wrestling with connector tool

[tns1]

I am not new to visio, just this 2007 version. Every time I try to use the connector tool it is like wrestling an angry boa constrictor. It consistently wants to remove corners in my lines, snap to very distant connector points, not snap to things it should, argghhh!
How the #$@! do you manage this beast? I find it takes dozens of mouse clicks to lay down the simplest line due to all the corrections needed. Every other cad tool I have used allows you to lay down continuous line segments at right angles from origin to destination, in a series of one or two clicks. I have tried turning off various options and behavior settings to no avail.

What can you tell me?

[Jumpy]

Every other cad tool I have used allows you to lay down continuous line segments at right angles from origin to destination, in a series of one or two clicks. I have tried turning off various options and behavior settings to no avail.

As Visio is not directly a CAD-Tool the workflow is a bit different.
Drop a connector on the page.
Grap on end and connect it to the origin of your line.
Grap the other end and connect it to the desired end-point of your line.
Visio now automatically routes the shape, based on the settings in the routing dialog (part of page settinggs).
You can then manually adjust the routing with the green handles on the middle of each line segment.

Depending on the scenario the autorouting feature is sometimes more of a hindrence than a help. In this case I often use the so called "universal connector" from the connector-stencil (or one of the other connectors on that stencil). Here you have to / can route everything manually, without Visio interfiering.

hth Jumpy

[tns1]

I believe the connector tool is the same as the dynamic connector available on the basic shapes panel. Where is this universal connector you refer to?

If I place a dynamic connector without attaching the end points, I can make any number of bent line segments using the ctrl key and moving the 'nodes'. I seem to have full control over the shape of that line. Once each end is attached to something though, it becomes impossible to manage due to all the automatic adjustments.

If I just want a straight line, I can force that by selecting 'straight connector', and it seems fairly well-behaved. Multi-segment lines are another story. First it wants to flip my line from a right angle to a left angle whenever one leg gets 'too long'. Then it wants to remove the angles altogether even though I have not selected 'straight connector'. There have to be better snap rules and behavior settings than the defaults. Any recommendations? I can't seem to turn off snap completely.

[Jumpy]

There is normally a complete stencil full only with different kinds of connectors. There you should find the universal connector. If I remember it correctly, the name of that stencil is "connectors"-stencil and like all stencils you can find it if you click on File->Shapes (Visio2007 and below).

As I have a german version of Visio, I don't know the English names, so my translations may be a bit of.

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As to the dynamic connector = connector tool. In the routing options you can find many settings to influence it's behaviour. It's a bit tricky to learn, what every setting does. You have to play arround with it a lot (or find a good book on this topic) to master it.

And as an comment from  the side (I don't know if it relates to your problem.): The angle in which the connector connects to a shape can be influenced in the settings of the connection point of that shape.
But I can't explain how that works, as I haven't used it jet (was not bright enough to understand it ;-) ).

hth Jumpy

[tns1]

OK, I found all the stencil with all those connector shapes, one for every problem it seems. These have fewer 'nodes' for manipulation since in theory they are already bent the way you want. I see that even these connectors will still flip around unpredictably as you stretch it, so the only answer is to dig into and understand all the settings.  If I figure out how to turn off all the 'smart' features, I'll let you know.