Layers

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

Published on August 18, 2016 by David Parker

Microsoft inviting beta testers for Visio on iPad Preview

Well the secret is out … Microsoft are looking for beta testers for the initial release of Visio on iPad. Note, that this is view only, but it should offer a more faithful graphical representation than any third-party product. Plus, it has layer control!

Microsoft asks Insiders to comment in particular on the following iPad-specific features:

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Published on January 8, 2015 by David Parker

Announcing visViewer 4th edition … and why I did it

Sometimes I get really frustrated with Microsoft. They have a really great data-diagramming product with Visio, which they bought for the largest amount that they had ever paid for an acquisition at the time in 1999, but they have not succeeded in marketing the virtues of visual data to most of the Office community. I have always thought that one of the reasons for that is a misguided belief that you should not be able to make good use of Visio diagrams without purchasing Visio. My evidence for this is the lack of data, and sometimes hyperlinks, that are with each shape in the various outputs such as XPS, PDF, and Save As Web. For me, this is a missed opportunity because each of these formats could include data and multiple hyperlink support for each shape. Indeed, it should have been relatively simple for Microsoft to integrate Visio better with Word, Excel and PowerPoint … and I mean graphics and data, not just dumb pictures.

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Published on June 18, 2013 by David Parker

Comparison of Visio Save As Web Outputs

SharePoint 2013 Visio Services provides a great solution for viewing the actual Visio file directly within a SharePoint web page, however you need to be logged into your corporate web to do this. So, how can you view Visio files in a web page if you cannot use Visio Services?

You could build a web page with the Visio Viewer control, but that is ActiveX and will only work in certain controlled conditions. The benchmark has to be allowing the Visio file to be viewed on an iPad, or an Android tablet, or Surface RT. Visio Services in SharePoint 2013 will enable this, and will allow for the Visio document to be zoomed, panned, and the Shape Data and hyperlinks to be viewed and used, but, again, this is not always available.

Published on September 4, 2012 by David Parker

Assigning Shape Layers from a List in Visio

A Visio user recently asked if it is possible to assign shapes to layers from a list. In his case, he has an Excel table which he has exported shapes and their text using Visio’s Shape Reports feature, to which he has added a column named Layer, and he wants to assign the shapes to these layers. In this article, I demonstrate how this can be done.

I decided to use my MVP Session Wheel diagram ( see http://blog.bvisual.net/2012/06/29/mvp-sessions-wheel/ ) for this example because it already has some layers assigned.

I created a new Shape Report called Presenter Shapes, where I filtered all shapes on the current page to those where the Presenter Shape Data row exists, and the Presenter actually has a value:

Published on October 8, 2007 by David Parker

Toggling Layers On and Off

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

Visio layering system is more complex than any CAD system I’ve worked with, and often catches users out. A Visio shape can belong to no layer, one layer or multiple layers simultaneously, and a layer can be visible or invisible; printable or non-printable. In fact, you can have a shape on a layer that is invisible but printable – a good way to put a watermark across a document.

Firstly, Visio layers are per page in a document, and secondly, Visio layers are stored as an index number with an associated name. Therefore, layer 1 on page 1 could be named Outline, but layer 1 on page 2 could be called something completely different!

View > Layer Properties will show you the layer settings on the active Visio page, but the # column, which gives you a count of shapes on each layer, can be misleading because the same shape can be on multiple layers, and even sub-shapes (those inside a grouped shape) are counted.