Comments on: Getting a Handle on Selecting and Subselecting Visio Shapes

By: Visio Guy

Visio Guy — Fri, 01 Oct 2010 11:06:37 +0000

If you don't want the group to have text, then you can simulate the behavior in older versions of Visio, where the group couldn't take text. In Format > Behavior: Uncheck "Edit text of group" Now, the top-most sub-shape in the group will take text typed by a user. This is how Visio shapes behaved in Visio 4.0 (I think) and earlier. As Daniel alludes, any text that reflects data in the group will have to reference the group's Sheet.ID. So instead of inserting, say, Prop.Cost, you now have to reference Sheet.5!Prop.Cost. If you are using the insert field dialog, you'll have to use the Custom Formula option, since "Shape Data" will only list fields for the sub-shape, not the group.

By: Daniel

Daniel — Fri, 01 Oct 2010 02:51:41 +0000

Wait up, I’ve solved my problem.

1. Enable ‘Edit text of Group’ in the behaviours dialogue.
2. Remove ‘Text’ protection from the gorup.
3. Set the ‘HideText’ cell (in the Miscellaneous group) of the Group to FALSE’.
4. Edit the text of the Shape, right click and select ‘Insert Field…’. Enter the formula (where Sheet.n is your group).
=SHAPETEXT(Sheet.n!TheText)

5. Protect the ‘Text’ of the Shape.

Dan

By: Daniel

Daniel — Fri, 01 Oct 2010 02:28:09 +0000

While it’s great to disable the ability to edit a groups text (as an overlay/underlay of the sub-shapes), is it possible to ‘edit’ the groups text, but actaully change to the text on one of the sub-shapes?

For Example, click on the group, type away, and the text appears/is changed on shape 1 of the group.

Thanks

By: mars

mars — Tue, 27 Oct 2009 10:48:40 +0000

can visio 2007 do some lot plotting like that of a mapdeed draw?
can connectors/ shapes be controlled to a point where you want it to be? visio takes so much memory and space. are there solutions to problems like these?

By: Visio Guy » Choose Colors with Shape Data Fields

Visio Guy » Choose Colors with Shape Data Fields — Wed, 21 Oct 2009 05:56:49 +0000

[...] times, you have to expect user to sub-select sub-shapes, then format them individually. This can be annoying, because they might not know how to [...]

By: Visio Guy

Visio Guy — Tue, 13 Oct 2009 20:30:02 +0000

Hi John,

Thanks for the input. Sounds like food for about five articles, like why you should GUARD formulas on sub-shapes, and other fascinating themes.

I was trying to keep this a “mostly for end-users” article, but I did get carried away anyway, I suppose.

By: John Visio MVP

John Visio MVP — Tue, 13 Oct 2009 14:21:12 +0000

You should mention that the developer of the shape may have added a formula to one of the shapes that may be destroyed if the developer did not properly protect the formula. For instnace, one of the sub shapes may have been defined as being positioned 2 inches to the left of another subshape. Moving the subshape may change the position to be a percentage of the main shape.
Of course, this can be a topic for another one of your blogs.