Custom snap setup

Started by qholmes, June 29, 2018, 04:21:13 PM

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qholmes

I have a set of growing somewhat complex shapes. Its a design system for our designers to put system drawings together. One of the features I have not been able to accomplish is having the shapes snap together properly.

Can someone help get me pointed into the right direction?

I would like to have my modules like the T Module in this picture to snap to each other and to the track using the blue rectangles. For the track it could be the outside rectangle. And I would like it to be all along the line not just at the ends.

Thanks

Q

wapperdude

When n you say "snap", do you mean glue?

You can change the shape behavior from 2D to 1D, set the LocPinY = Height*0.

Wapperdude
Visio 2019 Pro

qholmes

no I don't want glue because if they move shapes then it pulls the lines apart.. at least I have found that is what happens. Just snap..

Unless I have the ideas wrong.

Let me try it on some basic shapes.

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qholmes

And can I limit the snap to just the two objects.. the outside of the track and the blue boxes..
maybe its also the template file setup.. to set the snap settings in the file to certain values.

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qholmes

I just tried with some basic boxes and I don't really get any snapping to each other.. strange.

I think I might be missing something basic in this whole thing.

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qholmes

#5
So I cant even get two rectangles to snap to each other..

But if I adjust all the snap settings and draw a line. The start and end of the line follows all the snap rules I would like to build into my shapes.

Actually I just drew some lines and moved them around. the start and end points always snap like I want. if you move al in around the end points snap using the settings you have set up. Its cool.. I tried just having a line inside a block but then it loses it capability.

I wonder if a line has a connector point at each end. I will experiment with connector points.

And the start of a rectangle point snaps how I would like as well. But even with connector points I get no snap action between objects like rectangles when I am moving them around.

I am using Visio 2013. After more googling it looks like the line tool works amazing.. and it does. But other shapes are the issue.. I wonder if anyone has some way to fix this?

Thanks

Q

wapperdude

Visio 2019 Pro

qholmes

Thanks Wapperdude, I will take a look at the utility this week.

I guess what I was hoping for is not a possibility? That the shapes just automatically snap to each other based on the settings. The only normal shape that I can see that does it is the Line tool..

I don't know what type of connector is at the end of the line shape but that is what I want on my group master objects..

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wapperdude

#8
Although my usage experience pretty much stops with V2007, afaik, 2D shapes never snapped together, regardless of settings.  Adding connection points to a 2D shape can, at least, facilitate gluing, with caveats...namely the type / properties of the connection point.

On the other hand, 1D behavior is quite good, and, as you've noticed with lines, connection points not necessary. 

For your grouped shapes you have the following options:
1) change behavior to 1D.  The vertical location of the virtual connections is set by the LocPinY value, e.g., height*0.
2) use the utility.  Bit of a pain since there's extra steps...select shapes, run macro.  But nice for many shapes at a time.
3) a more common practice is adding (grouping) your group with a line.  There's a few steps involved and I'm not at my PC right now.  As I recall something like this...draw line same width as your group.  Convert line to a group. Open shapesheet and select lock calculation of selection box (something like that).   Then, align your group with the line shape.  Make sure line is selected 1st, then your group, then do add to group.  This will make your 2D group shape to be a subgroup of the line shape.  This composite group will behave like a 1D shape.  Note, once grouped together, open the shape sheet, and hide the line in the geometry section.  This will only affect the line shape and not your subgroup.  It's a few steps, but now your shape has built-in snapping / glueing.

Wapperdude
Visio 2019 Pro

qholmes

ooooo this sounds interesting. I had tried adding a line shape and was all excited I had found the solution.. but I did not have that workflow.

Thanks a lot I will try all of these. And I will report on what I figure out.

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qholmes

I just tried the Line version.. And I think its going to work. My main track shape will need some tweaking but I think I can have it working quite nicely.

Thanks Again!!!!!!!!!!!!!

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qholmes

This is for when I forget this again. in the Shapesheet you set LockCalcWH to 1.

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qholmes

Ok, So I was so excited about having my 1D shapes and the awesome ability they would have to snap to other shapes...

But first of all a main plugin we use for 3D Visio does not support 1D shapes. But maybe they can fix that.

But I did not notice that 1D shapes don't have a rotate handle. Can it be added? Because that will kill this idea.

Thanks

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wapperdude

1-D shapes don't have a rotate handle.  They are end-point driven.  June-the-2nd did some development to allow rotation and constant line length:

http://visguy.com/vgforum/index.php?topic=6979.msg29169#msg29169
Visio 2019 Pro

qholmes

Thanks that is kind of what I was looking for. I will see if I can make this work.

Can we change the handle sizes by chance? these are going to be complex shapes not actual lines so I am not sure if the handle will be obvious.

Q