After you’ve installed an Axiom product for MicroStation you should have an Axiom menu from which to run it. What do you do if it isn’t there?

Several MicroStation Workspace settings can prevent the Axiom menu from loading, but one issue is responsible for the vast majority of cases. It is usually caused by a single equal sign (=) in the active User Configuration File (UCF). The solution is as easy as changing this equal sign to a greater than (>) sign.

An equal sign? How can this be true?

Let me define some MicroStation concepts to help make it make sense. When MicroStation loads, it finds a series of configuration files and reads the configuration variables in those files to define many of the things that load when MicroStation loads.

There is one configuration variable in particular that is used to define exactly what applications get loaded when MicroStation loads. It is called MS_DGNAPPS. This is the variable that Axiom uses to load the Axiom menu. It is also the same variable used to load most third-party applications. The MS_DGNAPPS configuration variable can have multiple definitions. This is because you may have several applications that you want to load when MicroStation loads.

In a configuration file a typical valid definition might look like this:
MS_DGNAPPS > c:\axiom\aximenu\aximenu.ma
or
MS_DGNAPPS = c:\axiom\aximenu\aximenu.ma

The difference in significance between these two examples is the operator. The “>” will add the definition to the list of definitions that were defined by the MS_DGNAPPS variable before this one. In other words, if you defined three other applications to be loaded by MS_DGNAPPS and then added the line above containing the “>”, it would add this as the fourth definition to be loaded. However, the “=” will nullify any other previous definitions. If you define three other applications to be loaded by MS_DGNAPPS and then add the line above containing the “=” it will nullify all previous definitions for the MS_DGNAPPS variable. This can be bad if you want all the applications to load. This is usually what causes your Axiom menu to not load.

Find and fix the culprit

You’ve installed your new Axiom product, opened a design file and you find there is no Axiom menu. The first thing to do is find out what your MicroStation UCF is called and where it’s located.

1. Within MicroStation, choose Workspace | About Workspace.

2. Right there at the top, it shows you exactly where your UCF is and what it is named. Now open Windows File Explorer and navigate to your active UCF file.
3. Open your UCF file using Notepad.
4. Search for any lines that begin with MS_DGNAPPS and contain an equal sign as the next character. It does not matter what else is on the line as long as the “=” is the next character after MS_DGNAPPS. Spaces are ignored.
5. Change the equal sign to a greater than sign.
   MS_DGNAPPS = → MS_DGNAPPS >

The shot on the left is an actual case where the UCF containing an “=” caused the Axiom menu to not display. The shot on the right shows the solved version.

6. Save and close your UCF.
7. Re-start MicroStation and you should now see the Axiom menu.

Although other MicroStation settings can also prevent the Axiom menu from displaying, an errant “=” is by far the most common cause. If you find that this method doesn’t solve your problem, you can always contact Axiom Support for assistance.