An InRoads user recently posted this question on LinkedIn:

David: "Do some of you know why the window appears "imperial units used while creating thes library" when I want to make template.....and how could I fix this problem?"

(This was in reference to opening the InRoads Template Library in InRoads.) 

Here is the Zen Dude's response:

Hi David! 

Just so you understand what's going on. The Template Library has always been a 'unit-less" file, meaning that the units are not set by any unit of measurement in the Create Template dialog box. It's always been this way. When a Template Library is created it looks at the Units that are define under File > Project Options and tags that onto the ITL file. It has no affect on the values of the template so "12" is either 12 meters or 12 feet, depending on the Units defined in the Project Options.

Adam is pretty much right that the only real way to stop the ITL from giving you that message is to edit the actual ITL itself using an XML editor or simple text editor like Notepad (although I don't generally recommend that to the uninitiated, and you couldn't do that in prior pre-ITL versions). Otherwise it doesn't matter because that message is just a 'notice' of the unit system that was defined at the moment when the ITL was created and means absolutely nothing to the actual usage or operation of the templates within it. You can have metric templates (3.6m wide roads) and English unit templates (12 feet wide roads) in the same ITL. Whatever the units are defined as in the Project Options will define the distance. If you have the units set to Imperial then 12 = 12 feet. If you have the units set to Metric then 12 = 12 meters. Follow? As long as you use the templates with the right values (that sync with the Project Options units) then there are no worries. Again, I don't recommend this, but I've done it for many years in my own personal template libraries.

Richard mentioned saving the ITL again with the proper Units defined in the Project Options. Simply re-saving the ITL won't work because the Units are only stored in the ITL in two instances. 1) When it's created. And 2) when you go to Save As on the ITL and click the Options in the lower left and actually convert the ITL from one unit system to another unit system. But that will actually do a hard (not soft) conversion to all of the values in the ITL using either the 3.2808... or 0.3048... factor.

The other effect of the Unit setting in Project Options are the key-in entries. This would apply to any of the mathematical / numerical key-in fields. You can type in 12" and it will convert it to either 1.0 (ft) or 0.3 (m) depending on the Units defined in the Project Options.

1) Hmm... my Units must be set to Metric ... is that right? (Because if they were set to Imperial that message wouldn't appear.)

2) Hmm... I thought I WAS in Imperial ... I must not have the right XIN loaded ...and it must be set to Metric ... I better check which XIN I'm using and what the units are defined as.

3) Well, I have the correct XIN loaded with the unit set to Metric. I guess somebody probably just copied this ITL from somewhere else and didn't know it was created while the Project Options were set to Imperial. I better check out those templates.

4) Whatever. ... I'm just going to check my units in the Project Options, and then check the dimensions in the Templates that I'll be using and everything will be fine.  

Civilly yours,  

-zen