bVisual

Visio for Web

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Viewing Visio Files in Public Websites

Some of my colleagues have asked me how I have managed to include Visio files into this public website, so I thought I would share my secret. Microsoft has kindly provided a File Viewer Web Part for use in SharePoint that appears to be useful in other websites too.

If you view a Visio file that is stored on OneDrive or in SharePoint Online, you can get the </> Embed code for the Visio document from the Show More Commands (…) button in the top right corner. This is normally intended for use within SharePoint pages.

A panel will appear where you can enter the Width and Height of the embedded diagram.

The Embed Code will be something like:

This code assumes that you have permission to see the Visio document within SharePoint, so it is not suitable for general public viewing. Fortunately, the Share option allows you to create a read only link:

This link text can then be copied and used within the embed code yo replace the permissioned access to the file, as follows:

This edited code can then be inserted as custom html into your public non-SharePoint web page, and will display as follows, with active hyperlinks:

I don’t know if the other Microsoft Office web views provide the embed code, but the Visio one can be used and the source document replaced with, for example, and PowerPoint file (this was created with Slide Snippets feature in Visio Plan 2):

Or a Word file (this was created with Export to Word feature in Visio Plan 2):

Or Excel (this was created with Shape Reports feature in all desktop Visio apps):

Intended or not, it is very useful!

Webinar on Visio, SharePoint and Teams using SPFx

I will be presenting a webinar on embedding Visio diagram in SharePoint Online and Teams next month, please register here ! (Or if you missed it live, then watch the recording !) The slides are available at https://www.slideshare.net/bvisual/creating-a-visio-web-part-with-sharepoint-spfx

Visio JavaScript API preview announced

Microsoft have just announced the availability of the new Visio JavaScript Api ( see Visio JavaScript APIs Preview). I presented this last week at the Artic SharePoint Challenge in Oslo where a number of developers took the opportunity to create data-linked Visio diagrams in Visio, and interact with them in SharePoint. Here is an abbreviated…

Using JavaScript to Find and Highlight Visio Shapes by Shape Data values in SharePoint Content Editor

In August, I wrote about Using JavaScript to Display Visio Shape Data and Hyperlinks in SharePoint Content Editor ( see http://blog.bvisual.net/2014/08/16/using-javascript-to-display-visio-shape-data-and-hyperlinks-in-sharepoint-content-editor/ ), so now I have added the ability to select shapes by a property value. The main advantage of using JavaScript in the client is that there is no need to go back to…

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Embedding Visio documents for public viewing

I have been asked by a colleague to publish my hack for enabling Visio files to be viewed by everyone with the Visio for the Web component in reading mode on this website, or indeed any other public web site. So, here goes ….

The first thing is to view the Visio file in an online browser. The file must be stored in OneDrive (or SharePoint Online if permission for guests available). The View online option is available from the right mouse menu of a selected Visio file, if viewing in Windows Explorer, or simply open the file, if listed in the browser. Note the “…” (More Commands) button in the top right corner.

[Read more…] about Embedding Visio documents for public viewing

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My sessions at MS Ignite the Tour 2020 London

I was pleased to present two sessions at London ExCel last week about Visio. Attendance was good, maybe too good because some could not get close enough to hear. There was a lot of background noise, and my presentations were too long for the 15 minutes slot, but content was eagerly received.

My Visio Power BI presentation …

I told everyone to download the slide decks, but I cannot find the link on the TechCommunity pages yet, so I have created my own links ….

[Read more…] about My sessions at MS Ignite the Tour 2020 London

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Visio news from MS Ignite 2019

Daniel, Scott, me and Michel at the Veeam party

Microsoft Ignite 2019 at the huge Orange County Conference Conference Center in Orlando is over for another year. 30,000 attendees over 6 days, and I have seen my first sunlight today since I arrived in Florida last Saturday! So, it is time to review just what was announced about Visio, and how much Visio is appreciated.

[Read more…] about Visio news from MS Ignite 2019

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Triggering Shape Mouse Enter and Leave JavaScript events in Visio Online

I am working on a project where Visio Online process diagrams are embedded within a SharePoint web page, and was surprised that the JavaScript onShapeMouseEnter() event was not being triggered as the mouse cursor moved over some of my shapes. After much searching by myself, and my colleague Seb Craft, we found that only the sub-shapes in the group were firing the event … So what was the problem?

[Read more…] about Triggering Shape Mouse Enter and Leave JavaScript events in Visio Online

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Create & edit Visio diagrams in browser

Visio Online is now generally available! You can read more about it here , but what does it mean? Well, if you have Visio Pro for Office 365 (like me) then you should find that it is now converted to Visio Online Plan 2, which includes Visio Online as well. Visio Online Plan 1 does not include Visio Pro for Office 365, but these users can view all Visio documents, and can also create and edit simple ones (see the FAQ for more details).
Selecting a New / Visio Drawing in my Office 365 tenant now opens a Basic Diagram in Visio Online. I can then choose to create a diagram from a different template using File / New.

I would also expect to be able to access Visio Online from the waffle menu in the top left of my Office 365 client. This takes me to the Visio Online Gallery, where I can open existing diagrams, or view Popular Diagram templates. At the moment, it only invites me to purchase or upgrade my subscription, but I assume that they will soon be starter diagrams for me to edit

I can also edit some existing simple diagrams that I have selected to view online.

The Shapes search feature looks pretty useful … perhaps it will provide access to third party shapes in the future too!

Visio Online is not as full-featured as Visio desktop editions, but it is really great to see this lightweight editor (at last). It works with the native Visio files, so no need for any conversion, but there are some limitations on file size and features that can be opened by the web version. There are some users who may only need this, but others will still want the desktop, especially Visio Pro for Office 365, because they have more demanding needs, such as Shape Data and links to data sources. It may even be enough for some Mac users out there too, who have long wished to be able to view and edit Visio diagrams without a Visio-clone or converter.
Keep it up Microsoft! Well done.