Slight Jog in what I want to be a straight connector

joe31623 · January 25, 2017, 02:51:10 AM

I am trying to do something simple and don't think I'm finding my answer because I may not know the proper terminology to use as search terms. Please help:

I have two shapes with a connector in between them: A & B
I want to branch off from the connector between A & B and go to C.
I place a connection point on the connector b/w A & B
I place C and connect between the connector I placed, described above, and a connection point on C.
...the connector branching off to C from the connection between A & B is almost straight but there is a slight jog up (Assuming A connects to B from top to bottom and thus the connection that branches towards C runs horizontally).
I move C down as little as possible
...the connector branching off to C ... is almost straight but now there is a slight jog down
I move C up as little as possible
... ...slight jog down
.
.
.
etc.
--with similar results if I move the connection point up and down.

I see no snap-to properties in the shapesheet that I've been able to identify or anything in the help menu describing what I want to do based on the search terms I used. Can someone please comment on how you've solved that issue?

It should be noted that I want straight lines that are horizontal and vertical only -- not at a slight angle.

wapperdude · January 25, 2017, 03:09:30 PM

Placing a connection point on the AB connector is problematic and unnecessary. Problematic because it becomes an anchor point for C horizontal connector. It must be precisely located relative to the destination shape for the C connector to be perfectly horizontal and without any corners. Unnecessary since you can start the C connector at the shape and drag it horizontally over to the AB connector. Note, these are dynamic connectors, their routing can change if shapes move, so there's no guarantee that routing will remain as desired.

A 2nd approach for the C connector: start at the AB connector source an drag to the C destination. If the routing was a simple trajectory, should be fine. If not, a little effort required to make the connectors overlap. There should be a setting to allow related connectors to overlap, but, it's not overly effective.

HTH
Wapperdude

joe31623 · February 01, 2017, 09:13:27 PM

I appreciate your response.

Upon further consideration, I must be missing something. I don't see how placing a connection point on a connector between shape A & B (as I described, in order to join to C) is "unnecessary" for many practical applications.

Circuits:
You want a voltage divider so you place a connection point between two resistors and branch off between two resistors to lead to the rest of the circuit.

Piping:
You want a valve to tie into a pipe that runs between two other valves

Controls:
You want to describe any feedback loop

...I could go on but I hope you understand. I must not understand something so if you or someone else can elaborate on why I can't get a 90 deg. angle and must settle for a 89.5 or 90.5 degrees when using placing a connector on a connection, it would be very helpful.

The result is a visio file that does not look as professional as I'd like, while maintaining the functionality that I want from visio (to generate piping lists, utilize the programming capabilities of Visio, etc.).

Thanks in advance...

joe31623 · February 01, 2017, 09:53:53 PM

Perhaps this would be described as enabling "glue to geometry" AND enabling "glue to shape" -- I don't want to glue to a line/wire and then loose my connection point to my shape. For some reason, it seems that doing one disables the other.

wapperdude · February 02, 2017, 04:34:33 AM

See attached. Explicit connection points are not needed for gluing.

Gluing to line or shape is not an either one or the other. You get both. Check the Visio drawing. Click a connector shape, open shapesheet, you'll see what it is glued to. Move a 2D shape, you'll see all gluing remains intact.

Using V2007. If you want to upload an example, please use VSD format, not VSDX.

Wapperdude

joe31623 · February 08, 2017, 04:43:17 PM

Again, I appreciate your response, wapperdude. I will soon spend some time exploring your document and its settings and consider uploading an example that illustrates the issue I'm discussing, if it would be helpful.

This may be a solution: Access the Snap-and-Glue menu (Alt + F9) and click on the "Advanced" tab. Select options that make sense: (options that possibly helped with my issue: "linear extension", "endpoint perpendicular", and "midpoint perpendicular"). Based upon your previous post, wapperdude, it looks like I need to read a few articles, watch a few more YouTube videos, and sift through more Microsoft documentation in order to more-thoroughly understand connections.

For any readers just catching on and for clarity: these are options used to generate professional-looking Process & Instrumentation Diagrams (P&ID) so that 90 deg. connections may easily be made. There is no one within the location at my company that has delved into this as thoroughly as I am so I am very greatful to this forum and wapperdude's time he spent to help me.

Nikolay · February 09, 2017, 01:02:22 AM

Could you check if the problem exists in Visio 2010 or before?
As far as I remember (but my memory may be blurry), there was some issue in 2013 with imperial/metric unit system.
For example, one can't set 100% scale anymore in metric, only something like 99.7%
Might it be also an issue, if you mix together "metric" and "imperial" unit shapes?
Could you try to create diagram using inches?

joe31623 · February 14, 2017, 05:02:30 PM

Quote from: Nikolay on February 09, 2017, 01:02:22 AM
Could you check if the problem exists in Visio 2010 or before?
As far as I remember (but my memory may be blurry), there was some issue in 2013 with imperial/metric unit system.
For example, one can't set 100% scale anymore in metric, only something like 99.7%
Might it be also an issue, if you mix together "metric" and "imperial" unit shapes?
Could you try to create diagram using inches?

...I only have a copy of 2010. I'm working in inches. Good to know about the metric issues though -- before I heard that, I was considering doing some visio metric drawings. All drawings are created in inches (decimal) (per the "Page Setup" Menu, "Page Properties" Tab)

-- yet another reason to persuade our company to use autocad