Can I expand a shape to get info on demand, similar to screen tip.

[Lelon]

I want to attach additional information to shapes that could be viewed on
demand, e.g., by passing the mouse over the shape. Similar to a screen tip,
but I want more text than the screen tip will show.

 

[Paul Herber]

I want to attach additional information to shapes that could be viewed on
demand, e.g., by passing the mouse over the shape. Similar to a screen tip,
but I want more text than the screen tip will show.

Have a look at shape Custom Properties (called Shape Data) in Visio
2007, you can define what data you want and in what format. It can't
be displayed by a mouse hover event but in the shape's right-click
menu, and data can be embedded in fields in the shape.

 

[Lelon]

Thanks for taking the time to reply. A good piece of info to know for the
future, but for my purpose it still didn't display a sufficient amount of
text.
I was originally just going to put the text in a comment block, but I want
to attach the comment to the shape so that it moves with it, and I can't
figure out how to do that, if it can be done.
Lelon

 

[Paul Herber]

Thanks for taking the time to reply. A good piece of info to know for the
future, but for my purpose it still didn't display a sufficient amount of
text.
I was originally just going to put the text in a comment block, but I want
to attach the comment to the shape so that it moves with it, and I can't
figure out how to do that, if it can be done.

Group your two shapes, then in the menu Format -> Behavoir change the
Selection and Group Data, you can now move the two shapes as a group
and edit the text of each individually. Bear in mind though that you
can also arrange the group to get exactly the opposite.

 

[Lelon]

Thanks. That still doesn't attach the comment to the shape, though; if I
select a group of shapes and move them, the comment text boxes encompassed
within the selection do not move along with the shapes. I think what I want
to do can't be done. There doesn't seem to be any way to connect a comment
text box to a shape.
In any case, I appreciate your help.

 

[David Parker]

The only other element in Visio that can appear on mouse over is Smart Tags.
You can have many Smart Tags on a shape.
I devote a chapter in my book to them....

 

[Paul Herber]

Thanks. That still doesn't attach the comment to the shape, though; if I
select a group of shapes and move them, the comment text boxes encompassed
within the selection do not move along with the shapes. I think what I want
to do can't be done. There doesn't seem to be any way to connect a comment
text box to a shape.

When you say, comment test box, which shape do you mean, what shape
name from which stencil? Or are you using the text box from the
toolbar?
Look in the Callouts stencil. These are comments that are designed to
connect to shapes.

 

[Lelon]

By Comment Text Box, I mean the Comment box you get from the Insert Menu.
The problem with all of the callout text shapes (or other text shapes) for
my purpose is that they don't collapse the way a Comment box does (or at
least I haven't been able to find one that does). I was hoping to find a
shape that would expand and collapse on a mouse click so you can view the
information then hide it, the way you can with a Comment. The Comment does
what I want in this case EXCEPT that you can't select it as part of a group
of shapes so that it moves with them.

 

[Lelon]

It sounds like this is what I needed but I don't even have a Process
Engineering menu on my menu bar and can't find a reference to one, although
according to the help menu, that's where I would go to set Smart Tags up.

 

[David Parker]

Not true - Visio SmartTags are present in all Visio editions/versions since
Visio 2002 (I think).
Check the help again. SmartTags can be added into the ShapeSheet.

 

[Paul Herber]

By Comment Text Box, I mean the Comment box you get from the Insert Menu.

Ah-ha! Problem found. They are not comment boxes. They might be called
comment boxes but they are used for users to write Post-It type notes
on a drawing - sort of "Make this box yellow and 3cm larger", the
document can be passed around the company for everyone to add there 2
escudos.
But, yes, those boxes cannot be moved. It's late here, unless anyone
else comes back to you in the meantime I'll have a look tomorrow.

 

[Paul Herber]

By Comment Text Box, I mean the Comment box you get from the Insert Menu.
The problem with all of the callout text shapes (or other text shapes) for
my purpose is that they don't collapse the way a Comment box does (or at
least I haven't been able to find one that does). I was hoping to find a
shape that would expand and collapse on a mouse click so you can view the
information then hide it, the way you can with a Comment. The Comment does
what I want in this case EXCEPT that you can't select it as part of a group
of shapes so that it moves with them.

Following on from my previous about Comments, they belong to the page
rather than any shape. However, you can set the Comment's X and Y
coordinates to be linked to a particular shape.
So, if you have a Process shape then you can enter the shape's name
and reference to its PinX and PinY coordinates.
hence, yes you can achieve exactly what you want with these Comment,
not what they were designed for, but....
Nice.