How To Create A MicroStation V8i Preference Seed File
Recently I had to work with Bentley Microstation V8i from a network admin aspect. I needed to adjust certain preferences of the software. Microstation is a CAD application for 2D and 3D work, so this is not a normal blog post for me.
I work for a school that requires all users that start Microstation up for the first time to have the same preferences. Coupled with a Mandatory profile; all students have a “first run” experience and class goes easier. So when I called into Bentley I found out that everything is classified into “Configuration” and “Preferences”. Configuration can be changed, but preferences are a lot tougher.
In short: anything in the GUI is a preference and therefore cannot be set in the configuration files call UCF files of CFG files. The preferences are stored in a UPF file that is created in “AppData\Local” on a Windows 7 (Local Settings on Windows XP). This file is created from an installer that Microstation runs upon first run by the user. To make it worse the folder is created with a unique string that is different every time and the UPF is not text editable like the CFG files.
However you can make all users receive a seed of preferences, so that you can achieve the desired effect.
To make all first time users receive the same preferences you can:
Part 1 – Create the preference file
- Delete your %userprofile%\AppData\Local\Bentley. Make sure you do not have Microstation running.
- Start Microstation and create a brand new file using the seed file you want to change preferences for.
- Make all of the GUI changes in the menus. My users wanted “enable fence create” and a few others.
- Close Microstation.
Part 2 – Set the preference file as the seed
- Go to “%userprofile%\AppData\Local\Bentley\MicroStation\8.11\y5211223adfsdasfsafa\prefs and copy the untitled.upf to C:\ProgramData\Bentley Multi-Install\MicroStation\WorkSpace\Standards\seed”
- Rename the file to “default.spf”
- Go to “C:\ProgramData\Bentley Multi-Install\MicroStation\WorkSpace\Standards” basically up a directory and open the “standards.cfg” file in notepad.
- Put this line into the file under the MS_SYMBRSRC line “MS_USERPREFSEED = $(_USTN_SITE)seed/default.spf”
- Save it and test.
The next user that logs on without a “Bentley” folder in AppData\Local will inherit all preferences from the default.spf file since the standards.cfg file is now pointing to it. It is all possible to point that variable of MS_USERPREFSEED to a network share, so all new users pull the preferences from a network location; so that global changes are easier. I have not tested that, so please comment if it works.