Format Attribute Date Values 

Meridian stores date information so that it can be formatted according to the Windows locale settings of users. This may not be the format that you want used in drawing title blocks. If not, you can format the date values that are synchronized with AutoCAD attributes, MicroStation tags, and Revit properties.

There are two levels at which you can convert date values:

• One format for all insertions of the same title block. This is the typical scenario.
• Different format for each insertion of a title block per drawing. This scenario is rare.

To format an attribute date value for all insertions of the same title block:

1. In Configurator, expand Environment in the configuration tree and select Application Link Settings. The settings for each link appear in property pages in the right pane.
2. Click the AutoCAD/MicroStation/Revit tab. The link’s settings page appears in the right pane.

3. Click the Edit button to modify the settings.

   Note:

   To export the settings file to a location outside the vault, click the Export button. This can be useful if you would rather edit the file in your favorite text editor. You can then copy your changes to the Clipboard and paste them into Configurator.

4. Locate the section in the file that begins with the block name surrounded by square brackets, for example, [MyTitleBlock] and locate the TitleBlockDateFormat setting. If the setting does not exist, you can create it. The value of this setting is options that specify how to format synchronized date and time values using the following format:

   TitleBlockDateFormat = D{<DateFormat>} T{<TimeFormat>}

   The date and time format options are described in the following tables. The following example formats dates like 11/03/2003:

   TitleBlockDateFormat = D{dd/MM/yyyy}

   The following example formats dates as 03-Mar-11.

   TitleBlockDateFormat = D{yy-MMM/dd}

5. Edit the value of TitleBlockDateFormat to meet your requirements.
6. Click OK to save your changes.

To format an attribute date value for each insertion of a title block per drawing:

1. In Configurator, expand Environment in the configuration tree and select Application Link Settings. The settings for each link appear in property pages in the right pane.
2. Click the AutoCAD/MicroStation/Revit tab. The link’s settings page appears in the right pane.

3. Click the Edit button to modify the settings.

   Note:

   To export the settings file to a location outside the vault, click the Export button. This can be useful if you would rather edit the file in your favorite text editor. You can then copy your changes to the Clipboard and paste them into Configurator.

4. Locate the section in the file that begins with the block name surrounded by square brackets, for example, [MyTitleBlock] and locate the TitleBlockDateFormatProperty setting. If the setting does not exist, you can create it. The value of this setting is the internal name of a custom property that specifies how to format date and time values of the title block in the current drawing:

   TitleBlockDateFormatProperty = <PropertySet>.<PropertyName>

5. Click OK to save your changes.

6. Set the value of the specified property in each drawing to meet your requirements.

   The value of the property can be any of the following formats:

   D{<DateFormat>} T{<TimeFormat>}

   The date and time format options are described in the following tables. The following example formats dates like 11/03/2003:

   D{dd/MM/yyyy}

   The date format can also be specified without the D parameter, for example:

   {dd/MM/yyyy}

' BlockName - Block name passed from the link
' AttrName - Attribute name passed from the link
' DateStr - Attribute value passed from the link 
' Result - Converted value to save as the document property value

Function DateTimeConvertorFunc(BlockName, AttrName, DateStr, Result)
   On Error Resume Next
   'Perform your date/time conversion here
   Result = DateValue("25.06.2013")
   'Return whether or not to use Result
   DateTimeConvertorFunc = True
End Function

The following table describes the date format options.

The following table describes the time format options.