shape from a stencil changes name on drop.

[kiler40]

Hi All,
here is one stupid and annoying thing.
i have a shape in a stencil that is dropped on the page (a signature) with a macro and before close, another macro is deleting it
Normally it keeps the name as it is in the stencil and also leaves a copy in the document stencil (with the same name for the master).
here comes the problem.
I want to change the shape in the stencil. It is still with the same name but if i drop it on a page where in the document stencil is the old shape called in the same way, it is not overwriting (i understand why) the master shape but it is creating a new one with name "name.15" for example
And when on exit i want to delete the shape with a macro it is giving me an err.
The option - "remove unused masters" clicked by hand is not ok. if it is programable - ok. but i don`t know how to program it

Any idea

[Surrogate]

my collegues often surprised with some things. 
they have one master in document stencil, for example MasterName, they drop to some pages sometimes that master-shape.
and after they put to document stencil one copy of these shape from some page. This master-shape get name MasterName.100500.
and drop many times this master-shape too
they edit in document stencil master-shape MasterName, and these changes became to shapes that inherited from MasterName,
not MasterName.100500

[Surrogate]

I want to change the shape in the stencil. It is still with the same name but if i drop it on a page where in the document stencil is the old shape called in the same way, it is not overwriting (i understand why) the master shape but it is creating a new one with name "name.15" for example

Are you change master in external file - *.vss ?

[kiler40]

Yes.

[vojo]

drop breaks like with stencil....hence the copy in document stencil.   document stencil is tied to the drawing....no where else
while stencil is usable by any drawing

So
   If you change in the master stencil, no update in doc stencil, no change in dropped shapes
   If you change in doc stencil, only this drawing is changed....not in master...not in any other drawing
   All dropped shapes are tied to the doc stencil....not the master any more.

When you drop, a shape does add some drawing specific info to the name so that its unique on the page
(aka otherwise, dropping same shape twice would be problematic).

So if you want to change a shape dropped, do it in doc stencil.
if you want to change a shape for all future use in drawings, do it in the master stencil

[kiler40]

Or  as it is in my case just add one

Application.ActiveDocument.RemoveHiddenInformation (visRHIMasters) to remove unused masters


Anyhow. Thanks for the detile explanation. It was handy !