There are times, in Visio, when you just need to ensure that the text in a primary shape is synchronised with the text in different secondary shapes … even if they are on different pages of a Visio document. My previous article, Forcing Display Update of Inherited Data Values , describes a method of synchronising the values in Shape Data rows from a central data source in the document, and that allows for the values to be viewed and edited in multiple pages or shapes. However, the text of a Visio shape is different because it is not stored in a single ShapeSheet cell, so how can you display the text of one shape in another?
In this example, I have a primary rectangle which I can edit the text of. I then have other secondary shapes that need to display the text of that primary shape.
First, you need to get the name of the of the primary shape. This can be read on the Shape Name dialog from the Developer tab.
Select the secondary shape, then click Insert \ Field \ Custom Formula.
If the primary shape is on the same page, then can be:
=SHAPETEXT(Sheet.1!TheText)
However, if the primary shape is on a different page, then a reference to that page must be included:
=SHAPETEXT(Pages[Page-1]!Sheet.1!TheText)
This short video shows this process…
Pushing Data Visualizer in Visio beyond its limits
My last post was about some of the lessons learnt when trying to push Data Visualizer to its limits, but this one has some ways of overcoming these limitations. The main lesson learnt is that DV binds the shapes within the DV container shape, CFF Data Visualizer, and controls some of the ShapeSheet cells that…
Pushing Data Visualizer in Visio to the limits!
Regular readers of my blog will know that I like to use the Data Visualizer (DV) in Visio Plan 2, but I recently tried to help a user who really decided to push it to the limits. In this scenario, there were multiple connections, but with different labels, being created between the same flowchart shapes,…
Setting Theme defaults in Visio
I was recently asked how to change the default font size and line weight in Visio, and then saw then many others are asking the same sort of question. I found one reasonable answer suggesting that you should create a new document from your required template, then edit the Styles to suit, and then save…
Taking Visio Actions Rows to the limit
I recently (re-)discovered that there is a limit to the number of Actions section rows that will be evaluated for display on the right mouse menu of a Visio shape. I have not hit a limit (yet) for the number of rows that can be added to the Actions section … so why is there…
A Multi-Time Zone Clock for Visio
I wrote a post about making a clock face in Visio fifteen years ago, but a reader recently asked about displaying multiple time zones. Well, I have previously written about time zones in Visio, so I accepted the challenge to improve upon my earlier work. (more…)
Update any Visio ShapeSheet cell with External Data
When Microsoft introduced a new way of linking external data to Visio shapes in 2007, I initially bemoaned the inability to update anything but Shape Data row values, unlike the old database add-on that I had been using for 10 years. The new method, though, has many advantages over the old way, not least that…
I design electrical control systems for many types of facilities. I need to link the sheet number to the page description. Right now when a customer calls I have to count through the page descriptions to guess at what the sheet number is. Can you provide a solution?
Hi !
I prepare simple tool for create reference to cells in shapes.
Brief decription you can find at my site:
https://surrogate-tm.github.io/snippets/shapesheet_en.html
There also you can find video in Russian, but you can watch
with English sub-titles.
Thanks Alex!