Bentley ProjectWise-specific CEL environment

PW CEL

This technical handbook starts with a quick explanation of what PW CEL allows, what it no longer permits, and which limits matter. It then covers contexts, objects, lookups, Bentley extensions, Library Expressions, testing, and real attribute situations. It is a working PW configuration reference, not a lesson-based course.

Core CEL and PW CEL are different layers.

This reference targets ProjectWise Administrator 2026 and keeps portable core CEL separate from ProjectWise contexts, objects, lookups, and Bentley extensions.

01 · ProjectWise scope

What PW CEL is

ProjectWise CEL is Bentley’s host-specific CEL environment for Document Attributes, WorkArea properties, and Workflow Rules Engine. It is not a general ProjectWise data API and cannot query arbitrary database tables, internal IDs, or bulk data.

PW CEL in three points

What it is for

An expression calculates one result from the current ProjectWise context, CEL operations, and registered lookups.

What CEL does not allow

There is no arbitrary SELECT, table, view, join, stored procedure, or unrestricted access to the ProjectWise database.

What changes in practice

Start with a supported object or lookup instead of a database table. Complex SQL logic may require precomputed data or an integration redesign.

Read the complete plain-language explanationOpen the full comparison of the original ProjectWise model and PW CEL, including lookup behavior, supported datasets, limits, examples, and migration decisions.

Configuration areas

Document AttributesDefault · Update · Value list

WorkArea PropertiesProperty expressions

Workflow Rules EngineCHANGE_VERSION

02 · Runtime model

Contexts and objects

The active context decides which names and objects an expression can access. A valid expression in one context can fail in another.

Document Attributes

Available names

thisDocumentthisFolderthisFormthisUserutcTime

Used for: Default value, Update value, and Value list expressions
Important boundary: Folder and WorkArea hierarchy functions are available only here.

WorkArea Properties

Available names

thisFormthisUserutcTime

Used for: Property value expressions, mainly depending on other form fields
Important boundary: It does not expose the current folder name or parent hierarchy.

Workflow Rules Version

Available names

currentVersionutcTime

Used for: CHANGE_VERSION actions in Workflow Rules Engine
Important boundary: The expression result becomes the new document version value.

ProjectWise objects

Open an object to see its fields, types, methods, null behavior, and operational boundaries. These names are the actual ProjectWise context contract.

DocumentthisDocumentThe current document and its ProjectWise metadata.

Field	Type	Meaning
`.guid`	`GUID`	Document identifier
`.name`	`string`	Document name
`.description`	`string`	Document description
`.file`	`File`	Associated file object
`.version`	`string`	Version label
`.versionSeq`	`integer`	System-maintained version sequence
`.workflow`	`Workflow`	Assigned workflow
`.state`	`State`	Current workflow state
`.createdBy`	`User`	User who created the document
`.createdOn`	`timestamp`	UTC creation time
`.updatedBy`	`User`	User who last updated the document
`.updatedOn`	`timestamp`	UTC time of the last update
`.application`	`Application`	Associated application

Methods

getPWLink()→string

getPWLink(PWLinkType)→string

getPWLink(PWLinkType, bool)→string

getHttpLink()→string

getHttpLink(AppToOpen)→string

Source: official Bentley ProjectWise CEL documentation

Attribute FormthisFormA map of current, including unsaved, form values addressed by internal field name.

Source: official Bentley ProjectWise CEL documentation

FolderthisFolderThe folder containing the current document and its position in the hierarchy.

Field	Type	Meaning
`.guid`	`GUID`	Folder identifier
`.name`	`string`	Folder name
`.description`	`string`	Folder description
`.workflow`	`Workflow`	Assigned workflow
`.environment`	`Environment`	Assigned Environment
`.updatedBy`	`User`	User who last changed the folder
`.updatedOn`	`timestamp`	UTC time of the last change
`.createdBy`	`User`	User who created the folder
`.createdOn`	`timestamp`	UTC creation time
`.isWorkArea`	`bool`	Whether the folder is a WorkArea

Methods

getWorkArea()→WorkArea | null

getOwnerWorkArea()→WorkArea | null

getOwnerWorkArea(string)→WorkArea | null

getTopFolder()→Folder

getTopWorkArea()→WorkArea | null

getRelativeFolder(int)→Folder | null

getFolderPath(Folder)→list<Folder>

Source: official Bentley ProjectWise CEL documentation

WorkAreafolder hierarchy resultA WorkArea reached from a Folder or another WorkArea.

Field	Type	Meaning
`.folder`	`Folder`	Folder represented by this WorkArea
`.type`	`string`	WorkArea type
`.properties`	`map<string,string>`	WorkArea Type property values

Methods

getWorkArea()→WorkArea

getOwnerWorkArea()→WorkArea | null

getOwnerWorkArea(string)→WorkArea | null

getTopFolder()→Folder

getTopWorkArea()→WorkArea | null

getRelativeFolder(int)→Folder | null

getFolderPath(Folder)→list<Folder>

Source: official Bentley ProjectWise CEL documentation

UserthisUser / document user fieldThe active user or a user referenced by another ProjectWise object.

Field	Type	Meaning
`.name`	`string`	Login name
`.description`	`string`	User description or full name
`.email`	`string`	Email address

Source: official Bentley ProjectWise CEL documentation

FilethisDocument.fileThe physical file associated with a document.

Field	Type	Meaning
`.name`	`string`	File name
`.size`	`int`	File size in bytes
`.updatedBy`	`User`	User who last updated the file
`.updatedOn`	`timestamp`	UTC time of the last file update

Source: official Bentley ProjectWise CEL documentation

Workflowdocument.workflow / folder.workflowThe workflow assigned to a document or folder.

Field	Type	Meaning
`.name`	`string`	Workflow name
`.description`	`string`	Workflow description

Source: official Bentley ProjectWise CEL documentation

StatethisDocument.stateThe current workflow state of a document.

Field	Type	Meaning
`.name`	`string`	State name
`.description`	`string`	State description

Source: official Bentley ProjectWise CEL documentation

ApplicationthisDocument.applicationThe ProjectWise application associated with a document.

Field	Type	Meaning
`.name`	`string`	Application name

Source: official Bentley ProjectWise CEL documentation

EnvironmentthisFolder.environmentThe Environment assigned to a folder.

Field	Type	Meaning
`.name`	`string`	Environment name

Source: official Bentley ProjectWise CEL documentation

Documents, folders, and WorkAreas in practice

Open a situation to connect the object model to a concrete document, file, folder hierarchy, or WorkArea property and its expected result.

Documentdocument-metadata-summaryRead a document summary

Situation in ProjectWise

An attribute needs a compact snapshot of the current document name, version, and workflow state.

CEL expression

{'name': thisDocument.name,
 'version': thisDocument.version,
 'state': thisDocument.state.name}

Illustrative object statethisDocument.name = 'BS-A1-DR-001.dgn'thisDocument.version = 'P03'thisDocument.state.name = 'Approved'

Result{name: 'BS-A1-DR-001.dgn', version: 'P03', state: 'Approved'}map<string,string>

What happens, step by step

Read scalar metadata from the current Document object.
Follow the state property to the nested State object.
Return the selected values in one CEL map.

thisDocumentDocument.nameDocument.versionState.name

Source: official Bentley ProjectWise CEL documentation

Document → Filedocument-file-nameHandle a document with or without a file

Situation in ProjectWise

A display value should show the physical file name, but new or placeholder documents may not have a file.

CEL expression

thisDocument.file.name == '' ? '(no file)' : thisDocument.file.name

Illustrative object statethisDocument.file.name = 'BS-A1-DR-001.dgn'

Result'BS-A1-DR-001.dgn'string

What happens, step by step

Read the nested File object from thisDocument.
Check its name before using it.
Return either the real file name or an explicit fallback.

thisDocument.fileFile.nameconditionalempty object

Source: official Bentley ProjectWise CEL documentation

Folder → Environmentfolder-environmentShow the folder and its Environment

Situation in ProjectWise

A calculated value should identify both the containing folder and the Environment assigned to it.

CEL expression

thisFolder.name + ' · ' + thisFolder.environment.name

Illustrative object statethisFolder.name = 'Drawings'thisFolder.environment.name = 'BS Document Attributes'

Result'Drawings · BS Document Attributes'string

What happens, step by step

Read the current containing Folder.
Follow environment to the nested Environment object.
Join both names into a readable label.

thisFolderFolder.nameFolder.environmentEnvironment.name

Source: official Bentley ProjectWise CEL documentation

Folder hierarchyfolder-parentRead the parent folder name

Situation in ProjectWise

The current document is in Drawings, while an attribute needs the discipline folder one level above it.

CEL expression

[thisFolder.getRelativeFolder(1)].map(parent, parent == null ? '' : parent.name)[0]

Illustrative object statefolder path = Project > Building A > Architecture > DrawingsthisFolder.name = 'Drawings'

Result'Architecture'string

What happens, step by step

Start at the document folder.
Move one level toward the top of the hierarchy.
Return the parent name, or an empty string when no parent is available.

thisFoldergetRelativeFolderFolder.namenull guard

Source: official Bentley ProjectWise CEL documentation

Folder hierarchy → Documentdocument-full-pathBuild the complete document path

Situation in ProjectWise

A legacy FULLNAME-style value must be assembled from the real folder hierarchy and document name.

CEL expression

thisFolder.getTopFolder().getFolderPath(thisFolder).map(f, f.name).join('\') + '\' + thisDocument.name

Illustrative object statefolder names = ['Project', 'Building A', 'Drawings']thisDocument.name = 'A-101.dgn'

Result'Project\Building A\Drawings\A-101.dgn'string

What happens, step by step

Find the top folder and request the path back to thisFolder.
Replace Folder objects with their names and join them with backslashes.
Append the current document name.

thisFolderthisDocument.namegetTopFoldergetFolderPathmapjoin

Source: official Bentley ProjectWise CEL documentation

Folder → WorkAreaowner-workarea-propertyRead a property from the owning Project WorkArea

Situation in ProjectWise

A document attribute needs the project code stored on the nearest owning WorkArea of type Project.

CEL expression

[thisFolder.getOwnerWorkArea('Project')].map(wa, wa == null ? '' : wa.properties.ProjectCode)[0]

Illustrative object stateowning WorkArea.type = 'Project'owning WorkArea.properties.ProjectCode = 'BS-RAIL-001'

Result'BS-RAIL-001'string

What happens, step by step

Search upward for the nearest owning WorkArea whose type is Project.
Guard the object because the search can return null.
Read ProjectCode from its string properties map.

thisFoldergetOwnerWorkAreaWorkArea.typeWorkArea.propertiesnull guard

Source: official Bentley ProjectWise CEL documentation

Document creationnew-document-null-guardGuard thisDocument during document creation

Situation in ProjectWise

A default expression can run before the new Document object is available.

CEL expression

thisDocument == null ? '(new document)' : thisDocument.name

Illustrative object statethisDocument = null

Result'(new document)'string

What happens, step by step

Check the context object before reading any Document property.
Return a safe creation-time value when it is null.
Read the real name only after the Document exists.

thisDocumentnullconditionalDocument.name

Source: official Bentley ProjectWise CEL documentation

Null is part of the ProjectWise object model

Context objects such as thisDocument can be null. Missing property objects such as Document.file return an empty object, while methods that cannot find an object return null. Guard an object before dereferencing it.

thisDocument == null ? '(none)' : thisDocument.name

03 · Data selection

Lookups and supported datasets

PW CEL does not expose supported SQL tables. It exposes registered lookups and the exact built-in DMS.* datasets below.

Three lookup sources

Document Environment lookup

Uses attributes of documents in a selected Environment as lookup rows.

Documented condition or limitDatasource-wide; document permissions are not applied. Do not store sensitive values.

Standard lookup

Loads external ERP, CRM, or other data through PowerShell or the SDK.

Documented condition or limitUp to 10 columns; every value is a string with at most 255 characters.

Built-in lookup

Exposes selected ProjectWise system data through DMS.* lookup names.

Documented condition or limitOnly the documented datasets and columns below are available.

How registered lookups are defined and populated

A lookup definition and its data source are separate concerns. Environment lookups read live document attributes; Standard lookups receive uploaded rows; built-ins are supplied by ProjectWise.

Environment lookupNew-PWLookupA live view over selected attributes of documents in one Environment.

The definition does not copy Environment rows. New, changed, and deleted document attribute values are reflected by subsequent lookup evaluations. A new attribute column must be added to the lookup definition before CEL can select it.

Definition field	Example	What it controls
Lookup name	`LKP.Status`	Unique in the datasource; DMS. is reserved
Environment name	`Lookup Table - General Attributes`	Environment used as the live row source
Columns	`PW_CODE, PW_DESCRIPTION`	Environment attributes exposed to CEL
Default value column	`PW_CODE`	Used as value by select()
Default description column	`PW_DESCRIPTION`	Optional description used by select()
Primary filter	`PW_FILTER = Status`	Optional fixed, case-insensitive equals filters
Sorting columns	`PW_SORTORDER = asc`	Logical order; the sort column need not be selectable

Source: official Bentley ProjectWise CEL documentation

Standard lookupNew-PWLookup · Set-PWLookupData · SDKA ProjectWise-managed dataset loaded from an external system.

The definition describes the columns and defaults; data is uploaded separately. Keeping it synchronized with SQL, ERP, CRM, CSV, or another source is the integration’s responsibility.

Definition field	Example	What it controls
Lookup name	`my.towns`	Unique in the datasource; DMS. is reserved
Columns	`country, region, name`	At most 10 string columns, 255 characters each
Default value column	`name`	Used as value by select()
Default description column	`region`	Optional description used by select()
Sorting columns	`sort_order = asc`	Optional logical sorting

Source: official Bentley ProjectWise CEL documentation

Built-in lookup datasets

Lookup name	Selectable columns	Required hidden filter	Contents
`DMS.Users`	`namedescriptionemail`	—	All datasource users
`DMS.UserLists`	`namedescription`	—	All user lists
`DMS.UsersInList`	`namedescriptionemail`	`list`	Users in one list; filtering by list is required
`DMS.UserGroups`	`namedescription`	—	Datasource user groups
`DMS.UsersInGroup`	`namedescriptionemail`	`group`	Users in one group; filtering by group is required
`DMS.Workflows`	`namedescription`	—	Datasource workflows
`DMS.States`	`namedescription`	—	Datasource states
`DMS.StatesInWorkflow`	`namedescription`	`workflow`	States in one workflow; filtering by workflow is required

Lookup query pipeline

Get a lookup, apply the most selective lookup filters, then call select() for rows or selectOne() for one string.

getLookup('DMS.UsersInGroup')
  .filterEquals('group', 'Design')
  .select('name', 'description')

Documented lookup functions

Lookup filters produce another Lookup object. Data is materialized only by select() or selectOne(), so narrow large datasets before selecting.

getLookup

Lookup

getLookup(name)

Gets a registered or built-in lookup; names are case-insensitive.

getLookup('DMS.Users')

Source: official Bentley ProjectWise CEL documentation

listLookups

list<string>

listLookups()

Lists registered and built-in lookup names in the datasource.

listLookups()

Source: official Bentley ProjectWise CEL documentation

filterEquals

Lookup

<Lookup>.filterEquals(column, value)

Adds an equality filter; chained lookup filters are applied together.

.filterEquals('country', 'US')

Source: official Bentley ProjectWise CEL documentation

filterNotEquals

Lookup

<Lookup>.filterNotEquals(column, value)

Excludes rows whose column equals the supplied value.

.filterNotEquals('status', 'inactive')

Source: official Bentley ProjectWise CEL documentation

filterContains

Lookup

<Lookup>.filterContains(column, substring)

Adds a case-insensitive substring filter.

.filterContains('state', 'new')

Source: official Bentley ProjectWise CEL documentation

filterNotContains

Lookup

<Lookup>.filterNotContains(column, substring)

Excludes rows containing the substring, case-insensitively.

.filterNotContains('name', 'test')

Source: official Bentley ProjectWise CEL documentation

filterIn

Lookup

<Lookup>.filterIn(column, values)

Keeps rows whose column value occurs in the supplied list.

.filterIn('status', ['active', 'pending'])

Source: official Bentley ProjectWise CEL documentation

filterNotIn

Lookup

<Lookup>.filterNotIn(column, values)

Excludes rows whose column value occurs in the supplied list.

.filterNotIn('status', ['inactive', 'closed'])

Source: official Bentley ProjectWise CEL documentation

select

list<{value: string, description: string}>

<Lookup>.select([valueColumn], [descriptionColumn])

Returns matching value-list rows. With no arguments it uses the configured default columns.

.select('name', 'description')

Source: official Bentley ProjectWise CEL documentation

selectOne

string

<Lookup>.selectOne(column[, fallback])

Returns one column value. Without fallback, zero or multiple rows fail; with fallback, both cases return it.

.selectOne('description', '')

Source: official Bentley ProjectWise CEL documentation

04 · Host additions

Bentley / ProjectWise extensions

These names are supplied by ProjectWise. Do not present them as portable core CEL syntax.

Folder and WorkArea access

getWorkAreagetOwnerWorkAreagetTopFoldergetTopWorkAreagetRelativeFoldergetFolderPath

Document Attributes context only; object-returning methods may return null.

String extensions

charAtformatincrementAlphaVersionindexOflastIndexOfparseparseRegexreplacereversesplitsubstringtoLowertoUppertrimtakeLefttakeRightdropLeftdropRight

ProjectWise additions include .NET-style format, parsers, and slicing helpers.

List extensions

takeLefttakeRightdropLeftdropRight

Return a selected edge or the remainder of a list.

Time extensions

toLocalTimetoUTCsecondsOffset

Use TZDB/IANA names and a ProjectWise local-time compound object.

Document links

getPWLinkgetHttpLinkPWLinkTypeAppToOpen

Creates PW URL/URN links or web links targeting WEB, WEBVIEW, or PWE.

Signatures, return types, behavior, and examples

Folder and WorkArea hierarchyDocument Attributes context onlyNavigate from the document folder toward the datasource root and back.

getWorkArea

WorkArea | null

Folder.getWorkArea() / WorkArea.getWorkArea()

Converts a WorkArea folder to a WorkArea object; a normal folder returns null.

thisFolder.getWorkArea().type

Source: official Bentley ProjectWise CEL documentation

getOwnerWorkArea

WorkArea | null

<Folder|WorkArea>.getOwnerWorkArea([workAreaType])

Finds the nearest owning WorkArea, optionally restricted by case-insensitive type.

thisFolder.getOwnerWorkArea('Project').properties.Code

Source: official Bentley ProjectWise CEL documentation

getTopFolder

Folder

<Folder|WorkArea>.getTopFolder()

Returns the top-most folder relative to the current document path.

thisFolder.getTopFolder().name

Source: official Bentley ProjectWise CEL documentation

getTopWorkArea

WorkArea | null

<Folder|WorkArea>.getTopWorkArea()

Returns the top-most WorkArea in the current path, or null when none exists.

thisFolder.getTopWorkArea().type

Source: official Bentley ProjectWise CEL documentation

getRelativeFolder

Folder | null

<Folder|WorkArea>.getRelativeFolder(level)

0 keeps the origin, positive moves toward the top, negative moves toward the document.

thisFolder.getTopFolder().getRelativeFolder(-3).description

Source: official Bentley ProjectWise CEL documentation

getFolderPath

list<Folder>

<Folder|WorkArea>.getFolderPath(endFolder)

Returns the ordered folder path between the receiver and the end folder.

thisFolder.getTopFolder().getFolderPath(thisFolder).map(f, f.name).join('\')

Source: official Bentley ProjectWise CEL documentation

String functions18 ProjectWise entriesFormatting, parsing, searching, splitting, and controlled slicing.

charAt

string

<string>.charAt(position)

Character at a zero-based position

'abc'.charAt(1)

Source: official Bentley ProjectWise CEL documentation

format

string

<format>.format(value[, locale])

.NET-compatible value, number, and date formatting

'{0:yyyy-MM-dd}'.format(utcTime)

Source: official Bentley ProjectWise CEL documentation

incrementAlphaVersion

string

<string>.incrementAlphaVersion([alphabet])

Increments the last alphabetic version position

'Z'.incrementAlphaVersion()

Source: official Bentley ProjectWise CEL documentation

indexOf

int

<string>.indexOf(fragment[, offset])

First zero-based occurrence, optionally from an offset

'abc'.indexOf('b')

Source: official Bentley ProjectWise CEL documentation

lastIndexOf

int

<string>.lastIndexOf(fragment[, maxIndex])

Last zero-based occurrence, optionally bounded

'abcba'.lastIndexOf('b')

Source: official Bentley ProjectWise CEL documentation

parse

list<map>

<string>.parse(patterns)

Parses named A, N, and wildcard fragments; returns a singleton result list

'P01.02'.parse(['{pre:A}{maj:N}.{min:N}'])

Source: official Bentley ProjectWise CEL documentation

parseRegex

list<map>

<string>.parseRegex(patterns)

Tests regex patterns and returns match index plus capture groups

'P01.02'.parseRegex([R'(P\d+)([.])(\d+)'])

Source: official Bentley ProjectWise CEL documentation

replace

string

<string>.replace(what, replacement[, limit])

Replaces all or a limited number of occurrences

'abccc'.replace('c', 'x', 2)

Source: official Bentley ProjectWise CEL documentation

reverse

string

<string>.reverse()

Reverses the characters

'abc'.reverse()

Source: official Bentley ProjectWise CEL documentation

split

list<string>

<string>.split(separator[, limit])

Splits text, optionally limiting the result count

'ab-cd-ef'.split('-', 2)

Source: official Bentley ProjectWise CEL documentation

substring

string

<string>.substring(position[, count])

Returns text from a position; the second argument is count, not end index

'abc'.substring(1, 2)

Source: official Bentley ProjectWise CEL documentation

toLower

string

<string>.toLower()

Converts text to lowercase

'ABC'.toLower()

Source: official Bentley ProjectWise CEL documentation

toUpper

string

<string>.toUpper()

Converts text to uppercase

'abc'.toUpper()

Source: official Bentley ProjectWise CEL documentation

trim

string

<string>.trim()

Removes leading and trailing whitespace

' ab '.trim()

Source: official Bentley ProjectWise CEL documentation

takeLeft

string

<string>.takeLeft(count)

Returns the first count characters

'abcdef'.takeLeft(3)

Source: official Bentley ProjectWise CEL documentation

takeRight

string

<string>.takeRight(count)

Returns the last count characters

'abcdef'.takeRight(3)

Source: official Bentley ProjectWise CEL documentation

dropLeft

string

<string>.dropLeft(count)

Drops the first count characters

'abcdef'.dropLeft(2)

Source: official Bentley ProjectWise CEL documentation

dropRight

string

<string>.dropRight(count)

Drops the last count characters

'abcdef'.dropRight(2)

Source: official Bentley ProjectWise CEL documentation

List functionstake / dropSelect or remove elements from either edge of a list.

takeLeft

list

<list>.takeLeft(count)

Keeps the first count elements

[1,2,3,4].takeLeft(2)

Source: official Bentley ProjectWise CEL documentation

takeRight

list

<list>.takeRight(count)

Keeps the last count elements

[1,2,3,4].takeRight(2)

Source: official Bentley ProjectWise CEL documentation

dropLeft

list

<list>.dropLeft(count)

Drops the first count elements

[1,2,3,4].dropLeft(2)

Source: official Bentley ProjectWise CEL documentation

dropRight

list

<list>.dropRight(count)

Drops the last count elements

[1,2,3,4].dropRight(2)

Source: official Bentley ProjectWise CEL documentation

Time functions and objectstimestamp · duration · PWLocalTimeUTC evaluation time, IANA zones, local formatting, and conversion.

timestamp and duration

timestamp / duration

timestamp(...) ± duration(...)

Core CEL timestamp arithmetic and comparisons remain available.

timestamp('2020-12-10T00:00:00Z') + duration('1h')

Source: official Bentley ProjectWise CEL documentation

toLocalTime

PWLocalTime

<timestamp>.toLocalTime(timeZone)

Converts UTC to a ProjectWise local-time object using a TZDB/IANA name.

utcTime.toLocalTime('Europe/London')

Source: official Bentley ProjectWise CEL documentation

secondsOffset

int

<PWLocalTime>.secondsOffset

Exposes the active time-zone offset in seconds.

utcTime.toLocalTime('Europe/Berlin').secondsOffset

Source: official Bentley ProjectWise CEL documentation

toUTC

timestamp

<PWLocalTime>.toUTC()

Converts a local-time object back to its UTC timestamp.

utcTime.toLocalTime('Europe/London').toUTC()

Source: official Bentley ProjectWise CEL documentation

format local time

string

<format>.format(PWLocalTime[, locale])

Formats after applying the local-time offset.

'{0:yyyy-MM-dd}'.format(utcTime.toLocalTime('Europe/London'))

Source: official Bentley ProjectWise CEL documentation

05 · Help in practice

Official ProjectWise CEL situations

Bentley’s help examples show how context objects and extensions combine into complete attribute expressions. Each pattern below explains the input, transformation, result, and host boundary.

dependent-title-block-date

Dependent title-block date

Set a date only when the author field carries a real value.

thisForm.TB_DRAWN_BY != '---' ? '{0:yyyy-MM-dd}'.format(utcTime) : '---'

How it works

thisForm reads the current unsaved author value. The conditional either formats the evaluation time or preserves the title-block placeholder.

Illustrative ProjectWise valuesthisForm.TB_DRAWN_BY = 'P.Novák'utcTime = timestamp('2026-08-17T09:15:00Z')

Result'2026-08-17'string

thisFormutcTimeformatconditional

Source: official Bentley ProjectWise CEL documentation

file-extension

File extension

Read the final segment of an associated file name.

[thisDocument.file.name.split('.')].map(r, r[r.size()-1])

How it works

The singleton list creates a scoped value, split produces file-name segments, and the final index selects the extension.

Illustrative ProjectWise valuesthisDocument.file.name = 'BS-A1-DR-001.dgn'

Result'dgn'string

thisDocument.filesplitmapsize

Source: official Bentley ProjectWise CEL documentation

fixed-file-name

Fixed-format file name

Extract a named numeric fragment and provide a non-match fallback.

thisDocument.file.name.parse(['{a:N}P{b:N}.{c:N}.DWG']).map(r, r.match == 0 ? r.b : -1)

How it works

parse returns one result map. match identifies the successful pattern and b contains the requested fragment.

Illustrative ProjectWise valuesthisDocument.file.name = '100P20.30.DWG'

Result'20'string

thisDocument.fileparsemapconditional

Source: official Bentley ProjectWise CEL documentation

user-initials

Current-user initials

Build initials from the current user description.

thisUser.description.split(' ').map(r, r.substring(0,1)).join()

How it works

The description is split into words, every word contributes its first character, and join produces one string.

Illustrative ProjectWise valuesthisUser.description = 'Peter Novák'

Result'PN'string

thisUsersplitmapsubstringjoin

Source: official Bentley ProjectWise CEL documentation

document-date

Formatted document date

Format the document update timestamp for an attribute value.

'{0:yyyy-MM-dd}'.format(thisDocument.updatedOn)

How it works

updatedOn is a UTC timestamp; format returns the requested text representation.

Illustrative ProjectWise valuesthisDocument.updatedOn = timestamp('2026-08-17T14:20:00Z')

Result'2026-08-17'string

thisDocument.updatedOnformat

Source: official Bentley ProjectWise CEL documentation

document-path

Document path

Assemble a readable folder path and document name without a legacy FULLNAME token.

thisFolder.getTopFolder().getFolderPath(thisFolder).map(f, f.name).join('\\') + '\\' + thisDocument.name

How it works

The hierarchy function returns Folder objects, map keeps their names, join inserts separators, and the document name is appended.

Illustrative ProjectWise valuesfolder names = ['Project', 'Building A', 'Drawings']thisDocument.name = 'A-101.dgn'

Result'Project\Building A\Drawings\A-101.dgn'string

thisFolderthisDocumentgetTopFoldergetFolderPathmapjoin

Source: official Bentley ProjectWise CEL documentation

06 · BS attributes in practice

Real BS attribute samples

These expressions come from the supplied BS ProjectWise configuration. Each sample connects the actual attribute code to example form values or lookup rows, the expected output, and a step-by-step explanation.

PW_FULLNAMEbs-pw-fullnameResolve a full name from the selected ProjectWise user

Situation in ProjectWise

The form stores a ProjectWise login in PW_USERNAME, but the title block needs the readable user description.

Attribute expression

getLookup('DMS.Users')
  .filterEquals('name', thisForm.PW_USERNAME)
  .selectOne('description', '')

Illustrative datathisForm.PW_USERNAME = 'pnovak'DMS.Users row = {name: 'pnovak', description: 'Peter Novák'}

Result'Peter Novák'string

What happens, step by step

Open the built-in DMS.Users dataset.
Keep the row whose name equals the form login.
Return its description, or an empty string when exactly one row is not available.

thisForm.PW_USERNAMEDMS.Usersnamedescription

Source: supplied BS ProjectWise configuration

PW_USERINITIALSbs-pw-userinitialsBuild initials from the resolved full name

Situation in ProjectWise

PW_FULLNAME already contains a readable name and the next attribute must derive compact initials.

Attribute expression

thisForm.PW_FULLNAME.trim()
  .split(' ')
  .map(p, p.charAt(0))
  .join()
  .toUpper()

Illustrative datathisForm.PW_FULLNAME = 'Peter Novák'

Result'PN'string

What happens, step by step

Remove whitespace around the full name.
Split the name into words and keep the first character of each word.
Join the characters and normalize them to uppercase.

thisForm.PW_FULLNAMEtrimsplitmapcharAtjointoUpper

Source: supplied BS ProjectWise configuration

TB_DRAWN_BYbs-tb-drawn-byPopulate the title-block author only when triggered

Situation in ProjectWise

A trigger decides whether the current user’s configured title-block name is written or a placeholder is kept.

Attribute expression

thisForm.TRIG_DRAWN == '1'
  ? getLookup('Lkp.UserSupl')
      .filterEquals('PW_USERNAME', thisUser.name)
      .selectOne('PW_TBNAME', '')
  : '---'

Illustrative datathisForm.TRIG_DRAWN = '1'thisUser.name = 'pnovak'Lkp.UserSupl row = {PW_USERNAME: 'pnovak', PW_TBNAME: 'P.Novák'}

Result'P.Novák'string

What happens, step by step

Check the trigger first.
Find the current login in the supplemental user lookup.
Return the configured title-block name.

thisForm.TRIG_DRAWNthisUser.nameLkp.UserSuplPW_TBNAME

Source: supplied BS ProjectWise configuration

FI_ROLE_CODEbs-fi-role-codeDerive a role code from the folder hierarchy

Situation in ProjectWise

The role is encoded in the description of a folder at a fixed position below the top folder.

Attribute expression

thisFolder.getTopFolder().getRelativeFolder(-3).description

Illustrative datafolder path = Project > Building A > Architecture > DocumentsDocuments.description = 'ARC'

Result'ARC'string

What happens, step by step

Move from the document folder to the top folder.
Move three levels back toward the document.
Read the selected folder description.

thisFoldergetTopFoldergetRelativeFolderFolder.description

Source: supplied BS ProjectWise configuration

RV_DATE_1bs-rv-date-1Stamp a local approval date

Situation in ProjectWise

The revision date stays as a placeholder until an approver is present; then it uses the London calendar date.

Attribute expression

thisForm.TB_APPROVED_BY == '---'
  ? '---'
  : '{0:yyyy-MM-dd}'.format(utcTime.toLocalTime('Europe/London'))

Illustrative datathisForm.TB_APPROVED_BY = 'A.Smith'utcTime = timestamp('2026-08-17T22:30:00Z')

Result'2026-08-17'string

What happens, step by step

Check whether a real approver exists.
Convert the UTC evaluation time to Europe/London.
Format only the local calendar date.

thisForm.TB_APPROVED_BYutcTimetoLocalTimeformat

Source: supplied BS ProjectWise configuration

PW_USERNAMEbs-pw-usernameOffer only users missing from the supplemental lookup

Situation in ProjectWise

An administrator is adding supplemental user records and should not see logins that are already registered.

Attribute expression

getLookup('DMS.Users')
  .select('name')
  .map(dmsuser,
    !(dmsuser in getLookup('Lkp.UserSupl').select('PW_USERNAME')),
    dmsuser)

Illustrative dataDMS.Users names = ['pnovak', 'asmith', 'bnovak']Lkp.UserSupl PW_USERNAME values = ['pnovak', 'asmith']

Resultonly bnovak remains selectablevalue-list rows

What happens, step by step

Load all datasource user names.
Load user names already present in Lkp.UserSupl.
Keep only names that are not in the supplemental set.

DMS.UsersLkp.UserSuplselectmapin

Source: supplied BS ProjectWise configuration

07 · Reuse and proof

Library Expressions

Database-stored CEL expressions are registered below lib. A library expression accepts one map argument, reads it through arg, and can return any CEL-supported type.

lib.calculate({'x': 1, 'y': 2})

// inside the library expression
arg.x + arg.y

PowerShell management

Get-PWCelLibraryExpressionNew-PWCelLibraryExpressionUpdate-PWCelLibraryExpressionRemove-PWCelLibraryExpression

Testing with pwps

Invoke-PWCelExpression supports contextless, version, and Document Attributes executions with the corresponding ProjectWise context values.

ContextlessInvoke-PWCelExpression -Expression "1 + 1"

Version contextInvoke-PWCelExpression -Expression "currentVersion.incrementAlphaVersion()" -CurrentVersion "A"

Document Attributes contextInvoke-PWCelExpression -Expression "thisDocument.name" -DocumentGUID "<guid>" -FormFields @{ Field = "value" }

Built-in WRE version expressions

ProjectWise documents these 20 DMS.* version algorithms. Library Expressions can expose built-ins through the lib.DMS.* namespace.

DMS.INC_ALPHADMS.INC_ALPHANUM_MAJDMS.INC_ALPHANUM_MAJ_P1DMS.INC_ALPHANUM_MINDMS.INC_ALPHANUM_MIN_P1DMS.INC_MAJDMS.INC_MAJ_P1_P1DMS.INC_MAJ_P1_P2DMS.INC_MAJ_P2_P1DMS.INC_MINDMS.INC_MIN_P1_P1DMS.INC_MIN_P1_P2DMS.INC_MIN_P2_P1DMS.INC_NUMBERDMS.INC_NUMBER_P1DMS.PUBDMS.PUB_P1DMS.REMOVE_ALPHANUM_MINDMS.REMOVE_MINDMS.REMOVE_MIN_P1

08 · Legacy → PW CEL

Migration from legacy configurations

This is one part of PW CEL. Cases distinguish ProjectWise system variables from actual SQL functions and identify whether the change is direct, semantic, or a redesign.

What the Bentley migration appendix covers

ProjectWise system variables

Context values such as user, form, folder, WorkArea, and UTC time. Internal numeric IDs, table names, and several legacy variables have no direct CEL access.

$USER.NAME$ $EDIT#XXX $VAULT.NAME$ $DATE$

Built-in SQL functions

Documented replacements include conversions, conditions, null fallback, strings, dates, and collection operations. Several SQL functions have no direct replacement.

IIFISNULLCHARINDEXDATEADDSUBSTRING

ISO19650 stored procedures

Bentley documents CEL replacement patterns for these six legacy procedures.

dms_ISO19650_attr_lkpdms_ISO19650_attr_lkp_statedms_ISO19650_user_name_calcdms_ISO19650_action_namesdms_ISO19650_datedms_ISO19650_root_folder_attribute

PW01-L01Direct rewrite

PW system variable

Current user name

Replace the user system variable with a ProjectWise CEL context object.

$USER.NAME$ thisUser.name

PW01-L02Direct rewrite

PW system variable

Active form field value

Convert an $EDIT attribute reference to the thisForm map.

$EDIT#DisciplinethisForm.Discipline

PW01-L03Logic change

PW system variable

Owner WorkArea property

Replace a project system variable with explicit hierarchy traversal.

$PROJECT#PROJECT_CodethisFolder.getOwnerWorkArea().properties.Code

PW01-L04Logic change

PW system variable

Current date in a local time zone

Replace $DATE$ with an explicit UTC conversion and format.

$DATE$ '{0:yyyy-MM-dd}'.format(utcTime.toLocalTime('Europe/Bratislava'))

PW01-L05Direct rewrite

SQL function

Conditional value

Replace SQL IIF with the CEL conditional operator.

IIF(500 < 1000, 'YES', 'NO')500 < 1000 ? 'YES' : 'NO'

PW01-L06Logic change

SQL function

Fallback value for null

Replace SQL ISNULL with an explicit null check.

ISNULL(prop, 'ABC')prop == null ? 'ABC' : prop

PW01-L07Logic change

SQL function

Character position in text

Account for different index bases when replacing CHARINDEX.

CHARINDEX('C', 'ABC')'ABC'.indexOf('C') + 1

PW01-L08Redesign

PW system variable

Document path

Replace the unsupported FULLNAME variable by assembling a path from objects.

$DOCUMENT.FULLNAME$ thisFolder.getTopFolder().getFolderPath(thisFolder).map(f, f.name).join('\\') + '\\' + thisDocument.name

Primary Bentley sources

ProjectWise Administrator 2026 · PW CEL Help ProjectWise CEL Lookups List of Built-in Lookups Library ExpressionsProjectWise Administrator 2026