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Joining Lines

Started by samx3, November 16, 2019, 07:11:06 PM

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samx3

I was just forced to give up my Visio 2007 version for Visio 365.  Not a huge fan so far, but I just found a missing feature that is huge for me.  I don't have any way to demonstrate the issue but I'll try to explain.  I do a lot of tracing of background prints in order to make my own base map for project that I work on.  This typically involves drawing lots of lines to match the layout of the background drawing.

Imagine one horizontal line on the page.  Pretend that I drew it longer than needed.  I then connect (glue) a vertical line at a point along the horizontal line close to the right end of the horizontal line.  This intersection is ultimately where I need the final intersection/corner of the two lines to be.  I could trim the two lines, but that changes the front/back status of the lines and also messes up the layers that are already assigned to both lines. 

In old Visio, some sort of temporary connection point was created at the original intersection of those first two lines.  I would grab the right-hand end of the horizontal line and shorten it to the left.  At the point where the original line intersection was, it snapped itself to this location.  Since the vertical line was glued to the horizontal line, it has shifted proportionally to the left.  Because the end of the horizontal line stopped at the original intersection, I simply grab the top end of the vertical line, shift it right and it snaps/glues itself to the right-hand end of the horizontal line.  I now have a line intersection exactly where I need it.  In new Visio, this feature seems to be completely gone.  There is no temporary connection point.  The line intersection has to be made essentially freehand.

Am I missing a setting somewhere?  Is the feature completely gone?  Thanks in advance.

wapperdude

You have to enable gluing to either/both shape geometry, shape vertices.  From the ribbon, View tab > expand visual aids to get the menu.

Another approach would be to drag a guide line to or near the intersection point.  Then, select 1st the line to be trimmed, then the guideline.  Now, under developer tab, choose Operations > Trim.  The guideline will disappear. Your line retains its features, and the stub may be selected and deleted.  This seems slightly more efficient.

You still need to set the gluing to get the lines glued.
Visio 2019 Pro

samx3

Thank you for the reply.

I have all of the snap and glue boxes checked.  No effect.  It appears to work when the lines are at 90 or 45 degrees due to the Drawing Aids feature.  But if the lines are at any other angle, there is no snapping at all.

I tried your second solution but it has the same results as just grabbing the two intersecting lines and trimming them.  I tested it and they still lose their layer assignments and jump to the foreground in relation to all other shapes.  Both of those results cause me even more work making the necessary corrections to the other shapes on the drawing. 

As for efficiency, the old way is still better.  Both for the negative results stated above and because adding the Guide into the mix is simply an extra step.

Can you confirm if the feature I originally explained even exists any more?

wapperdude

QuoteI tried your second solution but it has the same results as just grabbing the two intersecting lines and trimming them.

Unclear.  Did you grab one line or two lines plus guideline?  From your original description, I understood that only one line was intersected.  The other glued at desired spot on 1st line.  So, grab & drag the guideline to (or near) the intersection point.  The guideline will cross the 1st line.  Now, with everything re-elected, select 1st line, then select guideline (shift+select).  Now do the trim.  The guideline should be gone.  The 1st line should be divided into two pieces.  Because 1st line selected 1st, it retains its layer / formatting properties.  Has to.  Select and delete the unwanted stubb. Select 2nd line.  With pencil tool, grab end point and drag to vertex of 1st line. Should glue....in this case, glue to vertex might be beneficial.).  Will glue.   If needed, select 1st line and reposition as desired.  Job done. 
Visio 2019 Pro

wapperdude

#4
Well, re-tried the test.  The layer assignment, indeed, doesn't retain it's assignment.  Sorry about the mis-information.

Edit:  If you use to set layer properties to include Active, then, the aforementioned technique does preserve the layer assignment.

Visio 2019 Pro