microsoft visio

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Microsoft Visio 2013 : Adding Sophistication to Your Drawings - Grouping shapes

Like the individual shapes that comprise it, a group is also a shape. You can apply borders or fills, add fields and text, and add shape data—in short, you can do anything with a group shape that you can with any other shape.

Microsoft Visio 2013 : Adding Sophistication to Your Drawings - Inserting fields: the basics

For the server shape and the other shapes on this page, the default text position is centered below the shape. You worked with shapes whose text appeared in the middle of a shape or somewhere else. You’ve also learned how to reposition shape text if you prefer a different location.

Microsoft Visio 2013 : Adding Sophistication to Your Drawings - Using shape data

A significant part of what gives Visio diagrams uniqueness and value is the data that resides inside Visio shapes. Called shape data starting with Visio 2007, data fields were known as custom properties in previous versions of Visio.

Microsoft Visio 2013 : Adding Sophistication to Your Drawings - Adding ScreenTips and comments

In general, use ScreenTips to provide useful but noncritical information about a shape. You should make the assumption that the reader may discover a ScreenTip, but also may not. Use comments when it is vital that the reader know that they exist and when it is important to know who created the comment and when.

Microsoft Visio 2013 : Adding Sophistication to Your Drawings - Positioning shape text

The text on a Visio shape is located in a text block. You can reposition the text within a text block with several buttons located on the Visio ribbon. You can also reposition the entire text block by using the Text Block Tool you learned about in the previous exercise.

Microsoft Visio 2013 : Adding Sophistication to Your Drawings - Orienting shape text

As you observed in the preceding exercise, shape text does not always rotate as you rotate the containing shape. Whether it does depends on how the underlying shape was designed.

Microsoft Visio 2013 : Adding Sophistication to Your Drawings - Orienting shapes on the page

When you drop shapes onto the Visio drawing page, they are usually oriented the way you want them to be. However, there are times when you will want the shapes to appear at a different angle. Visio provides several ways to accomplish this.

Microsoft Visio 2013 : Adding Sophistication to Your Drawings - Creating and formatting text boxes

As an alternative, the Visio 2013 Mini Toolbar introduces a single use Text Tool: the pointer reverts to the Pointer Tool as soon as you draw one text box. To open the Mini Toolbar, right-click anywhere on the drawing page.

Microsoft Visio 2013 : Adding Sophistication to Your Drawings - Adding text to shapes

You added text to shapes in steps 1, 3, and 4 in this exercise. You may have noticed that you were instructed to use a different method each time.

Microsoft Visio 2013 : Collaborating on Visio diagrams (part 2) - Coauthoring

Coauthoring in Visio 2013 means that multiple people can edit the same diagram simultaneously when the diagram is stored on SkyDrive, SharePoint, or SharePoint Online. Nothing else is required other than opening the drawing—coauthoring is automatic.

Microsoft Visio 2013 : Collaborating on Visio diagrams (part 1) - Commenting

If one shape is selected when you add a comment, the comment will be attached to that shape. If more than one shape is selected when you add a comment, the comment will be attached to the anchor shape . If no shapes are selected, the comment will be attached to the drawing page.

Microsoft Visio 2013 : Collaborating on and Publishing Diagrams - Refreshing diagrams published to Visio Services

In the preceding section, you saved a diagram to Visio Services, applied a data graphic, saved the changes, and then refreshed the web view of the drawing.

Microsoft Visio 2013 : Collaborating on and Publishing Diagrams - Saving Visio drawings to SharePoint 2013

In the previous section, you learned that Visio Services on SharePoint reads Visio 2013 files directly. As a result, publishing a diagram to Visio Services can be accomplished by simply uploading the file to SharePoint. From there, anyone with a web browser can click to view the diagram.

Microsoft Visio 2013 : Collaborating on and Publishing Diagrams - Understanding Visio Services in SharePoint 2013

Visio Services is a Microsoft SharePoint Server 2013 feature you can use to share diagrams with people who don’t have Visio. There are three key advantages to sharing diagrams via Visio Services instead of publishing static webpages

Microsoft Visio 2013 : Collaborating on and Publishing Diagrams - Customizing websites created by Visio

Web-published Visio drawings already include full support for embedded hyperlinks along with rich navigation and search capabilities. However, you don’t necessarily need all of those capabilities in every Visio-generated website, so it is convenient to be able to change the publishing options.

Microsoft Visio 2010 : Creating Web Pages from Visio Drawings (part 4) - Fine-tuning Web Pages and Battling Bugs - Saving a Visio Drawing as a Web Page

If you try search with a web export of the IT Asset Management drawing, however, you encounter problems. Very few searches will be successful, even though you search for data that is in the diagram.

Microsoft Visio 2010 : Creating Web Pages from Visio Drawings (part 3) - Fine-tuning Web Pages and Battling Bugs - Customizing Web Page Output

You can tweak the way your web pages look in many ways...unless you have the Standard edition. Figure 5 contrasts the web export Save As dialogs for Visio Standard and for Visio Pro/Premium at the time of writing.

Microsoft Visio 2010 : Creating Web Pages from Visio Drawings (part 2) - Exploring Visio-Generated Web Pages

After Visio has created web pages from your documents, you’re in for an interesting treat. Visio adds extra controls to the web pages that enable you to do all sorts of interesting things. First, though, you have to jump through a few hoops!

Microsoft Visio 2010 : Creating Web Pages from Visio Drawings (part 1) - Saving as Web Page

The sample IT Asset Management drawing is a great place to test the web export capabilities. This document has multiple pages, shapes with hyperlinks to those pages, plus many shapes with Shape Data fields.

Microsoft Visio 2010 : Sending Visio Files in Email, Saving as PDF or XPS Files

PDF and XPS files are high-quality documents that are essentially read-only because most people don’t have editors for them. They are great for distributing to folks who don’t need to edit your content or who don’t have Visio.

Microsoft Visio 2010 : Introducing Data Graphics (part 2) - Creating Data Graphics,Applying Data Graphics to Shapes

Creating your own Data Graphics is a simple process that involves mapping Shape Data fields to Data Graphic items. One issue to keep in mind is which types of data work best with which types of items.

Microsoft Visio 2010 : Introducing Data Graphics (part 1) - What Is a Data Graphic?

Each of the pieces is known as a Data Graphic item. A single Data Graphic can be composed of many Data Graphic items, and the items can be located at different positions around the shape. So a Data Graphic is a predefined set of visualizations that bring Shape Data to the surface.

Microsoft Visio 2010 : Linking External Data to Shapes (part 6) - Using Link Data - Linking Data to Shapes Using Link Data

You see this with ID as well. The Light Bulb shapes have no Shape Data field for ID, but it is added automatically when you drag a record from the External Data window onto a shape.

Microsoft Visio 2010 : Linking External Data to Shapes (part 5) - Using Link Data - Preparing a Master for Link Data , Importing Data for Link Data

The External Data window appears beneath the drawing window, filled with familiar data from the Light Bulb Data Excel file. Now you’re ready to link the data to shapes.

Microsoft Visio 2010 : Linking External Data to Shapes (part 4) - Using the Database Wizard - Taking the Data-Linked Light Bulb Shape for a Spin

You can change the data-linking settings for the Light Bulb master at any time. Just start the Database Wizard from the Add-ins menu and follow the screens. The wizard reads your shape, recognizes the settings inside, and presents them to you for modification in each screen.

Microsoft Visio 2010 : Linking External Data to Shapes (part 3) - Using the Database Wizard - Setting Up the Excel File as a Data Source

The trickiest part is remembering the Read Only setting when you set up the data source. This box is checked by default, which means you aren’t able to change values in Shape Data fields and push them back to the database

Microsoft Visio 2010 : Linking External Data to Shapes (part 3) - Using the Database Wizard - Setting Up the Excel File as a Data Source

You can create and edit data sources outside Visio’s Database Wizard as well. This is useful if you’ve already configured shapes or a drawing to work with a data source but have moved to a machine that doesn’t have the data source yet.

Microsoft Visio 2010 : Linking External Data to Shapes (part 2) - Preparing the Light Bulb Shape for Data Linking

Before you link to the data, you can make a few changes to the light bulb shape that will make life easier later. First, rename the rows so that they match the labels. Second, turn the light bulb into a master shape.

Microsoft Visio 2010 : Linking External Data to Shapes (part 1) - Preparing the Data

Before you start any data linking at all, prepare a data source in the form of a simple Excel spreadsheet. Continue with the light bulb theme by creating a list of bulbs with different characteristics.

Microsoft Visio 2010 : Working with Data - Creating Reports (part 3) - Using Reports with Other Documents

After you create a report and get it to look just right, you’ll want to use it in other similar drawings and diagrams. Let’s now take a quick look at one way to port the report to another drawing.

Microsoft Visio 2010 : Working with Data - Creating Reports (part 2) - Grouping and Totaling Items in a Report

You’ve just created a nice inventory of the light bulb shapes in your drawing and their associated data, but the report would be more informative if it grouped like items and showed totals. It would also be nice to make it portable, so that you can use it in other drawings.

Microsoft Visio 2010 : Working with Data - Creating Reports (part 1) - Introducing the Report Definition Wizard

No matter what kind of drawing you’ve created, after you have shapes with data-filled fields, you might want to create a report. The simple light bulb shapes are a great place to start in getting to know how to do this.

Microsoft Visio 2010 : Creating and Using Shape Data Fields (part 5) - Shape Data Labels versus Names

Shape Data fields actually have two names. Visio does its best to shield end users from this fact, but you will run into situations in which it helps to understand the nitpicky details.

Microsoft Visio 2010 : Creating and Using Shape Data Fields (part 4) - Displaying Shape Data in Shape Text

Having data behind shapes is useful if you’re interacting with Visio. But if you need a printout or a quick overview, it’s nice to be able to see the data at a glance.

Microsoft Visio 2010 : Creating and Using Shape Data Fields (part 3) - Saving Sets of Shape Data Fields

You saw that you can edit Shape Data definitions for multiple shapes by selecting a bunch at once and going to the Define Shape Data window. A better way is to save a set of fields as a Shape Data Set.

Microsoft Visio 2010 : Creating and Using Shape Data Fields (part 2) - Choosing Shape Data Field Types , Creating Lists and Controlling Formatting

In the Format field, type CF;Halogen;Incandescent;LED;Other. Notice that each item is separated by a semicolon. This is the way you indicate list items for Shape Data fields.

Microsoft Visio 2010 : Creating and Using Shape Data Fields (part 1) - Adding Simple Data Fields

You can add Shape Data fields to any Visio shape. The fields can hold several different types of data, and you can save sets that you’ve defined and apply them to other shapes all at once.

Microsoft Visio 2010 : Working with Data - Introducing Shape Data Fields

Many Visio shapes already contain Shape Data fields, ready and waiting for your data. Whether or not these fields are right for your business, they let you quickly see the kinds of data you can attach to shapes.

Microsoft Visio 2010 : Importing Graphics (part 6) - Importing AutoCAD Drawings - Manipulating an Imported AutoCAD Drawing and Adding Furniture

You can crop CAD objects so that only a certain region is visible by using the Crop tool, but you can’t crop the CAD object when it is locked. Return to the CAD Drawing Properties dialog, as you did in the last exercise and unlock its size and position.

Microsoft Visio 2010 : Importing Graphics (part 5) - Importing AutoCAD Drawings - Inserting an AutoCAD File

With the CAD object selected, check the size of the object by looking at the status bar. The CAD object is 98ft 9in × 99ft. This size seems reasonable for this office plan, so we just need to change the scale so that it fits the drawing page.

Microsoft Visio 2010 : Importing Graphics (part 4) - Adding Excel Charts to Your Diagrams, Importing Vector Graphics

If you have Microsoft Excel 2010 installed on your system, the Chart button appears to the right of the Clip Art button on the Insert tab. This feature enables you to quickly add Excel charts and associated data to your diagram.

Microsoft Visio 2010 : Importing Graphics (part 3) - Adding Clip Art to Your Diagrams

You don’t have to leave Visio to access a library of images and vector-based line art. Head over to the Insert tab, click Clip Art in the Illustrations group and you see the Clip Art task pane. This gives you access to a searchable library of quality photos and illustrations which can be added to your diagrams by dragging and dropping.

Microsoft Visio 2010 : Importing Graphics (part 2) - Using Images as Shapes in Visio - Handling Bitmaps and Jaggies

Because images are built up from lots of dots, the bigger you make them, the more dots you need so that they print smoothly. You just learned about reducing file size by compressing images. Before you go on an image-reducing binge, consider how the image will be used in your diagrams.

Microsoft Visio 2010 : Importing Graphics (part 1) - Using Images as Shapes in Visio - Working with Images

You can bring images into Visio in many ways. You can insert, copy/paste, drag from Windows Explorer, or import using File, Open. Using File, Open or Insert, Illustrations, Picture, brings up an open file dialog that lets you browse to a file.

Microsoft Visio 2010 : Using Special Shape Features (part 2) - Control Handles , Hyperlinks, Action Tags

Control handles are little yellow diamonds that appear when you select a shape. You use them to adjust graphical bits of a shape. Figure 3 illustrates several ways in which shapes use control handles.

Microsoft Visio 2010 : Using Special Shape Features (part 1) - Right-Click Actions,Shape Data Fields

Visio shapes are often referred to as SmartShapes because shape designers can add functionality to make them more useful. A lot of these extra goodies go undiscovered, however, because users don’t know where to look.

Microsoft Visio 2010 : Working with Text (part 3) - Text Resizing Behavior

A common complaint from Visio users is that “my text is resizing improperly!” This problem stems from the fact that some text is informational and some text is graphical. Figure 6 illustrates the problem.

Microsoft Visio 2010 : Working with Text (part 2) - Editing and Formatting Text

Editing and formatting text in Visio isn’t much different than in any other Microsoft Office application. You can see that a good deal of the Home tab is dedicated to text-formatting controls, and there are plenty of options in the right-click mini-toolbar as well.

Microsoft Visio 2010 : Working with Text (part 1) - Creating and Editing Text Blocks

A text block is a region on a shape that holds text. By default, this region is exactly the same size as the shape itself, but it doesn’t have to be. If you look at shapes like those in the workflow or network equipment stencils, you see text blocks that are below the shape.

Microsoft Visio 2010 : Formatting Individual Shapes (part 3) - Finding More Options, Formatting Groups

If you can’t find a button for something you want to change, there are two things to look for that lead you to more options. First is dialog box launcher buttons that you see in the lower-right corner of some Ribbon groups like Font and Paragraph. Second is menu items that end with “dot-dot-dot.”