Global File Changer - How can I apply the active dimension settings to all dimensions in multiple files?

Global File Changer - How can I apply the active dimension settings to all dimensions in multiple files?


This article walks you through selecting dimensions and applying the active dimension settings to them in multiple files.
Active dimension settings: The current set of properties MicroStation uses to control the appearance and formatting of newly placed dimensions.
Ensure your active dimension settings are set as desired before processing.

Attached to this article is a KEY file and an SEL file that Global File Changer uses to perform this operation. The KEY file contains commands that MicroStation executes. The SEL file identifies which elements those commands are applied to.

  1. Save the provided Change-Dimensions.key and Select-Dimensions.sel files to a convenient location.
  2. Open the KEY file with Notepad.
    a. Locate D:\Axiom\, and replace it with the path where you saved Select-Dimensions.sel in step 1.
    b. Save and exit when complete.
  3. Load Global File Changer.

  1. Go to Settings | Restore Factory Defaults…, and press <Yes> when prompted.
    This is a precaution to ensure there are no other features or settings active that might impact your result.
  2. Next to the Design Files: field, press the <Select...> button.
  3. Either drag and drop your files into the Choose Files to Process dialog box, or navigate to and select your files for processing. Press <OK> when finished.

  1. Next to the Key-in File: field, press <Select...>, then navigate to and select the Change-Dimensions.key file saved previously.
  2. Go to Selection | Element selection…
  3. In the Element Selection dialog box, go to File | Open…, then navigate to and select the Select-Dimensions.sel file.


In our supplied SEL file we’re selecting all dimensions for processing. You can edit the SEL to narrow the search. For example, select a level in the Levels field if you only want dimensions on a specific level to be processed.

  1. Go to File | Save to save your changes, then press <OK> to return to the main dialog box.
  2. Press <Start> to process your files.

When processing is complete, the dimension elements that match your selection criteria in the selected files will be updated with the active dimension settings.