Getting started with Microsoft Visio. . .

ENGINEERING DRAWING & WORKSHOP

CP-108

LAB # 11

Name: ______

Reg. #: ______

Group: ______

University of Engineering & Technology, Taxila

Prepared By: Engr. Afshan Jamil

Checked By: ______

Date: ______

OBJECTIVE:

Ø  Introduction to visio environment

Templates

You start a Microsoft Office Visio diagram by opening a template. A template opens one or more stencils to the left of the drawing page. The stencils contain the shapes you need to create your diagram.

Templates also include all the styles, settings, and tools you need to create a particular diagram type. For example, when you open a flowchart template, it opens a drawing page and stencils that contain flowchart shapes. The template also includes tools for creating flowcharts, such as a tool that numbers your shapes, and appropriate styles, such as arrowheads.

Stencils and Shapes

After you open a template, you drag shapes from stencils onto the drawing page to create your diagram. The shapes on stencils are designed specifically for the particular drawing type, and many of them are "smart"—meaning they have built-in behavior that makes sense in the drawing context.

The Drawing Environment

After you open a template, you'll see the Microsoft Office Visio drawing environment, which includes menus, toolbars, and stencils with shapes, the drawing page, and a task pane to the right of the drawing page.

You create your drawing on the drawing page, which represents the printed page and includes a grid to help position shapes.

Visio menus and toolbars are similar to those in other Microsoft Office System programs, so you'll find familiar ways to open, print, and save your diagrams.

Open a template

  1. On the File menu, point to New, and then click Choose Drawing Type.
  2. In the Choose Drawing Type window, under Category, click Block Diagram.
  3. Under Template, click Basic Diagram.

Add shapes

Add shapes to your diagram by dragging shapes from stencils in the Shapes window onto the drawing page.

Drag shapes from a stencil

  1. From the Basic Shapes stencil in the Shapes window, drag a Rectangle shape onto the drawing page.
  2. Drag another Rectangle shape and place it below the first Rectangle shape.

Delete shapes

Deleting shapes is easy. Just click the shape and then press the DELETE key.

Zoom in and out of the drawing page

If the shapes in your diagram are too small to work with, you'll want to zoom in closer. If you're working with a large diagram (for example, a site plan or floor plan) you may need to zoom out to check the overall view.

Zoom in and out of the drawing page

To zoom in on the shapes in your diagram, click the Pointer tool, and then hold down the CTRL+SHIFT keys while you drag a selection rectangle around the shapes.

The pointer changes to a magnifying tool, which tells you Microsoft Office Visio is ready to zoom in on the shapes.

To zoom out to check the overall look of your diagram, center the drawing page in the window, and press the CTRL+W keys.

Zoom in and out of the drawing page using other methods

You can also zoom in and out of the drawing page using the Zoom box on the toolbar and the Pan & Zoom window. To open the Pan & Zoom window, on the View menu, click Pan & Zoom Window.

Move one shape

Moving a shape is easy: just click any shape to select it, and then drag it to a new location. Selection handles appear when you click the shape.

Move one shape

With the Pointer tool, click the Rectangle shape to select it.

Place the Pointer tool over the center of the Rectangle shape.

A four-headed arrow appears under the pointer, which tells you that the shape is ready to be moved.

Move shapes using the arrow keys

You can click a shape, and then press an arrow key on your keyboard to move it. To move the shape in smaller increments, hold down the SHIFT key while you press an arrow key.

Move more than one shape at a time

To move more than one shape at a time, you first select all the shapes you want to move.

With the Pointer tool, click a blank area of the drawing page above and to the left of the top Process shape, and then drag to create a black selection rectangle around all of the shapes.

Alternatively, you could hold down the SHIFT key while you click each shape.

Place the Pointer tool over the center of any of the selected shapes.

Resize a shape

You can resize shapes by dragging their corner, side, or bottom selection handles.

Resize multiple shapes at once

You can resize multiple shapes at once by selecting all of the shapes you want to resize, and then dragging one of the selection handles that appear on the green selection rectangle that encloses all of the shapes.

Add text to shapes

1.  Click the first Rectangle shape on the drawing page, and then type 1.

2.  Alternatively, you could click the Text tool, click the shape, and then type.

3.  Click a blank area of the drawing page or press the ESC key to exit the text mode.

Delete text from a shape

Double-click the shape, and then, with the text highlighted, press the DELETE key. Or click the Text tool, click the shape, highlight the text you want to delete, and then press the DELETE key. If you delete the shape by mistake, on the Edit menu, click Undo.

Add independent text

You can also add text that's not associated with any shape, such as a title or list, to the drawing page. This type of text is called independent text or a text block. Use the Text tool to just click and type.

Connect shapes with the Connector tool

You use the Connector tool to create connections.

Note: People new to Microsoft Office Visio often use the Line tool to connect shapes. Using the Connector tool is a much better method. When you use the Connector tool, connectors reroute, or bend, automatically when you move one of the connected shapes. When you use the Line tool to connect shapes, the connectors don't reroute.

·  Click the Connector tool.

·  Place the Connector tool over the connection point on the bottom of the first Rectangle shape.

·  The Connector tool highlights the connection point with a red box, which tells you that a connection can be made at that point.

·  Drag the Connector tool from the connection point on the first shape to the connection point at the top of the second Rectangle shape.

·  The connector endpoints turn red when the shapes are connected. This is an important visual cue. If one of the connector's endpoints is still green, usethe Pointer tool to connect the endpoint to the shape. Both endpoints must be red if you want the shapes to stay connected.

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