Is Visio 2010 any less annoying?

[Jennifer]

I read over the list of changes and improvements in Visio 2010 in the link below and eslewhere:

http://office.microsoft.com/en-us/visio/compare-microsoft-visio-2010-versions-FX101814621.aspx

But can anyone speak to how many of the little annoyances in earlier versions of Visio have still not been fixed?

Probably my pet peeve is that Visio (2003) cannot align elements inside of groups to the grid lines. This is especially annoying if I copy a group to a new page. Even if it was perfectly aligned in the source page, nothing will be aligned on the target page. What's more, the nudge keys don't work right. I usually have to ungroup it, align each element manually, then regroup.

[Paul Herber]

Less annoying. Hmmm. Maybe you should download the free trial and see for yourself.

That list of changes and improvements is marketing speak - pinch of salt required.

a. "Add shapes with mini-toolbar - Add shapes without leaving the drawing page with just one click" - only works for certain diagram types, gives you the last 4 shapes you've used, you get a connector for free whether you want it or not.

b. "Expand page size for larger diagrams" - as page size is usually very important the last thing you want is for Visio to start changing it for you - luckily this can be turned off.

c. "Organize diagrams with Containers" - good - containers are a good addition.

d. "Microsoft Office Fluent user interface " - unfortunately this can't be turned off.

e. "Improved Shapes window" - except its colour.


What is your list of little annoyances?
Your pet peeve might be just your snap settings, look at the advanced tab.

[Jennifer]

A few of the many irritants include:

• When nudging a shape into place, it will sometimes jump off the page.
• The floating toolbars will not stay put.
• Inserted pages are always added at the end. I usually want them added after the active page.
• Better handling of layers (many).

That's all I can think of off the top of my head, but there are many others.

I'd also like to be able to crop images (photos) with irregular borders. I'd be happy if Fragment worked on any object.

[Paul Herber]

1. I've never seen shapes jump off the page when nudging.
2. all fixed in Visio 2010. There are no toolbars.
3. Agreed.
4. Agreed.

With any handling of images, at what point does Visio then start becoming another image editor? A simple rectangular crop is one thing, then there are the brightness, contrast and a few effects. I really feel anything more should be done in an image editor first. Actually I feel that all those things should be done in an image editor. Personally I see no need for any image editing at all within Visio, I can do all that far better within a tool designed for the job. My 2p.

[Jennifer]

Images jump off the page all the time for me. I believe it has something to do with the snap settings, but I have never been able to isolate it. It most often occurs when I am zoomed in. I will be trying to nudge something a little closer to something else (or to a guide). It will get closer and closer and then, wham, it's off the page. If I nudge it back, it comes back off the page. I have to manually drag it and then nudge it. If I can get it isolated to a simple example, I'll post it somewhere.

I am not trying to turn Visio into PhotoShop. But it already has a Crop function. I just want it to be a little more flexible. I use Visio to make up images from graphic artists because I know how to add annotations and callouts. Sometimes, these images need to interact with each other, such as one half of a connector on one image fitting into the other half of the connector in another image. I can't do that because I can't crop around the parts. Yes, I know I could use an image editing program, but I already know Visio. I'm not saying this is reasonable, but it's still what I want. :-)

Do you know a simple program that will allow me to crop an image with an irregular border?

[Paul Herber]

re: shapes jumping around: File -> Page Setup -> Layout and Routing
untick Move Shapes away ...
and check Spacing

For an irregular crop I'd use Paint Shop Pro or Paint.net
Just draw an image of the shape of the crop you need and then mask one with the other.

[Jennifer]

Will a mask remove the portion of the image that was cropped out?

What I need is a way to crop around the edge of an object inside of an image so that if I place the cropped object on top of another object (in Visio), the material that was removed will not obscure the image underneath.

[Paul Herber]

I don't know the full details as it's not something I'd ever need to do. Paint.net is free, try it.
http://www.getpaint.net/

[Jennifer]

OK, thanks. If I find anything useful, I'll report back.

[wapperdude]

As far as V2010, there may be some minor improvements, but the big picture is the use of the "ribbon" and, I think, the introduction of "containers".

The ribbon alone makes V2010 feel much different.  It has some merits and some distractions.  It's organized much differently, and, without customizing, it, on average, causes the user to go thru more steps.  I personally find the implementation of the ribbon to be highly flawed from a productivity standpoint--but that's me. 

You really need to take it out for a test drive and decide for yourself.  The reviews on this site are not thorough, but, they certainly are mixed.

Wapperdude