Layer selection via touchscreen

[Noob]

Hello everyone,

I am new here and new with Visio. The YouTube channel helped me a lot to get an overview of the possibilities of Visio. Big compliment to the channel. There's an idea that I don't know if it can be implemented. Maybe you have some advice?

I would like to show a building outline with all of our company's rooms and machines. In this floor plan, a layer should be created for each safety-related aspect. Among other things, a layer for all first aid facilities/boxes, a layer for all fire extinguishers, a layer for speed limit-areas, a layer for zones where PPE is mandatory, etc. - so far it will be no Problem, I guess.

Now the tricky part:

• It would be great if this map could be displayed for visitors via a touchscreen in the foyer and visitors could select the individual layers via the touchscreen (or at least with provided mouse next to the screen).
• I would also make the same file available to internal employees via Sharepoint so that they could easily select and view the layers.
• To do this, all layers with names or symbols would have to be displayed somewhere above, below or next to the map (hyperlinks?). But different pages of this file should also be selectable, since I design each floor of the building on a new page.

Is this somehow possible in Visio 2013? Do I need Visio Professionel for this?

Thanks in advance and kind regards
Noob

[Yacine]

Yes, thinkbale.

You could use some interactive items to switch the visibility of layers. Either ActiveX buttons or smartshapes.

But, it is a bad idea to use Visio as is for a kiosk application. It is probably too difficult to hide all the editing features.

2 better solutions:
1) Make it a web application. Nikolay has a great tool to export drawings to SVG embedded in HTML + Javascript. You can automate the export process so as to always have uptodate files.
2) Write an app that uses the Visio file viewer and use regular buttons in you UI to toggle the Layers.

All these solutions require a rather deeper understanding of Visio. But, I think you can find here 1 or 2 guys willing to do a contract job.

[wapperdude]

I've not tried Visio on a touch screen, ever, so not sure how that aspect would work.  Obviously, mouse and touchpad work.  Overall, creating a user presentation and limiting accessibility to strictly a kiosk function would be a challenge.  Perhaps requiring code external to Visio.  Another thought might be leveraging a 2nd screen view???

Regarding layers, yes, that's do-able.  I think this post presents the idea you're after:  Show/Hide Layers

Page to page linking may not necessary.  A  solution could be as follows:
> place your "controls" on a drawing page.  They will always be visible.  Perhaps along 1 edge of the page.
> Place your map shapes on 1 or more background pages.   Each background page made visible as needed, or, at least shapes on them.
> Background pages may be "stacked". 
> Background pages minimise the accidental movement of shapes by the kiosk user.

[Noob]

Thank you very much for your help. I'm currently involved in many other projects at work. So please don't be surprised if I rarely answer here. I would like to create my Visio project by the end of next year.

A laptop with a mouse would also work.

So that other users don't change the maps, I thought I could only share the file with read access and lock the shape groups and layers. I used this limitation already with Excel with password for a file.  It doesn't have to be a touchscreen either. Since I always have to adapt the maps as operational changes occur, this seemed easiest to me than re-exporting everything into external formats with each change.

@wapperdude: I don't really understand the last points with backgrpunds. If I can find a tutorial with pictures or a YouTube video, that would help me. Over the next few months I'll take a look at some of the things that have been linked. Like this:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Kbp_k1IfApY&t=529s

[wapperdude]

Using your video as starting point...
My understanding from your initial comments was that all 3 shapes would be visible.  Then, if the user wanted the blue shape, the "blue" check box would hide all the others.  Then, the region where the 3 objects were would be replaced with new objects that were related to the "blue" selection.

Such behavior could be done with layers, but, the drawing page gets cluttered with shapes stacked upon shapes.  To alleviate this stacking problem, move these blue contents to a background page.  The visibility may still be controlled by layers, or toggle each shape's Geometry.NoShow = hide.  This eliminates need for layers. 

Note, when the "blue" ckbox is selected, the functionality & number of ckboxes would change.  Plus, a return to main selection might be needed.  The configuration of ckboxes might be the primary boxes, plus "main" are in a row, across the top, always visible.  The ckboxesfor each colored object are placed vertically along 1 side, only visible, active as needed.

Hope this helps.

[wapperdude]

Couple additional thoughts...
1). Turn on notifications if you haven't already.  That will keep you updated when posts are made.
2). Regarding background page visibility.  It would be simpler to toggle which background page is viewed by the "main" drawing page.  That would hide that background pages, and thus, their contents... without modifying any of the shapes on the background page.

[Yacine]

No, honestly if that "kiosk" function is only a tiny part of a big project and you're not here for the joy of tinkering, go for a mature product.

https://unmanagedvisio.com/products/svg-publish/

[wapperdude]

Over the next few months I'll take a look at some of the things that have been linked. Like this...If I can find a tutorial with pictures or a YouTube video

We things...don't rely on just the videos.  Other than Visio Guy and other MVPs, all of us are just users, no formal training.  Dig in.  Develop a knowledge base about how Visio does things and then how to use that knowledge.  If there's a sticking point, ask.  Not all of us do videos.

Presumably, you've learned about checkboxes and coding their behavior.  Also, you know about background pages and displaying their content on a foreground page.  And, using macro recorder.  In this case you can capture steps to assign background page to a foreground page.  (Hint: It's a couple of lines.).  You have enough info to build code for ckbox...(a) if selected, run code to set background page to desired background for the visible drawing page.  (b) include code to set other ckboxes to false.  Thus, from a single drawing page via checkboxes, you can control what is visible without leaving that page, without cluttering the drawing page and using layers, and minimize what a user can actually access from the screen. 

But, of course, this assumes my understanding of your goal is correct.  Otherwise, this may be merely an inappropriate curiousity.

[Nikolay]

BTW, regarding the SvgPublish - finally working on a new web component, that could work without Visio at all

Test sandbox playground (that auto-updated form build)
https://svgpublish-sb.unmanagedvisio.com/

Planning to have a web component (usable by developers), SharePoint web part, and WordPress block

The template elements (popovers/sidebars/content) are not working still though.