Hiding Shape Labels via Layers

Started by kelme90, October 18, 2016, 09:19:51 PM

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kelme90

I am trying to create a P&ID. Let's say I put in a globe valve. Visio (2016 Pro) automatically adds a label. Let's say I want to label it "GV1" for "Globe Valve 1". However, I often want a "stripped down" version of my Visio which removes the labels (so I can use it in another program to create a User-Interface).

How can I do this via Layers? Or, is there a better way to do this? Keep in mind I will have dozens if not hundreds of components.

Regards

Yacine

Hi Kelme,
if you right-click on the drawing you should be shown an option "hide/show tags". This should do the job.
Rgds,
Y.
Yacine

metuemre

If you want tag numbers different than the default one then you need to customize tag format in Process Engineering-Edit Tag Format window

kelme90

Yacine & metuemre, thanks!

That only removes some of the tags that I have, which is strange. It seems that works for many of the valves I have, but not for other shapes such as a Pressure Gauge (which doesn't have a 'tag' unless I double-click the shape and type in the name, e.g., PG1). Even when I go to Process Engineering, and 'Apply Tag Format' to some components (such as the pressure gauge), it doesn't show up. I have attached a screen shot of two components with the tags shown and then hidden.

That's partly why I was leaning toward 'layers' to solve my issue. I appreciate any more advice...

metuemre

Applying Tag Format is not enough. You also need to convert the shape to assign a category.

For a pressure gauge, you need to push Shape Conversion button under Process Engineering and select Instrument in Category and Tag Format lists. I suggest you open the shapesheet of the shape before you assign it to a category to observe what is happening behind the scene.


kelme90

That did the trick; thanks.

To close out this topic, can you verify that Layers cannot be used? I can see Layers being more powerful due to the control you would have over different labels (say, selectively hiding tags of different sub-systems and/or different components within those systems). 

metuemre

Of course you can use Layers but it will make things more complicated. You can't just assign a Shape's text to a layer but you assign the shape itself. In order to control visibility of shape's text, you need to create separate text shapes and assign them to layers. Then you can on/off them.

It's easier to modify existing system as per your requirements. For instance, instead of "Hide Component Tags" you can add more options like "Hide Instrument Tags" or "Hide Pipeline Tags", etc.


kelme90

OK. It seems the value of having a shape's text (text that is tied to the shape) is worth not moving toward Layers for this application. Otherwise, with un-attached textbox on a separate layer (no 'connection'/'attachment' to the shape it describes), I would always need to ensure the corresponding textbox stays with the shape.

Can you describe how you would add various show/hide categories, like you said: "hide instruments", "hide pipeline tags"? Also, is there is a way to add custom categories?


metuemre

There are ways to tie a separate textbox to a shape but I wouldn't go that way.

I can suggest you to check how the existing system works. You need to understand first how visio hides a shape's text when you click "Hide Component Tags" on page level or "Hide Tag" on shape level.

There are two user-defined rows in each shape, "User.PEHideTag" and "User.PEPageHideTags". If any one of them is "True" then tag of the shape is hidden.

They are contolled via Actions in the shape or page. Check the formulas in the Actions section of the page and shape.

Finally "HideText" cell in Miscellaneous section is used to hide a shape's text with the formula "=OR(User.PEHideTag,User.PEPageHideTags)".

If you can understand the process, you can modify it as per your requirements. You can add "Hide Instruments" command to Action cell and a new User defined row to control only instrument tags.

kelme90