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 limitation to the number that will be displayed on the right mouse menu? In Visio for desktop, any rows over this limit will simply not be displayed, but in Visio for web it prevents any Actions from being displayed at all on the shape.
[Read more…] about Taking Visio Actions Rows to the limitVisio for Web
Custom Shapes in Visio in M365 and Web
Microsoft recently announced the ability to access the shapes in the document stencil whilst using Visio for Web … if you have a Visio Plan 2 license. So, I thought I would make it clear what that means for custom shape developers. There are now three licenses that provide the ability to edit Visio diagrams in the web browser.
- Visio in Microsoft 365 – now provided to all commercial M385 subscribers, it is a light version of Visio for Web
- Visio Plan 1 – a subscription that provides Visio for Web in a browser, with more templates and features than Visio in M365
- Visio Plan 2 – a subscription that provides Visio for Desktop on Windows, in addition to Visio for Web in a browser anywhere
Typically, Visio solution developers create smart custom shapes that are deployed as masters in a stencil. None of the licenses currently provide the ability to deploy custom stencils for use by Visio in the web browser, however Visio Plan 2 license holders can access custom masters in the document stencil. This increases the ability of these users to use custom Visio documents on non-Windows devices. However, Visio in M365 users cannot edit Visio documents with custom masters, and Visio Plan 1 users cannot access the local document stencil.
[Read more…] about Custom Shapes in Visio in M365 and WebVisio Presentations for the Microsoft Ignite The Tour 2020
Just when we thought the pandemic was coming to an end, another variant appears to scupper our plans. So, resuming in-person events is delayed, and the world isn’t safe until the world is immunised. Therefore, I decided to make the presentations that I was going to be presenting on the abandoned Microsoft Ignite The Tour last year available, although I did manage to go to London and Copenhagen before we all stopped flying around the globe…

Visio in Microsoft 365? What’s that?
Now that a version of Visio is being rolled out as part of the commercial subscription of Microsoft 365, what is the difference between it and the Visio Web App that is delivered by Visio Plan 1 and Visio Plan 2 subscriptions?
Moreover, can a Visio diagram created by an M365 user be round-tripped with Visio Web App and Visio Desktop App users?

First of all, lets review the editions of Visio currently available:
- Visio in Microsoft 365 – a web app that is included in M365 for business
- Visio Web App – a web app that requires an extra Visio Plan 1 subscription
- Visio Desktop App – a web-delivered Windows app that requires an extra Visio Plan 2 subscription (includes Visio Web App)
- Visio Professional – a Windows app for a one-time purchase, previously installed via a msi package, now Click-to-Run and called LTSC
- Visio Standard – a Windows app for a one-time purchase, previously installed vi a msi package, now Click-to-Run and called LTSC
So, is that clear? The good news is that all editions use the same file format, and can be viewed by anyone, with the relevant access permission, if the Visio document is stored in OneDrive or SharePoint Online/Teams. This Visio Viewer also provides visibility of the Shape Data, Hyperlinks and Comments. It also has a JavaScript API which makes it extremely useful for developing custom web pages in SharePoint Online/Teams.
[Read more…] about Visio in Microsoft 365? What’s that?Visio ShapeSheet Functions T – Z
The seventh, and final, 25 of the Visio ShapeSheet functions that start with the letters T – Z are visually described in the Visio document below that is available for download.
Please see the general introduction to this series at ShapeSheet Functions A-Z for more information.

Visio ShapeSheet Functions S
The sixth 19 of the Visio ShapeSheet functions that start with the letter S are visually described in the Visio document below that is available for download.
Please see the general introduction to this series at ShapeSheet Functions A-Z for more information.
