MicroStation Key-In Commands Save You Time

Although a graphical interface is great for many things, sometimes it's faster to use two-letter MicroStation^® key-ins to adjust settings. For example, to set the active scale to 2.0, you can simply type "as=2" in the key-in browser. MicroStation has quite an extensive list of these two-letter key-ins for setting all manner of things from the active level and color, which just about everyone is familiar with, to saving or activating views. Here's The following is a helpful list of over 80 two-letter MicroStation key-in commands organized by category (do not use a space before the equal sign for these key-ins):

Click here to download a PDF version of this list.

View manipulation
OF= Turn off levels by number
ON= Turn on levels by number
RV= Rotate view(s) about center
WO= Set view origin
SV= Save view
VI= Attach saved view
DV= Delete saved view

Text and dimensioning
FT= Active font
DF= Opens font dialog box
TH= Active height
TW= Active width
TX= Active height and width
LL= Active line length
LS= Active line spacing
TB= Tab spacing for importing text
TI= Tag Increment amount
LD= Dimension level
TV= Upper and lower dimension tolerance limits

Settings
AA= Active angle
AS= Active scale
XS= Active x scale
YS= Active y scale
ZS= Active z scale
GU= Master/Grid
GR= Reference grid
KY= (Snap) Divisor
UR= (Unit Lock) Distance

Set element and pattern attributes
AP= Active pattern cell
LV= Active level
CO= Active color
PA= Active pattern angle
LC= Active line style
PD= Active pattern spacing
WT= Active line weight
PS= Active pattern scale

Precision input
XY= <x,y,z> from origin along design files axes
DI= <distance, direction> from last data or tentative point relative to view axes
DL= <Dx, Dy, Dz> from last data or tentative point in design coordinates
DX= <Dx, Dy, Dz> from last data or tentative point in view coordinates
AX= Distance from Auxiliary Coordinate System (ACS) origin
AD= Distance from last data or tentative point in ACS coordinates

Cells
AC= Set active cell and select place active cell tool with relative off
AR= Set active cell and select place active cell tool with relative on
CM= Place active cell matrix tool
PT= Active point
LT= Active terminator
TS= Terminator scale
CR= Edit cell information
CD= Delete cell from cell library
CC= Create cell

3D modeling
DP= Set the display depth from 0.0 of view's z-axis
DD= Distance to move display depth from current values
AZ= Set the active depth from 0.0 of the view's z-axis
DZ= Distance to move active depth from current value
SX= Save ACS
RX= Attach ACS
PX= Delete ACS

File management
RD= Open design file
XD= Open design file with active design's view configuration
RC= Attach cell library
RF= Attach reference file
DR= Displays contents of a text file
CT= Attach color table
AM= Attach and activate menu
AT= Activate tutorial

Database
AE= Define active entity
DA= Displayable attribute type
DB= Attach control file
DS= Specify fence filter
FI= Set database row as active entity
RA= Set attribute review selection criteria
RS= Name report table

Digitizing
SD= Active stream delta
ST= Active stream tolerance

User command
UC= Activate user command
UCC= Compile user command
UCI= User command index
OX= Retrieve user command index

Other
EL= Create element list file
FF= Copy fence contents to new design file
GO= Global origin
SF= Move fence contents to new design file