Element Output Actions

If an element under evaluation matches a section's Element Selection Criteria, then the actions specified using the controls on the Element Output Actions tab (as well as the actions specified with the Text Substitutions dialog box) are executed.

Element Output Actions tab

Master Control

This option button provides four options, at the global level, defining what MicroStation will do with the element under evaluation.

• Allow Additional Processing
— (default) This option indicates that after the output actions are applied to an element, any loaded MDL applications which desire to process the element further will be afforded the chance to do so.

• No Additional Processing
— This option indicates that after the output actions are applied to the element, processing is complete. No other loaded MDL applications which desire to process the element will be afforded the opportunity. You may find this option useful if you already use MDL applications to process elements during printing. For most users, this option can be ignored.

• Don't Display Element
— When this option is selected, all elements matching the current section will not be printed. No other loaded MDL applications which desire to process the element will be afforded the opportunity. When selected, this option causes all other items in the Output Actions tab to be disabled.

• Call BASIC Macro Function
— This option indicates that you wish the element to be passed to a BASIC macro function (as an MbeElement). When you select this option, the Macro File button is enabled — prompting you to identify the BASIC Macro source file and the function within it. Unless this option is selected, the Macro File and Function items remain disabled.

You should not choose the Call BASIC Macro Function option until your macro is fully prepared. This means, you must have already used the BASIC Editor to debug the macro and to define a Pen Table Print Element Hook entry point in your program. See “Using Macros to Specify Pen Table Output Actions” for more information about defining BASIC Program Entry Points and debugging Pen Table BASIC programs.

Macro File…

Opens the Select Macro Source file dialog box, a standard MicroStation file open dialog box, which is used to select an existing macro file.

Function

A text field is provided for key in of the name of the macro function to be executed.

Priority

Turn on the check box to enable the text field to accept your key-in.

An element's priority determines the order in which it is printed in relation to other elements. The valid range of element priorities are -2147483648 to 2147483647. The rules of prioritization are as follows:

• Elements with a lower priority value are printed before elements with a higher priority value.

• Unprioritized elements are always drawn before all prioritized elements.

Do not prioritize elements unless it is significant to the printed output, since prioritized elements require additional processing time and memory.

Fill

If on, all elements matching the current pen table section will have their fill states changed to reflect the enabled option button.

• On
— If set to On, Fill Color is enabled.

• Off
— If set to Off, Fill Color is disabled (dimmed).

Color

If on, lets you control the color of the printed output for the selected elements. You can select the output color as follows:

• By Index — lets you define the color manually by keying in its value, or graphically by clicking the adjacent color tile to open a color picker dialog in which you click the required color.

• By RGB — lets you define the color by clicking the adjacent color tile, which opens the color picker dialog box. This lets you select the color by color components, by Named Colors, or by clicking a color chart.

• Grayscale — specifies that the printed output is in grayscale.

Fill Color

If on, lets you control the color of the printed output of filled areas for the selected elements. When you turn on Color, you can select the output color as follows:

• By Index — lets you define the color manually by keying in its value, or graphically by clicking the adjacent color tile to open a color picker dialog in which you click the required color.

• By RGB — lets you define the color by clicking the adjacent color tile, which opens the color picker dialog box. This lets you select the color by color components, by Named Colors, or by clicking a color chart.

• Grayscale — lets you specify that output is in grayscale.

Assigning a fill color does not cause an element that is not already filled to be filled with the specified color. Only elements that are already filled are affected.

Fill Pattern

If on, lets you define a fill pattern from an option menu, which lets you choose from: Solid, Checker Board, Cross Hatch, Diamonds, Horizontal Bars, Slant Left, Slant Right, Square Dots, or Vertical Bars.

Screening

If on, lets you specify that a color is “washed-out” towards white in the printed output. A 50% screen, for example, moves a color halfway to white. Can be used to save ink, or to de-emphasize elements plotted in that color.

Width

If on, lets you define the line weight of the selected elements in the printed output. Definitions can be either:

• By Index — which lets you key in a value (0–15) or select the line weight graphically, from the option menu.

• By MM — which lets you key in a dimension in millimeters (from 0mm to 51mm) for the line weight. If the current setting is inches, selecting By MM will convert it to millimeters.

• By Inches — which lets you key in a dimension in inches. If the current setting is millimeters, selecting By Inches will convert it to inches.

Style

If on, lets you control the line style and the scale of the selected elements. When this setting is enabled, you can key in the required line style or click the Line Style icon to select the line style via a dialog box. When you choose a custom line style, you can use the Style Scale field to key in a scale value.

Adaptive

If on, ensures that dashed lines in the printed output do not display with gaps at vertices.

Line Cap

Used to define the way end caps appear on lines in the printed output. Choices are Round, Square, or Flat.

Line Join

Used to define the way that line joins appear in the printed output. Choices are Bevel, Miter, or Round.

Transparency

(Available with the RIP drivers only) With this setting turned on you can set a value from 1 to 99 to make the selected elements transparent in the printed output.

Transparency appears only in the printed output, it is not displayed in the Preview windows.