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Visio

Published on January 9, 2023 by David Parker

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 are normally available for customization. The label of the connector is bound to the respective column in the Excel table, and that, combined with the ability to modify the Dynamic connector master shape provides a way of overcoming some of the limitations discovered.

So, given that we want to use DV, and we need to have multiple flows between the same shapes, then they cannot be separate connectors. We need to combine multiple flows onto the same connector, and then find a way to selectively display different flows somehow by controlling the visibility of the connectors. However, we cannot make them invisible because they will be deleted by DV, so we need to control their transparency instead. We can do this by interpreting the label somehow, and we are going to modify the Dynamic connector to react to the text of the label, and we can also change the colour and line pattern too.

The following screenshots show the Excel table with the multiple flows between the same shapes concatenated with pipe characters, and the diagram created by Data Visualizer when this table is imported into a custom template using Data \ Create from Data \ Create:

[Read more…] about Pushing Data Visualizer in Visio beyond its limits

Filed Under: Connectors, Data Visualizer, Shape Data, Shape Reports, ShapeSheet Formulas, Uncategorized, Visio Plan 2 Tagged With: Connectors, Data Visualizer, ShapeSheet Functions

Published on January 3, 2023 by David Parker

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, and the plea was how to make it work! Well, I experimented with this, and found that DV does not really work well in this way, and then proposed an alternative approach, which I will explain in this article.

First, I will show how it fails by setting up an Excel table that does contains multiple connections, but fails to update the labels consistently.

Excel Table with Multiple Links

Lesson 1: Export from Excel to Visio is not the same as Import to Visio from Excel

The following screenshot was created by clicking Table Design / External Table Data / Export / Export Table to Visio Diagram… in Excel for the above table, and then choosing the Cross-Functional Flowchart (horizontal) option.

Default Export to Visio Diagram from Excel

I then chose Hierarchy / Top to Bottom the Design / Layout / Re-Layout Page gallery, and created a simple Shape Report to see the text on each Dynamic connector shape. It was then clear that I had to manually change some of the connectors to use static rather than dynamic glue so that I could see them all.

  • Re-laid out and Curved Connectors
  • Manually adjusted to see all connectors

The following screenshot, however, was created by creating a new Cross-Functional Flowchart – Data Visualizer in Visio, then choosing the above Excel table.

As before, I then chose Hierarchy / Top to Bottom the Design / Layout / Re-Layout Page gallery and created a simple Shape Report to see the text on each Dynamic connector shape. Again, it was then clear that I had to manually change some of the connectors to use static rather than dynamic glue so that I could see them all. Unfortunately, Visio sometimes gets confused about which connector should have which label, and can get it wrong, as shown below, where the same label has been duplicated.

  • Re-laid out and Curved Connectors
  • Manually adjusted to see all connectors

These errors can occur in the export from Excel too. I have also seen instances where the connector label becomes uneditable in Visio.

Therefore, my conclusion is that DV cannot handle multiple connectors between the same shapes.

Also, the template used by the export to Visio from Excel is different to the one used by import from Excel in Visio.

Lesson 2: Making Connectors Invisible is not the Same as Making Lines 100% Transparent

I added extra connection points to the Process shape so that all the connectors could be spaced out, and I edited the labels back to what they should have been, so finally I could display the connections clearly in the following screenshot.

However, this diagram needs to be used to display the alternative routes between Process shapes, and the user wanted to make some connectors invisible so that the desired connectors are shown clearly. My first thought was to move some connectors to a different layer, and then make the new layer invisible.

Unfortunately, DV automatically deleted all the connectors that were assigned to a layer that was made invisible!

  • Assign B connectors to new layer
  • Make new layer invisible
  • DV automatically deletes the invisible connectors

So, the alternative is to assign this new layer to a colour, and make the colour 100% transparent!

  • Assign Bs to new layer
  • Assign a transparent colour to layer
  • Transparent connectors remain

So, my conclusion is to never assign any DV controlled shapes to a transparent layer!

Lesson 3: Even choosing Color By Value using Data Graphic Fields causes a re-layout

There are times when I want to manually adjust the layout because DV does not do it quite right … However, if I then choose to use Data Design / Refresh Diagram or simply select a field in the Data Graphic Fields panel, then DV will automatically re-layout the diagram, even if all I wanted was to have Color by Value. This is because the Data Graphic Field row selection will try to guess what Graphic Item you may want, and this will change all the data-linked shapes to groups, if they are not already, and insert a Graphic Item sub-shape causing the bounding rectangle to be extended, and consequently forcing the layout to be re-spaced. Then, if you change it to the Color by Value that was really wanted, it is too late, the unrequired sub-shape is removed, and the re-layout is automatically performed again!

  • Manually adjusted layout
  • Select a Data Graphic Field
  • Changed to Color By Value

My next post will focus on a solution to overcome these issues with Data Visualizer... This will mean creating a modified Visio template to import from Excel!

Related Posts

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…

Teams Tuesday Podcast Recording about Visio

I am delighted to share the link to my recent demonstration and conversation with fellow MVP Peter Ward about Visio in Teams. We discussed more than just Visio … and I look a bit like Max Headroom! (more…)

Binding Visio and Excel with Data Visualizer

I re-vamped some of my content about the Visio Data Visualizer add-in for Excel in my last post, so I thought I should expand a bit more on the Data Visualizer feature in Visio for Desktop (Visio Plan 2) and Excel for Desktop. I have described it in detail in previous posts, but I never…

Editing Visio Data Visualizer in Excel

I have previously described how to use the Visio Data Visualizer add-in in Excel, but I didn’t make it clear how you can edit the diagram created if you have a Visio license. So, I have recorded three short videos to briefly explain this. (more…)

Visio Data Visualizer Tips

The Microsoft Visio product team have released a great video introduction to the Visio Data Visualizer, but even that does not reveal all of its power. So, here are some tips about using the Microsoft Visio Data Visualizer add-in in Excel. Firstly, the add-in currently offers three different types of diagram, and each have a…

Using some Visio Shape Data in Visio for the Web

Like a lot of UK TV viewers last week, I watched Quiz, a drama about Major Charles Ingram who apparently cheated his way to the jackpot in Who Wants to be a Millionaire. Some of the questions that he was asked were quoted in that show, and I was surprised how easy the last two…

Filed Under: Connectors, Data Visualizer, External Data, Layers, Shape Data, Shape Reports, ShapeSheet Formulas, Visio Plan 2 Tagged With: Data Visualizer, Visio

Published on December 1, 2022 by David Parker

Teams Tuesday Podcast Recording about Visio

I am delighted to share the link to my recent demonstration and conversation with fellow MVP Peter Ward about Visio in Teams. We discussed more than just Visio … and I look a bit like Max Headroom!

[Read more…] about Teams Tuesday Podcast Recording about Visio

Filed Under: Data Visualizer, Diagram Types, MVP, Office 365, PowerBI, Shape Design, SharePoint Online, Teams, Visio Tagged With: SharePoint, Teams, Visio, Visio for M365, Visio for the Web, Visio Online

Published on October 18, 2022 by David Parker

Editing Visio Layer Colours with LayerManager

Desktop Visio has a tremendous ability to assign shapes to none, one or more layers, and the efficient use of them can make a drawing so powerful by toggling layers visibility or locking certain layers whilst working on other layers. The same drawing can be used, displayed or printed for many different purposes just by changing the layer settings. Visio layers can also have a color assigned, and its transparency, without affecting the original colors, so layers can be quickly set to grayscale, for example, to make other layers more visible, and bring attention to them. My LayerManager add-in for Visio has become quite a popular aid to working with layers, and now I have added layer color editing and multiple selection capabilities to the Page Layers tab!

  • Select multiple layers
  • Edit the layer colour
  • Layers colour changed
[Read more…] about Editing Visio Layer Colours with LayerManager

Filed Under: LayerManager, Layers, Visio for Desktop Tagged With: LayerManager, Layers, Visio

Published on September 28, 2022 by David Parker

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 as a new personal template. Well, I am not sure I like that answer because it means you must create a duplicate template for each one you use. So, I decided to see if I could find a better way…

Firstly, it is important to know that these default settings are not editable for the whole Visio application, because they are stored in each document, under the Styles collection. You can view the Styles in a document using the Drawing Explorer window that can be opened from the Developer tab.

Select Define Styles in the Drawing Explorer window
[Read more…] about Setting Theme defaults in Visio

Filed Under: ShapeSheet Formulas, Styles, Themes, Visio Tagged With: ShapeSheet, Styles, Visio

Published on August 30, 2022 by David Parker

Visio Shape Report Converter Excel add-in available

I am delighted to announce that I have just had my first Excel add-in accepted in the Office Add-ins Store! It is called Shape Report Converter because all it does is convert a Shape Report converted from Visio for Desktop to a modern Excel table with one click!

It isn’t a complicated add-in, and it doesn’t do anything that you can’t do manually, but it does save time, and ensures consistency … and it is free!

[Read more…] about Visio Shape Report Converter Excel add-in available

Filed Under: Excel, Products, Shape Data, Shape Report Converter, Shape Reports, Visio Tagged With: Excel, Shape Reports, Visio

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