Shapes missing from document.

[Memnok]

Ah.  Light went on wrt number of shapes on a page.  Yes.  Those grouped shapes need to be efficiently built.  As you've discovered, the shape count can soar dramatically without even knowing it.

Yes.  Commercial grade products can be quite expensive.  We used them in our custom IC designs to get full coordination from schematic to simulation to layout.  Very pricey.  Not warranted in this scenario. 

To follow-up on editing document stencil masters.  These masters are only local to the document.  Editing them doesn't impact masters on any of the source stencils (vss, vssx files)

To follow-up on adding field inserted text programmatically, see this topic:  http://visguy.com/vgforum/index.php?topic=5678.0

I see what you've done here, but what i'm looking for is separate controls for these text fields and to move them independently of each other. I believe the only way to do that is with a subshape callout. Sinc ethere's only one text transform section on a shape.

[Memnok]

Using the insert field function is nice but the problem is haven't found another way to insert text fields on the shapes programmatically so i have to add in an extra shape to use as a callout text.

If you modify the master (instead of a placed shape) all spapes already placed will be updated.
Instead of callouts you can also use the comment field at the shapesheet. While hovering this will be shown.

I finally had some time to look into this, unfortunately modifying the master won't solve all the issues. Because the Shape Data and the Connection Point are on different Shapes, we either have to rename every pin again or reconnect every wire to a new connection point. Perhaps I can make some macro to check if a wire is inside of a pin(Shape) and then connect it to the first connection point in that shape.

[vojo]

so you should have a unique master for every shape (same but connection varies)....is that the case?
(a new master is created even if its a current shape with even the color change)

[vojo]

you can add a text box to shape
Text box has own width, height, pinx, piny
I believe different actual text will not automatically force a new master

[Memnok]

so you should have a unique master for every shape (same but connection varies)....is that the case?
(a new master is created even if its a current shape with even the color change)

No, the problem is that the master is made up of a
"Text Callout" Shape
"Visual graphic" Shape
"Group" Shape

The Shape Data property is located on the group shape, the Connection Point is located on the Visual Graphic shape.
So if i remove the text callout, and the Group Shape. I have to add a new Shape Data to the visual graphic and that resets all the pin numbers in the document.
If i instead remove the Text callout, and the graphic. I can then draw new graphics in the Group shape shapesheet and insert a text field and all the pins will keep their shape data. But the wires that were connected to the visual graphic shape is now disconnected.

[wapperdude]

Additional thoughts...
In shapesheet connection point section, each row has a "D-cell".  This becomes accessible if you change row type to Named row.  This allows you to store / display text unique to that point, e.g., pin name, without adding shape for the text.  See http://visguy.com/vgforum/index.php?topic=10068.msg46326#msg46326

Programmatically building a shape (this mainly focuses on adding pins, their spacing, labels, and sizing shape):  http://visguy.com/vgforum/index.php?topic=7543.0.  Its organized structure could allow adding control points and text tags.  But mostly, just to give some ideas.