Transferring Settings between MicroSurveyCAD 2023 and 2024

MicroSurvey is constantly working to develop MicroSurvey CAD and offer regular releases and updates to our customers.  The main benefits of this work are:

• Ensuring the software product complies to requirements of operating systems, printers and file formats exchanged with other software products
• Offering new features and refinements to ensure MicroSurvey CAD supports our customers requirements
• Fixing issues and defects that have been identified in past releases

New releases can be installed via an Auto Update alert or by visiting the downloads page and installing the latest release.

Most MicroSurvey users have customized MicroSurvey CAD to suit their workflows, CAD Standards and regional requirements.  All customizations are stored as settings files that can be transferred from an older release to a newer release, or between workstations within a company.  Please review this article to ease the process of updating from MicroSurvey CAD 2023 to 2024 and to optimize your setup to increase efficiency for all future updates:

Major categories of customization files include:

Settings Type:	Stored in:	Resources:
Workspace Configuration (*.cui file)	C:\Users\"user"\AppData\Roaming\MicroSurvey\MSCAD\20XX	Learn about workspace settings
Drawing Settings (*.dwt file)	C:\Users\"user"\Documents\MicroSurvey\Templates or C:\Users\"user"\OneDrive\Documents\MicroSurvey\Templates	Learn about Drawing Settings
MicroSurvey System Configurations (*.cfg file)	C:\Users\"user"\AppData\Roaming\MicroSurvey\MSCAD\20XX	Learn about MicroSurvey System Defaults
Automap (*.csv file)	C:\ProgramData\MicroSurvey\MSCAD\20XX\mscad	Learn about AutoMap
Symbols used in AutoMap (*.dwg files)	C:\ProgramData\MicroSurvey\MSCAD\20XX\mscad\blocks or User defined location	Learn about best practices for AutoMap symbol storage
Printstyles (*.ctb or *.stb files)	C:\Users\"user"\Documents\MicroSurvey\Print Styles or C:\Users\"user"\OneDrive\Documents\MicroSurvey\Print Styles	Learn about Printstyles
Coordinate System files (Various types)	C:\ProgramData\MicroSurvey\MSCAD\20XX\mscad\mapping	Includes gridshifts and geoid files

The process of configuring MicroSurvey CAD 2023 after installing a new version is greatly simplified by using the follow two features:

IntelliCAD's MIGRATE Function eases the transfer of workspace settings

MicroSurvey's Settings Migration Wizard eases the transfer of all other CAD and MicroSurvey settings

---

MIGRATE

1. Transfer workspace settings between versions and workstations using the IntelliCAD MIGRATE function:

• Open 2023 (or older)
• Ensure you have all toolbars, ribbons and other workspace customizations displayed as desired
• Left click the Blue Gear icon in the bottom right corner of MicroSurvey CAD
• Select "Save Current as..."
• Enter a new name for a custom workspace (unless you have already done this earlier)
• Close MSCAD 2023
• Open MSCAD 2024
• Type MIGRATE in the command line
• when you see this prompt:

[? to list]/Enter file path:

• type ?
• A list will appear as you see below, telling you what the path is to all older versions of MicroSurvey CAD that were installed on your PC:

"c:\users\jjam\appdata\roaming\microsurvey\mscad\2017\default.cui"
"c:\users\jjam\appdata\roaming\microsurvey\mscad\2018\default.cui"
"c:\users\jjam\appdata\roaming\microsurvey\mscad\2019\default.cui"
"c:\users\jjam\appdata\roaming\microsurvey\mscad\2019.1\default.cui"
"c:\users\jjam\appdata\roaming\microsurvey\mscad\2020\default.cui"
"c:\users\jjam\appdata\roaming\microsurvey\mscad\2020.1\default.cui"
"c:\users\jjam\appdata\roaming\microsurvey\mscad\2020.2\default.cui"
"c:\users\jjam\appdata\roaming\microsurvey\mscad\2021.2\default.cui"
"c:\users\jjam\appdata\roaming\microsurvey\mscad\2022.1\default.cui"
"c:\users\jjam\appdata\roaming\microsurvey\mscad\2023\default.cui"
"c:\users\jjam\appdata\roaming\microsurvey\mscad\2024\default.cui"

• Because I want to copy the customizations from the default.cui file stored for 2023, I will highlight and hit ctrl C to copy:

"c:\users\jjam\appdata\roaming\microsurvey\mscad\2023\default.cui"

• Type MIGRATE in the command line again
• When prompted

[? to list]/Enter file path: 

• this time... hit ctrl V to paste the path you copied earlier
• When prompted:

Enter an option [Replace with given/Merge prefer given/MErge prefer current]:

• type m (see notes from the help file below to explain the options)
• The workspace will be imported, although you won't see the results yet
• Left click the Blue Gear icon in the bottom right corner of MicroSurvey CAD
• Select the custom workspace you saved in MicroSurvey CAD 2023
  
• All Ribbons, Toolbars and menus from MicroSurvey CAD 2023 are now displayed

Notes from the Help files on Migrate options:

Enter an option [Replace with given/Merge prefer given/MErge prefer current]:

To entirely replace the current customization with the one from the selected .cui file, choose Replace with given.
To merge customizations with a preference to the previous installation if conflicts occur, choose Merge prefer given.
To merge customizations with a preference to the current installation if conflicts occur, choose MErge prefer current.

---

Settings Migration Wizard

2. Transfer CAD and MicroSurvey configurations between versions and workstations using the MicroSurvey Settings Migration Wizard:

• Open MicroSurvey CAD 2023 (or older)
• Open a drawing with all MicroSurvey defaults configured exactly as you prefer.  Check this article to ensure you have accounted for all options.
• Open "Job Defaults" from the MsTools Ribbon
• Check on "Set these defaults as Permanent" and select "OK"
• Pick "Yes" to the prompt that follows
• Your MicroSurvey Defaults are now stored in a file named incad.cfg and are ready for transfer to another workstation or another version
• Find the Migration Wizard on the MsTools Ribbon "Defaults" drop-down as shown:

• Run Migration Wizard
• Select "Backup"
• Configure the Migration Wizard as shown:

NOTES: Use "Browse" to set the location for your migration file to be created "IntelliCAD Profile," "Color Books," "Printer, "Spelling Dictionaries," "Linetypes," "Fonts," "Patterns," "Tiitle Blocks," "Quicksurf Config," and "Symbol Library" are elements that are rarely customized.  If you DO wish to use the Migration Wizard to transfer these settings you must run MicroSurvey CAD 2023 with elevated permissions (Run as Administrator) in order to copy these files into the Program Files location. "Print Styles" and "Printers" are now located permanently in the MicroSurvey folder in the Documents folder so no longer need to be migrated. Including "Coordinate Systems" will transfer all customized gridshifts and geoid files to the new workstation or new version.

• Select "OK" and a migration file will be created
• Close MicroSurvey CAD 2023
• leave the Migration Wizard file where you created it, or if necessary, transfer the file to another workstation
• Open MicroSurvey CAD 2024
• Find the Migration Wizard on the MsTools Ribbon "Defaults" drop-down as shown:

• Select "Restore"
• Browse to the Migrations file you created before
• Open
• All MicroSurvey System Defaults have now been transferred successfully

Important Note about AutoMap Symbols: Now that your AutoMap has been transferred to the new build, any automap symbols you are using will still be sourced from the original location.  If you configured your Automap in MicroSurvey CAD 2023 to using the sample symbols that were stored in "C:\ProgramData\MicroSurvey\MSCAD\2023\mscad\blocks" they will be available for use until you uninstall MicroSurvey CAD 2023.  If you wish to update the symbols location in the AutoMap it is most efficient to open the csv file in Excel and edit the "D" column to update the path to the required location.  This step will be necessary with each update.  

Alternatively, you can define a custom location for all required symbols on your PC or network and this step will no longer be required.  See this article for tips.