dashed line not displaying

[cayce]

I have a small Visio diagram that I am inserting into W2007. The outside most
shape is an unfilled rounded rectagle that has a dashed line. When I insert
this drawing as an object in Word 2007, the dashed line shows up as a solid
line instead. Any ideas on why this is and how to fix it?

 

[AlEdlund]

Sometimes this is by design. It has to do with the processing needed to
handle it and the resolution that it may be saved as. Are you saving it to
word as a visio object or as a bitmap type of drawing, recommendation is to
save it as some form of metafile?
al

 

[cayce]

Thanks Al for the ideas. I am inserting is as an object since this makes it:
1. editable for coworkers
2. produces the clearest print quality (these is a customer facing document).

Hmmmm, I tried three different metafile types and used inserted>picture>from
file. All three versions have solid line result: enhanced metafile (.emf),
Windows metafile (.wmf), and compressed enhanced metafile ( .emz).

Any other ideas?

Thanks for the help so far.

 

[AlEdlund]

You might try changing the format of the dashed line. As I mentioned, Visio
at one time would change the format intentionally to reduce processing and
image size. The other thought is export the picture to a file as and then
import the file (rather than using the clipboard).
al

 

[cayce]

Hi Al:

I have been using insert> object> from file for this situation (so coworkers
can edit it from within the Word 2007 file). I don't ever just copy/paste.

It appears my dashed line is not going to be retained. Such is life.

Thanks again for trying.

 

[WapperDude]

If you change your methodology, you can have your dashed lines and edit too.

First, using your technique does indeed lose the dashed lines. But, you can
do a copy / paste (or paste special > Visio Drawing Object--although this
step isn't really necessary anymore). The pasted Visio drawing will be
edittable by double clicking on the drawing. But, when 1st pasted, the
dashed lines disappear. So, dbl click to open up Visio, select the shape,
make a fake line style change, change back to desired line style (I think a
change must be "triggered"), and then close the Visio edit window. Your
dashed lines should be present.

An alternative, is insert object > new > Visio, and make the drawing in this
window. I think copy / paste works here too. Close the edit window, and
your dashed lines will be there.

HTH
Wapperdude.

 

[WapperDude]

Tried the copy / paste alternative, didn't work. But, if you make a new
drawing, the dashed lines will pass thru. Quirky!!!

 

[cayce]

I appreciate you delving into this, and, yes, quirky is a good description.

I tried your suggestions and continue to have a solid line. I copy/pasted
into a new Visio object inserted into W2007 file; it made soooo many changes
to my drawing that I would have had to fix, I decided it wasn't worth the
effort.

But, I like the brain churn behind your suggestions. That's what makes these
forums so helpful: another point of view, another way of looking at a problem.

Peace

 

[WapperDude]

So, you tried copy/paste directly into Word? There's still the additional
step of opening the pasted drawing and "re-triggering" the dashed lines.
That really should have worked.

Yeah, sometimes Visio has a mindlessness about it, and believes your
carefully placed shapes and lines need re-arrangement. Never quite
understood that.

One other thought, using your approach, when you open the placed Visio
object for editting, then draw a shape with dashed lines, does the new shape
appear OK?

Wapperdude

 

[WapperDude]

After re-reading your 1st post, the dashed rectangle is the "outer most
border", correct? So, when you dbl click to edit, the resulting display is
"sized" to your rectangle. Try this, select the pencil tool and grab the
corners and slightly shrink the rectangle. Don't use the select arrow to
re-size, that won't work. It appears that the dashed lines disappear when
the rectangle is "border to border" with the selection box.

 

[cayce]

Hey..I think you are on to something! Yes, this is the outermost shape,
border to border. What I don"t "get" is how you want me to use the pencil
tool to resize this shape.

What I did was activate the pencil tool, then click on the shape, then click
on one of the corners of the shape. I ended up just drawing a line with the
pencil instead of slightly shrinking the shape.

For giggles earlier, I tried adding another larger, borderless, unfilled
shape around the drawing I have, thinking that Visio would see this as its
new boundary and therefore would display the dashed line. It didn't.

Please let me know about the pencil tool.

Thanks for sticking with me on this.

 

[WapperDude]

Ah! Once you dbl click to open the drawing for editting, select the outer
rectangle. Once the shape is selected, then go to the menu bar and select
the pencil tool. You should see selection nodes change color slightly. Take
the pencil tool and grab one of the corner nodes (say the upper right corner)
and drag it downward slightly. Do the same for the upper left to preserve
the horizontal level of the top line. This is where you may have to play a
little bit -- zooming in to get smaller snapping increments. Close the edit
window and see if the dashed lines appear. If not, try doing the same with
the two lower corners. If that still doesn't help, try moving the two
vertical sides inward slightly. Eventually, I was able to get this to work.
If you go back in and move the corners back, you'll lose the dashed lines.
Final thoughts, if this works for you, but, you don't like the slightly
reduced rectangle, start with a oversized rectangle and bring it down to
size. Also, I haven't tried putting a larger, invisible rectange around
everything, you might play around with that a little.

Hope this makes sense.
Wapperdude

 

[cayce]

Well..in all this time, I forgot to mention I am using Visio 2007, if that
makes any difference. I am unable to use the pencil tool (to resize in any
way) as you describe. And, I had already tried, with unsuccessful results,
the invisible rectangle as I mentioned in my last post.

But, we tried and I'll learn to live with it as is.

thanks again for all your experimentation.

Peace

 

[WapperDude]

Sorry it's not working, but, if you want to continue the effort I'm willing
to keep at it -- because I'm convinced it'll work.

I use V2007 and V2003. I was doing this from V2003 at work -- slow day.
Will try from home with V2007. Shouldn't make any difference. Which version
of Word? At home I'm fully 2007.

Well, subtle difference. In W2007, with crazy ribbon bar, went to Insert
tab > Object> Create from File > MO Visio Drawing. File dropped in with
dashed lines showing.

Wapperdude

 

[cayce]

Amazing. I am using W2007 and Visio 2007 (on Windows XP) and I continue to
get a solid line, not dashed. I too use insert> object> from file> and then
select the file I need. Since you cannot crop an object in 2007, I do save
the Visio drawing in page setup with the "size to fit drawing contents." For
grins, I changed this to predefined letter size page (much bigger then my
drawing). I also moved the drawing away from the edges of the page and used
insert> object> from file. It still comes in with solid line.

Are you running on Vista?

 

[WapperDude]

No, Win XP. If it's an option, send the file to me, and I'll try with your
file.
wperlich
at
telasic
dot
com

 

[cayce]

it's on its way

No, Win XP. If it's an option, send the file to me, and I'll try with your
file.
wperlich
at
telasic
dot
com

 

[WapperDude]

Got it. What a tough little shape! But, this ought to work, before you add
it to Word due the following in Visio.
a.) Delete the dashed shape and replace it with a rectangle. Use
formatting to set no fill, line style, and corner style.

b.) With the rectangel selected, go to the menu bar > Windows> Show
ShapeSheet.
1.) Scroll down to the Line Format section. (If it's not showing,
right click > either view or insert sections > check Line Format.)
2.) In the Line Format section, there is a cell entry for LinePattern,
perhaps, the value 2. Edit this entry such that it becomes: Guard(2), where
2 is whatever value was there.
3.) Close the shapesheet.

4.) Save your drawing.

Now, the import should work. Couldn't figure out the problem with your
dashed shape, it misbehaved exactly as you've stated. I did the steps above,
only, I just selected the entire drawing (cntl A), copied, then in word did a
Paste As > Vising Drawing. But, your insert file object technique should
work to, just a few more steps. The Guard function is supposed to protect
the entry from modification.

Let me know if it doesn't work.

Now, to see what's wrong with that original shape...

Wapperdude

 

[WapperDude]

Hmmph! After further experimentation, whether or not the dashed line shows
up in Word seems to be very hit and miss, strong on the miss side. Murphy
seems to like making single test cases work, only to have succeeding cases
fail.

Sorry, you may have to live with the solid line in Word.

Wapperdude

 

[WapperDude]

Believe it not, it seems to be related to line weight. I went up to 2pt, and
the line shows up as dashed! Hmmm. Could it be so simple?

HTW
Wapperdude