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You are here: Home / Visio / Layer Manager add-in for Visio released

Published on March 9, 2017 by David Parker

Layer Manager add-in for Visio released

I use layers in Visio a lot. Maybe it is because I originally used CAD, and created facilities and cable management layouts linked to data. I know that some of my fellow Visio MVPS don’t use layers very much at all, mainly because they create process diagrams, I guess, but careful use of layers in a diagram can provide multiple views of the same base information. However, Visio has a more complex layering system than any CAD program that I used, so I have always created my own layer management tools. I have decided to package my utility together as an add-in that others may want to use too.


 
I have made some short videos explain the issue with layers in Visio, and how I solved it.
What’s the issue with layers in Visio?
Making it simple to toggle layer settings
Saving and recalling multiple layer settings easily
The add-in can be downloaded from my company website : LayerManager
I have put some licensing into the add-in, but 30 days are allowed for free.
Here is some of the genesis of this add-in : Toggling layers on and off
 

Related

Filed Under: LayerManager, Layers, Visio, Visio 2016 Tagged With: Add-Ins, Layers

About David Parker

David Parker has 25 years' experience of providing data visualization solutions to companies around the globe. He is a Microsoft MVP and Visio expert.

Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. Therese DeBenedette says

    May 28, 2021 at 2:36 am

    Was curious if it’s possible to use your tool to grey out (don’t hide) shapes when ‘turned off?’

    I’m
    Looking for a solution to highlight specific shapes given criteria.

    I have a large data flows diagram for many applications and their interfaces with each other. I’m starting to assign teams based on data domains or logical groups of data topics. I don’t want to remove or completely hide all shapes but to focus on a subset and grey out the rest.

    Would love your ideas.

    Thank you!!

    Reply
    • David Parker says

      May 28, 2021 at 6:29 am

      LayerManager can certainly be used to low-light layers by having their colour set to grey, and highlight other layers by having their colours set to non-grey. These settings can be saved under a layer set name. There can be multiple layer sets which can be recalled using layer set buttons or with the LayerManager window.
      An alternative approach is to grey-scale the whole diagram, embed in a PowerBI report using the Visio Visual, then use color by value to highlight shapes that match criteria.

      Reply
      • David Parker says

        May 28, 2021 at 7:41 am

        If you want to se an example of how Visio in PowerBI can be used, then follow this link : https://bit.ly/VisioPowerBIOrgPlan

        Reply
  2. Falko Stenner says

    January 3, 2023 at 11:44 am

    Hello, i would love to test your addin.
    But the Trial-Version does not include the LayerManager-functionality.
    I cant see a way to test some layer configs without this layer manager.

    Which features i am able to test with this trial version?

    thank you in advance

    Reply
    • David Parker says

      January 3, 2023 at 11:50 am

      Hi, have you enabled Developer Mode ? Developer Mode

      Reply
      • Falko Stenner says

        January 4, 2023 at 1:12 pm

        Developer Mode Tab is activated (in german it is named “Entwicklertools”).
        The Addin itself is also already activated. The LayerButton Snippet is already visible in the “view” tab.

        When i open LayerManager -> About… or License… my active trial periode is visible (6 remaining days) but when i try to open the Layer-Buttons-Menu i get the following 2 messages:

        – you will have reduced functionality without a license
        – please purchase a license to use this feature

        Reply
        • David Parker says

          January 4, 2023 at 1:24 pm

          I am not sure why that is happening, but I will email you a coupon that provides full access until 21st Jan 2023

          Reply

Trackbacks

  1. Toggling Layers On and Off | bVisual - for people interested in Microsoft Visio says:
    March 10, 2017 at 6:58 am

    […] UPDATE March 2017 : I have now expanded this functionality into an add-in for Visio (see Layer Manager add-in for Visio released ). […]

    Reply
  2. Controlling #Visio layers with linked data | bVisual - for people interested in Microsoft Visio says:
    December 13, 2018 at 3:00 pm

    […] different scenarios. My macro to toggle layers on/off has been very popular, and I have written an add-in to manage layers that is widely used. However, I was recently asked if the layer settings can be controlled from […]

    Reply

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