INHOUDSOPGAVE

  • 1 Introduction

    Many articles have been written about creating line styles in MicroStation, even a few in Dutch. And yet I'm going to add one more. The reason is that I notice that the articles that have been published so far do not actually explore the subject far enough. So this is not even an article, but rather a manual.


    2 General

    There is a lot that can be done with line styles in MicroStation. I regularly tell my students about the webinar I once attended of an American user who used a 3D object for a line style and drew concrete barriers that way. Because yes, that is also possible. 

    Actually, you can say: 


    You can make a line style from anything you can draw.


    MicroStation itself provides a number of line styles where you can clearly see what is possible:


    A line style can consist of:

    • geometry (lines, arcs, circles, etc.)
    • text 
    • Images

  • In this guide, we're going to look at the different options MicroStation has when creating line styles.


    3 Before you begin

    A few tips for creating line styles:

    1. Create a new blank line style file for your new line styles. If you want to add the custom line styles to an existing file later, you can easily do so.
    2. Make sure you place the line styles file somewhere where MicroStation looks for its line styles, otherwise you will not see your line styles in the list of MicroStation line types.
    3. Create your line styles from a MicroStation drawing where you can draw the different parts you need and test your line styles. Don't throw this drawing away too quickly, it can still come in handy!

  • 3.1  Start

    Make a new (empty) drawing. In this drawing we test the created line styles, but we also draw parts that we will include in a line style.


    3.1.1 MicroStation v8i

    In MicroStation v8i, go to the Element pulldown menu and choose 'Line Styles' >'Edit':

    The Line Style Editor opens:

    To create a line style, go to File and create a new line style file:

    If you save it to the folder called "Symb" in MicroStation's Standards folder, you should be fine.

    I create a line style file called 'Artikel_Lijnstijlen.rsc':

    A number of lines will immediately appear on the screen under 'Components':

    These are the 'internal line styles' that you also see when you choose a line style in MicroStation. You can't change these line styles, but you can use them in your own line styles if you want.


    3.1.2  MicroStation CONNECT Edition/2023/2024

    Line styles can also be created in MicroStation CONNECT Edition and subsequent versions. It doesn't really matter (anymore) which version you use. 

    In previous versions of MicroStation CONNECT Edition, there were problems with the Line Style Editor, but they have since been fixed.


    In MicroStation CONNECT Edition, you can access the Line Style Editor in 2 ways. 

    1. Via the line styles box in the group 'Attributes' on the Home tab:
      Click on 'Manage' at the very bottom of the drop-down menu and the Line Style Editor will start. It looks the same as in MicroStation v8i.
    2. Go to the 'File' tab and choose 'Settings' and 'File':

  •  

    Both options open the Line Style Editor:

    You can drag this screen larger and smaller yourself (that is not possible in v8i).


    Again, you can create a new file by clicking on 'File' and 'New...':

    en daarna zie je de ‘internal linestyles’ van MicroStation in je scherm:


    3.1.3  Built-in Styles

    The Line code 0 to 7 correspond to the 'Built-in Styles' that you see in the line styles screen:

    (This applies to all versions of MicroStation).

     

    Default Solid Line

    In addition, there is also a 'Default solid line': 

    All 'Internal' line styles can be used in your own creations (for example with a compound). The difference between the 'Default solid line' and Line code 0 is that the Default solid line can be given a 'width'. 


    A width is not the same as the lineweight, although you won't see the difference right away.

    A width is expressed in meters (as in AutoCAD) and a lineweight runs from 1 to 31 and the width is determined in the plotter driver configuration.


    You can adjust the width with the command 'Modify Line Style Attributes' that you will find on the Home tab in group 'Modify' in the pulldown menu of the Change-Match commands:

     

    Maar ook in het Properties-scherm:


     

    4 Creating a New Line Style

    To create a new line style, you need two things: a line style name and a linked definition. 


    4.1 Line Style Name

    You can create a name by choosing 'Create' > 'Name' under 'Edit':

     A Line Style Name will now appear, which is currently 'Unnamed':

    By typing a new name in the bottom white box and clicking <enter> the new style name will be filled in.

    Each line style name must be linked to a line style definition (a stroke, point or compound in the right screen) you can see which definition the name is linked to the two arrows (>>) for the line style definition. 

    In the example below, the line style '_Voorbeeld1' is linked to stroke pattern 'Stroke2'.

    After saving, the line style is available in the drawing and you can test it. If you change something in the definition, you always have to save the change to see it in lines in the drawing (if you don't see the change appear right away, it often works to zoom in and out a bit with your mouse wheel).


    4.2 Line style types

    Je maakt met de Line Style Editor ‘Stroke patterns’, ‘Points’ en ‘Compounds’.


    4.2.1  Stroke patterns

    Stroke patterns are a number of elements in a row, some of which are a line segment and others are open space. The lines can also get a thickness or even a gradient thickness/width.


    4.2.2  Points

    Points are objects (a bit like cells) that you arrange on a Stroke Pattern.


    4.2.3  Compounds

    Compounds are line styles that are a combination of Strokes, Points and/or other Compounds.


    In the following paragraphs, we will see what the possibilities are with the different types.


     

    4.3 Dimensions of Line Posts

    In the definition of the line styles, you will immediately specify dimensions. These dimensions are in Working Units*, so the dimensions depend on the working units in the drawing. 


    A line post consisting of a dash with length 1 and a hole with length 1 becomes a line post with stripes of 1m and holes of 1m in a drawing with meters. 

    If your work units are millimeter, the same line style will be displayed as stripes of 1mm long and holes of 1mm (and for inches: 1 inch stripe and 1 inch hole!).

    Because line styles are generally made for a certain field, this (usually) does not cause any problems. 


    4.3.1  Annotation Scale

    There is another setting that you have to take into account and that is the Annotation Scale. 

    Some line styles are made to scale themselves using the Annotation Scale, where the dimensions must be entered so that they are easily recognizable on the plot. So keep in mind that a line style with a line of 1 meter will also be 1 meter long on the plot!


    4.3.1.1  Physical

    If you have line styles that you draw 1 to 1 and therefore do not have to scale with the Annotation Scale, it is important that you check the option 'Physical' when setting the line style name. 

    You can find it at the bottom of the 'Edit' pull-down menu:

     

    4.3.1.2  Snappable

    This setting allows you to snap on parts of your line style. A useful tool for creating and checking line styles.

    Tip!

    If you continue with creating line styles below, it is useful to turn on the option 'Physical' in your line styles, so you can check whether the dimensions you enter for the different parts also give the right effect. You can always turn this option off again later!


     

    4.4  Stroke Pattern

    To make a stroke, we place several elements in a row and determine for each element whether it is a line or an open space.

    Kies pulldownmenu ‘Edit’ en selecteer ‘Create’ > ‘Stroke pattern’:

    A 'New Stroke Component' will appear in the list under 'Components'. Give this Stroke a name by clicking on the 'new stroke component' in the box to type a new name:

    (If you are going to do it yourself, choose a name that fits the line type you want to create, in the following chapters you will see that you will need the names when creating more complicated line styles).

    I give the new name 'Stroke-1':

    Now let's take a closer look at the screen:

    In the white box at the top, you can see an example of the line style you create (if you work with a black background in MicroStation, this box is black). 

    Below you can see the 'Stroke Pattern Attributes':

    4.4.1  Shift

    For shifting the starting point of your stroke pattern.

    You can choose from:

    • Distance – this is where you specify a distance from the starting point of the line to the starting point of your stroke pattern. In the example below I made a stroke pattern with 2 parts, a line with length 1 and an open space with length 1. The shift distance is also 1.
    • Fraction – this seems to indicate whether you are using a fraction/part of the line segment to indicate a shift, but I don't see that reflected in the tested line styles.
    • Centered – with this setting the stroke pattern is centered over the entire line string:
      In this example you can see that at the beginning and end of the line, they are the same length.

  •  

    4.4.2  Single Segment

    By enabling this option, the stroke pattern starts all over again for each line segment:

    If you combine the 'Centered' option above with 'Single Segment', the stroke pattern is centered per line segment:

     


    4.4.3  Repetitions

    This setting determines how many times the stroke pattern can be repeated to create the line. 

    • Unlimited: the pattern may be repeated as many times as necessary to draw the line.
    • Count: You specify how often the pattern can be used. If the length of the strokes is fixed, you won't see anything of this setting.

  • Example of line with up to 2 repetitions (Count=2) and variable strokes:

    You can see that the stroke pattern is distributed 2 times over the total length of the line.

    The same line but with the 'Single Segment' option checked:

    You can see that the stroke pattern is now displayed 2x per line segment.


     

    4.4.4  Stroke Pattern

    In the lower part of the screen you will build up the stroke pattern:

    You can add pieces using the 'Add' and 'Delete' buttons. For each piece you give the length and whether it is a 'Dash' (= stripe) or a 'Gap' (= space). If you select 'Dash' after 'Stroke Type' you will see a black stripe:

    If you choose 'Gap', you won't see it:

    4.4.4.1  Length

    The length you enter in the white box behind 'Length' can be 'Fixed' or 'Variable'. At 'Fixed', the length of the dash/gap becomes the indicated length in meters (also take a look at the paragraph about 'Physical linestyles').

    If you choose 'Variable', the length of the dash/gap can vary. Depending on, for example, the 'Count' and 'Single Segment' settings from the previous paragraphs, the length of the dash/gap will be adjusted. With a 'Count' of 1, the pattern is displayed once per line or per line segment and the length of the pattern is adjusted accordingly:

    4.4.4.2  Invert at

    This setting could cause a dash to convert into a gap or vice versa:

    • None
      No invertion.
    • Origin
      Only at the beginning of the element can the stroke be inverted.
    • End
      Only at the end of the element can the stroke be inverted.
    • Both
      at the end and the beginning of the element, a stroke can be converted from gap to dash or vice versa.

  •  

    4.4.4.3  Corners

    This determines what happens when your stroke pattern turns a corner.

    Break

    If you choose Break, the stroke is broken at a corner and then continues.




    For example, on the left you can see that the dash (1 meter long in the definition) is broken in two and the vertical piece and the horizontal piece together are also 1 meter.

    For example, on the right the same, but now with the gap, added up is 0.22+0.28 equal to 0.5m and that is the length of the gap (in the definition).


    Bypass

    In this option, the corner is 'skipped' and the line type continues at the start of the next dash/gap:


    You can see from the grip of the selected line (the blue square) that the angle is not on the line. The line type starts with a dash of 1m, then a gap of 0.5m, the next dash has to go around the corner, but is drawn straight from the end of the gap and the beginning of the next gap. The dash is a neat 1m.









    4.4.4.4  Width

    This gives a line style a width. That is different from the lineweight that an element gets from the 'Attributes' of MicroStation. This width is specified in Working units. Those are the units you draw with. That means that the line style I used in the previous paragraph with a dash of length 1 and gap 0.5 at the unit meter are 1m and 0.5m and at unit mm, 1mm and 0.5mm.

    Because both the length and the width are made in work units, I can make line styles that reflect reality exactly. 

    With these strokes you can easily draw road markings with the correct dimensions, for example. As I will show a little further on.

    At 'width' you choose:


    None

    None (obviously) does not mean a line width.


    Full 

    Means that the specified width of the line is displayed on both sides of the line:

     

    Left

    Shows the width only on the left side of the line:

     (at least if you draw the line from bottom to top or from left to right).


    Right

    Shows the width only on the right side of the line:

    If you compare the images, you will see that the width of 'left' and 'right' are half of the 'full' width. The width (which you specify right below this setting) is therefore always the total line width as it would be if you use the 'full' option.

    Width left 0.5: 

    Width left 1.0:

    Start/end

    Specifies the start and end width of the dash.

    Of course, they don't have to be the same, so you can also start with start width 0 and end with 0.5 and you have an arrowhead, or a triangle or whatever you want to call it:

     

    Endcaps

    The last setting for the strokes is 'Endcaps':

    For the above examples, the setting was always set to 'Closed'. This ensures that the blocks and triangles in the above examples are always closed and filled. The options under 'Closed' also all give filled strokes, except for the last one. In Open, you can see this in the previous example:

    Same width settings but not closed and no padding.


    The other settings say something about the finish of the strokes:


    Closed
    Extended        

    You can see from the blue block that the line type starts a little before the start of the line.

    Hexagon        

    The rounding is made with 3 vectors.

    Octagon        

    The rounding is made with 4 vectors.

    Decagon        

    The rounding is made with 5 vectors.

    Arc

    The rounding is made with an arc (lots of vectors).

    Do you see the differences between the rounded strokes? No, they are not visible either. This is a setting that can increase the speed of display on the screen in the background. The fewer vectors, the faster. So you can easily choose Hexagon here, you won't see the difference anyway.

     

    4.4.5 Examples of Stroke patterns

    Below are some examples of stroke styles that you can create with just strokes, with directions and dimensions:


    Road marking 1-1 stripe:

    • Dash 1m, width 0.10m.
    • Gap 1m.

    Arrow at the end of a line with multiple line segments:

    • Dash 1m, width 0, length variable
    • Dash 0.5m, width start 0.25 width end 0
    • Repetitions count 1

    Arrow at the end of each line with multiple line segments:

    • Dash 1m, width 0, length variable
    • Dash 0.5m, width start 0.25 width end 0
    • Repetitions count 1
    • Single Segment aan

    Diamond:

    • Dash 0.5m width 0
    • Gap 0.5m
    • Dash 0.25m start width 0 end width 0.25m
    • Dash 0.25m start width 0.25m end width 0m
    • Gap 0.5m

    Asphalt speed bump marking(20kmh, 0.12m high)

    • Dash 0.1m, width right 0.4m
    • Dash 0.1m, width right 1m
    • Dash 0.2m, width right 0.4m
    • Dash 0.1m, width right 1.8m
    • Dash 0.1m, width right 0.4m
    Barrier:
    • Dash 1m, width full start 0.2 end 0.2 Endcaps closed
    • Dash 1m, width full start 0.2 end 0.2 Endcaps open
    Line with crosses:
    • Dash 2m
    • Dash 0.5m, width full start 1 end 0
    • Dash 0.5m, width full start 0 end 1
    Borderline(?)
    • Dash 0.5m, width left start 0 end 0.5
    • Dash 0.5m, width right start 0.5 end 0

         

    If you're going to make line styles that are a bit more complicated, it's a good idea to draw an example of what the line style should look like. Then you can get your measurements from it, for example.

     

    4.5  Point

    The Points allow you to add other objects to your line style (e.g. letters or symbols). This significantly expands the possibilities.

    To make a Point you always need a Stroke Pattern.

    With the Stroke Pattern you determine where your Points are placed in your Stroke Pattern.

    Below is an example of a combination of Point and Stroke:

    The basic Stroke Pattern consists of 2 gaps of 0.5m wide each, a circle that is placed as a point in the middle of the first gap.

    The basic Stroke Pattern doesn't have to consist of gaps only, it works just as well with dashes, but you won't see the dashes in your Point line style. If you want to do that, you can use a 'Compound' (see below) in which you can combine Points and Stroke Patterns.


    4.5.1 Point Settings

    We first create a Point via the Edit pulldown menu:

    We then look for the new Point in the list on the right:

     

    It is useful to give the 'new point component' a name immediately. This way you will be able to keep your points apart if you want to use them in a compound. In this example, I call this Point 'dot line'.

    Now we are going to look at the lower part of the screen.

    First, we choose a Base Stroke Pattern. As we have seen above, the Stroke Pattern determines where the points are placed.

    I'm going to make the line type that consists of a series of spheres with spaces between them (like the example above). For this I use a Stroke Pattern that is (also) called 'Bolletjeslijn' and consists of 2 gaps next to each other:

    Click on the Base Stroke Pattern button and select the Stroke 'Dot Line':

    You can see that a number of Stroke Patterns have already been made for the examples from the previous paragraph.

    If you click on one of the Stroke Patterns, you will normally see an example of the Stroke Pattern in the white box below the list, but in this case there are only gaps and we don't see anything.


    Above, after selecting the Base Stroke Pattern, you can see both gaps of the Stroke Dot Line. The left one is the gap that we are going to use to put the circle in (if we wanted to put it in the right gap, you have to select it by clicking on it).

    If you have opened an existing Point, you will see in the white rectangle at the bottom left whether a symbol or similar has been added to the selected gap.


    By clicking on 'Select' you can select a symbol from a list. In a new line styles file without Points, you usually won't find any symbols and the list is empty.

    We will have to place a symbol in it ourselves.


    4.5.2  Create Point Symbol

    Making a Symbol is very similar to making a cell. We can even use a Cell tool to define a useful point of engagement.

    1. We start by drawing a symbol in our drawing (if you have already drawn your line type in advance, you already have that symbol and you can move on to the next step). In this case, we draw a circle with a radius of 0.25m.
    2. Place a Cell Origin (Home-tab, Placement-group, Cells) in the center of the circle:
    3. Select the circle (with Element Selection) and the 'Create' button in the Line Style Editor will become active:
    4. Click on the 'Create' button and enter the name of the symbol. In this case, I name the symbol 'Dot' and click OK.


  • 4.5.3 Placing Symbol in Point

    Now that we have a symbol, let's place it in the stroke pattern:

    1. Click Select and select our symbol:
    2. You will also immediately see a preview of the chosen symbol in the window.
      Click OK and you'll immediately see the effect:


  • N.B.

    If you choose a Stroke Pattern with a dash in it, you will not see it in the Point line type. The Stroke Pattern only determines the position of the Points.


    You can also see that to the right of the selected symbol, a lot of settings have become active:

    We are going to discuss them now.


    4.5.4 Point Symbol Settings

    Here's what you can set up for the Point Symbol:

    Color

    • Element
      Here you determine whether the color of the symbol in the line style should be the same color as that of the element to which the line style will be applied. This means that the line style takes on the color of the element or layer and can therefore appear in all kinds of different colors.
    • Symbol
      If you choose 'Symbol', the color of the symbol will remain in the line style and it will not react to the color of the element. So I can make line styles with different colors in one line style:
      And that line style doesn't change color when I change the color of the line.


  • Weight

    The same applies to the weight as to the color. You can choose whether the element in the line style adopts the lineweight of the line or whether the element retains its own (symbol) color.


    Partial

    This is about showing a symbol if it is in a line segment that is too short to show the entire Point/Stroke Pattern.

    • Origin
      If the Origin of the symbol still fits in the line segment, the symbol will still be shown, otherwise not:

  • Line segment just long enough (past the origin point (center of the circle)

            

    Line segment just too short for the last circle



    • Project
      When a part of a Stroke is displayed, the symbol is also displayed:

  •  

    • None
      If only part of the Stroke is shown, the symbol is not shown:
      (the blue block shows that the line continues beyond the line style).


  • Clip Partial

    This setting is related to the previous setting and determines whether the icon is clipped or displayed as a whole:


    Allow Stretch

    This setting ensures that symbols can also be stretched. To do this, the Stroke on which the symbol appears must have a variable length (i.e. 'length', 'variable' and not 'fixed') and a number must be set per line segment ('count' in Stroke Pattern).


    Justify

    This determines the alignment of the symbol on the Stroke. Where the symbol ends up in the Stroke also has to do with the Origin point of the symbol and with the settings of the offset (see below).

    The Origin Point of the symbol (the center of the circle) is in the center of gap1.
    The Origin Point of the symbol is on the left side of gap1.
    The Origin Point of the symbol is on the right side of gap1.

        X Offset / Y Offset

    With this value, you can give the Point Symbol another shift.

    • X Offset gives a shift in the direction of the line.
    • Y Offset gives a shift perpendicular to the line.

  • In many cases, you can also achieve this by choosing a different target for your Point Symbol.


    Rotation

    You can give your Point Symbol a rotation here.

    Again, there are several possibilities:

    • Relative
      Then the specified angle at 'Angle' is used to warp the symbol with that angle relative to the line. Below is an example with an angle of 90°:
    • AbsoluteThe specified angle is now given relative to the drawing:

  • By the way, it doesn't matter if you rotate the drawing (with View Rotation) the angle remains relative to the drawing, not relative to the view.


    Adjusted

    This setting ensures that the symbol is always 'readable'. In other words, the symbol is never shown upside down. To show the differences, you can see the 3 settings side by side below:

    In the example, the angle is 0°, but it does give an idea of what happens to the letter in the line style.

     

    4.5.5 Examples of Point Line Styles

    Circles with the center in the middle of a Stroke of 2 pieces. The pink lines are a representation of the Stroke Pattern, but you don't see them in the actual line type.

    Filled circles, with the same underlying Stroke Pattern as above, but with a dot on each part. Color and line width are fixed in the line type.
    Now letters on the same Stroke as with the dot line above.
    A standard line type of MicroStation (Arrow wide tail) that also uses only a Point. This line type has a fixed color and thickness and the arrows are filled on a black background.

    A line style made up of pieces, with a beginning and end part. This line style also has its own color and line width.

    Below you can see the separate parts, the pink dots are the insertion points of the parts.


    4.6  Compounds

    A compound is a compound type of line. It is created by combining Points and Stroke Patterns, Internal Lines, and even other Compounds.


    You create a new Compound in the same way as a new Stroke of Point:

    Again, choose a clear name.


    The screen of the compound looks like this:

    4.6.1  Insert

    Here you choose an Internal, Stroke Pattern, Point or Compound to use in your Compound.

    This will then be visible in the box of the Sub-Components:

    The chosen SUBcomponent is initially placed with an offset of 0. The offset indicates the distance from the sub-component to the center of the line style.

    You can adjust the offset by clicking on the sub-component, then typing the desired Offset in the box and giving it an <enter>.

    If you add a second component, you will see that line segments are now added.

    Below you can see the effect of another offset of the Point:

    The example in the box above the Sub-Components is a bit unclear, but if we use the line style in the drawing you can see this:

    If you select the line above, you will see that the stripes are on offset 0 and the letters on offset 0.35:

    It could also have been the other way around, then the line style looks the same, but when drawing you notice the difference immediately:

    So it's good to think about the point of engagement of a line style (and thus the offset of its sub-components) to increase ease of use.

     

    4.6.1.1  Internal Line Codes of Default solid line

    You can also use the Internal Line codes in your Compounds. These are the same line styles that you also see in your line styles list in MicroStation, only here they are called 'Built-in Styles:

    These line styles behave within a compound in the same way as in a drawing. They scale up while zooming.


    In the Line Style Editor you can also see that in addition to the (well-known) 8 Internal/Built-in Styles, there is also a Default Solid Line. Just like Style 0, this is a solid line. The difference is that the Default Solid Line can be given a width from 'Modify Line Style Attribute':

    This is not the same as a lineweight but a width (in master units) that can also go from 0.25 to 0.5m, for example. This width also does not scale up with zooming.


    Actually, you could say that this Width reacts the same as the Width you use within the line style definition. Only you can adjust the width per drawn element. You can imagine that if you use these two definitions interchangeably, confusion can arise.


    4.6.2 Examples of Compound Line Styles

    Line style for casing pipe with diameter of 0.5m.

    This is a compound of:

    1. a stroke with full width 0.5m and count 1
    2. a Point with a symbol at the beginning and end to close the casing pipe

     This is a way to draw a tire line with 2 lines and numbers on the ends. Number (and width) correspond to number in legend.

    Construction:

    1. Internal line, offset 0
    2. Stroke Pattern, offset 0.15, D=0.3 G=0.15
    3. Point: Symbol on beginning, vertex and end

     Entrance with start and end section:

    1. Internal line, offset 0.4
    2. Stroke Pattern, D=0.5, width left 0.9m open
    3. Point symbol on start (start block) and end (end block) and symbol (line) right

      Entrance of lowered kerbs:

    1. Stroke Pattern, D=1, width left 0.3
    2. Point symbol on beginning and end and in the dash line right

    Concrete edging with dimensions:

    1. 1.    Internal line 0, offset 0
    2. 2.    Stroke pattern, offset 0.20
    3. 3. Point symbol on beginning and end (text)
    Curb with dimensions:
    1. Internal line 0, offset 0
    2. Stroke pattern, offset 0.20
    3. Point symbol on beginning and end (text)

    Full-size curb

    1. Internal Line 0, offset 0.02
    2. Stroke, dash 1m, width 0.3 left, dash caps open
    3. Point, symbol on beginning, end and in dash (right).

         

        

     4.6 Conclusion

    And now the question is: What kind of line styles are you going to make? You can make it as complicated as you want, but keep in mind that if you are going to make very complicated line styles with a lot of lines in them, you have to save often! And preferably also make a backup of your library when you have fabricated something beautiful:


    Warning

    If you create a lot of complicated line styles, it can happen that your Line Styles file gets corrupted. What can be especially problematic are the Point Symbols you have created. Hence the warning to save regularly and to make backups often while creating line styles!

    In the unlikely event that your file has become corrupted, you can in some cases save something via the tools in the next chapter.


5 Managing Line Styles

The File Pulldown menu contains a few more useful tools for managing line styles and line style files.

This allows you to add line styles from other files to your file. It can also help to rescue line styles from corrupted line style files.

If you select 'Manage', you will get the following screen:

This shows all the line styles in the open line styles file and the partial path to that file.

Use the Rename and Delete buttons to rename or remove the line styles in the list. 


Take care! Deleted Line styles cannot be retreived!


5.1 Source and Destination files

In the File menu of this screen there are also a few options:

The Source file is an existing line styles file that is used as a source of line styles.

You can create a new linstyles file (with the extension .rsc) or you can open a Destination or a Source File.

You can then copy list definitions from the source file to your active file or to the selected Destination file.


5.1.1 Open Destination File


You will then see the screen below:

You can't tell from this that this is an open 'Destination file', you can only see at the top edge of your Line Style manager that this is a different file than the file you had previously opened:

If you then open a 'Source file' via the file menu, you will see the following:

On the left, you'll see the line styles of the Source file, and on the right, you'll see the line styles of the Destination file. Selecting a line style in the right box and then pressing 'Copy' will copy the line style definition to the Destination file.


5.1.2 Open Source File

If you didn't select 'Open Destination File' first, your active file will become the Destination file:

5. 2 Import and Export of Line Styles

It is also possible to get line styles in a different way in a line style file or in a different type of file.