Introduction
FlexiTable™ provides a way of using MicroStation cell instances as a data source. You may want to consider this as part of your CAD administration quality assurance process. FlexiTable will construct a table by scanning the current DGN model and, optionally, any referenced models, for cell elements.
Having built a table of cell names, you can export it in a number of different report formats. Here's an example of a table created by FlexiTable's reporting tools …
| Cell Name | Description | Cell Library | No. Cells |
|---|---|---|---|
| 3ROUND | 3 ROUND STEEL TUBING | L:\ItemPlanner\V8\cell\arch.cel | 4 |
| 4PLEX | QUADRUPLEX RECEPTACLE | L:\ItemPlanner\V8\cell\arch.cel | 2 |
| BEDDBL | BED DOUBLE SIZE | L:\ItemPlanner\V8\cell\arch.cel | 4 |
| WASHER | CLOTHES WASHER | L:\ItemPlanner\V8\cell\arch.cel | 1 |
| XLIGHT | EMERGENCY EXIT LIGHT | L:\ItemPlanner\V8\cell\arch.cel | 6 |
Cell Scan Data Source
Choose the menu MicroStation|Cells|Scan Cells ... in the data editor dialog. FlexiTable scans the active model and, optionally, referenced models for cell instances (both normal and shared cells). It attempts to locate the cell library that holds each cell, so as to be able to extract the cell's description and library name.
If you want to see a cell's description and cell library information, ensure that your cell libraries are in
the list defined by the MicroStation configuration variable MS_CELLLIST.
In order for FlexiTable to be able to find a cell's description, it must be able to find a cell library.
If the cell is in the current active library, the search will succeed.
If the cell is in a library contained in the MS_CELLLIST list, the search will succeed.
If the cell is not in the active library, nor in a library in the MS_CELLLIST list, the search will fail.
An alternative way to scan for cells is with this keyin …
FLEXITABLE SCAN CELLS
The data editor dialog does not need to be open when you execute this command. Therefore you can attach this command to a function key, or send it from a macro, for automatic processing.
Cell Location
FlexiTable will find cells for you. With a cell scan set loaded, the Locate button becomes activated in the data editor dialog. If you select a row in the data dialog, then press the Locate button, FlexiTable will focus on the cell in a designated view. A shortcut is to double-click a row in the data editor dialog.
Cell location works in both the active model and in referenced models.
