Chapter 40. Communication with the MicroStation system

The GROMA system supports communication with the MicroStation graphic system or PowerDraft. This communication is based on DDE (Dynamic Data Exchange), and is therefore only available in the versions for MS Windows. In the following text will be both graphic systems with the common name MicroStation.

Communication with the MicroStation system

Before initiating communication, it is necessary to configure the MicroStation system so it is able to collaborate with the GROMA program. This configuration consists of three parts:

  1. Copy the configuration file GROMA.CFG from the directory GROMA8\SUPPORT into the directory CONFIG\APPL of the MicroStation system, where the application configurations are stored. The entire path depends on the name of the directory where MicroStation is installed. It can look, for example, like this:

    C:\USTATION\CONFIG\APPL\

  2. If you have installed the GROMA system somewhere other than the offered implicit directory C:\GROMA8, adjust the variable GROMA in the configuration file GROMA.CFG so it contains the path to such directory (for example, C:/GROMA8/).

    Important

    This path must be always terminated with the character /.

    If you want to launch the GROMA system with some parameter at the command line, write this parameter in the variable GROMA_CMDLINE in front of behind the already existing parameter, separated with a space. If you write the parameter directly into the file name GROMA.EXE, the entire entry will be deemed the file name and you won't be able to launch the GROMA system.

  3. Copy the MDL modules (files with the extension .MA) from the directory GROMA8\SUPPORT into the directory MDLAPPS of the MicroStation system (directory where the applications are stored).