Saving a Visio diagram is just as easy as saving a file in any other program in the Microsoft Office System. Just click the Save button on the Standard toolbar or click Save on the File menu. The first time you save a diagram, the Save As dialog box appears so that you can name the file and choose the location where you want to save it. By default, the diagram is saved as a Visio drawing file with a .vsd file extension.
In addition, you can record diagram information, such as title, subject, author, manager, and company using the Properties dialog box. This information appears in a ScreenTip when you select the file. This can help identify a file that doesn't have a descriptive file name or that will be distributed to co-workers. For example, typing your name in the Properties dialog box alerts others who select or open the file that you are the person who created the file.
Important
The amount of property information you see and how it's displayed depends on the version of Microsoft Windows you're using and your folder settings.
In this exercise, you create a new drawing that has just a few shapes. Then you type information about the drawing in the Properties dialog box and save the drawing. Last you view the file in the Open dialog box to see its file properties as a ScreenTip.
In the drop-down list, point to Block Diagram, and then click Basic Diagram.
From the Basic Shapes stencil, drag several shapes onto the drawing page.
On the File menu, click Properties.
The Properties dialog box appears with the Summary tab shown. Based on your computer's settings, some properties might appear by default, such as Language.
Tip
In the Properties dialog box, the "Save preview picture" check box is always selected by default. This option saves a thumbnail preview of your diagram with the Visio drawing file, so when you select the file in a folder, the thumbnail is displayed. If your files don't have descriptive file names, this thumbnail preview will help you identify the file you want to open.
In the Title box, type Garden Expo Layout.
In the Subject box, type Garden Expo 2004.
In the Author box, type Kim Akers.
In the Manager box, type Olinda Turner.
In the Company box, type The Garden Company.
Click OK to close the Properties dialog box.
On the Standard toolbar, click the Save button.
The Save As dialog box appears because this is the first time you've saved the drawing.
In the File name box, type BasicSaving, and then click Save.
By default, Visio saves the drawing as a Visio drawing file with a .vsd file extension.
Tip
If you want to use a Visio diagram in another program or as an image on the Web, you can save the diagram in the appropriate file format. In the Save As dialog box, in the "Save as type" box, scroll the file list to see the available file formats, such as JPEG File Interchange Format (*.jpg). You can also save a Visio 2003 diagram in the Visio 2002 file format so that people with Visio 2002 can work with the diagram.
On the File menu, click Close.
The BasicSaving diagram closes.
On the File menu, click Open.
In the Open dialog box, pause the pointer over BasicSaving.
Visio displays the property information for the file as a ScreenTip. You can also view this information in a folder window or on the desktop.
In the Open dialog box, click the Cancel button.
On the File menu, click Exit.
