Core Training for Microsoft Visio Standard 2002

Connecting Shapes

Connecting Shapes in a Flowchart

1 To begin connecting a new shape to an existing shape on the drawing page, click the rectangular Contact workshop presenters shape to select it.
2 On the Standard toolbar, click the Connector Tool button.
3 On the Basic Flowchart Shapes stencil, point to the Decision shape, hold down the mouse button, drag the shape to below the Process shape on the drawing page, and when the horizontal and vertical dynamic gridlines bisect the new shape, release the mouse button.
4 To display the Pointer tool, on the Standard toolbar, click the Pointer Tool button.
5 To add another shape to the drawing page, on the Basic Flowchart Shapes stencil, point to the Process shape, hold down the mouse button, drag the shape to below the Decision shape on the drawing page, and when the horizontal and vertical dynamic gridlines bisect the new shape, release the mouse button.
6 To begin connecting the new Decision shape to another shape, on the Standard toolbar, click the Connector Tool button.
7 Point to the center of the Decision shape and, when a red outline is displayed around the shape, hold down the mouse button, drag to the middle of the Process shape below it, and then when a red outline displays around the Process shape, release the mouse button.
8 To switch back to the Pointer tool, on the Standard toolbar, click the Pointer Tool button.
9 To begin connecting another shape to the Decision shape, on the Basic Flowchart Shapes stencil, point to the Document shape, hold down the mouse button, drag the shape to the right of the Decision shape on the drawing page, and when the horizontal and vertical dynamic gridlines bisect the new shape, release the mouse button.
10 To select both the Decision shape and the Document shape, click the Decision shape, hold down the SHIFT key, click the Document shape, and release the SHIFT key.
11 To connect the two selected shapes, click the Shape menu, and click Connect Shapes.
12 To label the Document shape, click the Document shape, type Send presenter kit and contract, and then click the Decision shape on the left.
13 To label the selected Decision shape, type Presenter available? and then click the Process shape below it.
14 To label the connector between the Presenter available? shape and the Send presenter kit and contract shape, click this connector shape, type Yes, and then click below the connector to deselect it.

Modifying Connected Shapes

1 To move a shape along with the connector attached to it, hold the pointer over the Receive Exhibitor Request shape, hold down the mouse button and the SHIFT key, and drag the shape up by five gridlines, then release the mouse button and the SHIFT key.
2 To insert a new shape into the drawing, in the Basic Flowchart Shapes stencil, point to the Document shape, hold down the mouse button, drag the shape between the Receive Exhibitor Request and the Sponsor? shapes, and release the mouse button.
3 Notice that the connector has been rerouted to avoid the new shape. To label the new shape, type Send Sponsor Kit, and then click to the right of this shape.
4 To delete the connector that passes around the Send Sponsor Kit shape, click this connector, and then press the DELETE key.
5 To begin connecting the Send Sponsor Kit shape to the Sponsor? shape, on the Standard toolbar, click the Connector tool.
6 To create a shape-to-shape connection, point to the center of the Send Sponsor Kit shape and, when a red outline is displayed around the shape, hold down the mouse button, drag to the middle of the Sponsor? shape until a red outline displays around the Sponsor? shape, and then release the mouse button.
7 To connect the Receive Exhibitor Request shape to the one below it, point to the center of the Receive Exhibitor Request shape and, when a red outline displays around the shape, hold down the mouse button, drag to the middle of the Send Sponsor Kit shape until a red outline displays around the Send Sponsor Kit shape, and then release the mouse button.
8 To deselect the connector, click the blank area to the right of the Send Sponsor Kit shape.

Changing the Layout of Connected Drawings

1 To begin changing the layout of the flowchart, click the Shape menu, and then, click Lay Out Shapes...
2 To change the flowchart's alignment from vertical to horizontal, in the Lay Out Shapes dialog box, in the Placement area, click the Direction arrow, click Left to Right, and then click OK.
3 To change the paper orientation so that the flowchart fits on the drawing page, click the File menu, and click Page Setup...
4 In the Page Setup dialog box, under Paper orientation, click Landscape, and then click OK.
5 To position the drawing in the center of the drawing page, click the Shape menu, and then click Center Drawing.
6 To display shapes related to borders and titles, in the Shapes window, click the Borders and Titles tab.
7 To add a border and title to the drawing, on the Borders and Titles stencil, point to the Border neon shape, press and hold down the left mouse button, drag the shape onto the drawing page, and release the mouse button.
8 To check whether the selection is a group, click the Format menu, and then click Special...
9 Notice that in the Special dialog box, for Type: Group is displayed, indicating that the selected border shape is a group. To close the Special dialog box, click OK.
10 To subselect the title of the drawing, click Title.
11 Notice that padlocks are displayed around the selected title. To change the title, type Exhibitor Application Process, and then click below the title box.
12 To subselect the arrow pointing to the title, click Exhibitor Application Process, and then click the arrow pointing to the title.
13 To increase the thickness of the selected line, on the Formatting toolbar, click the Line Weight arrow, and then click the last line in the list.
14 To deselect the line, click below Exhibitor Application Process.
15 To magnify the drawing, on the Standard toolbar, click the Zoom arrow, and then click 100%.
16 To display the shapes on the right side of the drawing page, in the horizontal scroll bar, click to the right of the scroll box.
17 To select multiple shapes, hold down the SHIFT key, click the Payment Included? shape, the Send Confirmation Letter shape, and the Send Invoice and Confirmation shape, and release the SHIFT key.
18 To begin changing the distribution of the selected shapes, click the Shape menu, and click Distribute Shapes...
19 To distribute the selected shapes evenly, in the Distribute Shapes dialog box, in the Up/Down area, click the first button on the left, and click OK.
20 To deselect the shapes, click below the Payment Included? shape.
21 To view the entire drawing page again, on the Standard toolbar, click the Zoom arrow, and then click Page.