This should change the selection slightly so that only the connector is selected and not the text box. By default, this shape has line type 3, and I changed mine to type 2 for a dashed line effect. In Microsoft Office Visio 2003, when your drawing contains objects that use a dashed or a dotted line pattern, and you copy and paste the objects to a Microsoft Office document or to a document in another program that supports linked and embedded objects, you may find that some of the embedded Visio objects appear with a solid line pattern. Click that, then click Visio Extras, and open the file titled Callouts (US units). I am providing screen shots as a visual aid, though a corresponding flow chart can be provided as needed. Before proceeding, your stencil needs to be taken out of read-only mode. Then click Add To New Stencil. My step-by-step instructions will guide you through a procedure to achieve that outcome. In that same menu, click on Line to bring up the line format options. This turns out to be easier said than done because the latest version of Visio has line style “effects” that globally override any dashed connectors.

My Flight Operations professor would like his students to create procedural flow diagrams in Visio 2010 using comment boxes with both solid lines and dashed connectors. I chose 1.0 pt. reproduction of content on this website requires written authorization. I named mine Dashed Annotation and checked the box labeled “Show live preview in Shapes Window.”. This opens the shape in a view that looks just like any other drawing. To add a dotted line, drag the Dotted-line Report shape from th To finish up, consider giving your shape a new name. Near the top of the Shapes panel is a button labeled More Shapes. As illustrated above, you will begin in a new Visio flow chart file. I named my file Dashed Shapes for clarity. Now that you have a fresh, editable copy of the Annotation shape, right-click on it and select Edit Master, then Edit Master Shape. For example, setting the LineStyle property to a style that has line, text, and fill attributes changes only the line attributes. Your new stencil is not displayed automatically after creating it. 2012-11-20T19:32:14+00:00 . To add a dotted line, drag the Dotted-line Report shape from the Shapes pane onto the canvas. We can create the comment boxes easily, but how do we get them to automatically show up with specific connector formats? Like shape outlines, connectors can also be formatted as needed. To do this, right-click on the title of the newly opened stencil and select Edit Stencil. In the next step, the shape will be fixed so that what you see here will be what you get in your diagrams. Before closing the line format options, consider changing the connector’s line weight. To format a shape outline, click the shape or hold down the Ctrl key on the keyboard and select multiple shapes. Beginning with Microsoft Visio 2002, setting LineStyle to a zero-length string ("") will cause the master's style to be reapplied to the selection or shape. You should see your new stencil listed there, and you should click on it now. You want to get rid of the check mark on the left side of that property.

Microsoft Visio - Creating Report Indicators - A dotted line report helps in identifying individual team members who report to multiple people. Microsoft Visio - Formatting Shape Lines - Visio makes it easy to format the shape outlines and the connectors. In the Line section, select the options you need to customize the shape outline. miqrogroove.com Copyright ©1996-2017 by Robert Chapin The handle on the right side of the text box should disappear when this is done correctly. Right click on it in the Shapes panel, select Edit Master, and then Master Properties. You can also change the color of the connector and adjust the transparency levels as needed. Visio makes it easy to format the shape outlines and the connectors. Creating Three & Multiple-position SmartShapes, Breaking Down Structures Using Sync Copies, Adding Markers & Indicators to a Timeline, Scaling & Adding Structural Elements to a Floor Plan.

Now your shape can be dragged into any diagram and it will always have a dashed connector. A dotted line report helps in identifying individual team members who report to multiple people. Notice that the connector on the left side of the shape actually does not have a solid line by default. When the Callouts shapes are displayed, you should see the one you want to use named Annotation.

Because the theme effects will no longer be applied to this line, you will want to choose a line weight appropriate for your final product. Now move your mouse cursor to the connector line on the left side of the shape and click on it once. It will ask you to “Update ‘Annotation’?”  Just click Yes. The answer is to create a custom shape using a connector that is not styled. Creating Three & Multiple-position SmartShapes, Breaking Down Structures Using Sync Copies, Adding Markers & Indicators to a Timeline, Scaling & Adding Structural Elements to a Floor Plan. You might be looking to format a shape outline to make it stand out from the rest of the shapes or to highlight something important. The default is something like 0.26 pt. This creates a new file, called a stencil, with a copy of the original shape. Shapes Menus. In the Line section of the Format Shapes pane, select the Dash type of your choice to change the connector pattern. Drag one of the endpoints to the first shape and the other endpoint to another shape to create a dotted line that indicates the team member reports to more than one position. To save your work, simply close the shape drawing window. My Flight Operations professor would like his students to create procedural flow diagrams in Visio 2010 using comment boxes with both solid lines and dashed connectors.

Right click on Annotation and choose Add to My Shapes.

With the connector selected, right-click on it, click Format, and then disable the property labeled Allow Themes.

You can change the color of the shape outline, increase the width to add more weight, change the rounding, and a whole lot more. Visio Shapes and Dashed Lines. To preserve a shape's local formatting, use the LineStyleKeepFmt property. This will open a Format Shape flyout. You will see that there are two endpoints to the dotted line. By default, this will get saved under My Documents in a folder named My Shapes. Feel free to leave a comment with any questions or praise about this tutorial. miqrogroove. You can also create gradients for the line to suit the diagram. Click once anywhere on the shape to select it. You might be looking to format a shape outline to make it stand out from the rest of the sh So, go back to the More Shapes button, and this time click on My Shapes.