Project Explorer Dialog, Links Tab

Contains controls used to manage link sets. A link set contains hierarchical information about links or grouped information in project data. If link sets exist in the open file or in the configured DGN libraries, a link set appears in the Links tab when you open it. The link set's name appears next to the Manage Link Set icon in the drop-down list box. To follow a link, double-click it or right-click the link and choose Open from the pop-up menu.

A link set can contain links to DGN and DWG files; design, drawing, and sheet models; folders, references, saved views, and supporting documentation created in other file formats. Each link set is an independent object stored as non-graphical data in a DGN file or in a DGN library (DGNLib). If you move a DGN file with link sets stored in it, the link sets move with the DGN file and retain their links to the target files.

If you do not see the link set and links that you want to use in the Project Explorer dialog, you can:

select another link set, if one is available, from the drop-down list box
open the Link Sets dialog to select a link set from another source.

In the Project Explorer dialog you can view the information in the link set, including browsing through the link set, opening links, adding links to elements, and viewing a link's properties. The Project Explorer dialog is used for organizing your links. You can organize links by creating folders and placing the links in them.

You also may want to add more links to a link set. In addition to creating links to DGN and DWG files; design, drawing, and sheet models; references, and saved views, you can link to:

Microsoft Word documents, including headings and bookmarks within the documents
Microsoft Excel workbooks, including specific worksheets within the workbooks
Adobe PDFs, including bookmarks within the file
Web sites, key-ins, and e-mail addresses
Folders, link sets and configuration variables
Any other file type

Setting	Description
Create Link	Used to create a link in the open link set. Lists a drop-down with items to select to link.
New Folder	Creates a new folder in the open link set. `PROJECT` `CREATE` `LINKFOLDER` [ `folder_name` ] Note: The new folder will be placed in the location that is selected in the Project Explorer dialog.
Delete Folder or Link	Deletes the selected folder or link from the open link set. If the folder contains links or other folders, they are deleted as well. `PROJECT` `DELETE`
Refresh	Reloads the contents of the selected folder. If the link is invalid, Project Explorer displays only the link and not the contents within it. Note: The Refresh icon works only if you select a folder or link in the Project Explorer dialog and then click Refresh. Also, the Refresh icon refreshes only the selected folder or link and not all folders or links.
Available Link Sets (Drop-Down List Box)	Used to select a link set. The selected link set's links are displayed in the list box below.
Manage Link Sets	Opens the Link Sets dialog, which is used to manage link sets.
Links (List Box)	Lists the links and folders in the open link set selected using the drop-down list box above.
Pop-Up Menu for Folders	Right-clicking a folder opens a pop-up menu with the following choices: Open — Opens the target folder to which the selected link points. Add Link to Element — Adds the link to the selected element in the open DGN file. Validate — Verifies that all targets in the selected folder still exist in the locations to which the links point. If any targets do not exist, the folder name and the missing targets' names turn red. They remain red until you revalidate and confirm that all targets in the folder exist in the specified locations. Copy — Copies the selected folder and can be pasted to other location in the link set. Delete — The effect is the same as clicking the Delete Folder or Link icon. Rename — Allows you to key in a new name for the selected folder. Refresh — Reloads the contents of the selected folder. If the link is invalid, Project Explorer displays only the link and not the contents within it. Link Properties — Allows you to view the properties of the links in the selected folder. Opens the Properties for Link or Folder dialog. Properties — Allows you to view the properties of the selected folder. Opens the Properties for Link or Folder dialog.
Pop-Up Menu for Links	Right-clicking a link opens a pop-up menu with the following choices: Open — Opens the target to which the selected link points. Add Link to Element — Adds the link to the selected element in the open DGN file. (Links to Saved Views only) Find uses — Opens the Saved View Usage dialog to display the list of models in which the saved view is used. Copy — Copies the selected link and can be pasted to other location in the link set. Link Properties — Allows you to view the properties of the selected link. Opens the Properties for Link or Folder dialog. Properties — Allows you to view the properties of the selected model or sheet model. Note: A backslash must precede each folder name and file name. If the folder, file, or model name contains a space, or if there is a space between any of the names, put quotation marks around the entire path and link name. To add to an element a model link, URL link, or other type of file link, follow the syntax of the link as shown in the Project Explorer dialog. For example, to add the Handles model in the references.dgn file in the MyLinks folder, you would key in `LINKS ADD ELEMENT \MyLinks\references.dgn, Handles`(with the quotation marks).