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Keeping Visio Data Graphic Items Level

My good friend Scott Helmers, Visio author and trainer, of Harvard Computing Group , recently asked for some help in keeping data graphic items level when their target shape is rotated. Fortunately, I was able to assist, so I thought I would explain how this can be done, and also update my Icon Maker macro from a few years ago. The updated macro is available to download for free and includes the extra ability of sizing the icons. I chose to use some bee stickers from the Insert / Illustrations / Icons tool in Visio Plan 2, and the Status options from the Process shape in the Basic Flowchart Shapes stencil to demonstrate.

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What is the value of my MVP Award for 2021-22?

It may be something that has been repeated annually for 17 years, but I still feel so proud when the Microsoft MVP Award kit arrives at my door. We have seen changes to the scheme over the years, and my son tells me there are currently 3,550 MVPs around the world … or, as he sees it, currently $628m equity in Microsoft per MVP! Well, I don’t think I have added that much value to the shares, but I like to think that I have helped in the adoption of Microsoft Visio in many companies around the world, either directly or indirectly.

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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.

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Update of Free Rules Tools for Visio Validation

Microsoft introduced Validation Rules in Visio 2010 Premium, and I was excited enough to write a book about it. Microsoft merged the Premium into the Professional edition in 2013, so I updated my book. I wrote an interface into the Visio Validation API as a free VSTO add-in, called Rules Tools. It was normal to install the 32bit edition of Office back then, but now 64bit is the default, so I have update the setup to detect whether a 32bit or 64bit edition needs to be installed, before continuing.

So now, anyone who has Visio Professional or Visio Plan 2 can use this free tool which provides the only interface available to review, import, export and write Visio Validation rules.

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Automatic Line and Segment Lengths in Visio

Many years ago, I wrote some VBA code to calculate the length of a multi-segment line in Visio, see Automating Area and Perimeter Length Shape Data , but Microsoft have since provided a handy ShapeSheet function, PATHLENGTH(…), to do the same without any VBA. The function is described on one of the pages in Visio ShapeSheet Functions O-R , but here is one way that it can be incorporated into a useful shape for, say, cabling or piping, and thus be available in Shape Reports. Moreover, the Shape Data can display the length of each of the segments in the line, in addition to the total length.

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