Search Results for: validation rules

Learn how to write validation rules for Visio desktop

If you are a Microsoft Visio Professional or Online Plan 2 user or developer who wants to get to grips with both the basic features of Visio and the Validation Rules introduced in Visio 2010, then this book is for you. A working knowledge of Microsoft Visio, and optionally .NET for the add-in code, is required, though previous knowledge of business process diagramming is not necessary. More experienced Visio users will gain valuable knowledge for building add-ins and creating and publishing rules. If you want to achieve results from Visio desktop beyond the ordinary out-of-the-box features, then this book is ideal for you. Although this book covers the Professional and Online Plan 2 editions, much of the book is still useful if you are a Visio Standard edition user.

Who this book is written for:

This book is aimed at the departmental-level operational or business intelligence professional or Microsoft Office power-user who wants to create data diagrams with Microsoft Visio that can accurately represent business information visually.

What you will learn from this book:

• Master the Visio features supporting structured diagrams and Validation
• Learn new Validation functions, including creating and modifying Validation Rules to verify diagram correctness
• Successfully implement out-of-the-box content for Visio
• Gain a deeper understanding of Visio as a diagramming tool and the Visio document structure
• Discover the Visio Type Library
• Understand ShapeSheet functions for writing formulae in Validation tests
• Publish custom Visio templates that enforce company diagramming standards
• Build a Visio add-in for increased ease when creating Rules or analyzing existing Rules
• Use the provided Rules Tools add-in to export Validation Rules to XML
• View diagrams with corresponding issues using annotations
• Integrate validation diagrams with SharePoint on Premise

Table of contents

• Chapter 1. Overview of Process Management in Microsoft Visio 2013
• Chapter 2. Understanding the Microsoft Visio Object Model
• Chapter 3. Understanding the ShapeSheet™
• Chapter 4. Understanding the Validation API
• Chapter 5. Developing a Validation API Interface
• Chapter 6. Reviewing Validation Rules and Issues
• Chapter 7. Creating Validation Rules
• Chapter 8. Publishing Validation Rules and Diagrams
• Chapter 9. A Worked Example for Data Flow Model Diagrams – Part 1
• Chapter 10. A Worked Example for Data Flow Model Diagrams – Part 2
• Chapter 11. A Worked Example for Data Flow Model Diagrams – Part 3
• Chapter 12. Integrating Validated Diagrams with SharePoint 2013 and Office365
• Index

More Information

• Amazon.com
• Packt
• Amazon.co.uk

This is my last article in this series about customising Visio documents for the web app, and we have seen how we can create custom shapes using the desktop app, that enhance and improve productivity in the web app. I have also recorded a webinar that can be viewed at Providing Custom Templates for Visio web app. Although Microsoft have embarked on a partial convergence of the two apps, there are some features in the desktop app that are probably never going to be available in the web app, and there are some features that will become available over time, and others which will probably only ever exist in the web app. This article may seem a little negative about the content of the web app, but it is not meant to be. The web app is a fraction of the cost of the desktop app, and I would like to encourage the side-by-side use of the two apps, sharing the same files, without causing frustration brought about by ignoring the fact that they are not the same.

Drawing tools

Strange as it may seem, but the Visio web app does not yet have the ability to use the drawing tools that are available in the desktop app. However, if they are used in the desktop app, then the shapes are still available for some editing in the web app. Update Summer 2023 : The web edition does now have the drawing tools!

Overview

Microsoft Visio is one of the most popular and comprehensive applications available for visualizing information of many different types. A previous article ( bvisual.net/resources/using-visio-in-teams/ ) described the basic functionality of viewing and commenting in Visio documents within Microsoft Teams, but Visio diagrams can also be integrated into SharePoint web pages using the Visio JavaScript API. These web pages provide an interactive graphical interface that can be used to provide clarity and exposure to data that would otherwise be confusing or hidden. For example, the following video shows how standard operating procedures can be navigated, from page to page or from document to document, and hyperlinks followed to the relevant documentation for each step:

If the above video does not display, then try it on YouTube.