To create a reusable set of data fields

  1. On the View tab, in the Show group, click Task Panes, and then click Shape Data.
    This toggles display of the Shape Data task pane.
  2. Right-click anywhere in the Shape Data task pane, and then click Shape Data Sets.
  3. In the Shape Data Sets task pane, click Add.
  4. In the Add Shape Data Set dialog box, type a name for the data set.
  5. Select Create a new set, and then click OK.
    The data set appears in the Name column of the Shape Data Sets window.
  6. Select your new data set, and then click Define.
  7. In the Define Shape Data dialog box, define the fields for your shape data set.
  8. To create another field, click New.
  9. After all of your data fields are defined, click OK.
  10. To apply the data set to selected shapes in your drawing, select the set in the Shape Data Sets task pane, and then click Apply.

To see your new fields in one of the shapes that you applied it to, select the shape, and then look in the Shape Data window.

Add data fields to a master shape

If you want to add the same set of shape data every time you use a particular shape, you can save time by adding the data fields to a copy of the master shape. For example, you can add data fields such as name and employee number to the master of a person shape.

To create a copy of the shape on a custom stencil

  1. In the Shapes window, right-click the master shape, point to Add to My Shapes, and then do one of the following:
  2. In the Save As dialog box, type a name for the new stencil, and then click Save.
  3. In the Shapes window, click More Shapes, point to My Shapes, and then click the stencil that contains the copied master shape.

To edit the new master on the custom stencil

  1. Right-click the title bar of the new stencil, and then click Edit Stencil on the shortcut menu.
  2. Right-click the shape that you just added to the stencil, point to Edit Master, and then click Edit Master Shape.
  3. In the shape’s edit window, right-click the shape, point to Data, and then click Define Shape Data.
  4. In the Define Shape Data dialog box, type a name for the field, and fill in any other information that you want. For example, you might want to change the data type or add a shape prompt at this time.
  5. To create another field, click New and repeat the previous step.
  6. After you finish defining your data fields, click OK.
  7. To close the master shape’s edit window, on the View tab, in the Window group, click Cascade, select the window for the master shape, and then click the Close button (X) in the upper corner.
  8. When you see a message that asks if you want to update the shape, click Yes.
  9. In the Shapes window, right-click the stencil, and then click Save.

To delete a data field

  1. Select the shape that has the data field that you want to delete.
  2. Right-click anywhere in the Shape Data window and click Define Shape Data.
  3. In the Define Shape Data dialog box, under Properties, select the data field that you want to delete, click Delete, and then click OK.
One of the powerful features of the programs in the Microsoft Office suite is their collaborative capability. Because of this, you can easily create something in one program and export it to another. One example of this is to use the spreadsheet program Excel to create shapes to be used in Visio. All you have to do is create your spreadsheet, enter in your data in Excel and then use the Organization Chart Wizard in Visio to automatically create the shapes based on the data in the Excel spreadsheet.

Step 1

Open Microsoft Excel. Start a new spreadsheet by clicking on 'File,' 'New,' 'Blank Spreadsheet' and then 'Create.' Or, open an existing spreadsheet by clicking on 'File' and then 'Open.'

Step 2

Navigate to the file folder that holds the spreadsheet you want to open. Click the spreadsheet file and then click on 'Open.'

Visio Macro Shape Data Calculator

Step 3

Set up your data, if you are creating a new spreadsheet. Type in the headers in the first row of the spreadsheet for each column. Enter in the necessary data in the preceding rows.
Visio Macro Shape Data

Step 4

Click 'File' and then 'Save' to save your spreadsheet.

Step 5

Open Microsoft Visio. Click on 'File' and then 'New.' Click on the 'Business' category and then click on 'Organization Chart Wizard.'

Step 6

Download firmware advan s4a kitkat original. Click the option to 'Select data from an existing source' and then click on 'Next.' Click the option to export data from an Excel file and then click 'Next.' Click 'Browse' and navigate to the folder that holds the Excel file you just saved.
Click on the file and then click on 'Next.' Check to see if the wizard chose the correct row headers in the 'Name' and 'Reports To' fields and then click on 'Next.' Click 'Next' again and then 'Finish.' Visio will be populated with shapes based on the data from your Excel file.

Video of the Day

Visio Shape Data

Brought to you by Techwalla

Visio Macro Get Shape Data

More Articles