1. Shapes: Introductory basics you can't live without How to get shapes In Visio, all the worlds…a shape. And there are hundreds of Visio shapes to choose from, more than you can memorize. So its good to know how to find them when you need them. There are six ways to get shapes. While the number of ways to get shapes isnt as abundant as the number of shapes themselves, six is plenty. Thats because each method is good for a different purpose.

2. Shapes: Introductory basics you can't live without You must remember this Before discussing how to get shapes, its important that you understand three terms. Shapes window. This window contains stencils. Stencils. Stencils arent shapes. Thats important. Stencils contain shapes. Shapes. Shapes, in Visio, are everything. But shapes arent stencils. Stencils contain shapes.

3. Shapes: Introductory basics you can't live without Get shapes with templates One way to get shapes is to choose a template, which is one of the drawing options you see when you start Visio. When you choose a template, the stencils and shapes for that template will appear in the Shapes window, ready to work with. The advantage of using a template is that it provides many related shapes organized for a specific purpose.

4. Shapes: Introductory basics you can't live without Get shapes by searching If you need more shapes than a template gives you, you can use the Search for Shapes box to search for them. For example, if youre working on a network diagram, you might want to use a larger arrow than the arrows in the template stencils.

5. Shapes: Introductory basics you can't live without Get shapes by searching The picture illustrates how you might search for arrow shapes. Type one or two words in the Search for Shapes box, for example, arrows. Then press ENTER. Visio creates a temporary stencil to hold the shapes it finds. In this example, that temporary stencil has the name arrows. To use a shape, youd drag it from the arrows stencil onto your drawing.

6. Shapes: Introductory basics you can't live without Get shapes by browsing You can also browse for shapes by using the File menu and the Shapes submenu. For example, lets say that a few weeks ago you used Visio to create a map. You remember using a shape for the airport in the map, and now that shape would be helpful in the flowchart you are making.

7. Shapes: Introductory basics you can't live without Get shapes by browsing To get that airport shape into the flowchart, you could browse as shown in the picture. The Transportation Shapes stencil would appear in the Shapes window along with your flowchart stencils, and you could drag the airport shape to the page.

8. Shapes: Introductory basics you can't live without Draw your own shapes If you cant find the shape you need in Visio, you can always draw your own. Your own shape can be simple or complex, from a wiggly line to a piece of custom office equipment. The tip of the iceberg is the Drawing toolbar, shown here. It lets you create shapes from scratch by using simple tools.

9. Shapes: Introductory basics you can't live without Get shapes from other people Sometimes other people have made shapes that you want to usea coworker, say, or a company that makes and sells Visio shapes for certain industries. When you want to use shapes made by others, they could send you a copy of a Visio drawing with those shapes in it. Often, however, what youll get is a stencil of shapes.

10. Shapes: Introductory basics you can't live without Get shapes from other people A stencil is a file with.vss or.vsx in the file name. When you receive a stencil file, copy it to this location: C:\Documents and Settings\username\My Documents\My Shapes The stencil will then be available when you use the File menu and the Shapes submenu. For example, a stencil might be called ContosoShapes.vss or ContosoShapes.vsx.

11. Shapes: Introductory basics you can't live without Insert pictures Suppose youd like to insert a photograph into a diagram. To do that, on the Insert menu, point to Picture and then click From File. (This process is similar to other Office programs you may be familiar with.) When you insert a picture, Visio will automatically make it a 2-D shape and put the eight handles on it.

12. Shapes: Introductory basics you can't live without Insert pictures Shapes made by inserting pictures arent as intelligent as the shapes that come from stencils. As far as interactive behavior goes, theyre not much more than a square on the page. Nonetheless, they are shapes, which means you can connect them with 1-D shapes, resize them, position them, and so on.