bVisual

Lists

Published on by

Using CODE() and UNICODE() functions in Visio

Microsoft Visio does have CHAR() and UNICHAR() ShapeSheet functions, just like Excel, but it does not have the inverse CODE() and UNICODE() functions, unlike Excel. However, there is a way to create a formula in the Visio ShapeSheet to provide these functions.

The following worksheet demonstrates how the CHAR(), CODE(), UNICHAR(), and UNICODE() functions work in Excel.

ColumnFormula
Indexn
Char=IFERROR( CHAR(INT([@Index])),””)
Code=IFERROR( CODE([@Char]),””)
Unichar=UNICHAR(INT([@Index]))
Unicode=UNICODE([@Unichar])

Notice that there are no values for either CHAR() or CODE() above 255 because they use a single bit value. However, UNICHAR() and UNICODE() use two-bit values so can work for over 65,000 values.

A similar table in Visio, constructed using a List shape, requires some formulas in the User-Defined Cells section of the ShapeSheet for the formulas in the Shape Data section to use.

The User-defined Cells formulas are:

RowFormula
User.Chars=CHAR(INT(32))&CHAR(INT(33))& … CHAR(INT(255))
User.Code=FIND(ARG(“c”),User.Chars)
User.StartAt31
User.Unichars=UNICHAR(INT(32))&UNICHAR(INT(33))& … UNICHAR(INT(402))
User.Unicode=FIND(ARG(“c”),User.Unichars)

The Shape Data section formulas are:

RowValue Formula
Prop.Index=GUARD(User.StartAt+User.ListPosition)
Prop.Char=GUARD(CHAR(Prop.Index))
Prop.Code=GUARD(EVALCELL(User.Code,”c”,Prop.Char)+User.StartAt)
Prop.Unichar=GUARD(UNICHAR(Prop.Index))
Prop.Unicode=GUARD(EVALCELL(User.Unicode,”c”,Prop.Unichar)+User.StartAt)

Now, I can use these User.Code and User.Unicode formulas in any scenario where I need to get a character from a numeric value.

The formulas for User.Chars and User.Unichars are very long, so I wrote a couple of VBA sub-routines to generate them, and ran them to print into the Immediate window.

Fortunately, the Design / Editing / Edit Formula dialog box will accept the multi-line text, and then just concatenate them into a single log string on close. I found it was necessary to explicitly convert the numbers using Int() function, otherwise the built-in Unichar() function returned just #Value.

Option Explicit

Public Sub PrintChars()
Dim i As Long
Dim s As String
Dim x As Long
Dim y As Long
    y = 52

    For x = 32 To 255 Step (y + 1)
        s = ""
        For i = x To (x + y)
            If i = 32 Then
                s = "=Char(Int(" & i & "))"
            Else
                s = s & "&Char(Int(" & i & "))"
            End If
        Next i
        Debug.Print s
    Next x
End Sub

Public Sub PrintUnichars()
Dim i As Long
Dim s As String
Dim x As Long
Dim y As Long
    y = 52
    For x = 32 To 370 Step (y + 1)
        For i = x To (x + y)
            s = ""
            If i = 32 Then
                s = "=Unichar(Int(" & i & "))"
            Else
                s = s & "&Unichar(Int(" & i & "))"
            End If
        Next i
        Debug.Print s
    Next x
End Sub

Note that I did not bother to loop through all of the 64k values for Unichars!

The Visio list shape in the Office Web Apps viewer ( or in a new tab ):

The Excel worksheet in the Office Web Apps viewer:

Further reading : The Absolute Minimum Every Software Developer Absolutely, Positively Must Know About Unicode and Character Sets (No Excuses!)

Published on by

Preventing Deletion of Container Members in Visio

The concept of Structured Diagrams was introduced in Visio 2010 and is featured in many of the templates supplied with Microsoft Visio, and in some third-party solutions, like mine. Connectors, callouts, containers and lists are the key parts of a structured diagrams, and there are times when preventing the deletion of members of a container or list is desirable.

  • An example cross-functional flowchart
  • Accidental deletion of a process shape

Visio does have the ability to lock a layer, and therefore preventing deletions of shapes assigned to that layer, but that also prevents the shapes being selected, and thus any movement, shape data or hyperlinks become inaccessible. Visio also the ability to protect any shapes from deletion with an option in the Developer / Shape Design / Protection dialog, but this has to be applied to selected shapes.

Another option is to use the container Format ribbon, however this is not visible by default for any cross-functional flowchart diagrams because Microsoft supplied a custom CROSS-FUNCTIONAL FLOWCHART ribbon tab. This is invisible because the User.msvSDContainerNoRibbon cell has a a TRUE value. Simply changing this to FALSE will enable the Format ribbon tab to be seen. There are some dangerous buttons, such as Disband Container, and some superfluous buttons, but there are also a couple of useful ones.

The container Format / Membership ribbon group has a Lock Container button. This will prevent the accidental deletion of any of the existing members of the parent container or list of the selected shape.

Note that it does not prevent the deletion of the connectors, as they are not considered to be members of the container or list.

Behind the scenes, the value of the User.msvSDContainerLocked cell of the container or list is being toggled between FALSE and TRUE. Be aware that a container or list does not accept any new members if the value is TRUE.

Notice that there is also a Select Contents button which allows you to select all of the container or list members in one click.

  • The container Format / Members / Select Contents button
  • Container contents selected

Note that there are more hidden selection capabilities in MultiSelect for Visio add-in.

See Custom containers, lists and callouts in Visio 2010 and Microsoft Visio Developer 2010 Training for more information.

Update to multiSelect & tracing sub-shape connections in Visio

Most of my Visio diagrams have simple connections between shapes, and my previous post about connections used a flowchart as an example (see https://blog.bvisual.net/2016/08/09/understanding-visio-connections/ ). However, it has come to my attention that some Visio developers add connection points to sub-shapes of Visio group shapes, and then connect between the sub-shapes. This means that the…

Visio 2010 Container Problems

Update : I have received a corrected response from my friends at Microsoft regarding the use of Spatial Neighbors and Containers, so I have to revise this post from its original. The changes are marked in Red. The Structured Diagramming API in Visio 2010 is really neat, but there are a couple of problems that…

Writing rules to validate diagrams in Visio 2010 – A worked example

Microsoft Visio 2010 Premium Edition introduced an extension to the Visio Type Library called the Validation API. This provides the capability to validate a Visio diagram to ensure that its construction complies with industry-standard or company –wide rules. Organizations are able to use this new feature to encapsulate business logic as validation rules, grouped within…

Visio 2010 : Containment and Cross-Functional Flowcharts

One of the templates to get a revision in Visio 2010 is the Cross Functional Flowchart template because of the new list and containment functionality that has been added into the core application.  I had to write a small bit of code in earlier versions of Visio for each flowchart shape to automatically understand which…

Published on by

Visio Pro for Office365 Partner Templates

It is becoming clear that Microsoft are making Visio Pro for Office365 (VPfO) their priority. Its update cadence is much quicker than the non-cloud versions of Visio, and there are some features that may not make it to them. A case in point is partner templates and sample diagrams. It appears that Categories has been renamed as Templates in VPfO and there is a new tab named Sample Diagrams. The Partner Templates are at the bottom of the Templates tab, and there is a Partner Sample Diagrams section too on the Sample Diagrams tab.


I am pleased to note that five of my templates made it into the Education category. Each of these templates are from earlier blog posts here!

Published on by

Visio Rocks for Flag Semaphore … or another use of Lists

My good friend and fellow Visio MVP, John Goldsmith, aka visualSignals.typepad.co.uk, was telling me about a family visit to a semaphore tower over the weekend. Well, I just couldn’t resist making a flag semaphore shape in Visio. First, I looked up semaphore up Wikipedia https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Flag_semaphore .

The character can easily be changed with the Shape Data panel … and watch the arms rotate … best with a wheel mouse rolling up and down in the Character drop-down  

[Read more…] about Visio Rocks for Flag Semaphore … or another use of Lists

Published on by

Get Scrabbled with Visio

Last day of 2014, and the last of my word and number games in Visio … this is Scrabbled, which is a trainer for Scrabble. Okay, it was too difficult to do a fully working Scrabble board without code, and I was likely to break copyright if I did, so I invented a game with the Scrabble tile rack.

I have some suggested rules, but you can make your own up … I just wanted to see what I could do with just ShapeSheet functions..

image
[Read more…] about Get Scrabbled with Visio

Published on by

A Visio Countdown to Xmas

I presented a Visio deck of cards in a previous post ( see http://blog.bvisual.net/2014/12/03/a-visio-deck-of-cards/ ), and now I present a real game that can be played with Visio over the holiday season. Countdown is a British TV programme with word and number puzzles. It was the first programme to be aired on Channel 4, and 70 series have been broadcast since its debut on 2 November 1982. With over 6,000 episodes, Countdown is one of the longest-running game shows in the world, along with the original French version, Des chiffres et des lettres, which has been running on French television continuously since 1965. Read more at http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Countdown_%28game_show%29.

image
[Read more…] about A Visio Countdown to Xmas