Thank you to Raymond Williams, Christine Psenicnik, Vishanth, Farley Klotz, Bruce
Nielsen,
Stefan Overkamp for their replies. The bottom line is that I should check the list
archive a
little better in future! This same matter has been raised a number of times before.

Stefan and Farley provided script to automate the 'simplify' and 'edit' procedure.
The
scripts are attached below.

But the best solution for my situation was provided by Raymond, Vishanth and Bruce -
editing
the arcview/lib32/avcore.dat file. Raymond's reply is set out below with the
detailed
procedure.

Thank you again to all who replied.

Regards,

Jeff Wood
Bennett & Francis
Direct ph 3239 5403
Direct fax 3239 5413

>+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
>Original Question:
>
>> Greetings Listers,
>>
>> Has anyone taken the time to write a script which produces a Layout scale
>> bar with units shown in 'metres' rather than 'meters'?
>>
>> Simplifying and editing the text is getting a little tedious.
>> Regards (will definitely SUM)
>>
>> "Jeff Wood" <j.wood@bfsurveys.com.au>
>++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
>Greetings  Jeff
>The Australian answer is to edit words like kilometer to kilometre in
>arcview/lib32/avcore.dat using something like a "HEX" editor.
>
>steps:
>    1    make a copy of the avcore.dat file
>    2    use a HEX editor to change kilometer, centimeter, meter BUT NOT
>parameter to *metre spelling.
>
>A recent SUM is included
>
>
>Subject:
>        [ARCVIEW-L] SUM: AV3 scalebar and HEX editors
>   Date:
>        Fri, 9 Mar 2001 10:17:03 +1000
>   From:
>        Gerard McMahon
>     To:
>        ARCVIEW-L@ESRI.COM
>
>
>
>
>There has been a lot of response to my question and SUM about converting US
>spelling to UK spelling.
>
>Further to my previous SUM, it is important to note that a search and
>replace on "METER" to "METRE" will change words like parameter, so be sure
>to check each replacement.
>
>A common question I have received is about HEX editors.
>
>Two examples of HEX editors (I don't necessarily endorse these but they
>work) are TextPad and UltraEdit. You need to specify the file types in the
>search and replace commands (e.g. ASCII or HEX, or BINARY or TEXT).
>
>For example in UltraEdit, open the file, choose "Search-->Replace", type in
>the spelling change you want, and be sure to select the "Find ASCII"
>checkbox. This will search for the text component of the file, and
>automatically make the appropriate changes to the HEX component.
>
>And always remember to backup the original file!
>
>Regards,
>Gerard
>
>
>------------------------------------------------------------------
>Gerard McMahon
>Hydrogeologist
>
>Department of Natural Resources
>Indooroopilly Sciences Centre
>Block A, 80 Meiers Rd.,
>Indooroopilly, Qld.
>4068
>
>ph.  +61 7 3896 9561
>fax. +61 7 3896 9546
>------------------------------------------------------------------
>mailto:Gerard.McMahon@dnr.qld.gov.au
>------------------------------------------------------------------
>++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
>Jeff
>
>Here is your manual process in code (works on metres and kilometres:
>
>
>d = av.getactivedoc
>if (d.is(LAYOUT).not) then
>  msgbox.info("Active document must be a layout","")
>  return nil
>end
>gl = d.getgraphics
>if (gl.getselected.get(0).is(ScaleBarFrame).not) then
>  msgbox.info("Scale Bar Frame to simplify must be selected","")
>  return nil
>end
>gl.simplifyselection
>gl = d.getgraphics.getselected
>for each g in gl
>  if (g.is(GTEXT)) then
>    if (g.gettext.contains("meters")) then
>      oldtext = g.gettext.substitute("meters","metres")
>      newtext = oldtext.proper
>      g.settext(newtext)
>    end
>  end
>end
>d.getgraphics.groupselected
>d.getgraphics.unselectall
>
>
>I remember from a few years back that there is some file where you can
>change the Meters to Meters and Kilometers to Kilometres, however I cannot
>remember which file it is or if I ever got it to work.  The ArcView-L
>archive from 1999 may be the place to look.
>
>
>
>Farley Klotz
>GIS Programmer / Analyst
>
>AXYS Environmental Consulting Ltd
>Suite 600-555 4 Ave SW
>Calgary, AB T2P 3E7
>Canada
>
>e-mail:                fklotz@axys.net
>Main Office:   403-269-5150
>Direct Line:   403-750-7664
>Fax:                 403-269-5245
>Web:                 http://www.axys.net
>+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
>
>Hi,
>
>I'm solving this with this avenue-code, where scale_bar is my scalebar frame:
>
>...
>theGraphics = theLayout.GetGraphics
>theGraphics.UnselectAl
>scale_bar.SetSelected(true)
>theGraphics.SimplifySelection
>for each aGraphic in theGraphics.GetSelected
>        if ((aGraphic.Is(GraphicText)) AND (aGraphic.GetText = "Meters"))
>then
>             aGraphic.SetText("metres")
>        end
>end
>theGraphics.GroupSelected
>theGraphics.UnselectAll
>...
>
>Stefan Overkamp [stefan.overkamp@wtal.de]
>++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++