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Displaying Custom Properties as
Text on a Shape in Visio Technical
Often it can be useful to display
text derived from a shape's custom properties. This provides a way of seeing the data on
your drawing in addition to being able to use it as shape intelligence or make it
available to external data users or procedures.This
article uses the “process” shape from the flowchart stencil for
illustration purposes. If an alternate shape is used, the user should make sure the shape
has custom properties, and the user has entered values into the custom properties. The
assumption is made that the user has used the ShapeSheet before and is familiar with
adding sections and typing formulas. For further information regarding the creation of
custom properties, please see Visio's online help.
Drag the “process” shape to the drawing
page. Right click on the shape to enter values into the three custom properties (cost,
duration, and resources). Each property will take only a numeric value.
- While the shape is still selected, choose Field
from the Insert menu.
- From the Category menu, select Custom
Formula.
- Once chosen, the Custom Formula bar becomes active.
Place the cursor in the field and type Prop.Cost.
- Choose OK. The shape's text will now
display the value of the Prop.Cost row in the Custom Properties section of the
ShapeSheet.
Determining the valid row names
For a shape that already has custom properties, it is necessary to determine how to
properly reference the custom property rows.
- While the shape is selected, choose Show ShapeSheet
from the Window menu.
- Scroll to find the Custom Properties section of
the ShapeSheet. If it is not visible, choose Sections from the View menu. Check custom
properties.
- The Custom Properties section will have named
rows. The “process” shape has 3, Prop.Cost, Prop.Duration and
Prop.Resources.
The “Prop” in the name is added automatically by Visio.
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