Introduction
Nervous, excited, frustrated, giddy, exhausted—maybe one of those words captures how you feel right now as you look at this Absolute Beginner’s Guide. Learning how to use a new piece of software or getting up to speed on a new version is not always fun. On the other hand, you likely enjoy learning new things when you see new possibilities and feel the benefits. Visio may be a mystery to you now, and you may feel some trepidation, but rest assured this book was designed to quickly get you comfortable with this amazing program.
Visio is all about visualizing ideas and information. You can create amazing diagrams to show how processes work and how things interact. You can create floor plans and layouts with relative ease. Visio is used more often than you probably realize, from web content and org charts to advertising and business presentations. It has been said that a picture is worth a thousand words, and Visio allows you to speak volumes, which is why it has become an integral tool for businesses that put a premium on communication.
Visio has been around since 1992 and has gone through some big transformations to keep pace with the demands of technology. If you have used it in the past, you’ll find some new features worth getting excited about. If you have never used it, prepare to be amazed. You will love how easy it is to create diagrams using templates and to preview changes using themes. Using Shape Data, you will find new ways to display information that are limited only by your imagination.
Despite the complexity and overwhelming potential that Visio presents, it is all built on basic concepts and tools that you will quickly grasp. If you have an artistic side, you will enjoy how satisfying Visio makes it to visualize and present information and data.
The Visio 2013 Absolute Beginner’s Guide will assist you as you explore this application and consider ways to change and improve your ability to communicate ideas and concepts to others. We’ll encourage you to poke around, try different things, and we will alert you to some best practices and tips. Above all, enjoy learning about Visio.
What This Book Covers
Visio is a communication tool used everywhere by people of all backgrounds and all types of organizations. Because of this, we have tried to keep to the basics and provide essential tips and suggestions to help you save time and give you the knowledge needed to make you a power user, no matter how you use Visio.
Although you may feel like an absolute beginner, we will quickly have you creating diagrams and working with Visio’s tools, and you will feel your confidence grow. You can follow along using different templates, and where more advanced concepts are considered, you will see the steps you can follow. At times we may only point out that there are more complex options or that more can be learned than we have space to develop.
Because Visio 2013 comes in three versions, we principally consider information that is practical to any user of Visio. We will try to point out anything that may be unique to specific versions along the way. A few chapters have content aimed at users with Professional or Pro for Office 365 versions, and we warn you when this is the case.
With this book you will be able to do the following:
• Create your own flowcharts, org charts, and network diagrams using a variety of shapes and connectors.
• Create and manage customized shapes and arrange your own stencils.
• Organize and arrange your diagrams using a variety of tools, such as containers, callouts, and layers.
• Utilize SmartShape features and shape data to create more powerful communication tools.
• Print your diagrams efficiently using an array of settings and tools to control what prints and how it will appear.
• Export Visio content for use in other applications in different formats.
• Share your Visio drawings with others through a variety of tools, including email, SkyDrive, and SharePoint.
How This Book Is Organized
This book is arranged in three parts, which are broken down into chapters:
Part I, “Visio 2013 Basics,” helps you get familiar with the tabbed interface used in Visio 2013. You will become familiar with the components of a basic diagram, including Page Backgrounds and Themes. You will create drawings using Templates and understand the ins and outs of Shapes and Stencils.
Part II, “Customizing,” will deepen your awareness of additional features to be found in Shapes and Connectors. You will get to know tools that help you work better with content in your drawings using Containers, Layers, and Text. Editing, Duplicating and Formatting options are considered and you will dive into SmartShapes and Shape Data. You will learn all about Printing in this section.
Part III, “Advanced,” introduces you to the many ways you can share and export your diagrams into other formats. You will see how to use special Touchscreen menus and learn about other unique situations here. How to collaborate with other Visio users and where to find more Visio content and information will be considered. You will learn about more complex ways to use and work with Data, including data that is maintained outside of Visio. Finally, you will look at unique features and get some tips for working with specific templates and diagram types.
Conventions Used in This Book
Most terms specific to Visio will be explained as we go along in the book. However, there are a few terms and standards that we had in mind while preparing this book that we should explain at the outset.
Working with Visio Tools and Menus
When the book describes labels or titles that you can see on the screen while working with Visio, they will be capitalized. Instructions to press a specific key or keyboard combination will also be capitalized, like this:
1. Select the Design tab.
2. In the Page Setup section, click the Page Setup button or press Shift+F5.
3. Review settings on the Page Size tab and click OK.
Because of touchscreen interfaces, we generally use the term “select” rather than “click” to describe the process of activating a button or menu item, so feel free to click, tap, or press the indicated item to carry out the action. When there is a need to activate a button to continue to another step, “click” tends to sound better and has been used for that reason.
Using Screen Illustrations
The screen illustrations used throughout the book as figures are a valuable reference tool. Generally, illustrations will show you the step being discussed in the text. Some illustrations are cropped to focus attention on details, whereas others show the whole Visio window to help you get familiar with how things are laid out. Look around and notice tabs and features that are not being discussed, just to get a feel for where things are located. Occasionally, we may include callouts or combine multiple elements in a single illustration so that you can compare menus or layouts.
Web Addresses
You may see web addresses referred to in the book. These are offered as points of reference in examples, or they may point to additional information or resources. They will appear in this format:
Throughout this book you will see the words “drawing” and “diagram” used almost as synonyms. Both are words used in the Visio interface, and they tend to be interchangeable. Technically, a diagram refers to a more conceptual drawing, whereas a drawing conveys the idea of a more finished product with measurements and details. In practice, some types of templates tend to be considered as diagrams, whereas others are more often referred to as drawings. Don’t think you need to read into the way these terms are used in this book.
Special Elements to Watch For
As with all books in this series, Visio 2013 Absolute Beginner’s Guide includes special items that provide additional information that will add to your understanding:
Tip
Tips indicate a useful time-saving step, shortcut, or a way for you to easily get better results.
Note
Notes provide additional background information or related material about the task or topic being considered. It’s not information you absolutely need to know, but it may provide you with a clearer understanding of the topic.
Caution
Cautions alert you to potential undesirable results and point out items or choices that could cause problems if misunderstood or accidently used.
Although you could read this book from beginning to end, you will likely find it practical to jump around, and we have included references to subjects that are considered more in depth in other places in the book. Feel free to go back and forth as you get familiar with specific tasks and topics.