Frequently Asked Questions

Click this link to view the FAQ for Urbemis2002.

INSTALLATION QUESTIONS

OPERATION QUESTIONS

CHANGES BETWEEN VERSIONS

Why does Urbemis 2007 require Microsoft's .Net Framework?

If you are using the Vista operating system, the .Net Framework is part of the operating system. Previous versions of Window's must add the framework as a separate installation. When writing a large piece of software, the goal is to keep the 'core' portions of the code for approximately 7-10 years before rewriting with new technology. The decision was made to write this version to be 'Window's Vista Compliant', as this is the most advanced operating system available at the current time.

During installation, I receive an error saying that I have an old version of ReportViewer. What do I do?

Urbemis 2007 uses Microsoft's ReportViewer to create reports. Earlier versions of ReportViewer had errors that caused the printing to be erratic. The updated ReportViewer software is included in the Urbemis 2007 directory, so you do not need to have it installed as a separate piece of software. So you may remove ReportViewer through your Control Panel. However, you may have software other than Urbemis that uses the ReportViewer - in particular, it may have been installed by Microsoft's SQL Server software. In that case, you may want to upgrade the software by downloading and installing this software from Microsoft's web site. If you want to keep the old version of ReportViewer, please contact technical support and we will provide you with an installation routine that bypasses this requirement.

What if I want to run Urbemis 2007 on a network?

Soon, there will be a 'Click Once' installation for Urbemis 2007. This will allow a network administrator to place the Urbemis installation files on a web server and individual users may install a 'Click Once' version of the software. This version will allow an administrator to control when and how the software is 'pushed' out to users.

I want my Project Files and Data files in a different location. How do I do this?

There are settings in the Urb2007WinV9_2_x.exe.config file that can be modified to change these locations. You may need elevated (Administrator) rights to modify this file. Be sure and use a 'text' editor (such as Notepad), and not a word processor (such as Word) when you edit the file. You do not want any formatting code placed in the file. To change the directory location for project files, modify the line that says: projectDirectory="default". Remove the word default and place a valid directory path inside the quotes. To change the location for the Emfac databases, modify the line that says: commonDataDirectory="default" by removing the word default and placing a valid path inside the quotes.

How do I start the Urbemis 2007 program?

The URBEMIS installation should create a shortcut both on your desktop and in the start menu. Double click this shortcut to start the program.

How do I export a report to .pdf or Excel format?

Once your project information has been entered, you are ready to view a report. The report results can be viewed within URBEMIS, sent to a printer, or exported to a file in either Excel or pdf format. To export a file, first hit the Recalc button and proceed to STEP 6 - View and Print Output. Then, select the report that you want to export by clicking on it in the left hand column. For example, to export the Summer Construction Unmitigated report, click on Construction Unmitigated in the left window. The report will appear in the report output window. To export this report to an Excel or pdf file, click the blue diskette icon at the top of report window, and select either Excel or Acrobat pdf format. URBEMIS will then ask you for a name and location to save the output file.

How do I cut and paste values from forms?

Forms that support the cut and paste feature will have a menu associated with the right mouse button. Click anywhere on the form, and then click the right button on your mouse. A menu appears that has two options. Select the first option to highlight the values on the form, then right click your mouse again and select the option to copy the selected values to the clipboard. Click on your form one more time to remove the highlighting/selection. If you open Excel and perform a ctrl-V to paste the clipboard contects into a spreadsheet, the values will automatically align into the grid. If you paste them into a Word document, they will be text, but will be fairly well aligned. However, if you paste them into Notepad, you will lose most of the formatting for the columns.

What should I do if I cannot download Emfac files from inside the Urbemis program?

The most common reason for not being able to download Emfac databases from inside Urbemis 9 is that the program cannot get through your company's proxy server. There are several threads on the Support Forum discussing proxy server configurations. But, another option is to follow the instructions that are displayed when you click the 'Proxy Server Issues...' button on the 'Download Emfac Files' form inside Urbemis. These instructions give you the specific directory on your computer where you need to store the Emfac databases that you download from the Urbemis web site. Please read those directions first before attempting to download the files. Also, please note that you will have to download each file associated with an air district. In some cases this means you will download 9 or 10 files. If you can use the Urbemis program to do the download, all you need to do is click one checkbox for an air district and the entire set of files will be downloaded and stored in the correct location on your computer.

Why isn't there an Emfac database for San Diego?

The San Diego County Air Pollution Control District has not participated in the development of Urbemis. Consequently, neither county level default files nor San Diego specific EMFAC2007 files have been developed for use with Urbemis 9. For projects in San Diego, one possible solution is to use the California Statewide default file and then modify temperatures, trip lengths, etc. We encourage users to leave a message on the Support Forum discussing the specific changes they have made and sharing their ideas for modeling projects in the San Diego area.

How can I get help on individual screens in Urbemis 2007?

While running URBEMIS, help screens are available by hitting the F1 key on your keyboard.

What should I do if I find an error?

If you find an error or anomaly in Urbemis, please visit our online Support Forum to see if other user's have reported the error. If your error has not been reported, please start a new topic and describe your error with as much detail as possible. We will investigate the problem and send you an email response as soon as possible.

What are the changes that have been made in the different versions of Urbemis 9?

In the directory where Urbemis is installed there is a file named Changes.txt. This files describes the changes in each version of Urbemis 9. There is also a web page describing the most recent changes and issues.