter 3 Uninstalling

Uninstalling Axiom productsAxiom products can be uninstalled easily through the Windows Start Menu.

1. Go to , Programs | Axiom.

2. Select Uninstall V7 products or Uninstall V8 products depending on the productsyou want to uninstall.

3. Choose Select all. or Select components to uninstall. If you choose Selectcomponents to uninstall. then each product in the list can be manually checked orunchecked. This allows for any combination of products to be uninstalled. Onlyinstalled products will be shown in the list.

Note: At the bottom of the list of products you also have the option to uninstall sampledesign files, users guides and even the Axiom pulldown menu.

4. Once youve made your selections, click the button to complete theuninstall process.

CellManager

Chapter 4 Quick Start

Quick Start ObjectivesThe purpose of this Quick Start is to introduce you to the basic features of CellManagerso that you can immediately use the program.

This Quick Start should take about 30 minutes.

Prerequisites1. MicroStation SE or J.

2. CellManager must be installed on your computer. You can verify this by selectingthe Axiom menu from MicroStations main menu bar, then select CellManager.If CellManager does not appear in the Axiom menu, follow the instructions inthe Installation chapter of this User Guide.

3. You will need some non-production design files to practice with. The sample fileswhich are delivered with CellManager are suitable:

\Axiom\V7\CellMgr\sample\

Note: You must have write permission so that you can modify your practice files.

CellManager for V7 processes V7 cell libraries.

Demonstration VersionThe demonstration version of CellManager will randomly select cells from the celllibrary being processed approximately 50% of a librarys cells will be processed.

Licensed versions of CellManager do not have these restrictions.

When should I use CellManager?Use CellManager when you need to:

Create comprehensive, custom-formatted cell library documentation. CellManagersdocumentation includes cell graphics and text descriptions.

Copy or move cells from one cell library to another. Collect frequently used cellsfrom multiple cell libraries into a single lean and mean, compact cell library.

Chapter 4 Quick Start Page 25

Clean up, update or standardize your cell libraries, including: Re-scale cells Rotate cells Change cell symbology Change cell levels Convert cell type from regular to point or vice versa Delete cells Edit cells

Generate a report about the cells in your libraries customize the content andformat to your requirements.

Create new cell libraries from the cells and shared cells in your drawings.You will learn how to use CellManagers main features in this Quick Start.

Quick Start step 1 Getting started1. Select CellManager from the Axiom menu in MicroStations menu bar.

2. Select a cell library to work with. In this exercise we will use the sample filesdelivered with CellManager. By default, these files are installed to:

C:\program files\axiom\v7\cellmgr\sample\

Select cm2d.cel

Note: You can access the full CellManager User Guide from Help | Contents.

Note: As you perform the Quick Start steps, CellManager will display someinformational dialogs or ask for your confirmation before performing an action. Forsimplicity, such dialog messages are not illustrated or mentioned in the Quick Start.

CellManager

Quick Start step 2 Create a cell library reportWith CellManager, you can generate text reports about the contents of your cell libraries.

Report content and format is controlled by report templates. A number of templates aredelivered with CellManager.

This step builds upon Quick Start step 1 and assumes you have selected a cell library.

1. From the CellManager main dialog box, click the button.

The dialog box for Create Report options appears:

2. You can specify any report file name and location you wish. For the purposes of thisQuick Start, you can use the displayed default.

3. Select the fullrpt.tpl report template. By default, this file is located in:

C:\program files\axiom\V7\cellmgr\

This report template defines the content and format of the report we will see theresult of this shortly.

4. Enter whatever you wish into the Note: field. Shortly, well see where this note isadded to the report.

5. Specify 0 (zero) in the Lines Per Page field.

We will view the report on your computer monitor, so we dont need to worry aboutthe number of lines per printed page.


6. Click the button. This generates your report file to the location and filename you designated in the Report File: field.

7. Click the button to view your report.

We wont include the entire report here in this Quick Start, but heres an excerpt:CELL LIBRARY FULL REPORT

Library: c:\Program Files\Axiom\V7\cellmgr\sample\cm2d.cel

Wednesday, 12 April 2006 at 10:23 am

Cell Selection Criteria:

Name: ALL

Description: ALL

Component Element Levels: ALL

Component Element Types: ALL

===========================================================================

===========================================================================

Cell Name: IND1

Description: DUXLAX NODE

Type: Graphic

Range: (1.3899, 2.3200).

Size: 2756 bytes (5.38 blocks).

Component Element Types: 3,4,15,17

Component Element Levels: 1,2

Component Element Colors: 0.

Component Element Styles: 0

Component Element Weights: 0,2

Component Element Fill types:

Component Element Fill colors:

Component Element Classes: Primary

Byte offset of cell in Library: 30684.

Attribute Linkage: No

Nested Cells:

===========================================================================

CellManager

Cell Name: JBRICK

Description: 4X16 BRICK

Type: Point

Range: (38.4000, 12.8000).

Size: 1006 bytes (1.96 blocks).

Component Element Types: 3

Component Element Levels: 45

Component Element Colors: 0.

Component Element Styles: 0

Component Element Weights: 0

Component Element Fill types:

Component Element Fill colors:

Component Element Classes: Primary

Byte offset of cell in Library: 33440.

Attribute Linkage: No

Nested Cells:

===========================================================================

This note will be added to your report. Page #1

You now have a report of all the cells in that cell library!

You can modify the format of the report by editing the report template file (or createyour own), but thats beyond the scope of this Quick Start.

8. Close the displayed report and the Create Report dialog box to prepare for the nextQuick Start step.


Quick Start step 3 Draw and plot cell notebook pagesWith CellManager you can generate documentation for your cell libraries. The followingexamples illustrate how you can format your documentation with one or more cells perpage:

These examples were generated from the provided sample cell library cm3d.cel. Thiscell library is delivered with CellManager and by default is saved to:

C:\program files\axiom\V7\cellmgr\sample\Now its your turn.

The following steps build upon earlier Quick Start steps and assume you have selected acell library.

1. From CellManagers main dialog box, click the button.

CellManager

The Draw Pages dialog box displays:

2. In the Note: field, enter a note to be included on each of your notebook pages.

3. On the main CellManager dialog box, select Settings | Change Settings.


4. On the Change Settings dialog box, under Category, select Plot Settings.

For the purposes of our Quick Start, we will use the MicroStation plotter configurationfile for a generic system printer, printer.plt. This file is normally found in:

...\Workspace\system\plotdrv\printer.plt5. Select the generic system printer by selecting printer.plt.

Note: CellManager may notify you that it did not find a paper size definition inprinter.plt. This is not serious.

CellManager uses the paper size parameter from plotter configuration files to scaleoutput. The file printer.plt does not include a size definition, so CellManagerdefaults to 8.5 x 11 inches (letter size). Virtually all printers support letter size paper, sothis should work fine for this Quick Start.

You can select and use any plotter configuration file with CellManager, but for thepurposes of this Quick Start, we are using printer.plt because it will work for the vastmajority of users.

There is much more about plotter configuration in the CellManager User Guide. Werekeeping this as simple as possible for the purposes of this Quick Start.

6. Click the button to close the Change Settings dialog box.

7. Now, click the button on the Draw Pages dialog box.

CellManager draws your cell notebook pages in your work file. You will be able tosee this on the screen during processing.

Note: If one of your colleagues did these Quick Start steps before you, cell librarydocumentation will already exist in the sample library. CellManager will warn youbefore overwriting the pre-existing documentation. Go ahead and overwrite this file.

CellManager

8. Use Zoom In to view one of the pages in detail.

At this point weve demonstrated how to automatically generate cell librarydocumentation including a Table of Contents (on the far right).

Thats all there is to it!

If you dont want to print hard copies of your cell library, you can skip the remainingsteps and continue with Quick Start step 4.

9. If you wish to send your cell notebook to the printer, limit the output to one page:

10. Click the button. When you use printer.plt, clicking the button automatically sends your notebook pages to your system printer.

Note: When printer.plt is selected, CellManager will disable the button (because it is not needed). Plots are always automatically submitted as part ofthe processing.

When you select any other plotter configuration file, plot creation and plotsubmission are done in two steps: Clicking the button and, whenfinished, clicking the button.

The preceding steps illustrate the basics of cell notebook creation. There is much moreabout cell notebook creation, including how to customize output to your requirements, inthe Draw Pages section of the CellManager User Guide.

Theres much more to CellManager please continue with the next Quick Start step!

Quick Start step 4 Manage your cell libraryThe Manage dialog box offers a collection of commands for manipulating your celllibraries. In this Quick Start we will try a few commands to give you a feel for what youcan accomplish with CellManager.

The following steps assume you have cm2d.cel selected for processing. Check theCell Library: field on CellManagers main dialog box. If cm2d.cel is not selectedfor processing, click the button. Navigate to the CellManager sample


folder that, by default is C:\program files\axiom\V7\cellmgr\sample\. Then selectcm2d.cel and click the button. Then continue with the following steps:

1. Click the button on CellManagers main dialog box.

The Manage dialog box will open with the cell library name displayed in the titlebar:

Scroll through the cell list with the up and down arrow keys.

CellManager

2. Click the button on Manage dialog.

The Detail window displays a table of information about the current cell. You canleave the Detail window open as you scroll through the cell list.

3. Click the button on the Manage dialog.

The View window displays the cells graphics. You can leave the View windowopen as you scroll through the cell list.

4. Close both the View and Detail windows for now.

Now we will introduce another CellManager feature that allows you to preciselycontrol the cells that are processed by CellManager commands.

5. Click the button on CellManagers main dialog box (this is not acommand on the Manage dialog box):


This will open the Select Cells dialog box, shown below:

Next, we want to select only those cells that begin with the letter L. We will do thiswith the wildcard L*, this will match the letter L followed by any othercharacters.

CellManager

6. Enter L* in the Cell Name field. Click the button and then the button.

Note the cells that now appear in the Manage dialogs cell listing:

Note: This is just one example of CellManagers feature. You canuse with , and commands to control report content, to control which cells are included in yourcell library documentation and to control which cells are processed by the commands.


7. Click the button on the Manage dialog box to tag all displayed cells:

8. Click the button on the Manage dialog box. The Export dialog boxdisplays:

Note: You have the option of exporting the cells to a MicroStation cell library or asAutoCAD blocks. For the purposes of this Quick Start, we will just be exporting thecells out to a MicroStation cell library.

9. Specify an output cell library name, for example NewLibrary.cel.

CellManager

10. Click the button.

A new cell library is created and the selected cells are copied to it easy as that!

11. Close the Export and Manage dialog boxes.

12. We want all cells to be processed in the subsequent Quick Start steps, so we need toclear the L* cell name wildcard. From CellManagers main dialog box, click the button.

13. From the Select Cells dialog, select and then :

CellManager will now include all cells in subsequent processing.

14. Close the Select Cells dialog box.

That completes this Quick Start section. Please continue just one more sectionremains.


Quick Start step 5 Extracting cells from a design fileCellManagers command allows you to create a cell library from regular andshared cells that have been placed in a design file. This allows you to re-construct lost orunavailable cell libraries. Its easy:

1. From CellManagers main dialog, click the button:

The Extract Cells dialog box will display:

2. Specify the name of the design file from which to extract cells. For the purposes ofthis Quick Start, we will use the file HasCells.dgn that is delivered withCellManager. This design file is part of CellManagers sample files which, bydefault, are installed here:

C:\Program Files\Axiom\V7\CellMgr\sample\HasCells.dgn3. Specify the name of the file you want to use as your cell library seed file. We can use

the default seed2d.cel, which is typically found in:

C:\Program Files\Bentley\Workspace\System\seed\seed2d.cel4. Specify a name for your new output cell library.

5. Click the button.

Easy as that the cells in the source design file are extracted into the specified outputcell library.

CellManager

6. Click the button on CellManagers main dialog box to immediatelyview the cells extracted from the sample design file.

You can extract cells from any V7 design file.

Congratulations that completes the CellManager Quick Start!

As you begin to process your own files with CellManager, remember that the entireCellManager User Guide is available from its Help menu.

If you have any questions, please contact [email protected].

Chapter 5 Using CellManager Page 41

Chapter 5 Using CellManager

Starting CellManagerLoad CellManager from the Axiom menu on MicroStations menu bar and specify thelibrary to work with. Then select a CellManager activity to perform with the selected celllibrary. The CellManager main dialog box is shown below:

Note: The MS_CELLLIST variable tells MicroStation where to search to satisfy missingcell references. For this reason the library CellManager thinks is attached may becomedetached and another library used in its place. To avoid this problem CellManagertemporarily blanks out MS_CELLLIST while it is running, then restores it on exiting.

Cell Library

Select the cell library you want to process.

When CellManager is re-started, it automatically attempts to re-open the cell library youpreviously worked with.

CellManager saves a history of recently processed cell libraries under the File menu.

Note: CellManager for V7 handles V7 cell libraries.

CellManager

ActivityThe Activity section of the main dialog box presents the major functions ofCellManager.

A section of the document is devoted to each CellManager activity.

You can leave one activity dialog open while performing a second activity. For example,while working with , you can activate and change yourselection criteria; then click and cells matching the new criteria will appear inthe dialog box.

File menu

The file menu contains a list of recently used cell libraries to select from and the Exitoption. Double click on one of the cell library names to select it.

The Exit option will close CellManager and works the same as the button onthe main dialog box.


Settings menu

The Settings menu on the CellManager main dialog box gives you access toCellManagers settings.

The CellManager settings may be saved and reloaded at a later time using the settingsmenu. Settings are saved as .ini files. These files contain configuration data that is usedby CellManager to save and retrieve information about your preferences and operatingenvironment.

When you save settings without specifying a settings file name, the settings are saved inthe cellmgr.ini file. This file is loaded when CellManager starts up. If this file does notexist, CellManager creates one using the factory default settings. CellManagers settingsfile is saved in ASCII format so can be easily modified.

The individual menu items are described below.

Change Settings...The Change Settings option opens the Change Settings dialog box, where you canmodify CellManagers settings as needed..

Load SettingsUse the Load Settings option to load settings from other .ini files that have beenpreviously saved. This option is disabled when the configuration variableCELLMGR_INI is specified.

Save SettingsUse Save Settings to save all currently selected options into the active settings file.This option is disabled when the configuration variable CELLMGR_INI is specified.

Save Settings AsUse Save Settings As to save your current selections with a filename of your choice.This option is disabled when the configuration variable CELLMGR_INI is specified.

CellManager

Restore default settingsRarely your CellManager settings become corrupted and the operation of the programbecomes unmanageable. This option gives you the ability to restore CellManager to itsfactory defaults. Selecting this option will reset all the settings throughout the program tothe factory default values.

Settings File:The Settings File: line displays the name of the currently loaded .ini file. If you selectSave Settings, your current settings will be saved to this filename.

Local settings and network installations (CELLMGR_INI)Use the configuration variable CELLMGR_INI to define a directory on your local drivefor saving cellmgr.ini. This is particularly useful when running the program from anetwork installation each user can define and save his own cellmgr.ini file, whichwill be loaded automatically when he opens CellManager.

Important note: If you are also running MicroStation V8 with CellManager, be sure toselect different directory locations for saving V7 settings files and V8 settings files.

Help menu

The Help menu

Help | ContentsHelp | Contents will display the CellManager Users Guide in Windows Helpformat, reducing the need to locate the manual.

Help | About...Help | About displays licensing and version information for CellManager.


Cell Library

Once CellManager has been run, it opens with the previously selected cell library namedisplayed in this field.

If the field remains blank, or you want to change to another library, enter the name orclick on to browse for a cell library.

CellManager

Chapter 6 Configuring CellManager

Overview on configuring CellManagerTo modify the configuration of CellManager, choose Settings | Change Settings.... Thiswill open the Change Settings dialog box. This dialog box has a number of differentchoices under Category, where you can change the settings of CellManager as needed.

The following sections go over the Change Settings dialog box in detail.

Confirmation

Use this settings category to set the display of Are you sure? message boxes whenperforming different operations from the Manage dialog box.

If you want to confirm making changes to more than one cell at a time, but not whenchanging a single cell, un-select options in the left column.

Chapter 6 Configuring CellManager Page 47

General

The General category gives you access to general CellManager settings and options.Each of the settings and options are covered in detail in the following sections.

2D Seed File

When accessing a 2D cell library, the 2D Seed File specified in this field is used tocreate the work file that is opened and becomes the master file when the library isattached.

You can tab out of this field. When you do so, the default seed file is taken from thedirectory pointed to by the MS_SEEDFILES configuration variable.

3D Seed File

When accessing a 3D cell library, the 3D Seed File specified in this field is used tocreate the work file that is opened and becomes the master file when the library isattached. Tab out of this field to default to the 3D seed file provided with yourMicroStation in the MS_SEEDFILES directory.

CellManager

Work File

When you tell CellManager to process a cell library, it must first attach the library to adesign file, the Work File:. First this file is created from the appropriate seed file (2Dor 3D), cleared of all graphics, then the library is attached.

Warning: CellManager will overwrite any drawing you specify in the Work File field.By default, CellManager will warn you of this condition. You can click the buttonto allow the file to be overwritten or click the button to abort this operation. Donot specify the name of a valuable drawing file here.

Depending on whether or not the Update the Work File to match the Cell Librarysname feature is activated, this field will be linked to the cell librarys full name. Then,when the cell library is changed this field will (or wont, depending on the setting) bechanged to match.

Update the Work File to match Cell Librarys name.When this option is turned On (checked), the name of the Work File is changed tomatch the cell librarys name. When this option is Off (unchecked), the Work Filewill retain the name it had when you selected the work file or the work file will have thename from the currently loaded CellManager settings.

Notify user before overwriting

By default, this option will inform you when you are going to be overwriting a cellnotebook that was generated by CellManager. You also have the option of being notifiedwhen overwriting the work file or the cell notebook file.

This option is turned On (checked) and set to Cell notebook by default.

Automatically save settings on exit

When this option is turned On (checked), CellManagers settings will be savedautomatically when you exit the program. This option is Off (unchecked) by default.


Backup the library when attaching it.

When this option is turned On (checked) a backup copy of the of the current librarywill be created with a .bak extension. The backup file will reside on the same drive andin the same directory as the original. It is a good idea to backup the cell library beforeyou utilize the Manage dialog box clean up or re-organize the cell library.

This backup will overwrite an existing .bak file which resides in the same location andthat has the same name as the cell library you are working with.

This option is Off (unchecked) by default.

Re-open child windows when opening the parent window.

When this option is turned On (checked), CellManager restores dialog boxes that werepreviously open.

For example, with this option activated, if you had the Manage and View dialogsopen when you last exited CellManager, then the next time you reload CellManager boththe Manage and the View dialogs will re-open.

Continuing with the example, if you then closed the Manage dialog, the View dialog(being a child window to Manage) would also close. But whenever you openManage, View will automatically open. If you close the View dialog box, this tellsCellManager to no longer do this.

This option is On (checked) by default.

Output for undefined cell properties

When this option is turned On (checked), it allows you to define a string that is outputin reports and notebook documentation rather than a blank. In the example below, theReferences: and Nested Cells: shows , instead of just being blank:

Name: ANSI31

Description: ANSI31 AREA PATTERN

References:

Nested Cells:

CellManager

Cell Edit

Cell Edit gives you two options for handling complex elements when editing cells withCellManager.

Cell Edit retains complex elements. Cell Edit drops all complex elements.

The Cell Edit option is set to retains complex elements by default.

When you click the button, any settings that you have changed will only beretained for the current session of CellManager. You can save your changed settingsusing three different methods:

Use Settings | Save Settings to save the changed settings to the currently loadedsettings file.

Use Settings | Save Settings As to save the changed settings out to a differentsettings file.

If you have the option Settings | Change Settings | Automatically save settings onexit turned On (checked), when you exit the current session of CellManager, yourchanged settings will be saved in the currently loaded settings file.

By clicking the button, any changes you made to CellManagers settingswithout saving them, will be discarded.


NotificationsCellManager checks for potential error conditions during processing and notifies youwhen the condition is encountered. Possible solutions are also presented. You may notwant to be notified about each condition all the time. Use this dialog to control conditionsthat are reported and ignored.

CellManager

Duplicate cell name detected in cell library.Because cells are referred to by name, each cell name within a library must be unique.MicroStation only recognizes the first of any cells with the same name. CellManager cancheck for duplicate cells when attaching (opening) the library and when about to a previously deleted cell.

Duplicate cell name created by Export command.When you use from the Manage dialog box, you can copy or move cells toan existing cell library. As a result, you may export cells that have the same name as cellsin the existing cell library. When this option is On (checked), an Exporting DuplicateCell dialog box will open (shown below), informing you about the duplicate and givingyou options for handling.

The Exporting Duplicate Cell dialog box displays the graphic of the exported cell(From Cell) and the cell with the matching name in the output cell library (To Cell).This makes it easy to compare the graphics of the cells to determine if their graphics (asin addition to their names) are duplicates. You also get a number of button options forhandling the possible creation of a duplicate cell.


Duplicate cell name caused by UnDelete command.If you undelete a cell that which has the same cell name as an existing cell in your celllibrary, this option will notify you of this condition. You can then use CellManager tohandle this duplicate as appropriate.

Existing CellManager report file will be overwritten.When this option is On (checked), a message box will display when your existingCellManager report will be overwritten.

As a result, if you wish to keep the previous report, you can stop and rename the report inthe Report File: field and then continue your work.

Note: On CellManagers main dialog box, when you click the button, the Report File: field is accessible on the Create a report for selected cells.dialog box.

When this option is turned Off (unchecked), you will not be notified when the existingCellManager report file is overwritten.

This option is On (checked) by default.

Missing nested cell caused by Delete command.This option displays a warning when you attempt to delete a cell that is nested withinother cells.

Missing nested cell caused by Rename command.This option displays a warning when you attempt to rename a cell that is nested withinother cells.

Missing nested cell detected in a cell library.Cells may contain other cells. In such a case, the nested cell header usually looks for acell with its name in that library (or in another library) for its graphic elements. Withoutthe nested cells definition, the nested cell will appear blank. You may wish to be notifiedwhen nested cells are missing.

Missing size parameter in plotter configuration file.CellManager uses the size parameter in a plot configuration file, to determine the pagesize for plotting. If the size parameter is missing from the plot configuration file,CellManager defaults to a letter size page. CellManager will inform you of thiscondition.

CellManager

Parent cell transformation changes a nested cell.This option displays a warning when you attempt to change a nested cell using.

Output Settings

The Output Settings category gives you options for controlling the printing of your cellnotebooks. Each option and field is covered in detail in the following sections.

Output and Post ProcessingCellManager gives you the options to print to a file or a device. For example, you couldutilize these settings to print to a PDF or JPG file.

For outputting to a device, like a specific printer on your network, choose Device andfill in the port data for that particular printer, for example:


Use quotes in commandsSpaces in file or queue names can be a problem when generating and submitting toIPLOT systems because a space in the queue name makes the command string appear tohave one or more additional parameters.

The solution is to create command strings with quotes around the parameters.

For example:queue=net hp4

becomes:queue="net hp4"

Activate this option to add quotes to command strings.

Plot without marginsThis controls CellManagers fencing of the page area. Normally, CellManager generatesa margin for each the page. Some plotters have or use a built-in margin. This can result ina double margin. If your plotter automatically calculates page margins, set Plot withoutmargins to On (checked).

If you select a paper size that has only one page per sheet this option is automaticallyenabled.

For example, if you are using an HP LaserJet4 with letter size paper and outputting morethan one sheet per page, you would want to turn Plot without margins to On(checked).

Highlight fenceTurn this option On (checked) to cause CellManager to highlight the sheets as they arebeing processed while plots are being created and submitted. This gives you someimmediate feedback on the progress of the plot creation and submission.

CellManager

Page Settings

Use the Page Settings dialog box to set the method for setting the cell size on thenotebook pages, number of cells per page, how the cell origin is designated, textattributes, borders, rotation and page size.

Method (Choose the method to draw cell on page)

CellManager supports three scaling methods to suit your needs. Each scaling method isdescribed in this section.

Fit method

The Fit scaling option enlarges or reduces the size of each cell as needed to make it fitwithin the page. Calculations are made to determine the scale factor needed to fit the cellwithin the box with a small margin. Fit is the easiest CellManager scaling method touse, but has one drawback cells which only differ by size will appear identical in theoutput pages.

For example, in an automotive cell library, the cell CAR might be automatically scaleddown by a factor of 0.081, while the cell TIRE might be enlarged (scaled up) by 2.1,but both cells would fit in the page. The same library might also contain a cellrepresenting an 11 mm hex head bolt. This bolt cell would also be re-scaled to fill thebox on its output page. Using the Fit scaling method all cells from this exampleautomotive cell library would be visible on the printed page, despite the wide differencein their real-world size.


Actual method

The Actual method places your cells at actual (real world) scale. For example, if thecell STAPLER is 4.5 inches long, it can be drawn on the page 4.5 inches long. TheActual scaling method uses the Page Width and Unit fields to scale each cell. Youdefine the pages width and cells are scaled to match.

For example, if you are using letter size paper, the Page Width is 8.500 units theunits can be Master units (MU), Sub-Units (SU) or Units of Resolution (UOR).Lets say your Sub-Units are set to inches. So, if you specify 8.500 and select Sub-units (inches), each of your cell notebook pages will be 8.5 inches wide and each cellwill be scaled up or down accordingly.

Note: If a cell is too large to fit in the box at Actual scale using your settings,CellManager will switch to the Fit method for that cell.

For example: lets say a library contains nuts and bolts. The largest object represented inthe cell library is a bolt four inches long. The smallest object in the cell library is a nut inch wide. Relative size of the nuts and bolts is important in fact, the different nutsand bolts would be indistinguishable if output using the Fit scaling method. To outputthe cells at actual scale, select Page Width of 8.5 and select SU (inches). These settingswill direct CellManager to draw the nuts and bolts at actual scale on pages 8.5 incheswide. When plotted, the cells will be printed at actual size.

Scale method

The Scale method allows you define the scale of output cells relative to the width of theprinted page. This allows you to create cell documentation, for example, printed at 1:36scale.

Note: The unit of measurement for plotting devices is almost always inches ormillimeters, so with the Scale method you are usually defining the number of real-world units you want represented by an inch or millimeter of paper.

Example: lets say your plotting devices paper size is 8.5 by 11 inches. If you selectScale of 3 and your seed files master unit is feet, then using the Scale method,CellManager would scale your cells to 3 feet per inch (which is 1:36 scale).

Note: If a cell is too large to fit in the box using the Scale scaling method using yoursettings, CellManager will switch to the Fit method for that cell.

Scale

Enter the number of Units per plotted unit (inch or mm per the Page Size). This field isused with the Scale method.

Page Width

Enter how many Units wide the page is. Typically it is 8.5 (inches) or 850 (hundredths)or some such entry. This field is used for the Actual scaling method.

Unit

Specify the units for the Scale or Box Width figures entered. The choices are MU(Master Units), SU (Sub-Units) or UOR (Units of Resolution). This field is used forboth Actual sizing and Scale sizing.

CellManager

Cells per Page

The choices here are 1, 4, 9, 16 and 25. Selecting more than 4 cells per page limits theamount of text information that will be included.

Note: CellManager Layout files with different Cells per page settings will overridethis option.

Cell originUse the dropdown menu to set how you want the origin of the cells handled when yousetup and output a cell notebook.

Leader line This selection (on by default) draws an arrow from the word Origin tothe location of the cells origin. The word Origin will be positioned at the top or bottomthe enclosing box.

Cross hair This selection draws an X where the cell origin is with the wordOrigin right next to it.

None When None is used, no indication of the origin of the cells will be made in thecell notebook pages.


LevelThis level designation is used for three things:

1. The origin indicator is placed on the level entered.

2. The word origin, leader lines or origin symbols are placed on this level minus one.

3. The page outline and other text is placed on this level minus two.

The lowest level allowed for text is level three.

Note: CellManager Layout files override this option. Additionally, if any of thespecified levels do not exist in the design file, CellManager will create them in theCellManager Plot Sheet.

FontThis setting allows you to choose the output font of for your cell notebook pages.

Note: CellManager Layout files with different font settings will override this option.

Draw page borderIf you will plot to E size paper you will probably want to turn on Draw Page Border,this will make it easy to cut the pages out of the large plot sheet.

This option is also useful if you want to cut out your cells and use them like 3x5 cards.

A page border is not normally needed when outputting to letter size paper because theborder lines will be on the very edge of the paper.

Line style 2 is used for the page outline.

Draw sheet borderWhen you are using Letter or A size paper, CellManager normally generates onepage per sheet of paper. You could, for example, configure CellManager to output morethan one sheet per Letter or A page, if this was your desired output.

When outputting directly to letter size paper do not draw sheet borders because the lineswill be on the very edge of the paper.

With larger paper sizes (C, D, E, etc.), CellManager normally generates more thanone page per sheet of paper.

When plotting manually fenced areas, set the Draw Sheet Border option to On(checked). You can snap to the borders to make accurate fences as needed.

Note: Line style 3 is used as the default sheet border.

CellManager

Dont rotateTurn this option On (checked) for landscape oriented layout pages (wider than high).

You can also use this option to force the arrangement of pages on large sheets of paper.

When this option is turned Off (unchecked), CellManager always rotates the paper to aportrait orientation (taller than wide).

If you want to use landscape oriented layouts you will need a paper size that is wider thanit is high and a Layout file that is setup for landscape oriented pages.

Tip: If the plotter configuration file you are using doesnt have a landscape size paperdefined, edit the configuration file, duplicate the size= line for the size you areoutputting to, and switch the height and width. Also swap the vertical and horizontaloffsets values. The size and offset values first specify width and then specify height.

Page sizeThis option allows you to choose between the standard letter size paper (8.5 x 11) andA-4 size paper (297mm x 210mm). This is the size of the final paper output.

Note: It is assumed that if you are using the metric Page Size paper that you will also beusing a metric Plotter Paper (see below).

Plot Settings

Use this category to set the plot configuration file(s), page size, plotting system to useand IPLOT settings (if you use IPLOT).


Configuration FileSpecify the .plt file that corresponds to the plotter you are using. Click the button for help in locating available plotter configuration files. These are usually in yourMicroStation ...\Workspace\system\plotdrv\ directory.

Click the button to open a window that allows you to navigate and choose theplotter configuration file you want to utilize.

Note regarding Printer.plt: When you select printer.plt as your configurationfile, there are some special considerations:

The printer.plt file does not contain information about paper size.

When you click , CellManager submits plots directly to your systemprinter. It is not necessary to use .

When you select a plotter configuration file other than printer.plt, CellManageryoumust use to send them to the printer.

PaperThe paper sizes in the selected plotter configuration file are extracted and displayed herefor you to choose from.

If you are using, for example, E size paper, there will typically be more than onenotebook page per sheet of plotter paper.

Note: It is assumed that if you are using a metric size of Plotter Paper that you will alsobe using the metric Page Size (see above).

Plotting SystemCellManager for V8 supports two plotting systems: MicroStation and IPLOT. Select theone you want to use to output your cell notebook pages.

Your computer must be setup for and able to plot MicroStation drawings. If CellManagercannot output the plot, first, try to plot a file directly from MicroStation. If MicroStationis unable to plot with the selected plotting system, CellManager would also not be able toplot until that situation is debugged and corrected.

MicroStation

CellManager generates plot files using the same style as MicroStations File | Plotcommand.

The plot files are written to the directory defined by the MS_PLTFILES configurationvariable. The resulting files inherit the design files base name with a numeric extensionindicating which sheet it belongs to.

IPLOT

CellManager expects IPLOT to reside in the directory defined by the MicroStationenvironment variable PRO_DD_IPLOT. You may have to add/define this variable from

CellManager

within MicroStation. See the MicroStation documentation on how to add or defineWorkspace Configuration variables.

When you click the button on the Draw Pages dialog box, IPLOTcreates an IPARM file (IPLOT parameters file). The plot file names created have a basename that consists of the first five characters of the design file, three digits for the sheetand finally the standard extension.

IPLOT Queue

If you are using IPLOT to plot over a network you need to specify which queue to use.The configuration of the queue controls the generation of the plot files.

IPLOT SettingsCellManager expects IPLOT to reside in the directory defined by the MicroStationenvironment variable PRO_DD_IPLOT. You may have to add/define this variable fromwithin MicroStation. See the MicroStation documentation for adding/definingWorkspace Configuration variables.

After you click the button (on the Draw Pages dialog box), IPLOTcreates an IPARM file (an IPLOT parameters file). Plot file names have a base namecreated from the first five characters of the design file and three digits for the sheet andfinally the standard extension if .i or .m. The files are placed in the standard directoryused by IPLOT.

Chapter 7 Page 63

Chapter 7

Why select cellsIn the Select Cells dialog, you select which of the cells in the library to work with andhow the cells will be sorted. If no selection criteria are entered then all cells in the librarywill be accessed.

Only cells that match the filters in the Select Cells dialog will display in the Managewindow and be presented for processing. This allows you to produce reports or create anotebook on selected cells only.

Tip: You can further define cells to process by tagging cells in the Manage dialog box.

Select Cells dialog box

Click the button to get the cell count at the top of the dialog box. This countreflects how many cells are in the library and how many will be accessed using the filtersdefined when the button was last clicked.

CellManager

Cell Name List

You can use the Cell Name List feature if the cells you need to process are notselectable by any regular criteria. Use a text editor such as Notepad to create an ASCIIfile with the names of the cells. Give it an extension of .lst. A list file would have acarriage return after each cell name and would look like this:

DOORWINDOWELECFANSDOORDDOOR

The Use List File toggle button disables the other cell selection criteria with theexception of the Deleted cell type field. and the .

In the File field, enter the name (full path) of the ASCII list file. The fieldautomatically defaults to an .lst extension.

Press the button to open a standard open file dialog box to browse to your listfile.

Select by Name & Description

Note: The Wildcard Type: only applies to either the Cell Name: and Description:fields.

This section of the Select Cells dialog box, gives you fields you can use to select cellsby cell name and d

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