Exporting, Editing, and Importing Application Definitions

The APPINFO.XML file (located in the ...\ProjectWise\bin directory) is automatically imported into the datasource when the datasource is created, and is used to populate the Applications node with a list of applications. As delivered, this file contains application definitions for the applications most commonly used with ProjectWise: MicroStation and AutoCAD, Microsoft Office products, Bentley Civil products, Bentley Building products, Bentley Geospatial products, Bentley Publishing/Plotting products, ESRI products, and others.

You can always create, modify, or delete applications after the datasource is created using the dialogs in ProjectWise Administrator. You can also control which applications are automatically added to new datasources by manually editing the APPINFO.XML file first, and then creating the datasource.

You can also use the export and import options in ProjectWise Administrator to export the datasource's current list of applications to an XML file, edit the application definitions in that file, and then import the XML file back into the same datasource, or even into another datasource. Or you can rename the exported XML file as "APPINFO.XML" and place it in the ...\ProjectWise\bin folder so that it will be used to populate the Applications node of future datasources (if you use this option, make sure you back up the delivered APPINFO.XML file first).

To Export Applications Out of Your Datasource

Right-click the Applications node and select Export Application Configurations.
When prompted, select the location to save the XML file to.

To Import Applications Into Your Datasource

Right-click the Applications node and select Import Application Configurations.
When prompted, select the XML file that contains your application definitions.

Note: You can also use the DMSCONV tool to update the applications list of your datasource with the application definitions contained in the specified XML file, whether it is the delivered or modified APPINFO.XML file, or some custom XML file.

To Edit the Exported XML File or the APPINFO.XML File

Tip: To add a new application to the APPINFO.XML file, it is recommended that you copy the definition for MicroStation, paste it underneath the original, then modify the new definition accordingly.

Open the exported XML file or the APPINFO.XML file in a text editor.
Find the section for the application you want to modify. .
To change the name of the application, find the <Application name="yourapplication"> tag, and after the = sign, edit the existing name.
To add extensions to associate to the application, find the container tag <Extensions> </Extensions>, and inside the tags, add the required file type extensions.
Below the extensions are the application's action associations. Action associations specify which program is to launch when a ProjectWise Explorer user selects to open, view, markup, or print a document that is associated to that application.

For each action association, you must at least set:
- An action type (Open, View, Markup, Print). For example:
  action="Open"
- A name for the program that the action launches. For example:
  name="Bentley MicroStation"
- The location of the program, whether an absolute path, or a registry class name. An example of an absolute path would be:
  path="%SystemDrive%\Bentley\Program\MicroStation\ustation.exe"
  
  An example of a universal registry class name would be:
  
  progId="Bentley.MicroStation.Application"
  
  Though not always appropriate, using a registry class name is recommended in most cases for specifying a program's location.
Depending on the program you are associating, you may also need to set:
- Additional arguments used to launch the associated program. For example, when action="Open" and name="Outlook":
  arguments="/f"
  
  (Consult each client product's documentation to find out what additional arguments are used, if any, to launch the associated program.)
- Legacy integration, for those applications whose integration remains based on methods used in previous versions of ProjectWise. For example:
  <Association action="Open" name="InterPlot Organizer" progId="Iplotorg.Document" enableLegacyIntegration="true">
Add or modify action associations accordingly, using the above descriptions. Also, make sure each action association line (<Association action="Open" ... />) is within the container tags <Associations> </Associations>.
When finished, save and close the file, then import this file into your datasource, or create a new datasource and the applications in this file will be automatically added to the datasource.