Visio/Pages

The current version of Visio is Visio 2010, although there are many copies of Visio 2007 still in use. This tutorial will focus on the 2007 version with notes on any differences in 2010, as it is easier to transition to the newer version from the older version than visa versa.

The interfaces of Visio 2007 and Visio 2010 are a little different, but the functionality is nearly identical. 2007 features toolbars, while 2010 incorporates the Office style ribbon. Visio is an MDI program, meaning it can open several documents at once.

Introduction

Demonstration of the lampworking process

Think of Visio as a lampworking kit. A lampworker has just a few tools that he/she uses to create many fascinating objects and figures. It is left to the imagination of the artist to see what could possibly be made. There are no limits, except that it has to be made from glass, which means it could easily break if it's not constructed properly. It could theoretically be as large as the artist wants it to be, but the bigger it gets, the more difficult and time consuming it becomes.

In a similar way, Visio has just a handful of tools that are used to construct everything from simple diagrams to extremely complex and detailed illustrations. Visio is notorious for crashing, which means it's very important to save your work frequently to avoid 'breaking your precious glass piece'. You'll also want to be careful how many external files and images you include, as they tend to cause more crashes than shapes do.

We start with a canvas, a page in Visio. Pages can be any size, but start at a default 8½ X 11 inches. Many Visio projects need a larger space than the default, so it's often necessary to change the page size before you begin.

Related images pending Gurupilgrim autoconfirmed status. Should be achieved by 16 August 2011.

Page Properties

To get started, create a new blank document by clicking the New button on the toolbar (File → New → New Drawing) or (Ctrl + N). This will create a new blank default document titled Drawing1. Notice the bar at the bottom. There is a tab titled Page-1. Double clicking on this tab allows you to rename it, much like worksheets in Microsoft Excel. Right clicking this tab allows you to insert a new page, delete the selected page, rename the page, or reorder the pages. Go ahead and insert a new page. When you click and drag a page left and right, it allows you to reorder pages any way you like.

There are two types of pages in Visio: Foreground pages and Background pages. Both types of pages work essentially the same, but with one major difference. Foreground pages allow you to see through them to one selected background page. Any foreground page can connect to any background page, but you cannot connect a foreground page to another foreground page.

If you inserted a new page already, you should have two pages in your Visio file now. Select one of the pages by clicking on it, then go to File → Page Setup. This opens a dialog full of settings for the page. Now click on the Page Properties tab. Here you have the option to set whether the page is a foreground page or a background page. This is also where you can select a background page to attach this page to as long as you've set a different page as a background page.