Visio Guy

Yes, this is Brandy again... :) :)

Is there a Function / Code, Formula or anything to keep connectors stationary to resize when you reduce the size of an entire diagram/drawing?

I locked them down, glued them, snapped them, I changed the ObjectType in ShapeSheet, I locked the Master "Dynamitic Connector",  played with them and they will not resize with the diagram..  

I tried the following function/formula but it did not work...  (It enlarge the Title of my diagram...)

•  User.defined:
      User.YSpaceHt=1

•  Connection Points:  
      Y=GUARD(0*User.YSpaceHt)
      Y=GUARD(1*User.YSpaceHt)
      Y=GUARD(2*User.YSpaceHT)
      Width*3
      Height*4

•  Text Transform:
   o  TxtPinX   =GUARD(3cm)
   o  TxtLocPinX   =0

Any, any help is greatly appreciated.  

If not, trust me, I do understand...  I have asked too much of you guys...

Thanks

Brandy

Hi Brandy, it is not really clear to me what you are trying to do.
Pse send a vsd rather than a picture.

I did, it's there... look above the picture... :)

Brandy

sorry, overlooked it.

The behaviour is a classical case of over-challenged connector.
You corrected the connector manually and it stayed where you wanted it to be.
Right click on it and chose "reset connector".

What I could offer to you is the red, "non printable", "connector distributing" line in the attachment as small work around

There's no way I would be able to reset over 1000 connectors.... There has to be another way...

thank you so much for all your help.

Brandy

c'mon, stop bluffing, there are only 647. isn't it?

I wish.... :)

Just out of curiosity, why do you need to resize?  Is this a hard copy thing?

You can make your drawing page size arbitrarily large, either using standard sheet sizes or custom, so fitting your contents onto a Visio drawing page shouldn't be an issue.  Then, comes the question of printing, but, you can let the print setup fit the contents to a single sheet if desired.  So, it comes down to how much stuff do you want to cram onto a give page. 

Anyway, something to consider.

Wapperdude

Sweetie, this is the same problem/issue of Resizing Text.... It's part of the resizing text issue.  We solved the problem of resizing the text... but now, when I run the script and resize the diagram, everything resizes but the connectors. 

I have over a hundred diagrams on one page. (36x150)  I need to resize each drawing to fix on one page. 

I'm almost there... I just need to figure out this "Connectors" issue...

This is driving me crazy.... ??? :'(

Any, any, any, any help is greatly appreciated.

Again, thank you so, so much. :D

Brandy

No Brandy, Wapperdude is probably closer to the solution, than you think. The idea is worth going two steps backwards.

Thanks Yacine, you are correct...

Excellent idea... I'm at the point that I will try almost.... anything...

In advance, thank you so, so much.

Brandy

So again, why do you need to resize the groups? Could you consider working with a big document with normal sized groups inside, instead of having a normal sized document with a lot of resized groups?

see for yourself...

Attachment

Thanks

Brandy

So what? That won't get any better if you scale it.
Adjust the scale of your drawing!

Actually you need to set the page's zoom to fit 1 page, Set the page size (2nd tab) what ever suits you best, leave the other tabs unchanged. With these settings you won't need to inject any anti-scale formula in your shapes.

It has those settings already.... now what?

Brandy

you have obviously not set the drawing size.

This is what happens when you set the drawing page to

Page:   "Size to fit drawing contents"

Drawing Scale:  "Custom Scale" = 1x10 (note:  all the drawings were designed on this scale and if I change it to "No Scale", all the connectors disperse to infinite...)

Brandy

PS:  It took me 2 hours just to capture this view... 2 hours.... :o 

Let's try it with pictures ::)

Quote from: Brandy on June 05, 2010, 02:57:16 AMPS:  It took me 2 hours just to capture this view... 2 hours.... :o 

See it as an investment in your visio skills ;D

Sorry to disappoint you... as I have stated... I have those settings....

Now what?

You are not understanding me... I have over 100 diagrams... my document is 498, xxx, xxxx large....

I've been down that road... now I have nowhere to go.....

Thanks for trying

Brandy

Investment..... right... I can scream... I'm running out of time.... and options

My document is 36x150, set to fit on one page.

I tried resizing anyway and reset the connectors... well, the connections lines went across the shapes, down shapes, on top of shapes, below shapes... everything but the way they were set on the page.  Since I have so many shapes on the page... I had to maneuver the line around, under, and so on to make the drawing readable, and look good.  If I reset the connectors, I have to redesign each entire diagram/drawing again... too many diargrams and too much work...

I am at a lost at this point....

Brandy

Hi Brandy --

That was one weird result that you ended up with!

So, let me see if I understand correctly, please correct where necessary...
1.)  You have an existing drawing that is 36X150.  Is that the original drawing size?  I'm assuming inches? 
2.)  Your document has many diagrams, that is, many pages.
3.)  The goal of shrinking is to make each fit onto a standard size sheet, e.g., A or B or the metric equivalent?
4.)  There is no other reason to shrink the drawing.
5.)  You have tried the following steps, for each drawing page -- I think it has to be done of a per page basis:
          a.)  For the page being viewed:  Menu Bar > File > Page Setup.
          b.)  Page Size tab:  you have checked either the "Pre-defined" or the "Custom size" options.
          c.)  It isn't necessary to select "Size to fit drawing contents".  (I tend to not use this unless making Master shapes for a stencil.)
          d.)  Print Setup tab:  In the "Print zoom" region, select the option "Fit to" and enter "1" in sheet(s) across and sheet(s) down.
          e.)  Hit OK.

This should not affect your actual drawing.  It will only affect how the drawing page is printed. 

By the way, if you do want your drawing to have a different page size, then, you should be able to
     a.)  change the size on the Page Size tab.  this will only create a larger or small drawing area.
     b.)  go to Drawing Scale, and reset the scale proportionately.  This will shrink or expand the existing drawing, if so desired, to fit the new drawing page.  Do not select the shapes and drag them to fit the new page size!!!.  Only use the Drawing scale.

Neither of these steps should alter or affect the drawing shape positions or arrangements.

Please verify that these are the steps you've tried.

Wapperdude

You are correct, however, it does affect the drawing...

I've tried everything you mentioned...

Sorry to say, but I still get the same results.... I tried just reducing the size after running the script and reset the connectors, but it was too much.  I only tried it on several diagram and received the same results... It's too much of re-work...

There has to be another way....

Again, thank you so much for all your help.

Brandy

Brandy,
I did not want to upset you. I apologize for my tone.
But for God's sake, if the matter is so serious, why not hire one of the pros here?
I understand that you cannot publish your diagram in a public forum, but you certainly can set up a quick confidentiality agreement with one of the guys and send that document.
The costs can't be higher than the hours you spent already in this work.

Really!?!   :P  Edit:  This is response to Brandy's last post, not Yacine's. 

Those steps aren't supposed to affect the drawing.

So.  Let's see where this goes wrong...
First, I presume you have a back up copy of your file.

Step 1.  Go to the File > Page Setup > Page Size tab.  
   a.)  Click the Custom size option.  In the boxes, make each number 4X bigger.
   b.)  Say OK.
   c.)  Your drawing should appear on a page size that is 4X wider and taller than the original.
   d.)  Zoom in on your drawing.  It should look the same.

Step 2.  If everything in Step 1 is OK...Go to the Drawing Scale tab.
   a.)  Select custom scale option
   b.)  Make the number in the left box 4X bigger.
   c.)  Say OK
   d.)  Your drawing should now fill the new page just as it used to, and it should be OK.

Step 3.)  Assuming that Step 2 worked, Go back to your original unaltered drawing (undo all of the above steps)
   a.)  Now repeat Step 1, but make the size 4X smaller.
   b.)  Drawing should be bigger than the page size, but, unaltered.  If so, proceed to step 4.

Step 4.)  Repeat step 2, but, make the entry 4X smaller.
   a.)  Now the drawing should fill the page size and be unaltered.

Let me know how this goes.

Wapperdude

@Yacine,

They hired me, to do it...

I'm a pro; it's just a challenge and I can do....  I just need to do a work around....  Everything you suggested, I've already tried that process...  You haven't provided anything that I have not tried....

Thanks for the offer

Brandy

... too bad  :( ...
now what about Wapperdudes questions? Do it step by step and report when it gets weird.

@Wapperdude

These are my current settings...

Brandy

@Wapperdude

OK, I completed your process and YES, yes it worked; however, will it print on 36x125?

The Plotter paper is 36 in by 150.... However, it will not allow me to print 150, so I set it to 125... When I try to print it on 150, 145, 135, even 130, the drawing prints 1/8 of inch on the entire page... All I could do is laugh.... that S... was too funny....

You are so wonderful, just wonderful... thank you so, so, so, so much....

I will try to print it tomorrow at work. 

I was about to lose my mind.... Yacine had me believing that I could not do it... and what I was doing was wrong; however, everything everyone was suggesting, I already tried....

Again, thank you, thank you

Brandy

I will keep you posted.  Now, I have to add the remaining diagrams to the drawing.... 200 more... just crazy

 

Quote from: Brandy on June 06, 2010, 07:55:50 PM
Yacine had me believing that I could not do it...

Will I ever be able to compensate for all that loaded negative Karma?  :'(

@Yacine

I'm so, so sorry...

I never intentionally wanted to place any bad karma on you... that's the way you made me feel...

So please forgive me if I hurt your feelings in anyway.... I will never want to do that...You have been a Godsend and I thank you...

Again, thank you and I am so sorry

Brandy

Brandy,
just kidding ;). Happy that you got the result you wanted.

@Wapperdude

Only one problem... it will not allow me to zoom in... only 68%... that it....

I will find a work around

Thanks

Brandy

@Yacine

Anything to make you happy (Smile), no just kidding... :)  You never know when I will need help again... (Smile)

@everyone

Thank you so much for all the hard work... I could not have done this without your help... You all are a Godsend...

Thank you, thank you, thank you.... :-*

Brandy

Hi Brandy --

Let's back up a couple of posts, or is that threads?, to the drawing that you posted.  There are still some shapes not on the drawing page.  It looks like the page needs to be taller to encompass some of the shapes at the bottom.  There are a couple of "floating" shapes off to the right.  Do these need to be included?  If so, is there a reason they are bannished to the wastelands or can they be moved in?   ;)

Couple more points that need clarification. 
1.)  Is the aspect ratio of your drawing page a requirement?  It's a very odd size, but could be handled by a plotter rather than a printer (unless your work has special printer, of course.)  But, yes, if your printer will do 150, and your drawing is only 125, it should print.  In fact, you could print at 100% rather than 1:1.  Make sure that the drawing page and printing page orientations match.  There ought to be a little view window on the Print Setup tab that shows how the printer page and drawing page align to each other.  That's how things will be printed.

2.)  Such an odd aspect ratio will not print well to a standard size page.  Both height and width will be reduced equally, to whatever page size is selected for the printer.  That could be a lot of shrinking if the printer page is much less than 150!!!

Next you say you can only zoom into 68%.  Is that when looking at a whole page?  There should be no restriction on the Viewing zoom level.  Well, I think 3000 is the max limit.

Wapperdude

@Wapperdude

Why perform step 3 & 4?

Step 3.)  Assuming that Step 2 worked, Go back to your original unaltered drawing (undo all of the above steps)
    a.)  Now repeat Step 1, but make the size 4X smaller.
    b.)  Drawing should be bigger than the page size, but, unaltered.  If so, proceed to step 4.

Step 4.)  Repeat step 2, but, make the entry 4X smaller.
    a.)  Now the drawing should fill the page size and be unaltered.

@Wapperdude

This is what happens when I reduce the size 4 x smaller...

see attachment

Thanks

Brandy

So far that looks good.  I can't tell how the drawing behaved, but it doesn't look like any problems appeared.  Did every thing stay in place?

Now, do step 4.   This should shrink the shapes to fit back onto the smaller page.

Why the steps???  Because you keep reporting problems, and I'm trying to narrow down where the problems occur.

Wapperdude

I'm a little confuse when you say retrieve the orginal and undo the above steps.  The original didn't have the steps. 

If I do 3 & 4, that's what I get. 

Brandy

This is the results from step 3 & 4 of the original

I'm sorry, the phrasing may have been confusing.  After performing steps 1 & 2, I wanted you to perform steps 3 & 4 on an unaltered version of the drawing.  So, I sentence was go back to the original.  The undo the above steps were in parenthesis, no "and".  The intention of the parenthesis was to undo steps 1 & 2 and that would get you back to the original drawing.  Or, you could just start anew.  The point was, steps 3 & 4 were to be performed on a version of the drawing that had not been altered.

It doesn't look like you have performed steps 3 & 4.  I see step 3, but not step 4.  It is important to do those steps, in the order given, and just those steps.  And to show the result for each of those steps.  So, to review:
  1.)  Start with an original version of the drawing
  2.)  Use the Page Setup and set the page size to 4X smaller than the original size.  Show the result.
  3.)  Use the Drawing scale, and set the left box entry to 4X smaller than the originial drawing scale factor.  Show the result.

The result will be a smaller page size, with drawing shrunk down to match this new page size.


Sorry for any confusion.
Wapperdude

@Wapperdude

Here you go....

Just 3 & 4 from the original

Brandy

Hi Brandy --

Well, I had a little time to play with this on a test drawing.  There were some unexpected results.

Your results don't look quite right, but even if they did, I don't think it's what you are after.

The step 3 part looks fine, but the step 4 does not.  Step 4 should have been applied to the drawing after step 3 was applied.  But, surprise number 1, that would have returned the drawing to it's original size.  Surprise number 2, the arrow heads didn't shrink.  Surprise number 3, the text didn't shrink.  Surprise number 4, those stupid tab stops.

So, that was a big fat waste of time.  Sorry!!! 

Now, let me repeat myself, if all you are trying to do is get a printed copy onto a known size of paper, you do not need to do those steps listed above.  Instead, opent the Page Setup window, go to the Page Size tab, and select the Custom page option.  This will "lock" your drawing size.

Next, go to the Printer Setup tab, select the desired Printer paper size, and then under Print zoom, select Fit to option, and enter 1 in each box.  Hit OK.  Now print the drawing.

Very sorry about the confusion.
Wapperdude

@Wapperdude

I had the original diagram set for those settings.  I had too many diagrams to fit on 36 x 150; the only option I had was to resize everything. 

When I set the drawing to 4x larger... it works, with the exception that the diagrams on the drawing prints very small. 

Jumpy scripts works wonderful; with the exception of the connectors.. they do not resize with the drawing.

Thanks so much for all your hard work.... thank you, thank you....

Brandy :-*

Hey!

Yep.  There's just so much that can go onto a hardcopy and still be legible.  If you had access to a plotter, most use a single roll of paper, which would allow for a custom printout - up to full width of the spool (which is usually E size), and as long as necessary.  It would be a BIG printout --  wall paper material.  ;D.

Sounds like multiple pages isn't an option?  You could use "off page" connectors to go from one page to the next if you need to maintain connectivity.

Connectors just won't scale nicely.  Too much hidden code behind them.

Wapperdude

Hello again Brandy,
you seem to like my scripts so I give you another one. It contains the Sub Con_search_start.
It will highlight every Connector that has an end that is not connected and every Connector that is connected dynamically (Walkglue).
That will be the most offending connectors when resizing and I would recommend to connect them manually to a nearby connectionpoint.

Afterward you can run the Second Sub, named Undo_start to remove the highlighting.

When this is done, the connectors will almost certainly still not resize correctly, but should at least maintain their connections.
Reason for the behaviour is the automatic layout and routing. Code behind the scenes, that like wapperdude said, is not controllable.


Sub Con_search_start()
Dim shp As Visio.Shape

For Each shp In ActivePage.Shapes
Con_search shp
Next
End Sub

Sub Con_search(ByRef shp As Visio.Shape)
Dim SubShape As Visio.Shape
Dim mark As Boolean
mark = False

If shp.OneD Then
If InStr(1, shp.Cells("BeginX").Formula, "WALKGLUE") > 0 Then mark = True
If InStr(1, shp.Cells("EndX").Formula, "WALKGLUE") > 0 Then mark = True
If InStr(1, shp.Cells("BeginX").FormulaU, "PNT") < 1 Then mark = True
If InStr(1, shp.Cells("EndX").FormulaU, "PNT") < 1 Then mark = True
End If

If mark = True Then
shp.Cells("LineColor").Formula = 2
shp.Cells("LineWeight").Result("pt.") = 3
End If

For Each SubShape In shp.Shapes
Con_search SubShape
Next

End Sub

Sub Undo_start()
Dim shp As Visio.Shape

For Each shp In ActivePage.Shapes
Undo_Line shp
Next

End Sub

Sub Undo_Line(shp As Visio.Shape)
Dim SubShape As Visio.Shape

If shp.OneD Then
If shp.Cells("LineColor").Result("") = 2 And shp.Cells("LineWeight").Result("pt.") = 3 Then
  shp.Cells("LineColor").Formula = 0
  shp.Cells("LineWeight").Result("pt.") = 0.24
End If
End If


For Each SubShape In shp.Shapes
Undo_Line SubShape
Next

End Sub



@Jumpy

You are so, so sweet.....

Thank you so much... absolutely magnificent...

---

My biggest problem was not losing connection, but resizing with the diagram... Due to the enormous number of shapes embedded in each diagram the lines goes around, across, under, over, etc...  On that note, I have to take time to re-structure the lines and that's a very, very, very tedious process.  There are at least 150 to 200 lines/connectors in one diagram... That's a lot of re-work..

There's nothing compare to what you have done for me.... so, stop whining Brandy and just do it... ???

Thanks for being so wonderful.... :-*

Brandy

@Jumpy

I received this error (new code/script)

Thanks

Brandy

@Wapperdude

I love the 4x larger solution...  and thank you....

I only have one, no two, no three problems...  :D :D :D

1.  I can't zoom in (highest is 68%)
2.  When I try to reset it back to 1x, my lines go into outer space....  I can't reset "Callouts"
3.  My diagrams print extremely small....

Other than that, I'm good.... :)

Don't know whats wrong. Worked fine for me.
U could change the ....Formula = 2 to ...FormulaU = 2
It may be, that some of the lines are guarded. Same for ResultU, which can be used instead of Result.

Like you said, you have many connectors, but not all connectors are badly connected. My script shall help in so far, as to show the (hopefully few) lines, that are badly connected.

In your example have been only black connectors, but in your .png's for wapperdude, there are some mysterious blue, green, red (dotted) lines, too.
It may be, that those are the one's the code is not working with.
If so, the code must be altered, to include a test, if a certain line is one of those, and in that case to ignore that line...

Jumpy

I don't believe all are connectors... some are Callouts.

It will not allow me to change the size of the Height on the callouts...

I compared the ShapeSheet original to the outer space one and I can't find anything different.

Sorry about the colors... there are multiple colors within the diagram.  I just noticed that my lines are all "Red"... Crazy.... just crazy... :D :D :D... too funny  :)

Brandy

@Jumpy

It didn't like the:

U could change the ....Formula = 2 to ...FormulaU = 2

@Jumpy

Why did you specify a color in the code?... now everything turns "Red"...

Thanks Brandy

Hi Brandy,
because of your example .vsd (resizedrawin4 ???) I thought all connectors were black, so changing the offending ones to red would make them stand out and so easy to identify. That doesn't make sense anymore, now that I know, that you have connectors in many colors.

So maybe you delete the line with the linecolor and use only the effect of making the lineweight bigger, to identify "bad" connectors.
Although I have to admit that that will only work, if your connectors have all the same lineweight. If they have different lineweights, like they have different colors, it will not help anymore.

@Jumpy

;DYou are so sweetie...

I understand how you feel.. Unfortunately, I didn't create all the diagrams... I created all the stencils/shapes, and some people/engineers have the tendency to do whatever they want even when we set standards.  I'm always changing lines to the correct weight.... or fonts 3x the size of their head....  ::)

Thanks for the clarification.

Brandy