Updating/refreshing Shapes Colours from Excel Spreadsheet

I have a spreadsheet with data i am using to populate a floor plan in Visio
2003 using the "Chair" as the Master.

I have linked a column of colour values to the shapes FillColour.
The shape is not showing the colour, however when i got to the Fill it is
saying the correct colour from the spreadsheet.

I.e. chair is white, data says 3 for green, go to fill it says green but
chair is still white

Do i need to refresh the shape some how? is there a step i am missing or is
this a bug that is fixed in 2007?

If you close the drawing and re-open, do the colors display correctly (and
match the values in the ShapeSheet)?
If close/re-open doesn't change the display, then I don't think there is
any method you could call in the API that would help.

Could you share a few details about how you created the links, field names
/ types, etc? I'll try to set up a repro.

In 2007 we have a new data linking wizard, and my quick testing there looks
like this functions as expected. But changes to values in the ShapeSheet
should fall through regardless of where the data came from originally.

If you change the data value for the color cell by hand (editing the
property linked to Fill color directly in the shapesheet), does the change
propogate?

Barb Way
Product Support - Visio
Microsoft Corporation
[This posting is provided "As Is" with no warranties, and confers no
rights.]
--------------------

I have a spreadsheet with data i am using to populate a floor plan in Visio
2003 using the "Chair" as the Master.

I have linked a column of colour values to the shapes FillColour.
The shape is not showing the colour, however when i got to the Fill it is
saying the correct colour from the spreadsheet.

I.e. chair is white, data says 3 for green, go to fill it says green but
chair is still white

Do i need to refresh the shape some how? is there a step i am missing or is
this a bug that is fixed in 2007?

Hi Barb,

Thank you very much for your reply.

I figured it out eventually.... the "Chair" is made up of grouped shapes. I
was linking the Group fillforground field with my spreadsheet, but that was
not flowing down to the sub shapes. Hence the group would change colour (the
reason why i could see the colour change in fill) but not the sub shapes.

I have since created a new master and linked the sub shapes in to the groups
sheet properties.

Once again thanks for your response and looking forward to them releasing
2007 at work in a few weeks. (hope this explanation helps anyone else with
same or similar issue!

Matt

"Barb Way" wrote:

If you close the drawing and re-open, do the colors display correctly (and
match the values in the ShapeSheet)?
If close/re-open doesn't change the display, then I don't think there is
any method you could call in the API that would help.

Could you share a few details about how you created the links, field names
/ types, etc? I'll try to set up a repro.

In 2007 we have a new data linking wizard, and my quick testing there looks
like this functions as expected. But changes to values in the ShapeSheet
should fall through regardless of where the data came from originally.

If you change the data value for the color cell by hand (editing the
property linked to Fill color directly in the shapesheet), does the change
propogate?

Barb Way
Product Support - Visio
Microsoft Corporation
[This posting is provided "As Is" with no warranties, and confers no
rights.]
--------------------

I have a spreadsheet with data i am using to populate a floor plan in Visio
2003 using the "Chair" as the Master.

I have linked a column of colour values to the shapes FillColour.
The shape is not showing the colour, however when i got to the Fill it is
saying the correct colour from the spreadsheet.

I.e. chair is white, data says 3 for green, go to fill it says green but
chair is still white

Do i need to refresh the shape some how? is there a step i am missing or is
this a bug that is fixed in 2007?