Workspace Configuration for Font/Linestyle Resource Files

InterPlot Server uses MicroStation workspace user configuration files (*.ucf) to access font/linestyle resource files. When MicroStation is installed on the plot server, InterPlot Server references MicroStation workspaces to access MicroStation font/linestyle resource files. If different users require different resources, you must create a MicroStation workspace for each project or discipline to reference the appropriate font/linestyle resource files. If MicroStation is not installed on the plot server, InterPlot Client/Professional references the MicroStation workspaces on the client machine.

When previewing plots on the plot client, MicroStation workspaces will have to be maintained on the plot client in order to get the correct font/linestyle resource files on the preview.

If MicroStation is loaded on the plot server and the resources are on a remote file server, the resource files must be specified in the MicroStation workspace UCF file using a Universal Naming Convention (UNC) file name (no mapped drives). You must also define a Null Session Share for the shared directory containing the resource files on the remote file server that the UNC file name refers to.

To create a MicroStation workspace using MicroStation 95/MicroStation SE

1. Start MicroStation Manager by choosing Start > Programs > MicroStation 95/MicroStation SE > MicroStation 95/MicroStation SE.
2. At the bottom of the menu, select New for Workspace.
3. A Create Workspace dialog box will display. Enter the name of the new workspace (for example, enter civil). Click OK.
4. A second Create Workspace dialog box will appear for the new workspace. In this example, the dialog box will be called Create Workspace [civil]. Entering a description is optional. Click OK.
5. The workspace in MicroStation Manager will now be listed as civil in this case.

1. Start MicroStation by choosing Start > Programs > MicroStation v7.1 > MicroStation.
2. At the bottom of the menu, select New for User.
3. A Create User Configuration File dialog box will display. Enter the name of the new workspace (for example, enter civil). Click OK.
4. A second Create User Configuration File dialog box will appear for the new workspace. In this example, the dialog box will be called Create User Configuration File [civil]. Entering a description is optional. Click OK.
5. The user workspace in MicroStation Manager will now be listed as civil in this case.

1. Select the workspace, go into any design file and modify the workspace to point to the desired resource files by choosing Workspace > Configuration.
2. Select Symbology in the Category list.
3. Choose Select to bring up the Select File List for Symbology Resources dialog box.
4. Remove the undesired resource files and add the desired resource files by browsing to the desired directory. If your resource files are located on a remote file server, enter the UNC path (\\server\share) in the Files field and press Tab. Be sure to double-click the desired resource file when selecting resources or select Add to place it in the list. A single-click will not place the resource file in the list.
5. Click Done when finished.
6. Click OK to exit the Configuration dialog box.
7. An alert message will appear requesting you to save the changes. Click Yes. It is not necessary to exit MicroStation to have the changes made in the new workspace file but it is necessary to exit MicroStation to see the new resource files display in MicroStation.

For MicroStation 95/MicroStation SE, there will be two new files: a .ucf and a .upf. If the workspace was created on the plot client, both of these files will need to be copied to the InterPlot Server in the MicroStation ..\config\user directory.

For MicroStation/J, there will be one new file, a .ucf. If the workspace was created on the plot client, this file will need to be copied to the InterPlot Server in the MicroStation/J ..\workspace\user directory.

If the workspace was created on the plot server, nothing further should be done.

Note: When creating the workspace, keep in mind that when the workspace files are copied over to the plot server, the resource files will need to be located in the directory configured in the workspace. The workspace should probably be created on the plot server since it will be easier to configure the workspace to point to the actual directory where the font resources are located. If you do create the workspace on the plot client, it will also be necessary to copy the resource files over to the plot server as well. Be sure to attach a workspace name in InterPlot with the same name as the MicroStation workspace when submitting the plot from the client. In this case, the workspace name would be civil.

To attach a workspace name
IPLOT dialog box: from the IPLOT dialog box, choose File > Set Workspace
Organizer: in the Properties > General tab, enter the workspace name in the Workspace field.
IPLOT command line: use the create/modify qualifier workspace=<workspace name>

If a workspace name is not specified or an invalid workspace name is specified, MicroStation will be invoked using the default workspace for that version of MicroStation. MicroStation 95's and MicroStation SE's default workspace is default.ucf, MicroStation/J's default workspace is untitled.ucf.

Remote location of user configuration files in MicroStation
Frequently, MicroStation users will place the user configuration files (ucf) in an alternate local directory or a directory on a file server. If this is the case, the user should do the following to allow IPLOT to validate the workspace:

InterPlot 9.1 - 10.0
Place a zero byte text file in the ..\config\user directory under the MicroStation 95/MicroStation SE product directory or the ..\workspace\user directory under the MicroStation/J installation directory that represents the user configuration file (*.ucf). For example, if the workspace used is called civil, place a zero byte text file called civil.ucf in the ..\config\user directory under the MicroStation 95/MicroStation SE product directory or the ..\workspace\user directory under the MicroStation/J installation directory.

InterPlot 10.1
The InterPlot Server product configuration file (iplotsrv.cfg) contains a variable that selects the validation mode for the IPARM's -workspace qualifier (IPLOTSRV_WORKSPACE_VALIDATION). IPLOT uses the workspace during preview and plotting. There are three possible settings for IPLOTSRV_WORKSPACE_VALIDATION:

Enabled: This is the default. IPLOT checks to see if there is a MicroStation user workspace configuration file in the MicroStation directory tree. For example, if the IPLOT workspace parameter is set to civil, then IPLOT checks for civil.ucf in the ..\config\user directory under the MicroStation 95/MicroStation SE product directory or the ..\workspace\user directory under the MicroStation/J installation directory. If the workspace file doesn't exist, a warning is written to the error log and the default/untitled workspace is used for the plot.

Disabled: No validation will occur. If a bad workspace name is specified in the IPARM, then a fatal error will occur which will result in a blank MicroStation text window appearing which must be manually killed. This option is normally used only in cases where the other two modes are not suitable or when the workspace name is set automatically through settings files or other automated means.

<directory path>: If you specify a directory path, then IPLOT will look for the MicroStation user workspace configuration file in the directory you specify. If the workspace file doesn't exist, a warning is written to the error log and the default/untitled workspace is used for the plot. Use this option if you configure MicroStation to read its workspace files from an alternate local directory or a directory on a file server.

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