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Learning ShapeSheets

Started by shayneneal, November 14, 2008, 11:58:20 PM

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shayneneal

I was wondering how someone would go about learning how to edit the shape sheets of shapefiles.  I have a shape called "Telecom outlets" and the DATA field allows you to pull down a choice from "Telephone" or "Computer Data" and I want to add a 3rd choice.  Also, when you select the second choice the physical shape changes color.  Could I change the shape for a third choice?

In the Shape Data table under Format I added a third choice but I do not know how to make the physical shape change when you apply that choice.  I have been fighting with this stuff for a while and would love to find a book or online site that taught the fundamentals of shapesheet programming.  Is there one?

Thanks,

Shayne

Paul Herber

Without seeing the details of your "Telecom outlets" shape, I'll take a guess that, like the "flowchart shapes" in the standard flowchart stencil, the shapes has multiple geometry sections, only one of which is visible. Our host has just recently written a blog post about these shapes:
http://www.visguy.com/2008/11/10/visio-multi-shapes/

which also points you to:

http://blogs.msdn.com/visio/archive/2006/07/21/673305.aspx

Electronic and Electrical engineering, business and software stencils for Visio -

https://www.paulherber.co.uk/

wapperdude

Our "host"?  ???  How quaint!  ;)
Visio 2019 Pro

Paul Herber

#3
Quote from: wapperdude on November 17, 2008, 01:00:44 AM
Our "host"?  ???  How quaint!  ;)

Quaint indeed, sire! For your respondent resides within the realm of merrie Englande and good Queen Elizabeth (the 2nd), and were we in a tavern with ales for supping and meats for eating and wenches for wenching then would I demand of mine host (the tavern landlord) 3 quarts of his finest and a jug of sack and we should raise a tankard or seven.  ;D

Electronic and Electrical engineering, business and software stencils for Visio -

https://www.paulherber.co.uk/

wapperdude

Quite so, ol' Chap.  And here's to the Queen, God bless her merry soul!  Hmmm.  Where did that tavern keeper get off to?
Visio 2019 Pro

shayneneal

That article is excellent at describing what I am seeing and now I am going to get to work on the "Creating a Multi-shape" link on that page and that should hopefully help me with the rest of my issues.

One other problem I am already fore-seeing is that when I use two different shapes I can have them both appear in the legend box as separate items.  When I use a multi-shape, both items appear as the same item in the legend.  Is there any way to modify the naming of the multi-shape so that the secondary naming is used for the legend heading?

Thanks,

Shayne

Visio Guy

I think it would be fairly difficult to get a multi-shape to work with Visio's legends, although I haven't looked into it very deeply.

That's the flip-side of multi-shapes, which I touched briefly on in the article. You gain some convenience on one hand, but you might bury some information that other aspects of your drawing process might find convenient.

Visio's built-in reporting might do better, because you can link multi-shape states to shape data. And of course, a little automation code could always coerce the Legends to do what you want :)
For articles, tips and free content, see the Visio Guy Website at http://www.visguy.com
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shayneneal

Good God I feel stupid.  I understand so little of these responses.  *smile*  I had to re-read your article with your response to figure out what you were talking about (but at least I am learning something).

In the section headed "Coding Considerations", you refer to automation code.  Do you have any samples of this?  I would be interested in seeing anything that determined methods of creating legends and "bill of materials" from drawings (especially something that automatically updated itself).  What kind of things could I potentially blow-up by starting to use more multi-shapes or by trying to create my own (God help us all)?

Do you have a blog regarding the visio built-in reporting tool you mentioned in your response?  I did find a reporting tool under Data | Reports... but I only get one template called Inventory.  Although I am extremely pleased to find a new toy to play with, are there other templates available for the reporting process?

Thanks,

Shayne


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