Listed below are attributes and formatting introduced in Visio 5.0
that are not supported when a file is saved in the Visio 4.0 format.
In some cases, the original attributes applied in Visio 5.0 will be available once the file is reopened with a 5.0 product.
╖ Summary Information Fields New to 5.0 (for example, multi-page previews)
╖ Header and Footer Information
╖ Enhanced Metafiles (see Note 1)
╖ Guide Rotation Angles
╖ Page Rotation Angles
╖ Rotation of Metafiles (see Note 2)
╖ Named Connections
╖ Dynamic Connectors
╖ E-mail Routing
╖ Embedded Controls (see Note 3)
╖ Hyperlink Row and Hyperlink Property Stream
╖ Corner Properties Row
╖ New Snap Options
╖ Custom Line Ends and Patterns
╖ Custom Text, Line, or Fill Colors (supported in Visio 4.5)
╖ Gradient Fill Patterns (supported in Visio 4.5)
╖ VBA Macros (supported in Visio 4.5)
Note 1:
Visio 5.0 tries to convert enhanced metafiles (EMFs) to Windows metafiles (WMFs) when saving to the Visio 4.0 file format. (A WMF is limited to 16-bit Windows capabilities, and features like custom patterns -- which use graphics capabilities that require 32-bit Windows -- aren't available in WMFs.) Consequently, various items and attributes -- particularly 32-bit graphics attributes -- will be lost during the conversion process (for example, nested metafiles, custom patterns, gradient fills, etc.). Conversion of EMFs to WMFs is better supported on Windows NT 4.0 than on Windows 95.
Note 2:
In Visio 4.0, Windows metafiles (WMFs) were always forced to an upright position. Visio 5.0 has the ability to rotate enhanced metafiles (EMFs). To make Visio 4.0 drawings display the same in Visio 5.0 as they do in Visio 4.0, Visio 5.0 will only convert metafiles to enhanced format when the metafile is explicitly rotated and the drawing saved in 5.0 format. The conversion to enhanced format is automatic. Rotating and saving in Visio 4.0 format after such an operation is not advisable, since the metafile would then have to be converted back to WMF format, which cannot be rotated.
Note 3:
Versions of Visio prior to Visio 5.0 do not support the embedding of ActiveX controls. Many controls behave as expected as standard embedded objects, but some do not. You may experience unexpected behavior from some controls if you save the documents that contain them in the Visio 4.0 file format.
Note 4:
A project timeline created with the Visio 5.0 Project Timeline Wizard stores data which is used by the project scheduler. This data is lost when the timeline is saved as a Visio 4.0 drawing; what remains is an editable Visio 4.0 drawing.
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OPENING VISIO FILES ON A NETWORK
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Working with and opening Visio files on a network is essentially the same as on an individual workstation. On the network, however, you can make a drawing available to other users and allow them to make changes to the file. You can also protect the file from changes.
Keep the following issues in mind when using Visio on a network:
When a Visio drawing file is opened in read/write mode, no other network user can access the file. (Even read-only access is denied.) Visio does, however, permit multiple users concurrent read-only access to files so they can share a single set of network stencils. Therefore, when stencil files are shared, it is important that users not open the files in read/write mode. As a safeguard, stencil files should have the read-only attribute set to prevent users from opening the files in read/write mode. You can also set the network Visio directory to read-only to prevent users from opening the files in read/write mode.
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VISIO 5.0 AND 16-BIT ADD-ONS
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Running 16-bit add-ons in Visio 5.0 under Windows 95 when you have Microsoft VBA installed causes unpredictable behavior that may result in loss of unsaved data. Microsoft has released a fix for this problem, which concerns the thunking layer of OLE on Windows 95 systems, with Distributed Component Object Model (DCOM) for Windows 95. DCOM for Windows 95 and related information is available at the OLE Development section of the Microsoft web site at http://www.microsoft.com/oledev/olemkt/oledcom/dcom95.htm.
By default, Visio displays a warning when users attempt to run a 16-bit add-on from within Visio on Windows 95 systems. Unfortunately, Visio cannot prevent a user from running a 16-bit program that controls Visio from another context (for example, Microsoft Explorer or the Run command on the Start menu).
The warning dialog has an associated setting in VISIO.INI that works as follows:
16BitAddOnWarning=0 Ask the user before running the add-on, default is don't run the add-on (Default)
16BitAddOnWarning=1 Ask the user before running the add-on, default to run the add-on
16BitAddOnWarning=2 Don't run the add-on and don't ask first
16BitAddOnWarning=3 Don't ask the user first, go ahead and run the add-on
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ACTIVEX CONTROLS IN VISIO DOCUMENTS
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When you delete certain ActiveX controls from a Visio document after having displayed the VBA Properties window, your Visio program may quit or end unexpectedly. If this occurs, restart Visio, then open the document and delete the control without opening the VBA Editor or the VBA Properties window. The Visio program and the VBA Editor should then behave as expected.
It is advisable to save documents that contain ActiveX controls frequently to minimize the risk of data loss due to controls with unexpected behavior.
Microsoft ActiveX HotSpot Control 1.0 does not function properly in Visio 5.0. Consequently, the ability to insert it into Visio 5.0 has been disabled.
Uninstalling Microsoft Office 97 unregisters Visual Basic for Applications (VBA) for all VBA host applications, including Visio 5.0. To use VBA after Microsoft Office 97 has been uninstalled, you must install a VBA host application, such as Visio 5.0, after uninstalling Microsoft Office 97 to properly register VBA.
If you encounter problems printing TrueType fonts to the Hewlett-Packard LaserJet 4 series printers (non-PostScript) under Windows 95, you may need to change a setting in the printer driver concerning the use of TrueType fonts.
1. Open the Windows 95 Control Panel and double-click the Printers icon.
2. Select the LaserJet 4 series printer and choose Properties from the File menu.
3. Click the Fonts tab in the Properties dialog.
4. Click the TrueType fonts option "Download TrueType fonts as bitmap soft fonts".
You can install the Visio toolbar buttons manually by double-clicking Insert Visio Button.XLT (for Excel 97) or Insert Visio Button.DOT (for Word 97) in the File\New dialog box for these applications. Or you can add a Visio drawing to Microsoft Word or Excel by choosing Object from the Insert menu.
The macros for installing toolbar buttons are provided only for Word and Excel. Visio 5.0 does not include a macro for PowerPoint 97 because, at the time Visio 5.0 shipped, PowerPoint did not provide the functionality Visio 5.0 requires to customize the toolbar. When this support is available, the necessary PowerPoint macro will be provided on the Internet at www.visio.com.
For more information about installing a button on a toolbar, refer to your Word or Excel documentation. To customize the appearance of the Visio button, edit the bitmap stored in the Insert Visio Button templates. If you already have a Visio button installed, remove it by resetting your Standard toolbar (see online documentation for Word 97 and Excel 97). Then re-install the Visio toolbar buttons as described above.
Word 6.0/7.0 and Excel 5.0/7.0:
You can install the Visio toolbar buttons manually by double-clicking VISIOMSO.XLS (for Excel 5.0 and 7.0) or VISIOMSO.DOT (for Word 6.0 and 7.0) in your Visio\System\Custom directory. Or you can add a Visio drawing to Microsoft Word or Excel by choosing Object from the Insert menu.
The macros to install toolbar buttons are provided only for Word and Excel. Visio 5.0 does not include a macro for PowerPoint because PowerPoint does not provide the functionality Visio 5.0 requires to customize the toolbar.
For more information about installing a button on a toolbar, refer to your Word or Excel documentation. To customize the appearance of the Visio button, edit the file VISIOMSO.BMP in the Visio\System\Custom directory.
Note: The Visio toolbar buttons simply provide a one-click method by which to embed a Visio drawing into these applications. The same action can be completed by using an application's "Insert Object" command.
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WORKING WITH THE DYNAMIC CONNECTOR IN VISIO 5.0
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Working with Dynamic Routing
When you are working with the dynamic connector, you may encounter the following conditions:
╖ Unintended straight routes. If connectors in your diagram don't bend appropriately, the 2-D shapes in the diagram are too close together for the Lay Out Shapes command to route them correctly. Manually adjust the connector or move the shapes to create more space.
╖ Unapplied line jumps. In the Page Setup dialog box, if you change the scale of your drawing page on the Drawing Scale tab and change the Add Line Jumps To setting on the Page Properties tab without clicking "Apply" in the Page Setup dialog box between operations, the new line-jumps setting will not be applied to the entire drawing, only to changes you make from that point on.
In addition, distorted line jumps or routing may occur under rare circumstances. If you encounter stretched, compressed, or incorrectly positioned line jumps, press Shift+Ctrl+G, then adjust the drawing. If problems persist, contact Visio Technical Support.
Manually Editing Routing
╖ Use the Ctrl and Shift keys with manual routing for greater control over connector positioning. See your Visio documentation for details.
╖ If you intend to copy, paste, or group shapes, do so before doing any manual routing, because these commands result in rerouting.
╖ You can manually drag connector segments so that the endpoint are positioned off to the side of the shape they are glued to, yet remain connected. Use this functionality to assist in turning corners with connectors.
╖ Visio reroutes manual routing if you move or resize a shape in such a way that it causes the connector to pass through the shape. You can preserve manual routing when moving shapes so that the connector passes through them, however, by moving the shape in increments of less than the shape's height and width.
Note: Visio reroutes manual routing if you resize the shape the connector is connected to.
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LAY OUT SHAPES IN VISIO 5.0
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When you use the Lay Out Shapes command in Visio 5.0, you must ensure that all 2-D shapes are set as placeable to get the results you expect. Shapes connected with the dynamic connector are automatically placeable, but to make other shapes placeable, you must select the shape, choose Format > Behavior and ensure that Layout and Route Around is selected in the Layer Behavior section of the dialog box.
Only 2-D shapes can be set as placeable. The Lay Out Shapes command will not move placeable shapes that are glued to guides or guarded in the pinX or pinY ShapeSheet cells, or locked in X or Y cells. The Lay Out Shapes command will move placeable shapes that are connected to others by connectors pulled out from control points, however.
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ROTATED PAGES AND GUIDES
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Gluing shapes on a rotated page to guides: On a rotated page, you can position multiple guides at intersection points, and you can glue a shape to a maximum of two guides.
Grouping: If you intend to group shapes on a rotated page, do so before rotating the page. Grouping shapes on a rotated page dislocates the bounding box from the group shape boundary, making additional editing, gluing, and other operations cumbersome.
The Distribute Shapes function does not work on rotated pages.
DWG Display: The DWG Display Component does not support the display of a DWG or DXF view object when in a rotated-page environment.
Objects you select and move on a rotated page display only their alignment boxes while you are moving them. (You cannot pause with the object selected to see a detailed display as you can on an unrotated page.)
Snapping and gluing 1-D shapes to guides:
╖ Endpoints can snap and glue anywhere along a single guide.
╖ Endpoints can snap and glue to intersections of "mostly horizontal" and "mostly vertical" guides. "Mostly vertical" is defined to be 45 to 135 degrees; otherwise it is "mostly horizontal".
Snapping and gluing 2-D shapes and objects to guides:
╖ 2-D shapes and objects can snap and glue to guides that are displayed as horizontal or vertical in the current page rotation.
╖ When you resize a 2-D shape by dragging a selection handle, you can snap it to intersections of "mostly horizontal" and "mostly vertical" guides. "Mostly vertical" is defined to be 45 to 135 degrees; otherwise it is "mostly horizontal". However, you can glue the shape only to guides displayed as horizontal or vertical in the current page rotation.
╖ Shapes are glued to guides through the midpoint of the alignment box edge. If you rotate the guide to a different angle, the midpoint stays glued, but the shape does not rotate to the new guide angle.
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LIMITATIONS OF METAFILES IN VISIO 5.0
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Convert to Group and Ungroup:
Make sure the metafile is not rotated before doing Convert to Group or Ungroup. Convert to Group/Ungroup on a rotated metafile is unpredictable, and the operation can be very slow to complete.
Cropping Tool:
To crop a metafile, make sure your page is upright and the metafile is upright. If necessary, you can rotate or re-rotate after cropping. If you see gray handles when cropping the metafile, the metafile is not upright. If you canÆt select the cropping tool, the page is not upright.
Metafiles and Windows 95:
If an image does not need to be rotated, and there is a choice between formats, the Windows metafile format (WMF) is recommended over the enhanced metafile format (EMF) on Windows 95. If you rotate a metafile in Visio 5.0, the metafile is converted to an EMF. EMFs display as boxes containing an 'X' if the drawing is saved as a WMF or embedded in a container application that supports only WMFs. Rotated metafiles work in embeds in Excel 97, PowerPoint 97, and other applications that support EMFs. Rotated metafiles do not always display properly on Windows 95 when several of them are on a drawing page; however, no data is lost. EMFs behave as expected on Windows NT 4.0.
Metafile rotation has an associated setting in VISIO.INI that works as follows:
RotateWMFsWithPage=1 Metafiles rotate with the drawing page (Default)
RotateWMFsWithPage=0 Use this setting if metafiles are slow to display on rotated pages
Tip: If you design your own dash pattern as a custom line pattern, draw your dash segments as lines with a zero weight so they inherit the original shape's line weight. Line segments are more efficient, and when the line is very thin, they display better on the screen.
Custom patterns cannot use gradient fills; they are rendered as solid fills.
Limits to display of Line patterns: Display of pattern instances along a line is limited to 1000.
Limits to display of Fill Patterns: Display of fill patterns is limited to 40,000 instances (200 x 200).
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WORKING WITH PROJECT TIMELINES
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You cannot import more than 100 tasks with the Project Timeline Wizard. You can, however, export timelines you create in Visio that contain more than 100 items to MPX format.
Visio builds project timelines that do not include imported data so that they have a maximum of 75 items, but you can include additional items later.
Linked tasks, whether imported or created in Visio, are always consecutive, so that the dates of relative links may change when you import them.
Visio does not import exceptions from Microsoft Project. Default settings replace the exceptions -- for example, one non-working Saturday in a Microsoft Project file will not be recognized in the Visio project timeline.
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SUPPORT FOR THE MICROSOFT INTELLIMOUSE
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Visio 5.0 provides support for the Microsoft IntelliMouse. The following wheel actions are supported in a Visio drawing window:
╖ Roll = Vertical Scroll
╖ Shift + Roll = Horizontal Scroll
╖ Ctrl + Roll = Zoom
╖ Click + Drag = Pan
Some of these actions are also supported in other Visio windows (such as Stencil, ShapeSheet, Print Preview) where appropriate.
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OPEN DOCUMENT MANAGEMENT API (ODMA) SUPPORT
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Testing of ODMA support in Visio 5.0 was limited to DOCS Open version 3.5.3 from PC DOCS, Inc. Other ODMA-compliant applications may in fact work as expected with Visio 5.0, but certification testing was not performed.
ODMA support has an associated setting in VISIO.INI that works as follows:
UseODMAProperties=1 Use this setting to display your DMS dialog when you choose File => Properties (Default)
UseODMAProperites=0 Use this setting to display the Visio dialog when you choose File => Properties
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EDITING THE VISIO.INI FILE
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If you manually edit the VISIO.INI file, we strongly recommend that you delete the VISIO.BIN file prior to launching Visio 5.0.
Visio 5.0 contains versions of the Visio Shape Explorer and the Visio Products Database that are specifically designed to be used with Visio 5.0. If you are using a previously-installed version of the Visio Shape Explorer, follow the directions below to be able to use the Visio 5.0 Shape Explorer and Visio Products Database:
1. Launch the Visio Shape Explorer.
2. From the Shape Explorer Tools menu, select Database Options.
3. In the Visio Products Database frame, click on Browse...
4. Navigate to the Solutions subdirectory of your Visio 5.0 product installation.
5. Select the database file Visio Products.MDB.
6. Click Open in the Browse dialog.
7. Click OK in the Database Options dialog.
The Visio Shape Explorer is now set to search the new Visio Products Database.
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VISIO 5.0 AND WINDOWS REGISTRATION
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When you install Visio 5.0, information about its application capabilities are registered in the Windows 95/Windows NT Registry. If you suspect that Visio 5.0 is not properly registered (for example, if Windows displays an error message saying it cannot find the source application when you double-click an embedded Visio object in another application), you can force the registration process by choosing Run from the Windows 95/Windows NT 4.0 Start menu and typing the path to the Visio application followed by /r. For example:
c:\Program Files\Visio\visio32.exe /r
If problems persist, you may want to refer to your Windows 95 or Windows NT documentation for information on troubleshooting the Registry.
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SCREEN IMAGES AND IMPORTED EPS FILES
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EPS files have two parts: The PostScript code used to print the image and an optional screen image used to display the image on the screen. When exporting EPS files, most graphics applications either automatically include a screen image or give you the option to include one. If you are given the option and you plan to use the EPS file in a Visio 5.0 drawing, you should include the screen image (which is sometimes referred to as the TIFF preview). Otherwise, the EPS image may not be correctly displayed in or printed from Visio 5.0.
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EXPORTING GRADIENT FILLS
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Gradient fill patterns in Visio 5.0 use graphics algorithms native to the Visio drawing engine that may not be similarly defined in many standard and proprietary Windows graphic formats. As a result, gradient fill patterns in a Visio 5.0 drawing may not be adequately reproduced when saved in a non-Visio graphics format.
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CD-ROM RELEASE NOTES
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The Visio 5.0 CD includes online versions of the Visio 5.0 printed documentation set. You must have the Adobe Acrobat Reader version 3.0 or higher installed on your PC before you can view the online documentation. If you have not already acquired and installed a copy of Acrobat Reader on your PC, you can install version 3.0 from your Visio 5.0 CD. To install Adobe Acrobat Reader 3.0, double-click the file AR32E30.EXE in the \Acrobat directory of your Visio 5.0 CD and follow the instructions on your screen.
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VISIO PROFESSIONAL 5.0 RELEASE NOTES
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OPENING PASSWORD-PROTECTED MICROSOFT ACCESS FILES
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The Map Database Wizard cannot open password-protected Microsoft Access databases. Follow these steps to map a password-protected Microsoft Access database:
1. Open the database in Microsoft Access with the "Exclusive" box checked.
2. Remove the password.
3. Exit Microsoft Access.
4. Run the Map Database Wizard in Visio.
5. Open the database in Microsoft Access and restore the password.
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VISIO TECHNICAL 5.0 RELEASE NOTES
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DWG/DXF FILE CONVERTER
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Appending to an AutoCAD Release 13 (R13) DWG or DXF file: Visio Technical 5.0 saves appended DWG and DXF files in Release 12 (R12) format, even if the files were originally created in Release 13. The result that Release 13-specific data or entities are lost.
Extended Entity Data and Binary DXF: Use the Visio Technical 4.5 DWG converter instead of the Visio Technical 5.0 DWG Converter to convert extended entity data or binary DXF files. If you installed Visio Technical 5.0 as an upgrade to Visio Technical 4.5, you can find the Visio 4.5 DWG Converter in the subdirectory \Visio Prior Versions. To utilize the 4.5 Converter, rename the 5.0 Converter (for example, rename it 50DWGCNV32.VSL) and copy the 4.5 converter and its associated files into your Visio\Solutions\Visio Extras subdirectory. These files include DWGCNV32.VSL, DXED026N.DLL, and DWGCNVT.VST. To undo this change, move the 4.5 files to another directory (\Backup) and rename the 5.0 Converter.
If you have a CAD application that embeds extended entity data inside of AutoCAD drawings and would like the Visio Technical 4.5 DWG file converter to retain this data for extraction by a custom solution or for export back to an AutoCAD file format, you will need to register this functionality manually in Windows.
To register support for extended entity data:
1. Copy the files SHPDATA.EXE and SHPDAT32.DLL from the backup subdirectory \Visio Prior Versions to your Visio Technical 5.0 \System subdirectory.
2. Choose Run from the Windows 95/Windows NT 4.0 Start menu.
3. Browse to the \System subdirectory of your Visio Technical installation.
4. Select the file SHPDATA.EXE.
5. Click OK to run.
Line Type Conversion: The DWG Converter 5.0 converts objects with a line type of None to objects with an AutoCAD line style of continuous. AutoCAD does not have the equivalent concept of a line style None.
Product Updates: We understand that DWG and DXF file display and conversion is critically important to a great number of our Visio Technical customers; therefore, updates to the DWG/DXF Converter will be made available via our web site at www.visio.com. Please check our web site often.
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AREA ANALYSIS ADD-ON
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Visio Technical 5.0 includes the new Area Analysis add-on, which calculates the floor area inside a boundary formed by the double-line wall shape. To use the add-on effectively, create a contiguous boundary so that each wall's start point falls on the previous wall's end point.
Tip: Guides can help you lay out walls precisely. Lay out guides to form guidelines and intersections at the locations desired for your building shell and interior, then snap and glue the double-line wall shape to the guides. For details about using guides, snap, and glue, see the Visio online help.
The Area Analysis add-on displays measurements to two decimal places. You cannot display a measurement where the base unit chosen is significantly larger than the boundary used for the area analysis calculation. For example, you cannot display the area measurement for a 1x1-centimeter box in kilometers.
