User’s Guide – FileFixer for V8

Chapter 8 — Search Settings

Factory defaults

Unless indicated otherwise, the settings illustrated in the following screen images reflect FileFixer’s factory default settings.

Cell

“Search Settings”, “Cell” Category

Cell is nested within itself.

Use this setting to locate duplicate nested cells.

The repair setting that corrects this problem is Settings | Change Settings | Repair... | Cell | Delete cell nested within itself.

The error number that is reported when the nested cell is in a design file is 383.

Non-shared cell class map is incorrect.

Error number 717 is reported when the classes stored in the cell header don’t include all of the actual classes used by components in the cell.

The repair setting that corrects this error is Settings | Change Settings | Repair... | Cell | Adjust non-shared cell class map. It is “On” by default.

Null name in cell library.

A type 2 cell with a null (empty) cell name is found in a cell library.

The repair setting that corrects this error is Settings | Change Settings | Repair... | Cell | Correct null cell names (type 2s only) by setting the H-bit.

The error number reported is 570.

Shared cell definition with no shared cell instance.

A shared cell definition has been found and there is no shared cell instance that uses this definition. This happens quite often when converting DWG to V8.

The repair setting that corrects this error is Settings | Change Settings | Repair... | Cell | Delete shared cell definition with no shared cell instance.

The error number reported is 303.

Shared cell instance has no shared cell definition.

A shared cell instance was found with no corresponding shared cell definition.

The repair setting that corrects this error is Settings | Change Settings | Repair... | Cell | Create dummy shared cell definition for missing definitions.

This setting will create a dummy shared cell definition. What this setting does is create a shared cell definition element with a text element as its only component. The text element contains the name of the shared cell. This will graphically show you the locations where the cell is used..

The error number reported is 768.

Complex

“Search Settings”, “Complex” category.

Complex bit is on for a non-component element.

An element that is not a component of a complex element has its complex bit set.

The repair setting that corrects this error is Settings | Change Settings | Repair... | Complex | Correct complex bit errors.

The error number reported is 702.

Complex bit is off for a component element.

An element that is a component of a complex element does not have its complex bit set.

The repair setting that corrects this error is Settings | Change Settings | Repair... | Complex | Correct complex bit errors.

The error number reported is 703.

Complex element contains disallowed element type.

The following error numbers are controlled by this search setting:

Error number 323 — Complex elements should not contain deleted elements.

Error number 721 — Each type of complex element (like cells and text nodes) can only contain certain types of elements. For example, a text node (type 7) can contain only text elements (type 17s). A connected string (type 12) can contain only linear elements such as lines (type 3s), line strings (type 4s), arcs (type 16s), etc. The reported element cannot legally be contained in the parent complex element (identified in the error message).

The repair setting that corrects error number 721 is Settings | Change Settings | Repair... | Complex |Handle illegal components in complex header.

Component on different level than its header.

The indicated element is part of a complex element and is on a different level than its parent element.

The repair setting that corrects this error is Settings | Change Settings | Repair... | Complex | Move components to same level as complex header.

The error number reported is 336.

Component graphic group doesn’t match header.

All component elements must have the same graphic group number as the complex header.

This error is not reported on component elements that are part of regular cells (type 2), shared cell definitions (type 34) and raster headers (type 87 or type 90).

The repair setting that corrects this error is Settings | Change Settings | Repair... | Complex | Set graphic group of component to match its header.

The error number reported is 341.

Gap exists in 2D complex shape or chain.

When creating a 2D complex shape or chain from multiple linear elements that have gaps between the endpoints, MicroStation will not actually create the connecting lines, but MicroStation will display a line between those endpoints. If these complex elements are later dropped, gaps will exist between the component elements.

The repair setting that corrects this error is Settings | Change Settings | Repair... | Complex | Add line to bridge gap in 2D complex shape or chain. The repair setting is off by default.

The error number reported is 151.

Shared cell instance nested in a shared cell definition with the same cell name.

A shared cell instance cannot be part of the shared cell definition that defines the shared cell instance.

The repair setting that corrects this error is Settings | Change Settings | Repair... | Complex | Delete shared cell instance nested in a shared cell definition with the same name.

The error number reported is 733.

Design File

“Search Settings”, “Design File” category.

Severity of errors to be reported:

This search setting gives you the ability to search and report only errors in a user-selectable severity range. “Any severity” is the default.

Build a list containing the names of the design files with ...

FileFixer can automatically build a list of files that manifest the error severity you select.

The list will only be generated in Search for Problems mode.

Dimension

“Search Settings”, “Dimension” category.

Dimension element with no data points or associative points.

A dimension element must have at least one data or associative point. An associative point is a point that ties this dimension element to another element in the design file.

The repair setting that corrects this error is Settings | Change Settings | Repair... | Dimension | Remove dimension element with no data points or associative points.

The error number reported is 722.

Element

“Search Settings”, “Element” category.

Element class is illegal (must be less than 7).

The class of this element is undefined (greater than 6).

The repair setting that corrects this error is Settings | Change Settings | Repair... | Element | Set illegal class to ___.

The error number reported is 333.

Element’s and model’s dimensions are different.

The element’s dimension is different that the model’s dimension. For example, a 3D line in a 2D model. Such elements cannot always be modified without first repairing the element’s dimension.

The repair setting that corrects this error is Settings | Change Settings | Repair... | Element | Set the element’s dimension to match the model’s dimension.

The error number reported is 437.

Graphical element in non-graphical data.

Graphical elements in the non-graphical data area can cause MicroStation V8i to lock up or abort. This data area is for reference file attachments, application data elements, etc.

The repair setting that corrects this error is Settings | Change Settings | Repair... | Element | Delete graphical element in non-graphical data.

The error number reported is 819.

Graphical element is invisible.

MicroStation V8 has the ability to make an element “invisible”. It will not be displayed in MicroStation’s GUI or be plotted. This is a new MicroStation feature so these elements are not really corrupted, which is why this setting is OFF by default.

If you use Cimmetry’s AutoVue application, which does display these elements, then the AutoVue GUI can be a little confusing. That is the reason for this setting.

There is a new repair setting named “Fix invisible graphical element by” that allows you to either make these elements visible or to delete them.

The error number reported is 240.

H-bit is set when it shouldn’t be.

Turn off the hole bit (H-bit) of this element.

The search setting that detects this error is Settings | Change Settings | Search... | Element | H-bit is set when it shouldn’t be.

The error number reported is 304.

Illegal element type.

FileFixer detected illegal element types, such as type 0, 1, 20 and 127.

The repair setting that corrects these errors is Settings | Change Settings | Repair... | Element | Remove illegal element types (ON by default)

The error number reported is 380.

Reserved bits are set in element header.

Bits 10:15 are unused in the second word of every MicroStation V8 element. This allows for future enhancements of the element format. These bits should be clear (set to 0). If they are not, this message is generated.

The repair setting that corrects this error is Settings | Change Settings | Repair... | Element | Fix reserved bits by clearing them.

The error number reported is 103.

Preserve Distributed Graphics System (DGS) deleted elements.

There is a special type of attribute linkage used by an old Intergraph application (Distributed Graphics System) on deleted elements. When this setting is selected, FileFixer treats these deleted elements as though they were active (non-deleted) elements.

Unused bit is set in the “properties” word.

There is an unused bit in the “properties” word of each graphic element. The information saved in the “properties” word is the element’s class and the element’s properties (e.g. locked, hole). It is intended to allow future enhancement of the MicroStation element format, but was never used. This bit should be clear (set to 0). If it is not, this message is generated. Technically this is not an error because there are no known programs that rely on this bit in any way.

The error number reported is 132.

Element is beyond the edge of the design plane.

This element is located dangerously close to the edge of the design plane (or design cube) — or beyond the edge.

FileFixer usually determines this error by checking the element’s range values.

For ellipses, arcs, text and text nodes, FileFixer checks the element’s origin.

For curves, FileFixer checks the beginning and ending slope points.

The error number reported is 119 when the element is dangerously close to the edge of the design plane.

The error number reported is 619 when at least one element coordinate is beyond the edge of the design plane.

Note: V8 element coordinates range from 4,503,599,627,370,495 (max) to

-4,503,599,627,370,496 (min). [From …\Program\MicroStation\mdl\include\msdefs.h.]

Enter-Data-Fields

“Search Settings”, “Enter-Data-Fields” category.

Text element has more EDFs than characters.

A text element with more EDFs (Enter-Data-Fields) than characters has been encountered.

The error number reported is 191.

Headers

“Search Settings”, “Headers” category.

Design file header is on the wrong level.

The design file header (type 9) element is on the wrong level. It must be on level number 8. When it is not then MicroStation cannot open the design file.

The repair setting that corrects this error is Settings | Change Settings | Repair... | Element | Fix reserved bits by clearing them.

The error number reported is 911.

Missing vital element (type 9).

Error number 902 is reported when the first non-model element (type 9 design file header) in a design file or cell library has been deleted or is badly damaged.

Invalid text style values in the design file header.

The default text style is saved in each design file’s TCB and is used by default when no other text style is defined and active. When the default text style settings become corrupted, merely attempting to place text (with default text style) may cause MicroStation to abort.

FileFixer detects default text style corruption by testing for illegal values.

The error number reported is 745.

When FileFixer detects and reports this form of corruption, MicroStation users can enter legal values by selecting Element | Text Styles from MicroStation’s main menu, then the “Advanced” tab.

Levels

“Search Settings”, “Levels” category.

Level is hidden.

FileFixer detected a hidden level.

The error number reported is 444.

The repair setting that corrects this error is Settings | Change Settings | Repair... | Levels | Display hidden levels (OFF by default).

Multiple master file level tables.

FileFixer detected more that one master file level table.

The error number reported is 630.

The repair setting that corrects this error is Settings | Change Settings | Repair... | Levels | Delete unused master file level tables (OFF by default).

Multiple level numbers.

FileFixer detected more than one level with the same level number.

The repair setting that corrects this error is Settings | Change Settings | Search... | Levels | Delete the duplicate level number.

The error number is 429.

Unused reference file level table.

FileFixer found a reference file level table that has no attached reference file using it.

The error number reported is 267.

The repair setting that corrects this error is Settings | Change Settings | Repair... | Levels | Delete unused reference file level tables (OFF by default).

Linkage

“Search Settings”, “Linkage” category.

“Application required for element modification” flag in a TriForma linkage.

Elements, created by TriForma, can be set to prevent MicroStation, when run without TriForma loaded, from allowing a user to modify them. This is done by setting the “application required for element modification” flag in the TriForma linkage.

This is not a corruption, but it is a potentially unwanted condition that can be fixed with FileFixer. As a result this search setting is off by default.

The error number reported is 235.

The repair setting that fixes this error is Settings | Change Settings | Repair... | Linkage | Clear “application required for element modification” flag in a TriForma linkage.

Attribute offset error.

The element’s attribute offset was not what FileFixer expected. This may indicate the linkage area of the element is damaged.

The error number reported is 514.

Duplicate text formatting linkage in a text node.

Normally line feeds are maintained between text strings when editing a text node. When more than one text formatting linkage exists in each of the text elements in a text node, and the line feed flag is turned off in one or more of those linkages, editing the text node will unexpectedly strip the line feeds from the text node.

Repair with FileFixer’s “Automatic Design File Repair” command with the Settings | Change Settings | Repair... | Linkage | Delete duplicate text formatting linkage in a text node setting turned on.

The error number reported is 545.

MicroStation application-specific attribute linkage found.

As FileFixer for V8 evolves, various application-specific settings may be added. As of this writing, TriForma-specific settings are supported. When the first element is detected which contains TriForma attribute linkage, FileFixer automatically activates TriForma-specific settings when processing the file.

FileFixer outputs a message when the first application-specific element is detected For example:

4000000, ID=43676 -- This is the first element indicating this file contains TriForma attribute linkage. [62].

Application-specific settings are displayed on the Settings | Change Settings | MicroStation Applications dialog.

The error number reported is 62.

New line flag is missing from a text element linkage in a text node.

Normally there is a line feed between text strings in a text node. When this error is reported the user attribute linkage for this component text element doesn’t contain the expected new line attribute flag. Editing a text node with this problem will result in the text node unexpectedly losing its line feeds.

Repair with FileFixer’s “Automatic Design File Repair” command with the Settings | Change Settings | Repair... | Linkage | Add new line flag missing in a text element linkage that is part of a text node setting turned on.

The error number reported is 544.

Shared cell instance dependency linkage is pointing to a shared cell definition with a different cell name.

Some MicroStation add-on applications create shared cell instances that use a dependency linkage to locate their definition rather than a cell name. Use this Search setting to report a shared cell instance whose dependency linkage contains an element ID that points to a shared cell definition with a different cell name than the instance.

Repair with FileFixer’s “Automatic Design File Repair” command with the Settings Change Settings | Repair… | Change the name of the shared cell instance, with dependency linkage, to match the shared cell definition’s name if they don’t match.

The error number reported is 168.

Shared cell instance dependency link to its shared cell definition is broken.

Some MicroStation add-on applications create shared cell instances that use a dependency linkage to locate their definition rather than a cell name. Use this Search setting to report a shared cell instance whose dependency linkage contains an element ID that is broken because it doesn’t match the ID of any available shared cell definitions.

Repair with FileFixer’s “Automatic Design File Repair” command with the Settings Change Settings | Repair… | Set the shared cell instance dependency linkage’s element ID to the shared cell definition’s element ID.

The error number reported is 767.

Siamese attribute linkage (linkage overlaying the next element).

Use this Search setting to detect when an element’s attribute linkage extends beyond the end of the element. That means the linkage overlaps the next element in the file  applications which depend upon data in the linkage area could malfunction or crash. Accessing a database using this linkage could fail.

Repair with FileFixer’s “Automatic Design File Repair” command with the Settings | Change Settings | Repair... | Linkage | Remove siamese linkage setting turned on.

The error number reported is 764.

User linkage is not a multiple of 4 words.

The specific user linkage mentioned is not a multiple of four words in length. Note that this error is different from error 301 in that this error refers to the size of a particular attribute linkage as determined by analyzing a specific user linkage rather than the entire linkage area. The attribute area of an element may contain several individual attribute linkages. Error 301 refers to the size of the entire linkage area.

The error number reported is 365.

Models

“Search Settings”, “Models” category.

Model is locked.

The model is locked. Elements cannot be added, modified or deleted in a locked model.

The repair setting that unlocks models is Settings | Change Settings | Repair... | Models | Unlock models.

The error number reported is 250.

Range

“Search Settings”, “Range” category.

Complex header range doesn’t match components’ range.

The union of the range blocks of the components of the complex element header does not match the range block of the complex header element itself. The percentage is determined by dividing the deviation from perfection as calculated by FileFixer (in UORs) by the size of the element (in UORs). This test is performed on the x, y, and (for 3D models) z axes. The worst (largest) of the error percentages is the one reported.

The repair setting that corrects this error is Settings | Change Settings | Repair... | Range | Repair range of complex header elements.

The error numbers reported are 320 and 720. Error number 320 is generated when the range is off by more than the user specified tolerance, but within the tolerance –70% and 900%.

Element size, excluding lines and line strings, is zero in all dimensions.

The size of the element in all dimensions is zero. You may not be able to see this element.

To have FileFixer delete such elements, add this error number (185) to the Settings | Change Settings | Repair... | Element | Remove elements with the following error numbers list.

The error number reported is 185.

Low range greater than high range.

The x-low value is greater than the x-high value, the y-low value is greater than the y-high value, or the z-low value is greater than the z-high value. The z-range is checked for 3D models only.

This search setting also controls whether or not FileFixer reports instances where the z-low or z-high range value is non-zero for an element in a 2D model.

The error number reported is 704.

Z range is not zero in a 2D element

One or both of the z-range values is non-zero in a 2D element.

The repair setting that corrects this error is Settings | Change Settings | Repair... | Range | Repair range of displayable elements.

The error number reported is 169.

Range of graphic element is wrong.

This setting tests ranges of many types of graphic elements and therefore can generate many different error codes.

“Acceptable element range of tolerance:” applies to all range tests and can be changed.

The image above shows the default.

This search setting activates a number of different error numbers for different element types. There are 300-level error numbers for ranges which mildly stray from the user-specified tolerance and 700-level counterparts when the range is severely wrong.

In the process of checking ranges, FileFixer may encounter error 912 — part of an arc or ellipse element stored in floating point format contains an illegal value.

By default FileFixer doesn’t check for range errors on shared cell instances and tag elements. The reason for this is that to correctly calculate the range of these elements the design file has to be loaded. If there are certain types of invalid data in the design file, MicroStation may not be able to load the design file. When an MDL application tells MicroStation to load a design file and MicroStation can’t, then MicroStation will terminate all MDL applications currently running (which means FileFixer will be unloaded). So once you know you can load the design file, you can turn off one or both of the “Skip” search settings for these element types.

The search setting “Skip text range validation” is used if you don’t want to test for range errors on text elements. This is useful when you don’t have the font library or font resource file.

The repair setting that corrects this error is Settings | Change Settings | Repair... | Range | Repair range of displayable elements.

Reference File

“Search Settings”, “Reference file” category.

Duplicate reference file slot encountered

MicroStation only displays the first occurrence of a reference file with a particular slot number in a model — any other attachment using the same slot number won’t display and can’t be deleted from MicroStation’s References dialog.

The repair setting that fixes the duplicate slot number is Settings | Change Settings | Repair... | Reference File | Set duplicate slot number to an unused slot number.

The error number is 314.

___ levels of reference files should be processed.

This search setting allows you to select the nesting level of reference files that will be processed.

If you enter 0, no reference files are processed.

If you enter 1, the reference files directly attached (one level of nesting) will also be processed.

If you enter nn levels of nested reference files will be processed.

Missing reference file.

When selected, this search setting will report deleted or moved reference files.

The error number reported is 343.

Reference file attachment using slot zero.

MicroStation assigns each reference file attachment to a slot number starting with slot number 1. This option detects a reference attachment erroneously assigned to slot zero. These attachments will display if found, but other applications like ProjectWise do not recognize an attachment assigned to slot zero.

The repair setting that fixes attachments using slot zero is Settings | Change Settings | Repair... | Reference File | Move slot zero attachment to: | The first available slot or The slot after the highest numbered slot currently used.

The error number is 420.

Reference file is hidden.

When selected, FileFixer will report reference file attachments which are hidden (not displayed in MicroStation’s “References” dialog).

The repair setting that makes hidden reference files visible is Settings | Change Settings | Repair... | Reference File | Display hidden reference files.

The error number reported is 443.

Structured Storage

Each MicroStation V8 file is actually a compound file consisting of multiple internal directories and sub-files. For example:

The above illustration represents a simplified view of one model (“Default”) in a V8 design file. In production, V8 design files can contain dozens of sub-folders and sub-files.

Some of these sub-folders and sub-files, when damaged, impact users and MicroStation more severely than others. For more information, see the section “Fatal V8-specific Errors”.

“Search Settings”, “Structured Storage” category.

Missing or damaged model header or index data.

Each V8 model (or cell) includes a model header which stores the model’s name, description, type and other model attributes. The model information, for all models, is also stored in the model index.

A missing or damaged model header or model index can make that model or models (and often the entire file) unusable.

Note: At this time, there is no known benefit to disabling this setting.

For more information see the “Repair” section for “Structured Storage”.

The error numbers reported are 801 (missing), 802 (damaged) and 820 (fatal).

The repair setting that corrects this error is Settings | Change Settings | Repair... | Structured Storage | Rebuild missing or damaged model header or index data.

Damaged graphical data.

Graphical data includes the visible geometry in your design.

Unless this setting is disabled, FileFixer will notify you if a model’s graphical data is damaged.

The error number reported is 802.

The repair setting that corrects this error is Settings | Change Settings | Repair... | Structured Storage | Recover elements beyond missing or damaged graphical data.

Damaged non-graphical data.

Non-graphical data includes reference file attachment elements and type 66 elements.

When this setting is enabled, FileFixer will notify you when a model’s non-graphical data is damaged.

The error number reported is 802.

The repair setting that corrects this error is Settings | Change Settings | Repair... | Structured Storage | Recover elements beyond missing or damaged non-graphical data.

Damaged non-model data.

Non-model data includes the design file header, level definitions, shared cell definitions, font definitions and other information that is not model-specific.

When this setting is enabled, FileFixer will notify you when the non-model data is damaged.

The error number reported is 802.

The Repair setting that corrects this error is Settings | Change Settings | Repair... | Structured Storage | Recover elements beyond missing or damaged non-model data.

Damaged Project Explorer data.

Project Explorer data can become corrupt and cause a design file to take a very long time to open. This search option determines when the Project Explorer data is damaged.

The error number reported is 450.

The Repair setting that corrects this error is Settings | Change Settings | Repair... | Structured Storage | Repair Project Explorer data.

Missing graphical data.

Graphical data includes the visible geometry (lines, circles, text, cells, etc.) in your design.

When this setting is enabled, FileFixer will notify you when a model’s graphical data is missing.

The error number reported is 801.

The repair setting that corrects this error is Settings | Change Settings | Repair... | Structured Storage | Recover elements beyond missing or damaged graphical data.

Missing non-graphical data.

Non-graphical data includes reference file attachment elements and type 66 elements.

When this setting is enabled, FileFixer will notify you when a model’s non-graphical data is missing.

The error number reported is 801.

Missing non-model data.

Non-model data includes the design file header, level definitions, shared cell definitions, font definitions, and other information which is not model-specific.

When this setting is enabled, FileFixer will notify you when the non-model data is missing.

The error number reported is 801.

The repair setting that corrects this error is Settings | Change Settings | Repair... | Structured Storage | Recover elements beyond missing or damaged non-model data.

Text

“Search Settings”, “Text” category.

Text element doesn’t contain any visible characters.

Use this setting to identify text elements which can’t contain any visible characters — for example, text elements which only contain spaces.

By default FileFixer does not analyze text elements that contain enter-data-fields. If you turn on the “Treat empty enter-data-fields as visible characters” setting FileFixer will process text elements which contain enter-data-fields.

The error number reported is 146.

Text element uses non-existent font.

The font library MicroStation is currently using does not contain the font used by this text element.

The error number reported is 144.

Text string overflows the element’s length.

The number of characters is incorrect. It says there are more characters than actually exist.

The repair setting that corrects this error is Settings | Change Settings | Repair... | Text | Correct the number of characters field in text element.

The error number is 560.

Vertices

“Search Settings”, “Vertices” category.

Duplicate b-spline poles detected in a closed b-spline.

A b-spline pole element (type 24) normally doesn’t have duplicate first and/or last poles, and its first and last poles normally don’t match.

To avoid problems, for example to retain backward compatibility with MicroStation SE, the solution is to change the closed b-spline to an open b-spline.

The repair setting that corrects this problem is Settings | Change Settings | Repair... | B-spline | Open the closed b-spline that has duplicate b-spline poles.

The error number reported is 905.

Line string’s vertex is off the design plane.

One of the line string’s vertices is off the design plane.

The repair setting that corrects this problem is Settings | Change Settings | Repair... | Vertices | Fix line string’s vertex which is off the edge of the design plane by. The repair feature either allows you to adjust the corrupted vertex or delete the element. To adjust the corrupted vertex the vertices on both sides of it must be on the design plane (otherwise the vertex cannot be adjusted).

The error number reported is 373.

Too few vertices on line string, shape, curve, etc.

Error number 788 is reported when a type 21 (b-spline pole) element has less than two poles.

Error number 789 is reported when elements with vertices, points, etc. do not have a minimum number of these.

The repair setting that detects error 789 is Settings | Change Settings | Repair... | Element | Remove elements with too few vertices.

Too many vertices on line string, shape, curve, etc.

Error number 787 is reported when elements with vertices have a “number of vertices” value greater than the maximum allowed of 5000.

The repair setting that fixes error 787 is Settings | Change Settings | Repair... | Vertices | Set number of vertices to maximum allowed.