Schem SPI Symbol Editor Users Guide

SmartPlant Instrumentation
Symbol Editor
User's Guide
Version 2013
March 2013
DSPI2-PE-200015B
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Contents
Symbol Editor .............................................................................................................................................. 5
The Symbol Explorer................................................................................................................................... 5

Symbol Explorer Window ........................................................................................................................ 7
View Documents with the Symbol Explorer ............................................................................................ 8
View a Web Page with the Symbol Explorer .......................................................................................... 8
Open Documents from the Symbol Explorer .......................................................................................... 9
Move the Symbol Explorer ...................................................................................................................... 9
Close the Symbol Explorer ..................................................................................................................... 9
Working with User Defined (customized) Symbols in Enhanced Reports Common

Tasks........................................................................................................................................................... 10
Specify a Path for the Symbol Editor .................................................................................................... 11
Create a User Defined (customized) Symbol ....................................................................................... 11
Creating User Defined (customized) Symbols for Specific Reports ..................................................... 12
Create Symbols for a Location Layout Report ............................................................................... 12
Create Symbols for a Panel Layout Report .................................................................................... 13
Create Symbols for an Enhanced SmartLoop Report .................................................................... 14
Creating a Wiring Equipment Symbol Assembly .................................................................................. 15
Align Drawing Objects ........................................................................................................................... 17
Add SmartText to a Symbol File ........................................................................................................... 17
Add a Macro to a Symbol File ............................................................................................................... 18
Add Connection Points to a Symbol File .............................................................................................. 18
Delete Connection Points ..................................................................................................................... 19
Add Wire Macros to Connection Points ................................................................................................ 19
Add Starting Points to a Symbol File .................................................................................................... 20
Customize a Symbol ............................................................................................................................. 20
Add a Label to an OPC ......................................................................................................................... 21
General (SmartText Properties) ..................................................................................................... 21
Update an Assembly ............................................................................................................................. 22
Menu Commands, Windows, and Dialog Boxes ................................................................................... 23
Assign Item Type Dialog Box ......................................................................................................... 23
Customize Command ..................................................................................................................... 23
Display Manager Command ........................................................................................................... 25
Format Dimension Command ........................................................................................................ 28
Format Line Command ................................................................................................................... 34
Format Text Box Dialog Box .......................................................................................................... 34
Layer Groups Command ................................................................................................................ 39
New Command ............................................................................................................................... 39
Options Command.......................................................................................................................... 40
Properties Command (File Menu) .................................................................................................. 48
Sheet Setup Command .................................................................................................................. 51
Style Command .............................................................................................................................. 53
SmartSketch Dialog Box................................................................................................................. 67
Text Box Command ........................................................................................................................ 68
Toolbars Dialog Box ....................................................................................................................... 73
Variables Command ....................................................................................................................... 73
SmartPlant Instrumentation Symbol Editor User's Guide 3

Contents
Index ........................................................................................................................................................... 77
4 SmartPlant Instrumentation Symbol Editor User's Guide

Symbol Editor
Using the Symbol Editor, you can customize symbols to fit your own design conventions
specifically for Layout reports and for Enhanced SmartLoop drawings that use the Custom by
Loop or Custom by Signal generation methods.
The Symbol Editor is not intended for customizing symbols for other types of enhanced
reports.
When you create a symbol, you define the symbol type (panel, strip, rack, card, terminal, and so
forth), and you can then assign to the symbol itself macros appropriate for that symbol
type. You can also add connection points to a terminal's symbol and specify the properties of
the connection points such as the left or right side of the terminal and the angle at which the
connection appears on the report.
The software provides you with the flexibility to create multi-level symbols, for example, you can
create a symbol for a terminal and then use this symbol as a component of a strip symbol
according to the number of terminals in the strip. The terminal symbols are added as
sub-symbols of each strip symbol. Similarly, you can create various panel symbols that contain
one or more strip symbols.
In this way, you can build up a library of symbols which you then associate with appropriate
items in SmartPlant Instrumentation.
For a catalog of the symbols that come shipped with the software, view the
SymbolsDescription.xls file. This file is located in the folder: <SmartPlant Instrumentation
home folder>/RAD/Help/.
The Symbol Explorer

You can use Symbol Explorer to drag symbols from a directory to the current document. You
can also use Symbol Explorer to view document directories on your computer or a network
drive. Symbol Explorer can also display HTML pages on the World Wide Web or your
computer.
When you click Symbol Explorer on the Main toolbar , Symbol Explorer is displayed on the
right side of the main window. The buttons on the Symbol Explorer are similar to the ones in
the Windows Explorer. For example, you can click a Favorites button to go to one of your
favorite web sites.
If you set the path of the Symbol Explorer to point to a directory, you see a tree view, the
contents of the directory, and the Attribute Viewer. If you set the path to an HTML page, you
see the contents of that page, if Microsoft Internet Explorer 3.0 or later is installed. If Internet
Explorer is not installed, then the software prompts you to install it.
Placing Symbols
The main use of the Symbol Explorer is to drag symbols from a directory to the current
document. The Symbol Explorer acts much like the Windows Explorer. To view symbols, you
can type the name of the directory in the Address Box at the top of the Symbol Explorer; or
you can click the Explore Elsewhere button and set the directory path that the Symbol
Explorer looks in.

The Symbol Explorer
If you click Home at the top of the Symbol Explorer, it displays the home page for the symbols
that are associated with the template on which the active document is based. You can override
this property by setting a new address with Properties on the File menu. On the Properties
dialog box, you click the Browser tab to set the option.
After the Symbol Explorer displays the symbols, you can drag a symbol from the Symbol
Explorer to the current document.
Displaying HTML Pages

The Symbol Explorer can display HTML pages on the World Wide Web or your computer. To
view an HTML page in the Symbol Explorer, you must enter the entire directory path and
filename in the Address Box at the top of the Symbol Explorer.
To view HTML pages on the World Wide Web, you must type the HTTP address in the Address
Box at the top of the Symbol Explorer. When you do this, the Symbol Explorer displays the
HTML page of the address you entered. The Symbol Explorer can display any web site that
you have permissions to access.
HTML pages appear only if Microsoft Internet Explorer 3.0 or later is installed.
Searching Document Directories

You can view the Symbols of any directory on your computer or the network with the Symbol
Explorer. You can type the path of the directory in the Address Box; or you can click Browse
and set the directory path on the dialog box.
After the Symbol Explorer displays the symbols of the directory that you want, you can
double-click any document, much like the Windows Explorer, and the software that created the
document opens and displays the document for editing.
You can drag any document created by software that supports OLE 2.0 into the current
document. These documents can include .igr, .dgn, .dwg, and .dxf types.
Symbol Explorer Settings

When you set options for the Symbol Explorer, the current document stores and uses these
the next time you open the document. You can define a different home page for each document
in the Symbol Explorer with Properties on the File menu.
On the Properties dialog box, you click Browser to set the option. When you set the address
for the home page on the Properties dialog box, the Symbol Explorer goes to that address
when you click the Home button at the top of the Symbol Explorer.
The address can be a directory on a local or network drive or an HTTP address to a web
page.
See Also
Close the Symbol Explorer (on page 9)
Move the Symbol Explorer (on page 9)
Open Documents from the Symbol Explorer (on page 9)

The Symbol Explorer
Symbol Explorer Window

Displays files in a directory or World Wide Web pages (HTML pages). You can use the Symbol
Explorer window just like you would the Windows Explorer or Windows Internet Explorer. You
can also use Symbol Explorer to place symbols (.sym) from the Symbol Explorer window to
the current document.
Within the Symbol Explorer window, you can access several commands that allow you to
change or filter the view in the window. For example, you can change the window to show only
symbols. You can also add directories or web addresses to a list of favorites. If you want to
place several copies of a symbol, you can click the Stamp Here command. To access these
commands, place the pointer in the Symbol Explorer window and right-click.
Window Options
Back - Takes you backward to the previous location of the Symbol Explorer, either a web
page or a directory path.
Forward - Takes you forward to the previous location of the Symbol Explorer, either a web
page or a directory path.
Stop - Halts the loading of an HTML page.

Refresh - Reloads the current HTML page or directory.
Home - Takes the Symbol Explorer back to the home page that you set with Properties on
the File menu. If you do not set the home page with this command, the Symbol Explorer opens
the symbols directory associated with the template that the active document is based on.
Explore Elsewhere - Accesses the Browse for Folder dialog box so that you can locate
another directory for the Symbol Explorer to look in. You can use the dialog box to look in
directories on your hard drive or a network drive.
Address - Sets the current location for the Symbol Explorer. You can type in a directory or a
World Wide Web address and then press Enter. Some examples of what you can type in are as
follows:
http://www.intergraph.com
C:\PROGRAM FILES\DRAWINGS\
 If you want to view an HTML page on your hard drive, you must enter the entire path and
filename in the address box.
 If you set the path of the Symbol Explorer to a directory, you can see a tree view, a shell
view, and the Attribute Viewer. If you set the path to an HTML page, you can see the
symbols of that page in the style of Microsoft Internet Explorer 4.01 or earlier, if that version
is installed. If Microsoft Internet Explorer is not installed, the software prompts you to install
it.
See Also
Close the Symbol Explorer (on page 9)
Move the Symbol Explorer (on page 9)
Open Documents from the Symbol Explorer (on page 9)

The Symbol Explorer
View Documents with the Symbol Explorer

1. On the Main toolbar, click Symbol Explorer . The Symbol Explorer opens on the right
of the main window.
2. In the Address Box at the top of the Symbol Explorer, type the name of the directory to go
to and press Enter. For example, you can type the following: C:\DRAWING FILES.
You can also change the directory by clicking Explore Elsewhere at the top of the Symbol
Explorer to display the Modify Location dialog box. You can then enter another directory for
the Symbol Explorer to look in.
 You can filter the view of documents in the Symbol Explorer. If you want to view just one
type of document, such as symbols, right-click in the Symbol Explorer window and select
the document type. On the shortcut menu, click View, and then File Type.
 If you double-click a document in the Symbol Explorer, the software that created the
document opens and displays the document. For example, if you double-click the
SYMBOL.sym document, the software opens and displays the SYMBOL.sym document.
Or, if you double-click a document with an .htm extension, the Microsoft Internet Explorer
opens.
 If you open or create a document while the Symbol Explorer is open, you must click Home
to display the symbols directory associated with the current document.
 You can filter the view in the Symbol Explorer window to display only certain types of
documents, such as MicroStation, AutoCAD, or other types. You can click View File Type
on the shortcut menu in the Symbol Explorer window.
 For example, to display only AutoCAD documents, select the AutoCAD option for .dwg
documents. When you set this option, the Symbol Explorer window displays only .dwg
documents.
 If you set the path of the Symbol Explorer to a directory, you can see a tree view and a
shell view., a shell view, and the Attribute Viewer., a shell view, and the Attribute Viewer.
If you set the path to an HTML page, you can see the symbols of that page in the style of
Microsoft Internet Explorer 4.01 or earlier, if that version is installed. If Microsoft Internet
Explorer is not installed, the software prompts you to install it.
View a Web Page with the Symbol Explorer

of the main window.
2. In the Address Box at the top of the Symbol Explorer, type the name of the HTTP address
and press Enter. For example, you could type the following: http://www.intergraph.com.
The World Wide Web page appears inside the Symbol Explorer.
If you cannot see the entire Web page, you can double-click the bar at the top of the
Symbol Explorer to undock it. You can then resize the Symbol Explorer window so that you
can see the entire page.
 You can use many of the same tools to view web pages that are available in the Windows
Internet Explorer. For example, if you click Back at the top of the Symbol Explorer, the
Symbol Explorer returns to the previous page.

The Symbol Explorer
 If you open or create a document while Symbol Explorer is open, you must click Home to
display the symbols directory associated with the current document.
Open Documents from the Symbol Explorer

side of the main window.
2. In the Address Box at the top of the Symbol Explorer, type the name of the directory that
you want to go to and press Enter. For example, you could type the following:
C:\PROGRAM FILES\DRAWINGS\.
You can also change the directory by clicking Explore Elsewhere at the top of the
Symbol Explorer to display the Modify Location dialog box. You can then enter another
directory for the Symbol Explorer to look in.
3. Double-click a document in the Symbol Explorer. The software that created the document
opens and displays the document. For example, if you double-click on the SYMBOL.sym
document, the software opens and displays the SYMBOL.sym document. Or, if you
double-click a document with an .htm extension, the Microsoft Internet Explorer opens.
 You can drag any document that supports OLE 2.0 from the Symbol Explorer to the
drawing sheet.
 If you set the path of the Symbol Explorer to a directory, you can see a tree view, a shell
view, and the Attribute Viewer. If you set the path to an HTML page, you can see the
symbols of that page in the style of the Microsoft Internet Explorer 4.01 or earlier, if that
version is installed. If Microsoft Internet Explorer is not installed, then the software prompts
you to install it.
Move the Symbol Explorer

of the main window.
2. Double-click the bar at the top of the Symbol Explorer to display it as a separate window
from the main window. You can now drag the Symbol Explorer and relocate it. You can
also resize the Symbol Explorer window.
 If the Symbol Explorer is displayed as a separate window from the main window,
double-click the bar at the top to make it part of the main window again. You can dock the
Symbol Explorer at any place in the window.
 If you resize the Symbol Explorer and then double-click it to make it part of the main
window, the Symbol Explorer size remains the same.
Close the Symbol Explorer

 On the Main toolbar, click Symbol Explorer .
You can also close the Symbol Explorer by clicking Toolbars on the View menu. On
the Toolbars dialog box, you should clear the Symbol Explorer check box.

Tasks
Working with User Defined (customized)

Symbols in Enhanced Reports Common
Tasks
You can create symbol (.sym) files and customize them to fit your design conventions for Layout
reports and for loops that are set to use the Custom by Loop or Custom by Signal generation
methods.
Create a User Defined (customized) Symbol

You can create symbols with macros for various types of items.
For more information, see Create a User Defined (customized) Symbol (on page 11).
Add SmartText to a Symbol File

This option allows you to add SmartText to a symbol file. You can specify the size and
properties of SmartText fonts.
For more information, see Add SmartText to a Symbol File (on page 17).
Assign an Item Type to a Symbol

For each symbol that you create, you must specify an item type. The symbol's item type
determines which macros are available for adding in the symbol file.
Add a Macro to a Symbol File

This option allows you to add macros to symbol files. The available macros depend on the
symbol type, which is based on the item for which the symbol is defined.
For more information, see Add a Macro to a Symbol File (on page 18).
Add Connection Points to a Symbol File

You can add connection points to symbol files that represent terminals, apparatus, or
channels. For each connection point, you define the terminal side (left or right) and the
connection angle.
For more information, see Add Connection Points to a Symbol File (on page 18).
Add Starting Points to a Symbol File

You can add starting points to symbol files that represent panels for use in Panel Layout reports
or to symbol files that represent racks for use in Rack Layout reports. In Panel Layout reports,
for each starting point, you define the way in which racks should be added, the spacing between
the racks, and the maximum number of racks allowed in the specified row or column. In Rack
Layout reports, for each starting point, you define the way in which cards should be added, the
spacing between the cards, and the maximum number of cards allowed in the specified row or
column.
For more information, see Add Starting Points to a Symbol File (on page 20).

Tasks
Specify a Path for the Symbol Editor

1. In SmartPlant Instrumentation, open the Preferences dialog box.
2. In the tree, expand the hierarchy Enhanced Reports > Symbol Editor > File Locations.
3. Beside the Symbol folder field, click Browse and navigate to the desired folder.
Before you generate a report that uses a custom symbol, you must specify path to your
custom symbols. In SmartPlant Instrumentation > Preferences, select File Locations for the
appropriate report type and navigate to the path of the Symbol folder field for Layout reports, or
of the Custom symbol folder field for Enhanced SmartLoop reports.
Create a User Defined (customized) Symbol

 Before creating symbols, make sure that you have first specified a path for the Symbol
Editor where your symbols will be located by default. For details, see Specify a Path for the
Symbol Editor (on page 11).
 You must start Symbol Editor from within SmartPlant Instrumentation in order to establish a
connection to the database.
1. On the SmartPlant Instrumentation main menu, click Tools > Symbol Editor.
2. Draw your symbol as you require using the drawing tools.
3. Select all the drawing elements on the sheet.
When creating a symbol using different elements, press CTRL while choosing
elements with the Select tool.
4. Click Symbols to display the symbol ribbon bar.
5. On the symbol ribbon bar, click Create Symbol . The mouse pointer changes to a
cross-hair icon.
6. Click a point on the drawing sheet to define the origin of the symbol.
The Save As dialog box automatically appears at this point. You do not need to use
Save As on the File menu to open this dialog box.
7. On the Save As dialog box, select the folder where you want to save the symbol.
8. Type the name that you want for the symbol.
The software saves the symbol at this point and reopens it as a separate sheet in the
Symbol Editor.
9. On the Actions toolbar, click Assign Item Type .
10. On the Assign Item Type dialog box, select the desired item type to assign to the symbol.
 After you have selected an item type, only macros appropriate for that item type are
available for the symbol.
 For an I/O card, select Wiring Equipment as the item type.
 For an OPC, select Document as the item type.

Tasks
11. Add macros, text labels, and connection points to the symbol as needed. For details, see:
 Add a Macro to a Symbol File (on page 18).
 Add Connection Points to a Symbol File (on page 18).
12. Save the file.
Creating User Defined (customized) Symbols for

Specific Reports
The following section contains topics on creating user defined (customized) symbols for use in
specific reports.
You must start Symbol Editor from within SmartPlant Instrumentation in order to
establish a connection to the database.
Create Symbols for a Location Layout Report
 Before creating these symbols, make sure that you have first specified a path for the Symbol
1. Start the Symbol Editor from the SmartPlant Instrumentation program.
2. Open a new drawing sheet and draw an outline for the location, which can be a site,
building, floor plan, or room as you require.
3. Select the outline that you have drawn.
cross-hair icon.
6. Click a suitable point on the drawing sheet to define the origin of the symbol.
You must specify accurately the position of the symbol's origin so that the symbol is
placed correctly relative to the page origin; usually, this is the lower left corner of the
drawing sheet.
9. Draw the panels as desired using the location outline as a guide and save each panel
drawing as a separate symbol.
Use rectangles to represent common sizes of panels such as 80 x 80 cm enclosures,
and so forth.
10. Return to the location symbol and click Actions > Assign Item Type.
11. In the Assign Item Type dialog box, from the Item type list, select Location.
12. Add macros as needed and save the symbol.

Tasks
13. For each panel symbol, assign item type Panel.

14. Add macros as needed on each panel symbol and save the symbols.
15. In SmartPlant Instrumentation, associate the room symbol with the desired location item and
associate each cabinet symbol with the desired panel, selecting Location Layout report as
the name of the report type. For details, see Associate a Symbol with an Item in the
Enhanced Report Utility User's Guide.
Create Symbols for a Panel Layout Report
 Before creating these symbols, make sure that you have first specified a path for the Symbol
1. Start the Symbol Editor from the SmartPlant Instrumentation program.
2. Open a new drawing sheet and draw an outline for a panel with appropriate rack columns.
3. Select all the components of the panel that you have drawn.
cross-hair icon.
6. Click a suitable point on the drawing sheet to define the origin of the symbol.
You must specify accurately the position of the symbol's origin so that the
symbol is placed correctly relative to the page origin; usually, this is the lower left corner of
the drawing sheet.
9. Draw a rack using the panel outline as a guide and save the rack drawing as a separate
symbol.
 You must specify the position of the symbol's origin at the starting point where each rack
is to be added to the panel, for example, the top left corner.
 Make a note of the dimensions of the rack so that you can use it to specify the correct
Symbol displacement value when specifying the start points on the panel.
10. Return to the panel symbol and click Actions > Assign Item Type.
11. In the Assign Item Type dialog box, from the Item type list, select Panel.
12. Add macros as needed.
13. On the Actions toolbar, click Place Starting Points .
14. On the Starting Points ribbon bar, from the Placement order list, select one of the
following options:
 Left to Right

Tasks
 Right to Left
 Top to Bottom
 Bottom to Top
15. Enter values for the Symbol displacement and Symbols per row / column properties.
As an example, suppose that you want to add the racks in stacks of up to 8 racks in
vertical columns, starting from the top of the panel. In this case, you select from Placement
order the option Top to Bottom, then for Symbols per row / column, type 8. For the
Symbol displacement property, type a value of 1.00 to specify a height allowance of 1 inch
for each rack.
16. Click the mouse pointer at each point where you want to add a starting point. Note that the
Row / Column number value increments by one each time you add a new start point.
17. Save the panel symbol.
18. Open the rack symbol and assign to it item type Rack.
19. Add macros as needed.
20. Save the rack symbol.
21. In SmartPlant Instrumentation, associate the panel symbol with a panel that has one or
more racks, selecting Panel Layout report as the name of the report type. For details, see
Associate a Symbol with an Item in the Enhanced Report Utility User's Guide.
22. Associate each rack in the selected panel with the rack symbol that you created, selecting
Panel Layout report as the name of the report type.
The order in which the software places the racks is determined by the rack Sequence
property.
Create Symbols for an Enhanced SmartLoop Report
 Although this procedure refers to strips and terminals, you can apply it to any situation
where you create a symbol with sub-symbols. For general details of how to create
individual custom symbols, see Create a User Defined (customized) Symbol (on page 11).
1. On the SmartPlant Instrumentation main menu, click Tools > Symbol Editor.
2. Create a new terminal symbol.
 For a terminal symbol, assign item type Terminal.

 Add macros and connection points as needed on the terminal symbol.
3. Open a new drawing sheet and draw an outline for your terminal strip with width based on
the terminal width and with height determined by the number of terminals in the strip stacked
on top of one another.
4. Select the outline you have drawn.
cross-hair icon.

Tasks
7. Click a point on the drawing sheet to define the origin of the symbol.
 The symbol's origin point is important in this case because the software places the
sub-symbols relative to one another within the main symbol.
 The Save As dialog box automatically appears at this point. You do not need to use
10. Assign item type Terminal Strip for the symbol.
11. Add macros as needed on the strip symbol.
12. Open the Symbol Browser and drag two or more terminal symbols into the strip outline.
When dragging the terminal symbols, the software assigns the symbol order of
each terminal in sequence. For this reason, it is essential that you place the terminals in the
order that you want their numbering to be assigned.
13. Save the strip symbol.
14. Open a new drawing sheet and draw an outline for your panel.
15. Create a panel symbol from the drawing.
16. Assign item type Panel for the symbol.
17. Add macros as needed on the panel symbol.
18. Drag two or more strip symbols into the panel outline in the desired order.
19. Save the panel symbol.
20. In SmartPlant Instrumentation, associate the panel symbol with the desired panel. For
details, see Associate a Symbol with an Item in the Enhanced Report Utility User's Guide.
If you generate an Enhanced SmartLoop report using the Custom by Loop or Custom
by Signal generation methods, and no suitable custom symbol is associated with a particular
wiring item that includes standard terminals, the software uses the symbol FirstTerm.sym as the
default symbol for the first terminal in a group of terminals, and the symbol Term.sym for all
subsequent terminals - provided that these symbols already exist in the custom symbol folder
specified in the SmartPlant Instrumentation Preferences dialog box for the Enhanced
SmartLoop report. FirstTerm.sym includes macros for the panel, strip, and terminal; Term.sym
includes macros for the terminal only.
Creating a Wiring Equipment Symbol Assembly

A symbol assembly is created by combining a number of symbols to form one symbol. You can
use pre-existing symbols or construct your own symbols and combine them to form an
assembly.
This section describes how to construct a wiring equipment symbol, for use in Cable Block
Diagrams, from the following user-defined symbols:
 A connector symbol.
 A terminal strip symbol.
 A wiring equipment symbol.
You can apply the same procedure to construct other symbol assemblies.

Tasks
1. Do the following to create a connector symbol:

a. Click .
b. On the new drawing sheet, use the drawing tools to draw your symbol.
c. Click to open the Symbol ribbon.
d. Select the symbol and click
e. Drag the Origin Point symbol to where you want the origin point to be on your symbol,
and click to place.
f. In the Save dialog box, type the name of your symbol and click Save.
g. Click and in the Assign Item Type dialog box select the item type for the symbol.
In this case Connector.
h. Click and then click on the symbol where you want your connection points to be
located.
 For further information, see Add Connection Points to a Symbol File (on page 18).
 When the symbol is of type Connector, the Connection Point ribbon is inactive as
there is no left or right terminal side.
i. Click to add macros. For more information, see Add a Macro to a Symbol File (on
page 18).
j. Click and close the symbol.
2. Now do the following to create a terminal strip symbol and combine it with the connector
symbol:
a. Repeat steps a to f of part one of this procedure.
b. Click and in the Assign Item Type dialog box select the item type for the symbol.
In this case Terminal Strip.
c. Click to add macros.
d. On the Symbol Explorer, locate the connector symbol that you created.
e. Drag and drop the connector symbol on to your terminal strip symbol.
f. Click and close the symbol.
3. Finally do the following to create a wiring equipment symbol and combine it with the terminal
strip symbol:
a. Repeat steps a to f of part one of this procedure.
b. Click and in the Assign Item Type dialog box select the item type for the symbol.
In this case Wiring Equipment.
c. Click to add macros.
d. On the Symbol Explorer, locate the terminal strip symbol that you created.
e. Drag and drop the terminal strip symbol on to the wiring equipment symbol you created.
f. Click and close the symbol.
Select the Show all macros for assembled symbols from the Enhanced SmartLoop .>
View preferences in SmartPlant Instrumentation, if you want to display all macros associated
with assembled symbols on a report. Do not select this preference if you want to display only
those macros associated to an assembly that are connected to a signal.

Tasks
Align Drawing Objects

1. Select two or more graphical elements on the report or drawing.
 Hold down the CTRL key while selecting each object individually.
 The first graphical element that you select is the one with which all the other selected
graphical elements are aligned.
2. Click Actions > Alignment > By Objects.
You can also access this command by clicking Align Objects on the Actions
toolbar.
3. On the Alignment ribbon, click one of the following icons according to the alignment you
require:
 Align left edges
 Align right edges
 Align top edges
 Align bottom edges
 Align to center horizontally to first selection
 Align to center vertically to first selection
 Align tangent objects horizontally
 Align tangent objects vertically
 Space evenly horizontally
 Space evenly vertically
 The alignment commands use the first object selected as the base to align the other objects.
 The Space Evenly commands require at least 3 objects to be selected. The spacing is then
based on the first two objects selected.
Add SmartText to a Symbol File

1. In the Symbol Editor, open the desired .sym file.
2. On the Actions toolbar, click New SmartText .
3. Click the General tab.
4. In the Caption box, type the text that you require.
You can type an unlimited number of lines with up to 28 characters in each line.
5. Click the Text tab to define the text properties such as font, font size, rotation, and
orientation.
6. Click on the symbol to position the text box.
7. Click File > Save.

Tasks
Add a Macro to a Symbol File

If you want to use a filter during this operation, you must first add a filter in
SmartPlant Instrumentation using the Macro Filter command.
2. On the Actions toolbar, click New Macro .
4. From the Macro type list, select an option if more than one is available.
5. From the Macro name list, select a macro for the chosen macro type.
6. If you are adding a macro for an item that is part of a hierarchy, such as a channel or
terminal strip that can be associated with more than one parent item type, select the relation
for the item from the Relation list.
You must specify the correct relation for the software to retrieve the data for the
specified macro.
7. Define a filter, if needed.
If you do not use a filter, the software adds the macro to all items of the same type.
8. In the Caption box, type a label name if you want to associate a label with the new macro.
The label appears to the left of the macro on the symbol.
9. Click the Macro Text tab to define the macro text properties.
10. Click the Caption Text tab to define the label text properties.
11. On the symbol, click where you want the macro to appear.
Symbols created before Version 2007, that contain macros with labels, display the label
even if the value is null. To correct this you must create new macros on each symbol. Symbols
created from Version 2007 do not need to be fixed.
Add Connection Points to a Symbol File

You can only add connection points to symbols for which the assigned item type is
Terminal or Pin.
2. On the Actions toolbar, click Place Connection Points .
3. On the Connection Points ribbon bar, from the Type list, select the type of connection
point that you want to add: Connector or Jumper.
By default, the first connection point is specified as being on the left side. On the
Connection Points ribbon bar, you can specify the right side for the first connection point if
desired.
4. Click the mouse pointer at the position where you want to place the first connection point,
then move the pointer to specify the desired angle.
 You can add more than one connection point on each terminal side if needed. If you do
so, it is recommended that you place the points alongside one another or specify a
different connection angle for each point.

Tasks
 Graphical symbol elements are defined on the Default layer and these elements
determine the symbol boundaries. Connection points are defined on the Connection
layer, which means that placing connection points beyond the symbol boundaries does
not affect the calculation of spacing between symbols in drawings.
5. Click the mouse pointer to place the second connection point in a similar way.
6. If you require, add wire macros to each connection point. For details, see Add Wire Macros
to Connection Points (on page 19).
7. On the toolbar, click Finish.
Delete Connection Points

2. Select a connection point.
If the connection point is on a graphical object, you may need to move the object or use
the Send to Back command to make the connection point available for selecting.
3. Do one of the following:
 On the keyboard, press Delete.
 Click Edit > Delete.
If you delete a connection point that has associated macros, the software also deletes the
macros.
Add Wire Macros to Connection Points

1. In the Symbol Editor, open the desired .sym file and select a connection point.
2. On the Actions toolbar, click New Macro .
4. From the Macro type list, select one of the available options: CABLE, CABLE SET, or
WIRE.
5. From the Macro name list, select a macro for the chosen wire macro type.
6. In the Caption box, type a label name if you want to associate a label with the new macro.
The label appears to the left of the macro.
7. Click the Macro Text tab to define the macro text properties.
8. Click the Caption Text tab to define the label text properties.
9. On the symbol, click where you want the macro to appear.
 Graphical symbol elements are defined on the Default layer and these elements
determine the symbol boundaries. Macros are defined on the Macro layer, which
means that placing macros beyond the symbol boundaries does not affect the
calculation of spacing between symbols in drawings.

Tasks
 For terminals that have connections on both sides, if you want the cable macro names
to appear between the connection points, it is recommended that you place cable macro
names on one side of the symbol only to avoid duplication for each terminal to which the
cable is connected.
 The software only displays wire macros for connection points that actually have
connections.
 If you delete a connection point, the software automatically deletes from the symbol all
macros belonging to that connection point.
Add Starting Points to a Symbol File

You can only add connection points to symbols for which the assigned item type is
Panel or Rack.
2. On the Actions toolbar, click Place Starting Points .
3. On the Starting Points ribbon bar, from the Placement order list, select one of the
following options:
 Left to Right
 Right to Left
 Top to Bottom
 Bottom to Top
4. Enter values for the Symbol displacement and Symbols per row / column properties.
As an example, suppose that you want to add the racks in stacks of up to 8 racks in
vertical columns, starting from the top of the panel. In this case, you select from Placement
order the option Top to Bottom, then for Symbols per row / column, type 8. For the
Symbol displacement property, type a value of 1.00 to specify a height allowance of 1 inch
for each rack.
5. Click the mouse pointer at each point where you want to add a starting point. Note that the
Row / Column number value increments by one each time you add a new start point.
6. On the toolbar, click Finish.
Customize a Symbol
 On the SmartPlant Instrumentation main menu, click Tools > Symbol Editor.
 On the Windows Taskbar, click Start > Programs > Intergraph SmartPlant
Instrumentation > Symbol Editor.
 In any file browser, double-click the .sym file you want to open. (For this option to work,
the file type must be registered to open with the Symbol Editor.)

Tasks
If you use the last two methods of opening a file, you will not be able to perform
certain actions that require connectivity to the SmartPlant Instrumentation database, for
example changing the item type. For this reason, it is generally recommended that when
customizing a symbol, you open the Symbol Editor from within SmartPlant Instrumentation.
2. Customize the symbol as you require. You can make any of the following changes:
 Edit graphical elements.
 Change the item type.
 Add, modify, or delete SmartText.
 Add, modify, or delete macros.
 Add, modify, or delete connection points (for terminals).
 Add, modify, or delete starting points (for panels with racks).
If you change a symbol's item type, the software automatically deletes from the symbol all
macros belonging to the original item type.
See Also
Add a Macro to a Symbol File (on page 18)
Add a Label to an OPC

1. Open the Item Type: Document (OPC) symbol.
For more information, see one of the following in the Enhanced Reports Utility help:
 Associate a Symbol with an Item
 Associate an Item with a Custom Symbol on a Drawing Sheet
 Click .
 Click Actions > SmartText > New.
3. On the OPC Label dialog box, click the General tab.
4. Under Options, check the Set as Off Page Connector box.
5. Under Text in the Caption field, type the text you want to appear in the OPC label.
 You can also add or edit text in the OPC Label from the Enhanced Report Utility.
 Click the Text tab, if you want to adjust the formatting of the label text.
6. Click OK, the cursor changes to cross-hairs.
7. Click on the OPC symbol where you want the label to appear.
8. Save and close the OPC symbol.
General (SmartText Properties)

Sets general options for SmartText.
Adds an OPC Label text box and descriptive text, to an OPC symbol if opened from the Symbol
Editor.
If opened from a loop drawing in the Enhanced Report Utility allows you to add text or edit
existing text in an OPC Label, and give the OPC a unique name.

Tasks
Text
Caption —Type the text that you want to appear on the OPC Label text box.
You can leave this blank and add text later in your loop drawing.
Options
Set various options for how the SmartText is displayed.
Set as watermark (not available with OPC Label) — Select the box if you want to use the text
as a watermark, which means that it appears behind other drawing items.
Set as Off Page Connector (OPC) (Only available in the Symbol Editor) — Select the check
box to add an OPC Label text box to the OPC symbol.
Off Page Connector Name (Only available when Set as Off Page Connector (OPC) has been
selected and the OPC has been associated with a drawing.) — Displays the target loop name of
an associated OPC, as the name of the OPC, creating a unique name for the OPC. You can add
text to this field if required. This field holds up to 50 characters.
Textbox display
These options are only available when you add SmartText for the first time.
Current sheet (not available with OPC Label) — Click to display the SmartText item on the
current drawing sheet only.
All sheets (not available with OPC Label) — Click to display the SmartText item on all the
drawing sheets.
Update an Assembly
An assembly is a symbol created by combining a number of symbols to form one symbol. After
making changes to a symbol that is a component of an assembly symbol, the changes are not
automatically displayed in the assembly symbol. You must run the Update Assembly
Command for the changes made to the component symbol to become part of the assembly
symbol.
 This procedure cannot be reversed! It is advisable to make a backup of your symbols before
proceeding with updating the assembly.
 The Update Assembly Command checks the assembly's component symbols for changes
in their original source folder. If you have copied the component symbols to another folder or
drive, for example from you C: drive to a network drive so that other users have access to
the symbols, and made changes to the copied component symbols, then the changes are
not updated in the assembly. You must delete the original symbols from their source folder
for the Update Assembly Command to update the copied symbols, or make your changes
to the original symbols.
1. Make the required changes to the component symbols, not to the assembly, and save them.
2. Click Tools > Macro.
3. On the Custom Command dialog box, in the Look in field, navigate to the Smart Plant
Instrumentation installation folder and click SmartPlant > Instrumentation >RAD.
4. Select the .dll UpdateAssemblyCmnd90.
5. Click Open.

Tasks
6. On the Update Assembly dialog box, navigate to the folder where you saved the
component symbol.
 From the Select file pane, select the symbols you want to update.
 Click Select all to select all the symbol files.
8. Click OK.
You must close and re-open the drawing to view the changes made to the assembly.
You can add the Update Assembly Command to your toolbar by clicking Tools >
Customize and from the Customize dialog box selecting the UpdateAssemblyCmnd90.
Menu Commands, Windows, and Dialog Boxes

In This Section
Assign Item Type Dialog Box......................................................... 23
Customize Command .................................................................... 23
Display Manager Command .......................................................... 25
Format Dimension Command ........................................................ 28
Format Line Command .................................................................. 34
Format Text Box Dialog Box .......................................................... 34
Layer Groups Command ............................................................... 39
New Command .............................................................................. 39
Options Command ......................................................................... 40
Properties Command (File Menu).................................................. 48
Sheet Setup Command ................................................................. 51
Style Command ............................................................................. 53
SmartSketch Dialog Box ................................................................ 67
Text Box Command ....................................................................... 68
Toolbars Dialog Box ...................................................................... 73
Variables Command ...................................................................... 73
Assign Item Type Dialog Box

Allows you to specify an item type for a symbol. The item type determines which macros are
available for adding to the symbol, and also affects other options. For example, connection
points can only be added to symbols that have the item types Terminal, Panel, or Wiring
Equipment.
Item type — Select the desired item type for the symbol from the list, for example: PANEL,
LOCATION, RACK.
See Also
Add a Macro to a Symbol File (on page 18)
Customize Command
Allows you to customize toolbars or menus to fit your workflow. This command is available only
on the Tools menu.

Tasks
Customize Dialog Box

Customizes toolbar buttons and menus.
See Also
Customize Command (on page 23)
Menu Tab (Customize Dialog Box) (on page 24)
Toolbars Tab (Customize Dialog Box) (on page 24)
Toolbars Tab (Customize Dialog Box)

Allows you to customize existing toolbars by adding or removing commands and macros. You
can also create your own toolbars.
Categories — Sets the category from which you want to select a command or macro to add to
the toolbar. When you select the category, a list of toolbar buttons specific to the selected
category is displayed in the Buttons box. When you select Custom Commands in the
Categories box, the Buttons box becomes the Custom Commands box and displays a list of
available macros. Also, a Browse button displays that you can use to open the Select Macro
Directory dialog box.
Buttons/Custom Commands — Specifies which button or macro from the active category you
want to add to a toolbar. If you select a macro, you can also click Browse and change the active
directory. When you change the active directory, the macro list in the Commands/Custom
Commands box displays a list of macros in the specified location.
Description — Describes the selected button displayed in the Buttons/Custom Commands
box. Descriptions are not available for macros.
Browse — Opens the Select Macro Directory dialog box where you can navigate to the
directory containing the macro you want to add to a toolbar. Browse appears only when you
click Custom Commands in the Categories box.
Menu Tab (Customize Dialog Box)

Adds or removes commands and macros from menus or the main menu bar. You can add a
command to an existing menu or build a custom menu with the commands that you want.
Categories — Sets the category from which you want to select a command or macro to add to
the menu or main menu bar. When you select the category for a group of commands in this box,
a list of commands specific to the selected category is displayed in the Commands box. When
you select Custom Commands in the Categories box, the Commands box becomes the
Macros box and displays a list of available macros. Also, a Browse button displays that you can
use to open the Select Macro Directory dialog box.
Commands — Specifies the command or macro that you want to add to the menu. If you select
Custom Commands in the Categories list, the Commands box becomes the Macros box and
displays a list of macros that are available in the current active directory. You can use Browse
to change the active directory. When you change the active directory, the macro list in the
Macros box updates to display a list of macros in the specified location.

Tasks
Preview — Lists the menus. Double-click on a menu name to see all the commands on a menu.
When you click Add Command, Add Menu, Place into selected menu, or Remove, the
changes show up on this list. This list also changes to allow you type in a name for the new
menu that you want to add.
Place into selected menu — Places a command or macro that you selected in the Commands
box on the menu that you selected in the Preview box. If you do not set this option, then the
macros or commands that you are adding are placed before or after the command or menu that
you selected in the Preview box.
Reset All — Restores all menus and the main menu bar to the original settings.
Add Command — Places a command or macro on a menu or the main menu bar. This button
is available only when you select a command or macro in the Commands box.
Add Menu — Places a menu on an existing menu or the main menu bar. When you add a menu
with this option, you can add commands to the new menu later. If you add a menu to an existing
menu, this creates a cascading menu. After you click this button, you can type the name that
you want in the Preview box and then click away from the name to enter it.
Remove — Removes the command or menu that you selected in the Preview box.
Description — Displays a description or result of the options that you selected before you apply
them to a menu.
Browse — Opens the Select Macro Directory dialog box where you can navigate to the
directory containing the macro you want to add to an Instrumentation menu. Browse appears
only when you click Custom Commands in the Categories box.
Display Manager Command

Specifies the way elements or objects appear in a window for all drawing sheets and their
associated layers in the document.
You can quickly set display options (Layers on/off) for the current drawing sheet on the
Layer Display dialog box. You can access the Layer Display dialog box using Layers on the
Tools menu.
See Also
Display Manager Dialog Box (on page 25)
Display Manager Dialog Box

Specifies the way elements or objects appear in a window for all drawing sheets and their
associated layers in the document.
You can set display options (Layers on/off) for the current drawing sheet on the Layer
Display dialog box. You can access the Layer Display dialog box using Layers on the Tools
menu.
See Also
Display Manager Command (on page 25)
Sheets Tab (Display Manager Dialog Box) (on page 26)
Layers Tab (Display Manager Dialog Box) (on page 27)

Tasks
Sheets Tab (Display Manager Dialog Box)

Controls the way elements or objects appear on a drawing sheet.
Row Button — Specifies at what level you want to display or hide items. When you click a
button to the left of a row, an arrow appears by that row. Clicking this button selects the drawing
sheet or linked/embedded object so that you can modify its display. Any options you set on the
Layers tab of the Display Manager dialog box are applied to the sheet or object that you
selected.
Sheets — Displays a list of sheets and linked/embedded objects in the current document. An
arrow appears by the current active drawing sheet. You can control the display of each sheet or
object by setting the options you want in the Color, Line Type, or Width columns. The Display
and Lock options can only be set from the Layers tab.
Display — Controls the layers listed on the Layers tab. If you set the box next to a layer, the
elements on that layer are displayed in the active document.
 A check appears in each box when you first access the Layers tab.
 You can set the box next to each layer to display all the elements.
 On the Layers tab, you cannot turn the active layer off.
Lock — Locks or unlocks layers in a view to control whether the software can locate elements
on a layer. If a layer is locked, you can still see the elements on the screen, but you cannot
locate them or perform actions on them. You cannot lock the active layer.
 If the lock beside a layer appears locked, you cannot locate elements on the layer in the
active document or drawing sheet.
 If the lock beside a layer appears unlocked, the elements on the layer can be located.
Color — Overrides a color for all elements on a drawing sheet or in a linked/embedded object.
You can select a color from the list. You can click More to define custom colors with the Colors
dialog box.
Line Type — Overrides a line type for all elements on a drawing sheet or in a linked/embedded
object.
Width — Overrides a line width for all elements on a drawing sheet or in a linked/embedded
object.
OK — Saves the changes and closes the Display Manager dialog box.
Cancel — Ignores any changes and closes the Display Manager dialog box.
Apply — Applies the current display settings without closing the Display Manager dialog box.
Clear — Removes all overrides from the selected row. You must select a row before you can
click this button. You can clear settings from only one row at a time.
See Also

Tasks
Layers Tab (Display Manager Dialog Box)

Controls the way layers and layer groups appear in a window.
Row Button - Indicates the layer being modified. The active layer cannot be modified and is
indicated by a solid filled check box in the display column.
Layers - Controls the display using layers and layers groups. The Layers column displays an
alphabetical list of layers and layer groups for the active drawing sheet.
Layer groups appear first in the list followed by individual layers. You can control the display of
each layer by setting the options you want in the Display, Lock, Color, Type, or Width
columns.
Display - Displays the elements listed on the Layers tab. If you set the box next to the element,
the element is displayed in the active document (if its layer is displayed).
A check appears in each box when you first access the Layers tab.
 You can set the box next to each element to display all the elements.
 On the Layers tab, you cannot turn the active layer off.
Lock - Locks or unlocks elements and layers in a view to control whether the software can
locate them. If an element or layer is locked, you can still see it on the screen, but you cannot
locate it or perform actions on it. You cannot lock the active layer.
If the lock beside a sheet or layer appears locked, you cannot locate the element or layer in the
active document or drawing sheet.
If the lock beside a sheet or layer appears unlocked, the element or layer is not locked and you
can locate it.
Color - Overrides the color for a layer or layer group or applies another color to an element. You
can select a color from the list. You can click More to define custom colors with the Colors
dialog box.
Line Type - Overrides a line type for a drawing sheet or embedded object and sets another line
style for an element or linked object.
Width - Selects another line width for layer or layer group.
OK - Saves the changes and closes the Display Manager dialog box.
Cancel - Ignores any changes and closes the Display Manager dialog box.
Apply - Applies the current display settings.
Clear - Removes all overrides from the selected row. You must select a row before you can click
this button. You can clear settings from only one row at a time.
Help - Activates the Online Help for the Display Manager dialog box.
See Also

Tasks
Format Dimension Command

Sets options for placing dimensions. You can access this dialog box with Dimension on the
Format menu.
Format Dimension Dialog Box

Sets options for placing dimensions. You can access this dialog box with Dimension on the
Format menu. You can define dimension styles with Style on the Format menu.
See Also
General Tab (on page 28)
Units Tab (on page 29)
Secondary Units Tab (on page 29)
Text Tab (on page 30)
Lines and Coordinate Tab (on page 31)
Spacing Tab (on page 32)
Terminator and Symbol Tab (on page 32)
General Tab
Sets general properties for dimensions.
Color - Sets colors for a driving, driven, or error dimension.
 Driving Dimension- Sets the color used for driving dimensions.
 Driven Dimension- Sets the color used for driven dimensions.
 Error Dimension - Sets the color for error dimensions. Error dimensions are driving or
driven dimensions that the software cannot recalculate correctly after parametric attributes
on driving dimensions are changed.
Scale Mode - Sets the scale mode to automatic or manual.
Automatic - Determines a correct dimensional value based on the scale set in the drawing
view.
Manual- Scales the dimensional value. The scale value determines the dimensional value. For
example, for a scale of 1:100mm, set the manual value to 0.01.
Manual mode only works with dimensions that are set to Driven.
See Also
Modify Dimension Style Dialog Box (on page 61)
New Dimension Style Dialog Box (on page 54)

Tasks
Units Tab
Sets the primary units for dimensions.
Linear — Specifies the unit settings for a linear dimension.
Units — Sets the primary units for linear dimensions.
Unit Label — Sets the unit label. You can type up to 20 characters for a unit label.
Subunit Label — Sets the subunit label. You can type up to 20 characters for a subunit label.
Round-Off — Sets the round-off for the value. This control is sensitive to the unit setting
(decimal or fractional) and contains values appropriate for the unit. This control is also sensitive
to the dimension that you place and contains values appropriate for the dimension.
Maximum Subunits — Sets the maximum subunits value. You can type a value up to 255. This
value applies to feet and inches. For example, if you type 13, the dimension appears as 13
inches and not 1 foot and 1 inch.
Angular — Sets the units for an angular dimension.
Units — Sets the primary units for angular dimensions. Options are Degrees, Deg-Min-Sec, or
Radians.
Zeroes — Specifies if a zero is on the left or right of the decimal in a dimension.
Leading — Places a zero to the left of the decimal point if no numbers appear to the left.
Trailing — Places zeros to the right of the decimal point. The number of zeros placed is based
on the active setting for Round-Off. For example, if the dimensional value is .5, and the
round-off setting is .1234, the dimensional value appears as .5000.
Delimiter — Specifies the decimal delimiter for a dimension.
 Period — Sets a period as the decimal delimiter.
 Comma — Sets a comma as the decimal delimiter.
 Space — Sets a space as the decimal delimiter.
See Also
Format Dimension Dialog Box (on page 28)
Secondary Units Tab

Sets the secondary units for dimensions.
Units — Sets the secondary units in drawings with dual unit display. For example, the primary
unit can be inches, while the secondary unit can be millimeters. When you place the dimension,
it displays both units. The software derives the secondary unit by converting the primary unit.
Unit Label — Sets the secondary units label in drawings with dual unit display. You can type up
to 20 characters.
Subunit Label — Sets the secondary subunit label in drawings with dual unit display. You can
type up to 20 characters.
Round-Off — Sets the round-off value for secondary units in drawings with dual unit display.

Tasks
Maximum Subunits — Sets the maximum subunits used for secondary subunits in drawings
with dual unit display.
Zeroes — Specifies if a zero appears on the left or right of the decimal in a dimension.
Dual Unit Display — Selecting/Activating this checkbox displays secondary units for
dimensions in drawings. For example, the primary unit can be inches, while the secondary unit
is millimeters. Both units display when you place the dimension. The software derives the
secondary unit by converting the primary unit.
See Also
Text Tab
Sets the text options for dimensions.
Text - Sets text options for a dimension.
Font - Sets the font type for the dimension text.
Font Style - Specifies the font style to use for the text in a dimension.
Font Size - Sets the size for text in a dimension.
Orientation - Sets the orientation for the text on a dimension. For example, the dimension text
looks like the following picture when you select Vertical.
Position - Sets the position where text appears in relation to the base line. The base line is an
imaginary horizontal line directly under a line of text. For example, when you select Above, the
dimension text looks like the following picture.
Tolerance Text - Sets options for text in certain types of dimensions that have related
tolerances. You can set the dimension type on the dimension ribbon bar.
Size - Sets the size of the text for tolerance text. The value is a ratio of the dimension text size.
For example, if you enter .5, the size of the tolerance text will be half the size of the dimension
text.
Limit Arrangement - Sets the text arrangement on limit dimensions.
See Also

Tasks
Lines and Coordinate Tab

Dimension Lines — Sets options for dimension lines. A dimension line defines the
measurement of a part feature. Dimension lines consist of a solid line with arrows at both ends
and a dimension in the center.
Connect — Controls if the dimension line extends between both terminators when you place the
dimension text and terminators outside the projection lines.
Width — Sets the width of the dimension line.
Stack Pitch — Sets the distance between stacked dimensions. The value is a ratio of the
dimension text size.
Break Line — Sets the size of the break line for the dimension line. This value is a ratio of the
text size.
Coordinate — Sets options for coordinate dimensions.
Auto-Jog — Turns the jog control on or off on the Dimension ribbon. You can use this option
only when you place a coordinate dimension. If you set Auto-Jog and the distance between two
dimensions is less than the value set for Stack Pitch, then you can place the dimension with a
jog in the projection line.
Common Origin — Sets the symbol type for the common origin on coordinate dimensions. You
can set the symbol type to dot, circle, or none.
Text Position — Positions text in a coordinate dimension.
Projection Line — Sets options for the projection line of a dimension.
Display — Controls the display of projection lines on linear dimensions. You can set the display
to none (off), origin, measurement, or origin and measurement. You can use this option to hide
projection lines when they overlap and you are using a pen plotter.
Element Gap — Sets the distance that the projection line is set back from the element you want
to dimension. This value is a ratio of the dimension text size.
Extension — Sets the distance that the projection line extends beyond the dimension. This
value is a ratio of the dimension text size.
Angle — Sets the slant angle of the projection lines on dimensions. This option is useful when
you need to place a dimension on isometric drawings.
Center Mark — Places a center line automatically when you dimension a nonlinear element.
Extend Center Mark — Displays projection lines on center marks. Extend Center Mark only
works when the Center Mark option is selected as well.
See Also

Tasks
Spacing Tab
Sets dimension spacing options. All options are a ratio of the dimension text value.
Text Clearance Gap — Sets the space between the text and the dimension line.
Dual Display Vertical Gap — Sets the space between the primary and secondary units when
dual unit display is active. You can set Dual Unit Display on the Secondary Units tab so that
dimensions display two units.
Line Spacing — Sets the amount of space between the superfix or subfix and the dimension
text.
Dimension Above Line Gap — Sets the space between the dimension text and the dimension
line.
Horizontal Tolerance Gap — Sets the space between the dimensional value and the tolerance
on dimensions.
Vertical Tolerance Gap — Sets the space between the upper and lower tolerance value on
dimensions.
Vertical Limits Gap — Sets the space between the upper and lower dimensional values on limit
dimensions.
Symbol Gap — Sets the space between the symbol and the dimension line. You can also set
the space between the symbol and the dimension text.
Prefix/Suffix Gap — Sets the amount of space between the prefix or suffix and the dimension
text.
Horizontal Box Gap — Sets the space between the dimension text and the horizontal edges of
the box on dimensions.
Vertical Box Gap — Sets the space between the dimension text and the vertical edges of the
box on dimensions.
See Also
Terminator and Symbol Tab

Sets terminator and symbol options for dimensions. A terminator is a graphic symbol, such as
an arrow or dot, placed at the end of a leader.
Terminator — Sets options for terminators.
Type — Sets the terminator type for all terminators. Examples of some of the terminator types
are provided below.
Arrow (Fill)
Arrow (Hollow)

Tasks
Arrow (Open)
Back Slash
Blank
Circle
Dot
Slash
Freespace Type — Sets the terminator type for a dimension with a terminator placed in free
space.
Size — Sets the size of the terminator. The value is a ratio of the dimension text size. For
example, if you set Font Size on the Text tab to be .2 cm and Size to be 2, the terminator is
twice the size of the dimension text.
Origin Type — Sets the terminator type used on the origin of a linear dimension.
Inside Limit — Controls the terminator position relative to a dimension's projection lines. The
Inside Limit is calculated as a constant times the dimension font size. For example, if the font
size is 0.125 inches and the Inside Limit is set to 3 (3 x font size), any dimension with a value
greater than or equal to 0.375 inches positions its terminators on the inside of the projection
lines. Any dimension with a value less than 0.375 inches positions its terminators on the outside
of the projection lines.
This setting affects dimensions only at placement. You can change the terminator's
position after placement by dragging the terminator to the other side of the projection line.
In the example below, the inside limit value is 3, the font size is 0.1 in., and the dimension line is
.317 in. in length. Therefore:
Dimension value > 3 (inside limit) * .01 (font size)

Tasks
The inside limit affects newly-placed dimensions only. The setting has no effect if the
dimension value is changed because of changes in the parent geometry.
Datum Type — Sets the terminator type for datum frames. If you select Normal, the datum
frame uses the active terminator type for dimensions. If you select Anchor, the datum frame
uses an anchor terminator.
Display — Specifies which end of the terminator displays or if both ends display. You can set
the display to none (off), origin, measurement, or both origin and measurement. The following
picture shows the display when you select Origin and Measurement.
Symbol — Sets options for symbols in dimensions.

Placement — Sets the placement position for the symbol on diameter and radial and linear
dimensions for an arc. You can place the symbol before or after the dimension. You can also
hide the symbol.
Suppress Diameter — Suppresses the diameter symbol on diameter dimensions.
Not to Scale — Displays an underline, zigzag, or no indicator on driven dimensions with
overridden values. You can use the zigzag option only on linear dimensions. You can override a
driven dimension value by typing a new value in the Edit Value box on a dimension ribbon.
See Also
Format Line Command

Sets options for placing lines. You can access this dialog box by clicking Line on the Format
menu.
Format Line Dialog Box

Sets options for placing lines. You can access this dialog box by clicking Line on the Format
menu. You define line styles by clicking Style on the Format menu.
Format Text Box Dialog Box

Sets options for placing text boxes. You can access this dialog box by clicking Text Box on the
Format menu. You define text styles by clicking Style on the Format menu.

Tasks
Info Tab (Text Box Properties Dialog Box)

Sheet — Shows the drawing sheet for an element.
Layer — Shows the layer on which an element appears in a drawing sheet.
Origin — Specifies the coordinates, or location, of a text box along the x and y axes.
All metrics on the text box are either in paper units or world units except origin. Origin is
always in world units.
Width — Sets the width of the text box to either At Least (at least the value you specify), Auto
(the text drives the width), or Exactly (exactly at the value you specify) in the At: field.
Height — Sets the height of the text box to either At Least (at least the value you specify), Auto
(the text drives the height), or Exactly (exactly at the value you specify) in the At: field.
Angle — Sets the angle of the text box.
The text box always rotates about the origin.
Text Orientation — Sets the orientation of the text either horizontally or vertically.
Units Space — Sets the text box units to either paper units or to world units.
Paper units represent units on an actual sheet of paper. Paper units are set in inches. Other
units are also available.
World units indicate real world distances, but can be scaled down to fit a sheet of paper.
Within the drawing environment, "world units" is synonymous with the term "model units"
found in other CAD packages.
Justification — Specifies the placement relationship between the origin and the shape (text
box) according to the horizontal and vertical components.
The inside text area is an area that the margins of the text box define. That is, margins are
inside the outside edges of the text box.
The following graphic illustrates top (1), right (2), bottom (3) and left (4) margins around the text
box for horizontal justification (A) and vertical justification (B).
The maximum cap height of the first formatted text line of each line defines the text area capline,
even if the line has been clipped out of the text box.
The line baseline is a font metric that describes an imaginary line for location of characters. The
largest descender for any font on the line defines the baseline. Therefore, the largest descender
of the fonts used on the last line defines the text area baseline, even if the line is clipped out of
the text box.

Tasks
The following graphic illustrates text cap area (a) and text baseline (b) for horizontal justification
(A) and vertical justification (B).
You must define horizontal and vertical components together. These components apply to both
single-line and multi-line text. For multi-line text, the cap height of the first line is used for the
capline of the text, and the descender of the last line is used for the baseline of the text.
Horizontal — Specifies horizontal placement at six options based on shape (text box), text
area, and the text within the text box at left, center, and right positions.
Vertical — Specifies vertical placement at 10 options based on shape (text box), text area, and
the text within the text box.
Text Baseline — Specifies the text area baseline.
Text Top — Specifies the top of the text area, which begins at the bottom of the top margin.
Text Capline — Specifies the text area capline.
Text Half Ascender — Specifies half the distance from the text area baseline to the top of the
text area.
Text Half Cap — Specifies the distance half way between the text area capline and baseline.
Text Center — Specifies the center of the text area.
Text Bottom — Specifies the bottom of the text area.
Shape Top — Specifies the top edge of the shape.
Shape Center — Specifies center of the shape.
Shape Bottom — Specifies the bottom of the shape.
Text Alignment — Specifies the placement of formatted text within the shape (text box).
You must define horizontal and vertical components together.
Horizontal — Specifies how each paragraph is aligned within the block of formatted text. Values
for horizontal alignment include Left, Center, and Right.
If Text Orientation is horizontal, you modify all the paragraph alignment properties for all
paragraphs within the text box. (These properties appear in the Text Alignment area of the Info
tab.)
If Text Orientation is vertical, you modify the shape alignment properties. (These properties
appear in the Text Alignment area of the Info tab.)
Vertical — Places the block of formatted text at Top, Center, Bottom, or Justify area of the
text box.
If Text Orientation is horizontal, you modify the shape alignment properties. (These properties

Tasks
If Text Orientation is vertical, you modify all the paragraph alignment properties for all
tab.)
Horizontal Paragraph Alignment Properties

Left — Places the edge of the first line of text at the left of the text area.
Center — Places the formatted text in the center of the text area.
Right — Places the formatted text in the right of the text area.
Vertical Paragraph Alignment Properties

Top — Places the edge of the first line of text at the top of the text area.
Bottom — Places the formatted text in the bottom of the text area.
Shape Alignment Properties

Positions the text within the text area.
Justified — Places the first line of the first paragraph at the top of the text area.
Places the last line of the last paragraph at the bottom of the text area.
Places remaining paragraphs at equal distance between the first and last paragraphs.
Margins
Sets the distance between the edge of the shape and the edge of the text area. Margins are in
the same units as the text box.
Top — Sets the distance between the top edge of the shape and the top edge of the text area.
Bottom — Sets the distance between the bottom edge of the shape and the bottom edge of the
text area.
Left — Sets the distance between the left edge of the shape and the left edge of the text area.
Right — Sets the distance between the right edge of the shape and the right edge of the text
area.
Paragraph Tab (Text Box Properties Dialog Box)

Text style — Displays the style for a text box.
Font — Lists and applies the available fonts.
Font size — Applies a text size.
Font style — Lists the available font styles.
Underline — Underlines text.

Tasks
Language — Lists and applies a language for text in a text box. If you use text characters from
more than one language in a text box, the option you specify in this box determines the way the
lines wrap in the paragraph.
Units space — Sets the paragraph to paper units or to world units. You can change this control
only when you are creating new styles from the Format Styles or Format Text Box dialog
boxes. When you view this control from the Properties dialog box, it is read-only. You can
change the control from the Info tab because all paragraphs contained within a text box must
exist in the same units.
Font size type — Specify the method for measuring font size: Ascender, Cap, or Tile.
 Single sets the line spacing for each line to display the largest font in the line.
 1.5 sets the line space for the line to one-and-a-half that of single lines.
 Double sets the line spacing for the line to twice that of single lines.
Paragraph spacing — Specifies the amount of space before and after paragraphs. No spacing
exists before the first paragraph and or after the last paragraph.
Before — Adds space before a paragraph. This value is set in the current working units, not in
points.
After — Adds space after a paragraph. This value is set in the current working units, not in
points. You can set the units using Units on the Format menu.
Border and Fill Tab (Text Box Properties Dialog Box)

Border — Specifies the appearance of a border around a text box.
Border type — Sets the shape of the border around a text box. You can choose from a
selection of common geometric shapes.
Show border — Displays the outline of the text box.
Line style — Sets the line style for the text box.
Border color — Sets the color of the border.
Line width — Specifies the width of the border in paper or world units of the text box.
Paragraph separators — Places a horizontal line between each paragraph in a text box. This
option is only available if Show Border is selected.
A paragraph is defined by a carriage return within the text body. Using the carriage return as the
sole means to create a new line of text will result in a text object with many lines as shown in the
following illustration:
As an alternative for controlling auto returns within the text body, you can restrain the width of
the box during placement or through the Text Box Properties dialog box.

Tasks
Shadow — Places a shadow around the borders of text in a text box.

Shadow offset — Specifies a distance to offset the shadow in paper or world units of the text
box.
Fill color — Displays the color of a solid fill on an element boundary. This value overrides the
style of the fill. Transparent is the default. When you set the fill color to transparent, no fill is
visible on the boundary. You can also apply a fill color option with a fill pattern. Filled elements
always cover other elements when they overlap. A fill color always appears behind the fill
pattern when you apply both to the same boundary.
Layer Groups Command

Creates, modifies, or deletes layers and layer groups. You can only work with layers on the
current working sheet. This command is available only on the Tools menu.
See Also
Groups Dialog Box (on page 39)
Groups Dialog Box

Creates, modifies, or deletes layers and layer groups. You can only work with layers for the
active sheet in the active window. You cannot delete the active layer or a layer that has
elements placed on it.
Layers — Displays a list of all the layers on the current drawing sheet so that you can create
new layers. You can type the name of a layer in the Layers box to create a new layer. You can
also add or remove layers in a layer group with the Layers table. When you select a group in
the Groups table, the check boxes in the Grouped column of the Layers table indicate the
status of the layers. If the check box is set, the layer is a member of the group that you selected
in the Groups table. If the check box is cleared, the layer is not a member of the group.
Groups — Displays all layer groups for the current sheet. You can define a new group by typing
a name in the Groups box. You can select a group from the Groups table to display the layers
in the group in the Groups table. To select a group, you must click the button on the left side of
the row for a group. You can use the Description column to add a description to the layer
group. Typing a name of an existing layer group makes that group active. You can then add or
remove layers in a group.
See Also
Layer Groups Command (on page 39)
New Command
Creates a new document or template. You can use a template to create the document.
See Also
New Dialog Box (on page 40)

Tasks
New Dialog Box

Creates a new document or template.
Templates - Lists the templates available in the Template directory that is located in the
directory where you installed the software. Select the template that you want to use to create a
new document or template.
You can change the default directory where templates are stored by selecting Options on
the Tools menu and setting the directory that you want on the File Locations tab of the
Options dialog box. If you change this setting, the Templates list on the New dialog box
displays a list of the templates in the directory that you specified.
Set as Default - Sets the selected template as the default for new documents. You can change
the default setting by selecting another template in the list and clicking Set as Default.
See Also
New Command (on page 39)
Options Command
Changes settings that control screen appearance, document location, user information, and so
forth. This command is available only on the Tools menu.
You can use the Options command to set options for importing MicroStation or AutoCAD
documents into the software.
See Also
Options Dialog Box (on page 40)
Options Dialog Box

Sets options for the current document. For example, you can set the grid display by clicking the
View tab.
See Also
Colors Tab (Options Dialog Box) (on page 41)
General Tab (Options Dialog Box) (on page 41)
File Locations Tab (Options Dialog Box) (on page 42)
View Tab (Options Dialog Box) (on page 43)
Symbols Tab (Options Dialog Box) (on page 44)
Reference Files Tab (Options Dialog Box) (on page 44)

Tasks
Colors Tab (Options Dialog Box)

Controls color settings for the active document.
Sheet - Sets the default color of all drawing sheets in the active document.
Sheet color is stored in the file. However, when you specify a sheet color on the
Colors tab, it will override the sheet color stored in previously saved files. To allow the display of
a saved sheet color, access the Colors tab and select Default before re-opening the drawing
file.
Highlight - Sets the highlight color.
Selected Element - Sets the color of selected elements.
Disabled Elements - Sets the color of disabled elements. This setting can also define the color
of relationship indicators and their corresponding glyphs if Maintain Relationships is disabled.
Select Tools > SmartSketch Settings to see the relationship indicators and their corresponding
glyphs or images.
Handles - Sets the color of handles when an element is selected. Also, if Maintain Relationships
is enabled, the Handles option sets the color for the relationship indicators that display during
element placement.
If you set the sheet color the same as another control setting, the control color setting
and the cursor color is automatically changed to a complementary color. For example, if you
have both the Selected Element color and the Sheet color set to Yellow, the sheet background
displays yellow and the selected elements display in a complementary blue color.
See Also
General Tab (Options Dialog Box)

Controls settings such as the display of 3-D effects and the number of entries in the list of
recently used files.
Update Links Automatically At Open - Updates links automatically when the document is
open and this option is set.
Recently Used Files List - Sets the number of entries for the Recent Files area of the File
menu when the Recent Files area is set.

Tasks
Dimension Keyin Values Automatically - Places dimensions for recognized step values or for
values you type in a ribbon field while drawing a geometric element. For example, select
Rectangle on the Draw toolbar. On the ribbon, type a value in the Width, Height, and/or Angle
fields, press <Enter> or <Tab>, and then click the location in the Drawing sheet where you
want to place the rectangle.
Display Unit Of Measurement Labels - Displays the units of measurement in the value field.
Set printer paper size to sheet size - Automatically sets the printer paper size to match the
sheet size (if the printer supports that size).
Display XY coordinate readout - Displays the XY coordinate of the cursor position in the right
side of the application window status bar.
Undo Steps - Sets the number of operations that can be undone.
Middle Button Operation - Sets up the middle mouse button so that it can be used for either
scrolling or panning. The default action of the middle mouse button is Windows Scrolling.
See Also
File Locations Tab (Options Dialog Box)

Specifies the default location for documents, templates, and other objects you create or use in
the software. You can use the following types of documents:
 Documents
 User-defined templates
 Fonts
 Macros
 MicroStation references
 AutoCAD references
File Types - Indicates the file type for which you want to specify a location.
Location - Displays the designated location for each file type.
Modify - Accesses the Modify Location dialog box. The directory selected with the dialog box
is displayed in the Location column on this tab. After you select a location, you can delete it
later by selecting the location in the Location column and pressing Delete.
See Also

Tasks
View Tab (Options Dialog Box)

Controls the appearance of the software and document window, such as the display of the
graph paper, ruler, and scroll bar.
Display as printed - Displays the drawing as it appears on paper. This option is enabled by
default.
Style view scale - Controls the width of linear styles as displayed on the screen. This option is
only available when Display as printed is disabled and will not apply to printed drawings.
Maximum line width - Sets the maximum width allowed for the display linear styles. This option
is only available when Display as printed is disabled and will not apply to printed drawings.
Reset - Resets Style view scale and Maximum line width to their default values. This option is
only available when Display as printed disabled.
Window - Controls the window display.
Vertical Scroll Bar - Displays the vertical scroll bar of the active window.
Horizontal Scroll Bar - Displays the horizontal scroll bar of the active window.
Status Bar - Displays the status bar of the application.
Sheet Tabs - Displays the drawing sheet tabs.
Grid - Sets options for the grid.
The grid display option must be checked from the view menu before these settings will be
visible.
Grid Display - Displays a grid so that you can place elements with precision. The grid lines are
not considered part of the document and do not print.
Grid Snap - Aligns elements with the grid. The grid is an invisible set of lines in the document
that helps you align elements. When you set Grid Snap, elements always align with the grid
lines or nearest intersection of the grid lines.
Grid Style - Changes the format of the grid lines to either static or dynamic. When you zoom in
or out, the software dynamically generates the grid lines for a dynamic grid. You can set
dynamic grid lines to appear at fine, medium, or coarse levels. The grid lines appear at common
major measurement increments. A dynamic grid displays index lines that intersect with the
darker, solid grid lines. A static grid displays solid grid lines that do not move as you zoom in or
out. The grid maintains a constant minimum spacing.
Grid Index - Determines the number of index grid lines, also known as minor grid lines, to be
equally spaced between the major grid lines. This option is available only if you select Static in
the Grid Style list box.
Grid Spacing - Sets the spacing of the major grid lines. This option is available only if you
select Static in the Grid Style list box. The selected options on the Units tab of the Properties
dialog box determine the units that you can enter, such as inches or centimeters.
You can open the Properties dialog box by clicking Properties on the File menu.
Grid Density - Changes the number of dashes in the index lines, or minor grid lines, between
intersections with the grid lines. This option is available only if you select Dynamic in the Grid
Style list box.
Sheet outline - Sets options for the outline of the drawing sheet.
Display - Displays the outline of a drawing sheet so you can view its boundaries.
Use during fit - Specifies whether or not to use the sheet outline during a fit.

Tasks
Symbols Tab (Options Dialog Box)

Determines the default actions when you drag a symbol into the document. You can override the
settings on this tab when you drag a symbol. You can press Ctrl to embed the symbol or Ctrl +
Shift to link the symbol.
Drag and Drop Default - Specifies actions when you drag a symbol into the document.
Embed - Sets the default action so that the symbol embeds when you drag it on the drawing
sheet. Embedding the symbol means that the software places a copy of the symbol in the
document. If you edit one instance of the embedded symbol in a document, all copies of that
symbol within the current document reflect those changes.
Link - Sets the default action so that the symbol is linked when you drag it into the document.
Linking the symbol allows you to edit the original symbol document. The symbol that you placed
on the drawing sheet updates automatically. If you edit the symbol inside the active document,
those changes are saved in the .sym document on your computer.
See Also
Reference Files Tab (Options Dialog Box)

Scale - Sets a scale option for importing a document.
Coincident - Brings in a reference file, also known as an inserted object, at full scale (1:1) and
coincident to its original coordinate position. The setting shifts the drawing sheet to the lower left
of the document graphic range and then determines a drawing sheet scale that fits the reference
file within the sheet. If the current document already contains graphics, the drawing sheet shifts
to include those graphics.
If you use the Coincident setting, the reference file does not appear when you drag the
pointer.
Select Scale - Sets the drawing scale to a standard ratio. The specified ratio defines the size of
the drawing in relation to the size of the real-world object. For a 2:1 ratio, 2 represents the size
of the drawing and 1 represents the size of the real-world object.
Fit to Sheet determines a drawing sheet scale that fits the reference file within the sheet,
but allows you to specify where to insert the file by clicking on the drawing sheet.
Custom Scale - Sets the scale that you type in the boxes for a document that you insert or
drag. For example, when you type in 3 and 2 in each of the respective boxes, the scale of the
foreign document is one-and-a-half times its original size.
See Also

Tasks
Foreign Data Tab (Options Dialog Box)

The Foreign Data tab is only available on the Options dialog box if you install the
Translators option.
Sets options for moving information into the current document by dragging a document or by
clicking one of the following commands:
 Paste Special on the Edit menu
 Object on the Insert menu
 Open on the File menu.
Format - Sets the type of format that you can use for importing or saving a document. When
you click MicroStation or AutoCAD and then click the appropriate Options, you can access a
specific dialog box to set options for importing or saving AutoCAD (.dxf, .dwg) or MicroStation
(.dgn) documents.
Import - Sets options for importing an AutoCAD or MicroStation document.
File Units - Sets the units for the document you want to import. When you insert or drag a
document into the drawing sheet, the software uses this setting only when the document has
units assigned that the software does not recognize.
Orientation - Sets the orientation for the document that you want to import.
Options - Accesses one of the dialog boxes for importing an AutoCAD or MicroStation
document.
Export - Sets options for exporting an AutoCAD or MicroStation document.
Options - Accesses a dialog box for exporting an AutoCAD or MicroStation document.
See Also
MicroStation Export Options Dialog Box (on page 47)
MicroStation Import Options Dialog Box (on page 45)
MicroStation Import Options Dialog Box

Controls how a MicroStation document is opened or inserted into the current document.
To use this functionality, you must install the Translators option.
See Also
General Tab (MicroStation Import Options Dialog Box) (on page 46)
Font Tab (MicroStation Import Options Dialog Box) (on page 46)
Linestyle Tab (MicroStation Import Options Dialog Box) (on page 46)
Line Width Tab (MicroStation Import Options Dialog Box) (on page 47)

Tasks
General Tab (MicroStation Import Options Dialog Box)

Cell Library - Sets options for translating MicroStation cell libraries. When a cell library is
imported, a symbol document with an .sym extension is created.
Units of Resolution - Determines the sub-unit and positional unit settings for MicroStation cell
libraries. Cell libraries do not have units and depend on the MicroStation document for their units
of resolution. These settings have no effect on translating documents with a .dgn extension; the
settings only affect documents with a .CEL extension.
Cells - Sets options for importing cells in MicroStation documents. When you import a
MicroStation document, a temporary folder is created in the Temp folder on your computer. The
temporary folder contains the symbols that are embedded in the MicroStation document. By
default, these symbols are deleted after the document is imported into the drawing sheet. You
can change a setting in ITMSTN.INI to save the symbols instead. In Notepad, open ITMSTN.INI
and change the following line in the Options section: Delete Symbol Definitions = 0.
Options - Determines if cells are imported as elements on the drawing sheet or embedded
symbols. Symbol documents have an .sym extension. For example, type 2 cells are imported as
groups and shared cells, type 34, are imported as symbols.
Template File - Specifies the path and filename for the template that you want to use to create
a document.
Browse - Accesses the Browse dialog box.
Fit imported data to active sheet - Places the MicroStation data on the active drawing sheet. If
the checkbox is not selected, the imported data is placed on a new drawing sheet.
See Also
Font Tab (MicroStation Import Options Dialog Box)
Maps the software font to a MicroStation font.
See Also
Linestyle Tab (MicroStation Import Options Dialog Box)
Maps the MicroStation line styles to line style definitions in the software. The core MicroStation
line styles (0 - 7) default to equivalent SmartSketch line styles unless they are mapped on the
Linestyle Tab.
The number values listed below can be used in the line style table to map MicroStation line
styles to line style definitions in the software. When mapping line styles use the line style
number, not the line style name.
MicroStation SmartSketch
Line Style Number Line Style Number
Solid 0 Normal 9
Dotted 1 Dashed 10
Medium Dotted 2 Dotted 11
Long Dotted 3 Dash Dot 12
Dot Dash 4 Dash 2Dot 13
Short Dash 5 Chain 18

Tasks
Dash Dot Dot 6 Double Chain 20

Long Short Dash 7 2Dash Dot 21
See Also
Line Width Tab (MicroStation Import Options Dialog Box)
Maps the MicroStation weights to line widths in the software.
See Also
MicroStation Export Options Dialog Box
Controls how a document will be translated to a MicroStation file format.
To use this functionality, you must install the Translators option.
See Also
General Tab (MicroStation Export Options Dialog Box) (on page 47)
Font Tab (MicroStation Export Options Dialog Box) (on page 47)
LineStyle Tab (MicroStation Export Options Dialog Box) (on page 48)
Line Width Tab (MicroStation Export Options Dialog Box) (on page 48)
Layer Tab (MicroStation Export Options Dialog Box) (on page 48)
General Tab (MicroStation Export Options Dialog Box)

Version - Specifies the versions of MicroStation you want to use.
Seed File - Specifies the path of a default seed file that contains appropriate units, color tables,
and other important information.
When you specify a 2D seed file while exporting a 3D MicroStation reference file from
the current document, the 3D reference file is not saved in MicroStation. For the 3D MicroStation
reference file to be saved in MicroStation, you must specify a 3D seed file on the MicroStation
Export Options dialog box.
Browse - Displays the Seed File dialog box.
See Also
Font Tab (MicroStation Export Options Dialog Box)

Maps the fonts in the software to a MicroStation font.
See Also

Tasks
Linestyle Tab (MicroStation Export Options Dialog Box)

Maps the line styles in the software to MicroStation line styles.
The number values listed below can be used in the Linestyle table to map line styles in the
current document to MicroStation line styles. When mapping line styles, use the line style
number; not the line style name.
SmartSketch MicroStation
Line Style Number Line Style Number
Normal 9 Solid 0
Dashed 10 Dotted 1
Dotted 11 Medium Dotted 2
Dash Dot 12 Long Dotted 3
Dash 2Dot 13 Dot Dash 4
Chain 18 Short Dash 5
Double Chain 20 Dash Dot Dot 6
2Dash Dot 21 Long Short dash 7
See Also
Line Width Tab (MicroStation Export Options Dialog Box)
Maps the software line widths to MicroStation weights.
See Also
Layer Tab (MicroStation Export Options Dialog Box)
Layer Mapping Table - Displays an alphanumeric ordered list of the layers.
See Also
Properties Command (File Menu)

Retrieves general information about the current document. You can review and edit the following
document information: the document summary, statistics, units, and Browser properties. If a
symbol document (.sym) is open, you can review and edit the general, unit, behavior, and
specific symbol properties for the document. This command is available only on the File menu.

Tasks
General Tab (File Properties Dialog Box)

Displays general information about the current document.
If some of the following information is not available, the boxes display "Unknown."
Filename — Displays the name of the document.
Type — Displays the type of document. The type is based on the application used to create the
document.
Location — Displays the directory containing the document.
Size — Displays the size of the document in bytes, kilobytes, and megabytes.
MS-DOS Name — Displays the name of the document as it would appear in a File Allocation
Table file naming system. These types of documents have an eight-character name and
three-character extension.
Created — Displays the date and time the document was created or copied.
Modified — Displays the date and time the document was last modified.
Accessed — Displays the date that the document was last opened or copied.
Attributes — Displays the attributes of the current document. These settings are read-only.
Read-Only — Indicates that the document is read-only. You cannot open a read-only file for
writing. You cannot create a file with the same name as a read-only file.
Archive — Shows that the document is an archive document.
Hidden — Indicates that the document is a hidden document. You usually cannot see this
document in the Windows Explorer.
System — Shows that the document is a system document. You usually cannot see this
document unless you change the options in the Internet Explorer.
Summary Tab (File Properties Dialog Box)

Displays the title and author, if available, along with keywords and comments for the current
document. The software generates the author and template information when you create, save,
or print the document. You can also edit these properties, with the exception of the template,
unless the document is write-protected.
Title — Specifies the title of the current document.
Subject — Gives a general description of the current document.
Author — Displays the name of the person who created the document.
Keywords — Displays a list of words that identify the document when you browse or search
documents.
Comments — Specifies comments about the current document.
Template — Displays the name of the document template that was used to create the
document.

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Statistics Tab (File Properties Dialog Box)

Displays detailed information about the current document. The software automatically generates
these properties when you create, save, or print the document.
Created — Displays the date and time the document was created or copied.
Creating Application — Displays the name of the application that created the document.
Modified — Displays the date and time the document was last modified.
Accessed — Displays the date that the document was last opened or copied.
Last Saved By — Displays the name of the person who last saved the document.
Saving Application — Displays the name of the application that most recently saved the
document.
Currently Opened By — Displays the name of the person who has the document open.
Units Tab (File Properties Dialog Box)

Sets up units of measure and precision readout for the length, area, or angle values in a
drawing.
The precision readout sets the number of significant figures to display. It sets the accuracy of
the unit readout value. The precision setting does not alter the numbers that you type into the
fields, only the display of the numbers in the field. Values ending in 5 are rounded up. For
example, if the precision readout is .123 and you draw a line that is 2.1056 inches long, then the
line value length is rounded. The length value appears as 2.106 inches long. If you are using
mm as your drawing sheet units, you can have the values display in the fields as 3.5 mm or 3.50
mm.
When you set options on this tab for the units in a document, the settings do not affect the
dimensional values for the document. You can set options for the dimensional value by selecting
a dimension and clicking Properties on the Edit menu. You can also set the units by modifying
a dimension style with Style on the Format menu.
When you set options on this tab for the units in a document, the settings do not affect the
dimensional values for the document. You can set options for the dimensional value by selecting
a dimension and clicking Properties on the Edit menu. You can also set the units by modifying
a dimension style with Style on the Format menu.
Length Readout — Sets the unit of measure and precision readout for the length values in a
document.
Angle Readout — Sets the unit of measure and precision readout for the angle values in a
document.
Area Readout — Sets the unit of measure and precision readout for the area values in a
document.

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Browser Tab (File Properties Dialog Box)

Sets the home address for the active document. Every time you open this document and click
Home on the Symbol Explorer, the Symbol Explorer goes to the address in the Address box.
Address — Sets the home address for the current document. When you open a document and
then open the Symbol Explorer and click Home , the Symbol Explorer goes to the
address that you type here. You can any address that you use in a web browser, such as
Microsoft Internet Explorer; for example, you can type http://www.smartsketch.com.
If you want to set the Symbol Explorer to always look at the symbols directory on your
computer, you can enter the full path to your symbols directory in the Address box. Each time
you open this document and click Home in the Symbol Explorer, the symbol documents in the
directory path you specified are displayed.
Browse — Accesses the Modify Location dialog box so that you can set another directory for
the Symbol Explorer to look in. You can set the dialog box to look in directories on your
computer or a network drive.
Sheet Setup Command

Defines the properties of the working sheet. You can display and modify the following
properties: the name, size, and scale used in the working sheet; and the properties of the
working sheet margin. You can also select the background sheet you want to use.
You can save settings only for the active working sheet. These settings can also be saved so
that they are used when you add a new working sheet to the document. To display a working
sheet, use Working Sheets.
You can use Tools > Customize to place the Sheet Setup button on a toolbar.
Size and Scale Tab (Sheet Setup Dialog Box)

Defines details for the drawing sheet size, scale, and print setup information.
Sheet size — Sets the size for the drawing sheet.
Same as print setup — Sets the drawing sheet size using the current print setup definition. For
example, if the printer is set up as 8 1/2 X 11, the drawing sheet size is set up as 8 1/2 X 11.
Standard — Defines the drawing sheet size from a list of standard ANSI and ISO paper sizes.
Custom — Defines the drawing sheet size according to the entered width and height values.
Drawing scale — Sets options for the scale of the drawing sheet.
Scale (1:1) — Sets the drawing scale to a 1:1 ratio. As a result, the representation of the objects
on the drawing sheet is the same size as the real- world object being described.

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Select Scale — Sets the drawing scale to a standard ratio. The specified ratio defines the size
of the drawing in relation to the size of the real-world object. For a 2:1 ratio, the 2 represents the
size of the drawing and the 1 represents the size of the real-world object.
Custom — Defines a custom or scale ratio. The first value defines the distance on the drawing
sheet and the second value defines what this distance is equal to in the real world.
Paper units — Sets the paper units for the drawing sheet.
Units — Controls the display of numeric values in dialog boxes that define the size of
non-scaled objects. Some examples of non-scaled object values are text height and line width.
This setting does not affect dimension units.
Only value boxes use this option. For example, if you are working in feet and inches, you can
specify that you want to read and enter values for text height in fractional inches. (1/8" instead of
0.00'-0.125")
When printing or plotting a drawing sheet, the non-scaled items appear on the printed
document with the exact size that you specify.
Precision — Sets the number of significant figures to display, or the accuracy of the unit
readout value. The precision setting does not change the numbers that you can type in the
fields, only the display of the numbers in the field. Values ending in 5 are rounded up to the next
whole number.
For example, if you set this control to .001 and you draw a line that is 2.1056 inches, then the
line length value is rounded. The length value appears as 2.106 inches. If you set this control to
0.01 and you type a line length value of 3.5 mm, the length value appears as 3.50 mm.
Background Tab (Sheet Setup Dialog Box)

Defines the color, margin settings, and background sheet display information.
Background sheet — Specifies the background sheet that you want to use for the working
sheet. If you have not created a background sheet, this box does not display any options. You
must first create a background sheet before you can select it from the list.
All graphics on the background sheet display on the working sheet. Changing the background
sheet updates the size and margin settings of the working sheet to the values defined by the
selected background sheet.
Show background — Displays the background sheet graphics on the selected working sheet.
Preview — Displays the range of the graphic to print on the printer paper.
Name Tab (Sheet Setup Dialog Box)

Defines the name of a drawing sheet. You can also change the name of a drawing sheet.
Sheet name — Specifies a name for the drawing sheet. You can also use this box to rename a
drawing sheet by selecting the sheet in the document before clicking Sheet Setup on the File
menu.

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Style Command
Modifies, creates, deletes, or applies styles.
Style Dialog Box

Specifies the name of the style, the formats defined for the style, and other options for working
with styles.
You cannot create or modify a fill style with this dialog box. To create a new fill style, you
can type a name for a fill style in the Style box on the Fill ribbon. The new style is saved with
the current settings on the Fill ribbon.
Dialog Box Options

Style type — Specifies the style type. If you are placing a new element, you can specify the
style by clicking the appropriate style type in this box and then clicking the style that you want in
the Styles box. You can also change the style of an existing element by selecting the element
and then clicking Styles on the Format menu to set these options.
Styles — Specifies the style. Before selecting an item on this list, you must first select the
appropriate style type in the Style Type box.
List — Specifies which styles appear in the Styles list. You can list only the styles in use, styles
that you defined, or all styles.
The only styles that appear in the list are styles that are saved in the current document.
The styles saved in a styles resource document are not listed. However, if you click New, you
can select a style from a style resource document to use as a base style for the new style that
you are creating.
Description — Displays a description of the settings in the style.
Apply — Applies the style selected in the Styles box to elements that you selected. Applying a
new style to elements that you selected removes the current formats for the element.
New — Accesses one of the New Style Dialog Boxes so that you can create a new style.
Modify — Accesses one of the Modify Style dialog boxes so that you can modify the style that
you selected in the Styles list.
Delete — Deletes the selected style from the document or template.
Resources — Allows you to add style resource documents to the current template with the
Style Resources dialog box.
See Also

Tasks
Style Resources Dialog Box

Lists style resource documents that are available to the current document. Resources can be
any .igr document or MicroStation line style resource with an .RSC extension. The styles in the
style resource document are available for use in the current document.
Dialog Box Options

Style Resource Files — Lists the style resource documents that are attached to the current
document. When you attach one of these documents to a template, the styles in the document
appear on the Style dropdown list of the ribbon in the current document. A style is copied into
the current document from the style resource document when you select this style on the ribbon.
A style is also copied when you apply the style to an element or annotation on the drawing
sheet. For example, if you attach DIMENSION.igr to the document, the dimension styles in
DIMENSION.igr appear on the dropdown list when you select a dimension on the drawing sheet
of the active document. You can then apply any of the styles to the dimension. The dimension
style that you applied is then copied from DIMENSION.igr into the active document when you
save it.
Add — Allows you to add a style resource document to the Style Resource Files list with the
Add Style Resource dialog box. This dialog box allows you to select .RSC or .igr documents
and add them to the Style Resource Files list on the Style Resources dialog box.
Remove — Removes a style resource document from the Style Resource Files list. You must
first select a document in that list.
New Dimension Style Dialog Box

Sets options for creating a new dimension style. A dimension style is a collection of dimensional
formats, including primary and secondary units, text, spacing, and terminator type. Using a
dimension style guarantees that the display of related dimensional information is consistent in a
drawing. For example, if you want all driving dimensions to display in a specific color with
vertical text above the base line, you can create a dimension style that contains those specific
formats.
See Also
Name Tab (on page 55)

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Name Tab
Names a style when you create or modify a style. This tab appears only when you click New or
Modify on the Styles dialog box.
Name — Names the style. Style names can contain up to 253 characters (including aliases and
separators) and can include any combination of characters and spaces, except the backslash
character (\), semicolon (;), and braces ({ }). Style names are case sensitive.
Based On — Displays the name of the style that the current or new style is based on.
Description — Displays a description of the formatting options.
General Tab
view.
See Also
Units Tab

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Radians.
See Also
Secondary Units Tab

to 20 characters.
See Also

Tasks
Text Tab
text.
See Also

text size.

Tasks
See Also
Spacing Tab
text.
line.
on dimensions.
dimensions.
dimensions.

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text.
box on dimensions.
See Also

are provided below.
Arrow (Fill)
Arrow (Hollow)
Arrow (Open)
Back Slash
Blank
Circle
Dot
Slash

Tasks
space.

hide the symbol.

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Modify Dimension Style Dialog Box

Modifies a dimension style.
See Also
Name Tab (on page 55)
Name Tab
Names a style when you create or modify a style. This tab appears only when you click New or
Modify on the Styles dialog box.
Name — Names the style. Style names can contain up to 253 characters (including aliases and
separators) and can include any combination of characters and spaces, except the backslash
character (\), semicolon (;), and braces ({ }). Style names are case sensitive.
Based On — Displays the name of the style that the current or new style is based on.
Description — Displays a description of the formatting options.
General Tab
view.
See Also

Tasks
Units Tab
Radians.
See Also
Secondary Units Tab

to 20 characters.

Tasks
See Also
Text Tab
text.
See Also

Tasks

text size.
See Also

Tasks
Spacing Tab
text.
line.
on dimensions.
dimensions.
dimensions.
text.
box on dimensions.
See Also

are provided below.
Arrow (Fill)
Arrow (Hollow)

Tasks
Arrow (Open)
Back Slash
Blank
Circle
Dot
Slash
space.

Tasks

hide the symbol.
See Also
SmartSketch Dialog Box

Customizes the operation of the software in recognizing and placing relationships. You can set
pointer behavior and specify which relationships are recognized as you draw.
See Also
Relationships Tab (SmartSketch Settings Dialog Box) (on page 67)
Cursor Tab (SmartSketch Settings Dialog Box) (on page 67)
Relationships Tab (SmartSketch Settings Dialog Box)

This tab allows you select the relationships that are recognized by the software as you draw. Set
the relationships you want to recognize, and clear the relationships you do not want to
recognize. Clear all relationships so that the software does not place relationship handles.
Cursor Tab (SmartSketch Settings Dialog Box)

Cursor Setup — Sets the sizes of the Locate Zone and Intent Zone around the pointer.
Locate Zone — Sets the size of the locate zone radius. The locate zone is a region around the
pointer.

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The software recognizes relationships based on elements within the locate zone so that you do
not have to move the pointer to an exact position. For example, if part of an element is within the
locate zone, the software recognizes a Point On relationship. The size of the locate zone is
indicated by a circle around the center of the pointer crosshair. Values from 3 to 12 pixels are
valid.
Intent Zone — Sets the size of the intent zone radius. Intent zones allow drawing commands to
interpret your intentions as you draw. Values from 3 to 12 pixels are valid.
Preview — Shows the size of the locate zone and the symbol for the selected relationship.
The Preview option does not apply to changes made to intent zone values.
Text Box Command

Formats a new text box as you place it.
See Also
Format Text Box Dialog Box (on page 34)
Text Box Properties Dialog Box

Formats the font, paragraph, borders, or shading of a text box.
See Also
Info Tab (Text Box Properties Dialog Box) (on page 35)
Border and Fill Tab (Text Box Properties Dialog Box) (on page 38)
Info Tab (Text Box Properties Dialog Box)

Sheet — Shows the drawing sheet for an element.
Layer — Shows the layer on which an element appears in a drawing sheet.
Origin — Specifies the coordinates, or location, of a text box along the x and y axes.
All metrics on the text box are either in paper units or world units except origin. Origin is
always in world units.
Width — Sets the width of the text box to either At Least (at least the value you specify), Auto
(the text drives the width), or Exactly (exactly at the value you specify) in the At: field.
Height — Sets the height of the text box to either At Least (at least the value you specify), Auto
(the text drives the height), or Exactly (exactly at the value you specify) in the At: field.
Angle — Sets the angle of the text box.
The text box always rotates about the origin.
Text Orientation — Sets the orientation of the text either horizontally or vertically.
Units Space — Sets the text box units to either paper units or to world units.
Paper units represent units on an actual sheet of paper. Paper units are set in inches. Other
units are also available.

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World units indicate real world distances, but can be scaled down to fit a sheet of paper.
Justification — Specifies the placement relationship between the origin and the shape (text
box) according to the horizontal and vertical components.
The inside text area is an area that the margins of the text box define. That is, margins are
inside the outside edges of the text box.
The following graphic illustrates top (1), right (2), bottom (3) and left (4) margins around the text
box for horizontal justification (A) and vertical justification (B).
The maximum cap height of the first formatted text line of each line defines the text area capline,
even if the line has been clipped out of the text box.
The line baseline is a font metric that describes an imaginary line for location of characters. The
largest descender for any font on the line defines the baseline. Therefore, the largest descender
of the fonts used on the last line defines the text area baseline, even if the line is clipped out of
the text box.
The following graphic illustrates text cap area (a) and text baseline (b) for horizontal justification
(A) and vertical justification (B).
You must define horizontal and vertical components together. These components apply to both
single-line and multi-line text. For multi-line text, the cap height of the first line is used for the
capline of the text, and the descender of the last line is used for the baseline of the text.
Horizontal — Specifies horizontal placement at six options based on shape (text box), text
area, and the text within the text box at left, center, and right positions.
Vertical — Specifies vertical placement at 10 options based on shape (text box), text area, and
the text within the text box.

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Text Baseline — Specifies the text area baseline.

Text Top — Specifies the top of the text area, which begins at the bottom of the top margin.
Text Capline — Specifies the text area capline.
Text Half Ascender — Specifies half the distance from the text area baseline to the top of the
text area.
Text Half Cap — Specifies the distance half way between the text area capline and baseline.
Text Center — Specifies the center of the text area.
Text Bottom — Specifies the bottom of the text area.
Shape Top — Specifies the top edge of the shape.
Shape Center — Specifies center of the shape.
Shape Bottom — Specifies the bottom of the shape.
Text Alignment — Specifies the placement of formatted text within the shape (text box).
You must define horizontal and vertical components together.
Horizontal — Specifies how each paragraph is aligned within the block of formatted text. Values
for horizontal alignment include Left, Center, and Right.
If Text Orientation is horizontal, you modify all the paragraph alignment properties for all
tab.)
If Text Orientation is vertical, you modify the shape alignment properties. (These properties
Vertical — Places the block of formatted text at Top, Center, Bottom, or Justify area of the
text box.
If Text Orientation is horizontal, you modify the shape alignment properties. (These properties
If Text Orientation is vertical, you modify all the paragraph alignment properties for all
tab.)
Horizontal Paragraph Alignment Properties

Left — Places the edge of the first line of text at the left of the text area.
Right — Places the formatted text in the right of the text area.
Vertical Paragraph Alignment Properties

Shape Alignment Properties

Positions the text within the text area.
Justified — Places the first line of the first paragraph at the top of the text area.

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Places the last line of the last paragraph at the bottom of the text area.
Places remaining paragraphs at equal distance between the first and last paragraphs.
Margins
Sets the distance between the edge of the shape and the edge of the text area. Margins are in
the same units as the text box.
Top — Sets the distance between the top edge of the shape and the top edge of the text area.
Bottom — Sets the distance between the bottom edge of the shape and the bottom edge of the
text area.
Left — Sets the distance between the left edge of the shape and the left edge of the text area.
Right — Sets the distance between the right edge of the shape and the right edge of the text
area.
Paragraph Tab (Text Box Properties Dialog Box)

Text style — Displays the style for a text box.
Font — Lists and applies the available fonts.
Font size — Applies a text size.
Font style — Lists the available font styles.
Underline — Underlines text.
Language — Lists and applies a language for text in a text box. If you use text characters from
more than one language in a text box, the option you specify in this box determines the way the
lines wrap in the paragraph.
Units space — Sets the paragraph to paper units or to world units. You can change this control
only when you are creating new styles from the Format Styles or Format Text Box dialog
boxes. When you view this control from the Properties dialog box, it is read-only. You can
change the control from the Info tab because all paragraphs contained within a text box must
exist in the same units.
Font size type — Specify the method for measuring font size: Ascender, Cap, or Tile.
 Single sets the line spacing for each line to display the largest font in the line.
 1.5 sets the line space for the line to one-and-a-half that of single lines.
 Double sets the line spacing for the line to twice that of single lines.
Paragraph spacing — Specifies the amount of space before and after paragraphs. No spacing
exists before the first paragraph and or after the last paragraph.
Before — Adds space before a paragraph. This value is set in the current working units, not in
points.
After — Adds space after a paragraph. This value is set in the current working units, not in
points. You can set the units using Units on the Format menu.

Tasks
Border and Fill Tab (Text Box Properties Dialog Box)

Border — Specifies the appearance of a border around a text box.
Border type — Sets the shape of the border around a text box. You can choose from a
selection of common geometric shapes.
Show border — Displays the outline of the text box.
Line style — Sets the line style for the text box.
Border color — Sets the color of the border.
Line width — Specifies the width of the border in paper or world units of the text box.
Paragraph separators — Places a horizontal line between each paragraph in a text box. This
option is only available if Show Border is selected.
A paragraph is defined by a carriage return within the text body. Using the carriage return as the
sole means to create a new line of text will result in a text object with many lines as shown in the
following illustration:
As an alternative for controlling auto returns within the text body, you can restrain the width of
the box during placement or through the Text Box Properties dialog box.
Shadow — Places a shadow around the borders of text in a text box.
Shadow offset — Specifies a distance to offset the shadow in paper or world units of the text
box.
Fill color — Displays the color of a solid fill on an element boundary. This value overrides the
style of the fill. Transparent is the default. When you set the fill color to transparent, no fill is
visible on the boundary. You can also apply a fill color option with a fill pattern. Filled elements
always cover other elements when they overlap. A fill color always appears behind the fill
pattern when you apply both to the same boundary.
User Tab (Text Box Properties Dialog Box)

Attribute Set — Names a group of attributes. You can type a name in the box and press TAB.
Save — Places the attribute set on the element that you selected.
Remove — Removes the attribute set from the element that you selected.
Attributes — Sets the name, type, and value of the attribute set. You can type a name in the
box and press TAB.
Name — Sets the name of a unique attribute in the attribute set.
Type — Sets the type for the attribute, such as double, text, number, money, or date.

Tasks
Value — Sets the value for the attribute. The value that you can enter is based on the type that
you selected in the Type box.
Add — Adds an attribute to the attribute set. After you click Add, the attribute appears in the
table.
Delete — Removes an attribute from the attribute set. You can select an attribute by clicking a
row in the table.
Toolbars Dialog Box

Sets options for displaying, hiding, or changing toolbars. The settings on this dialog box are
remembered for the current user.
Toolbars — Lists the available toolbars. You can select the box next to the toolbar you want to
display, hide, or change.
Toolbar Name — Displays the name of the toolbar that you have selected.
New — Accesses the New Toolbar dialog box in which you can specify a name for the new
toolbar.
Customize — Adds buttons to or removes buttons from built-in toolbars with the Customize
dialog box.
Reset — Resets the selected toolbar to the original icons.
Color Buttons — Adds color to the toolbar buttons. If this option is cleared, toolbar buttons are
black and white.
Large Buttons — Enlarges toolbar buttons so that they are easier to see.
Show ToolTips — Displays on-screen descriptions of a toolbar button when the pointer pauses
over it.
Classic Icons — Displays the toolbar icons using the classic icons. If this option is not selected,
toolbars use the high-color icons.
OK — Saves changes and dismisses the dialog.
Cancel — Ignores any changes and dismisses the dialog.
Help — Displays the Help topic for this dialog.
See Also
Customize Dialog Box (on page 24)
Variables Command
Accesses the Variable Table, which operates much like a software spreadsheet. The
Variable Table allows you to define and manipulate drawing variables and their values, as well
as establish functional relationships between the design variables. For example, you can use
the Variable Table to create expressions for dimensional values. You can restrict the display of
variables in the table using Filter on the Variable Table window to display only the variables for
dimensions that the software created, display variables that are associated with elements in the
current document or the active window, or display a set of elements that you have selected in
the document.
You can use Tools > Customize to place the Variables button on a toolbar.

Tasks
Variable Table Dialog Box

Displays, defines, and manipulates design variables and functional relationships between the
variables. This table operates much like a software spreadsheet. The design variables can be
dimensions in the document or variables defined with the Variable Table. The table consists of
the following columns: Type, Name, Value, Formula. Each row of the table displays a variable.
Unit Type — Specifies the unit of measure for the variable entered in the Variable Table. The
box is located in the top left corner of the Variable Table. The default type is distance which
means that any expression created will be a distance parameter. For example, if you want to
create a variable to control an angular dimension, you should change the unit type to angular.
Then, the variable created will be an angular type, which can be used to control an angular
dimensional relationship.
Enter — Accepts the edits you have made in the cell.
Cancel — Clears the contents of the cell and returns the cell to its previous value.
Filter — Access the Filter Dialog Box so that you can restrict the display of variables in the
Variable Table window.
Function Wizard — Accesses the Function Wizard Step 1 of 2 Dialog Box.
Help — Activates online Help for the Variable Table dialog box.
The following items describe the columns in the Variable Table:

Type — Displays the variable type, generally the type of a dimension, such as DIM, VAR,
SCALAR, and so forth. DIM refers to a dimensional relationship. VAR refers to a variable that
you have created. This option is read-only.
Name — Names the variable. By default, the software places the name of a dimension in this
column. These names can be renamed to a more logical one, if you want. You must always
name user-defined variables when you create them. A variable must be named if you want to
refer to it in the Formula column of another row. You can change the name by editing the Name
cell and then selecting Check at the top of the Variable Table.
Variable names should meet the following requirements:
 They must begin with a letter.
 They must contain only letters, numbers, and the underscore character; you cannot use
punctuation characters and spaces.
 They must be forty characters or less.
Value — Displays the current value of the variable. A variable always has a value. You cannot
edit the value of a variable that has formula. You can edit driving dimensions with the Variable
Table.
Formula — Displays the function or relation that defines the value of the variable. You can enter
a mathematical expression in a cell in this column to calculate the value for a corresponding
dimension. If the Formula cell is empty, then the variable value is independent of other
variables.
When using variable names within a formula, the names are case sensitive. For example, the
names var1 and Var1 reference two different variables.
If a value is defined by a formula, the formula appears in the Formula cell. You can enter an
algebraic expression in the formula cell to define the value of the variable. The single line
expression must be in standard Visual Basic syntax. The formula can include any available
function. The resulting value of the formula is shown in the Value column of the variable.

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The software provides a set of standard mathematical functions. You can also select Visual
Basic functions that you wrote and saved. The functions can be typed in with the proper syntax
or you can use the Function Wizard to select and define the inputs to the function. If the
function does not contain proper syntax, the software displays a message indicating that there is
an error in the formula.

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Index
A F
Add a Label to an OPC • 21 File Locations Tab (Options Dialog Box) •
Add a Macro to a Symbol File • 18 42
Add Connection Points to a Symbol File • Font Tab (MicroStation Export Options
18 Dialog Box) • 47
Add SmartText to a Symbol File • 17 Font Tab (MicroStation Import Options
Add Starting Points to a Symbol File • 20 Dialog Box) • 46
Add Wire Macros to Connection Points • 19 Foreign Data Tab (Options Dialog Box) • 45
Align Drawing Objects • 17 Format Dimension Command • 28
Assign Item Type Dialog Box • 23 Format Dimension Dialog Box • 28
Format Line Command • 34
B Format Line Dialog Box • 34
Format Text Box Dialog Box • 34
Background Tab (Sheet Setup Dialog Box) •
52
Border and Fill Tab (Text Box Properties G
Dialog Box) • 38, 72 General (SmartText Properties) • 21
Browser Tab (File Properties Dialog Box) • General Tab • 28, 55, 61
51 General Tab (File Properties Dialog Box) •
49
C General Tab (MicroStation Export Options
Dialog Box) • 47
Close the Symbol Explorer • 9 General Tab (MicroStation Import Options
Colors Tab (Options Dialog Box) • 41 Dialog Box) • 46
Create a User Defined (customized) General Tab (Options Dialog Box) • 41
Symbol • 11 Groups Dialog Box • 39
Create Symbols for a Location Layout
Report • 12
Create Symbols for a Panel Layout Report • I
13 Info Tab (Text Box Properties Dialog Box) •
Create Symbols for an Enhanced 35, 68
SmartLoop Report • 14
Creating a Wiring Equipment Symbol L
Assembly • 15
Creating User Defined (customized) Layer Groups Command • 39
Symbols for Specific Reports • 12 Layer Tab (MicroStation Export Options
Cursor Tab (SmartSketch Settings Dialog Dialog Box) • 48
Box) • 67 Layers Tab (Display Manager Dialog Box) •
Customize a Symbol • 20 27
Customize Command • 23 Line Width Tab (MicroStation Export
Customize Dialog Box • 24 Options Dialog Box) • 48
Line Width Tab (MicroStation Import
Options Dialog Box) • 47
D Lines and Coordinate Tab • 31, 57, 64
Delete Connection Points • 19 Linestyle Tab (MicroStation Export Options
Display Manager Command • 25 Dialog Box) • 48
Display Manager Dialog Box • 25 Linestyle Tab (MicroStation Import Options
Dialog Box) • 46

Index
M Summary Tab (File Properties Dialog Box) •

49
Menu Commands, Windows, and Dialog
Symbol Editor • 5
Boxes • 23
Symbol Explorer Window • 7
Menu Tab (Customize Dialog Box) • 24
Symbols Tab (Options Dialog Box) • 44
MicroStation Export Options Dialog Box •
47
MicroStation Import Options Dialog Box • 45 T
Modify Dimension Style Dialog Box • 61 Terminator and Symbol Tab • 32, 59, 65
Move the Symbol Explorer • 9 Text Box Command • 68
Text Box Properties Dialog Box • 68
N Text Tab • 30, 57, 63
The Symbol Explorer • 5
Name Tab • 55, 61
Toolbars Dialog Box • 73
Name Tab (Sheet Setup Dialog Box) • 52
Toolbars Tab (Customize Dialog Box) • 24
New Command • 39
New Dialog Box • 40
New Dimension Style Dialog Box • 54 U
Units Tab • 29, 55, 62
O Units Tab (File Properties Dialog Box) • 50
Update an Assembly • 22
Open Documents from the Symbol Explorer
User Tab (Text Box Properties Dialog Box)
•9
• 72
Options Command • 40
Options Dialog Box • 40
V
P Variable Table Dialog Box • 74
Variables Command • 73
Paragraph Tab (Text Box Properties Dialog
View a Web Page with the Symbol Explorer
Box) • 37, 71
•8
Properties Command (File Menu) • 48
View Documents with the Symbol Explorer •
8
R View Tab (Options Dialog Box) • 43
Reference Files Tab (Options Dialog Box) •
44 W
Relationships Tab (SmartSketch Settings
Working with User Defined (customized)
Dialog Box) • 67
Symbols in Enhanced Reports Common
Tasks • 10
S
Secondary Units Tab • 29, 56, 62
Sheet Setup Command • 51
Sheets Tab (Display Manager Dialog Box) •
26
Size and Scale Tab (Sheet Setup Dialog
Box) • 51
SmartSketch Dialog Box • 67
Spacing Tab • 32, 58, 65
Specify a Path for the Symbol Editor • 11
Statistics Tab (File Properties Dialog Box) •
50
Style Command • 53
Style Dialog Box • 53
Style Resources Dialog Box • 54

Schem SPI Symbol Editor Users Guide

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SmartPlant Instrumentation

The Symbol Explorer................................................................................................................................... 5

Working with User Defined (customized) Symbols in Enhanced Reports Common

SmartPlant Instrumentation Symbol Editor User's Guide 3

4 SmartPlant Instrumentation Symbol Editor User's Guide

The Symbol Explorer

SmartPlant Instrumentation Symbol Editor User's Guide 5

Displaying HTML Pages

Searching Document Directories

Symbol Explorer Settings

6 SmartPlant Instrumentation Symbol Editor User's Guide

Symbol Explorer Window

Stop - Halts the loading of an HTML page.

SmartPlant Instrumentation Symbol Editor User's Guide 7

View Documents with the Symbol Explorer

View a Web Page with the Symbol Explorer

8 SmartPlant Instrumentation Symbol Editor User's Guide

Open Documents from the Symbol Explorer

Move the Symbol Explorer

Close the Symbol Explorer

SmartPlant Instrumentation Symbol Editor User's Guide 9

Working with User Defined (customized)

Create a User Defined (customized) Symbol

Add SmartText to a Symbol File

Assign an Item Type to a Symbol

Add a Macro to a Symbol File

Add Connection Points to a Symbol File

Add Starting Points to a Symbol File

10 SmartPlant Instrumentation Symbol Editor User's Guide

Specify a Path for the Symbol Editor

Create a User Defined (customized) Symbol

SmartPlant Instrumentation Symbol Editor User's Guide 11

Creating User Defined (customized) Symbols for

Create Symbols for a Location Layout Report

12 SmartPlant Instrumentation Symbol Editor User's Guide

13. For each panel symbol, assign item type Panel.

Create Symbols for a Panel Layout Report

SmartPlant Instrumentation Symbol Editor User's Guide 13

Create Symbols for an Enhanced SmartLoop Report

 For a terminal symbol, assign item type Terminal.

14 SmartPlant Instrumentation Symbol Editor User's Guide

Creating a Wiring Equipment Symbol Assembly

SmartPlant Instrumentation Symbol Editor User's Guide 15

1. Do the following to create a connector symbol:

16 SmartPlant Instrumentation Symbol Editor User's Guide

Align Drawing Objects

Add SmartText to a Symbol File

SmartPlant Instrumentation Symbol Editor User's Guide 17

Add a Macro to a Symbol File

Add Connection Points to a Symbol File

18 SmartPlant Instrumentation Symbol Editor User's Guide

Delete Connection Points

Add Wire Macros to Connection Points

SmartPlant Instrumentation Symbol Editor User's Guide 19

Add Starting Points to a Symbol File

20 SmartPlant Instrumentation Symbol Editor User's Guide

Add a Label to an OPC

General (SmartText Properties)

SmartPlant Instrumentation Symbol Editor User's Guide 21

22 SmartPlant Instrumentation Symbol Editor User's Guide

Menu Commands, Windows, and Dialog Boxes

Assign Item Type Dialog Box

SmartPlant Instrumentation Symbol Editor User's Guide 23

Customize Dialog Box