How do I ensure that changes to master are reflected in all shapes

[Akash Pai]

I've created a master for "menu" and stored it in my stencil. I'm placing
this master in various worksheets in a Visio document. I want to be able to
edit the master and have these changes reflected in all worksheets for that
Visio doc.
How do I go about doing this?

 

[Al Edlund]

edit your master in the document stencil,
al

 

[Akash Pai]

THANKS a BUNCH !!!!

edit your master in the document stencil,
al

 

[vojo]

Are you sure this actual works....it never has for me...a real pain in the
butt if the master is already in use.

 

[Al Edlund]

once you alter a shape that has been dropped the connection between the
document stencil and the shape is disconnected.
al

 

[vojo]

But isnt that what he needs to have working...update a master on a
stencil....and all copies of that master dropped previously into drawings are
updated!!

This has never worked for me...tried numerous times/ways to do it.

Specifically, have a shape in a stencil placed and saved previously, open a
new drawing (say block diagram metric), access the stencil, drag the master
to the drawing, open the stencil for editing, update the master, save the
master back to that stencil, save that stencil so its on disk, return to view
the drawing....

voila nothing changed on the previous dropped shape even though the master
is updated.

So what is wrong with the above scenario???

 

[Al Edlund]

You're correct that's the way it works. In creating a document when dragging
a master from a stencil, it is first moved to the document stencil and then
copied from there to the drawing page. Changes to a 'master' stencil are not
mirrored to a document automatically (my understanding) by design. You can
however alter the 'master' in the document stencil and shapes that are still
linked to this 'copy' will be changed.
al

 

[Paul Herber]

But isnt that what he needs to have working...update a master on a
stencil....and all copies of that master dropped previously into drawings are
updated!!

This has never worked for me...tried numerous times/ways to do it.

Specifically, have a shape in a stencil placed and saved previously, open a
new drawing (say block diagram metric), access the stencil, drag the master
to the drawing, open the stencil for editing, update the master, save the
master back to that stencil, save that stencil so its on disk, return to view
the drawing....

voila nothing changed on the previous dropped shape even though the master
is updated.

So what is wrong with the above scenario???

You need to change the master in the Document Stencil, which is
viewable from the File -> Shapes menu and look right down at the end
of the list (used to be easily findable from the Windows menu).

Changing the master in the original stencil will not work.

 

[vojo]

sure would be nice if there was a way to automate the link between shape
stencil and document stencil. Even a drop down asking if you want the update
or to sever the link. Does the Uname of the master on the shape stencil
change when updated?

 

[Paul Herber]

There's no link between the shape stencil and the document stencil.
You could load a stencil, drop shapes on your drawing then delete the
stencil from your system.