Not selectable

[jstone]

What makes shapes non-selectable? I have a template created by someone else that has colored shapes in the background. I'd like to modify them but I can't seem to get to them.

They aren't true backgrounds, there's only one tab to the file. And they're not on locked layers - they aren't on a layer at all. The only layers are Connector and Flowchart and if I turn off their visibility, the "background" is still there.

I'm sure there's just a simple switch or setting somewhere, but I'll be darned if I can find it and I'm having a hard time searching for anything similar on the message board.

Any clues appreciated!

[jebuxx]

Hello, they may be grouped and protected. can you send the file?

[jstone]

Well, I guess the logical question there is - if a shape is protected from selection, how do you select it so you can remove the protection? Visio Help says to start by selecting the shape, but... 

[Nikolay]

If the shapes are protected from selection using "Protect shape from selection" feature, then you can remove this protection as following:

- Open drawing explorer window
- Right-click "Document"
- Uncheck "Shapes" checkbox.

Now you should be able to select the shape. Corresponding chapter in the documentation:
https://support.office.com/en-in/article/Prevent-or-allow-changes-to-shapes-e65decf4-0eed-4fd6-a7d9-b286abcbc7eb

Note that this method works if shapes are protected like written above (using "protect from selection" feature)
They may as well be placed on the background, and that background page made invisible as tab (it is also possible)
In this case
- Open drawing explorer window
- Right-click background page
- Click "Show shape sheet"
- Set ShapeSheet cell "UIVisibility" to "0"

Now you should see the background page tab, and should be able to switch to that tab. Chapter in the documentation
https://msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/library/office/aa173151

[jstone]

Thanks, Nikolay.

It took me a minute to find the explorer window - as you may have guessed, I'm not a heavy Visio user!

I think I've got it now, though there's a step missing in your instructions. After right-clicking on the document name (not "Document"), I have to click "Protect Document" and then uncheck the Shapes checkbox. I'm using Visio 2010. Maybe it's slightly different in other versions?

Regardless, this worked. Thank you - I was going crazy with this!

Side note - the corresponding support documentation you linked is the same page that I had read. Notice that it does a nice job of telling you how to protect the shapes. But to remove protection, it says to go through the same steps but unchecking the box instead of checking it. But you can't select the shape to begin with, and per your correct instructions, that's not how you get to it anyway. I think I'll respond to the "Was this helpful?" question...