SUGGESTION: Shape search enhancements

Hi all,

Hopefully I'm doing this right. :-)

JUSTIFICATION
Stencils are a fundamental mechanism in Visio for organizing and managing
shapes. Stencils identify a collection of related shapes. Yet there is no
mechanism in Visio to search for a stencil. Shape search only works at the
shape level. By default, shape search results are returned alphabetically.
For a shape in the search results, there is no easy way to determine which
stencil a shape belongs to unless the user has set the search shape options
to group the results instead of alphabetize the results. Further, Visio's
shape search searches locally and on the Web, yet provides poor visiblity to
the user on where the search results came from. Since users are not always
connected to the Internet (because they have dial-up from home, are mobile,
etc.) it's important to make this easily apparent so users know when to make
a local copy of a shape. A third weakness is that shape search is based on
keywords, yet Visio does not make the keywords easily accessible. If I've
found a shape that's close to what I want, I cannot look at its keywords. I
can drag the shape to my drawing and use "Find Similar Shapes" but that
requires extra steps and doesn't give me any way to control the search.

ENHANCEMENTS
-- Keep the current "Search for Shapes" implementation but also provide an
"Advanced Shape Search" command. This approach would be similar to the
capabilities in Outlook where a simple "Find a Contact" search is provided in
the toolbar but an "Advanced Find..." is provided under the tools pull-down
and on the pop-up context menu for Contacts.
-- Provide the option in "Advanced Search Shape" to search both stencil and
shape keywords. Search results can be either a stencil or a shape.
-- A Keyword field already exists in the stencil properties. However, I
don't think it has ever been used in the past. I can think of three possible
solutions for backwards compatability: 1) provide an option to treat
stencil/shape names as keywords, 2) provide an option to search by name
rather than keyword, 3) provide a function to copy stencil names into the
keywords field of the stencil properties. I've listed these solutions in
order of my preference.
-- Stencil properties are only accessible for user-created stencils. This
isn't consistent and hides information on Visio-supplied stencils. Make
Stencil properties always accessible, but read-only for Visio-supplied
stencils.
-- Shape Master properties are only accessible for user-created stencils and
only when the stencil is being edited. This creates several unnecessary
hurdles when a user wants to see the shape master properties. Move "Master
Properties..." from the "Edit Master" sub-menu to the top level context menu.
Make "Master Properties..." always accessible. Make it read-only for
Visio-supplied stencils or stencils that are not being edited. This request
and the previous one will make keywords more visible and accessible to the
users and facilitate using this information in searches.
-- Provide an easily visible indicator to show whether a search result
(stencil or shape) is local or on the Web.
-- When a search finds a stencil, allow the user to open the stencil. For
stencils found on the Web, also allow the user to install the stencil locally.
-- For shapes in a search result, provide a command in the shape's context
menu to open the parent stencil, i.e. the stencil that contains the shape.

Sorry this is so long, but I was trying to be complete. My understanding is
that this can be voted on in the discussion group and Microsoft tries to
implement suggestions based on the number of votes. Please vote for this if
you like these enhancements.

The original thread that generated this suggestion was "How install stencils
for shapes found on web?" and was started on 11/17/2004. It's copied below
to provide the background on the specific situation that led to the
suggestions above. Have fun reading bottom up. :-)

Thanks for reading this far.

Tom Lonski
================================================== =
I believe so. I'm using Outlook Express, so I don't get the fancy newsgroup
features. You can also send e-mail to .

--
Mark Nelson
Microsoft Corporation

This posting is provided "AS IS" with no warranties, and confers no rights.

"tlonski" wrote in message
...
Thanks for the help Mark. That's what I guessed but it's good to have it
confirmed.

How can I submit this as a Visio suggestion/product enhancement to
Microsoft? Do I repost this thread as a "suggestion to Microsoft" instead
of
a "question"?

"Mark Nelson [MS]" wrote:

No, there's no great solution here. Most shapes in the same stencil have
a
keyword in common. That is especially true for content that is only
available from the web.

--
Mark Nelson
Microsoft Corporation

This posting is provided "AS IS" with no warranties, and confers no
rights.

"tlonski" wrote in message
...
Hi Mark,

You say "...you can save local copies of all the shapes in it." in your
post, but that's my dilemma. How can I find all the shapes in a Web
stencil
when I can't see the stencil or download it?

I understand how to save an individual shape that I've found on the Web
to
another stencil (thus making a local copy). Now that I've found one
shape
in
a Web stencil, how do I find the other shapes in that Web stencil?

As I wrote the paragraph above, it occured to me to try using Visio's
shape
search to look for the Web stencil. While using the full name
(Business
Process Modeling Notation Shapes (US units).VSS) didn't work,
shortening
it
to "Business Process Modeling Notation" found 39 shapes. Voila!

Is there a better way to find all the shapes that belong to a web
stencil?
I have several concerns about using shape search to find what's on a
web
stencil:
#1 - Shape search is looking at the shape keywords. For this method to
work, the stencil name must always be included as keywords on every
shape
in
the stencil. It appears to have worked this time, but won't work in
general.
For example, if I search for "Blocks Raised", I get no results even
though
that is a stencil provided with Visio. Likewise, if I search for
"UML", I
get over 100 results from the eight UML stencils provided with Visio.
#2 - Even when shapes are found using this method, there's no way of
determining that you have all the shapes in the stencil. I found 39
shapes
in the example above, but the stencil could have more shapes for all I
know.
#3 - I've used Visio for years. Aren't stencils a fundamental concept
of
Visio for organizing and managing shapes? Searching shape keywords to
back
into finding a stencil seems to violate Visio's conceptual principles
(i.e.
how Visio organizes itself and the logical model it presents to users
so
it
appears consistent and is easier to use).

So, while I may have stumbled on a workaround for this one instance,
the
general question remains "How can I find all the shapes that belong to
a
web
stencil?"

Thanks for the response. It helped me get closer to a solution.

Regards.

"Mark Nelson [MS]" wrote:

This stencil is only available from the web. You cannot make the
stencil
local to my knowledge, but you can save local copies of all the shapes
in
it. Click on the icon next to your search term to save the results as
a
new
stencil. Alternatively, right click on an individual shape and add it
to
My
Shapes or another custom stencil.

--
Mark Nelson
Microsoft Corporation

This posting is provided "AS IS" with no warranties, and confers no
rights.

"tlonski" wrote in message
...
Hi,

The general question is "When shape search finds shapes on the Web,
how
can
you get the stencil and install it locally?" The specific situation
is
below.

I have Visio Professional 2003 SP1 installed. I am working on
process
models and started with the Cross Functional Flowchart template.
This
template provides three stencils: Arrow Shapes, Basic Flowchart
Shapes,
and
Cross Functional Flowchart Shapes. I need to show events in my
process
model. None of the three default stencils has this shape so I
searched
for
it.

In the Shape Search options (Tools - Options...) I have the search
results
sorted by group so I can see what stencil a shape belongs to. I
like
to
see
the original stencil because many times if the stencil has one shape
I'm
looking for, it has other shapes I need as well.

When I search for an event shape, results are found from seven
stencils.
Six of the seven stencils are installed locally and are visible
under
File -
Shapes. The seventh stencil is labeled "Business Process Modeling
Notation
Shapes (US units).VSS".

Where is this stencil? The shape search looks locally and on the
Web.
This
stencil is not installed in Visio (i.e. not visible under File -
Shapes).
I've searched Microsoft Office Online, my hard drive, and Googled it
and I
can't find this stencil.

Help! Can anyone tell me how to find and install this stencil?

Thanks in advance,

Tom

Thanks for going into detail on this. Making shape content more accessible
is a long term goal of mine. When proposing new ideas and features
internally, it is very helpful to have the "voice of the customer" to
reinforce the need for something better.

--
Mark Nelson
Microsoft Corporation

This posting is provided "AS IS" with no warranties, and confers no rights.

"tlonski" wrote in message
...
Hi all,

Hopefully I'm doing this right. :-)

JUSTIFICATION
Stencils are a fundamental mechanism in Visio for organizing and managing
shapes. Stencils identify a collection of related shapes. Yet there is
no
mechanism in Visio to search for a stencil. Shape search only works at
the
shape level. By default, shape search results are returned
alphabetically.
For a shape in the search results, there is no easy way to determine which
stencil a shape belongs to unless the user has set the search shape
options
to group the results instead of alphabetize the results. Further, Visio's
shape search searches locally and on the Web, yet provides poor visiblity
to
the user on where the search results came from. Since users are not
always
connected to the Internet (because they have dial-up from home, are
mobile,
etc.) it's important to make this easily apparent so users know when to
make
a local copy of a shape. A third weakness is that shape search is based
on
keywords, yet Visio does not make the keywords easily accessible. If I've
found a shape that's close to what I want, I cannot look at its keywords.
I
can drag the shape to my drawing and use "Find Similar Shapes" but that
requires extra steps and doesn't give me any way to control the search.

ENHANCEMENTS
-- Keep the current "Search for Shapes" implementation but also provide an
"Advanced Shape Search" command. This approach would be similar to the
capabilities in Outlook where a simple "Find a Contact" search is provided
in
the toolbar but an "Advanced Find..." is provided under the tools
pull-down
and on the pop-up context menu for Contacts.
-- Provide the option in "Advanced Search Shape" to search both stencil
and
shape keywords. Search results can be either a stencil or a shape.
-- A Keyword field already exists in the stencil properties. However, I
don't think it has ever been used in the past. I can think of three
possible
solutions for backwards compatability: 1) provide an option to treat
stencil/shape names as keywords, 2) provide an option to search by name
rather than keyword, 3) provide a function to copy stencil names into the
keywords field of the stencil properties. I've listed these solutions in
order of my preference.
-- Stencil properties are only accessible for user-created stencils. This
isn't consistent and hides information on Visio-supplied stencils. Make
Stencil properties always accessible, but read-only for Visio-supplied
stencils.
-- Shape Master properties are only accessible for user-created stencils
and
only when the stencil is being edited. This creates several unnecessary
hurdles when a user wants to see the shape master properties. Move
"Master
Properties..." from the "Edit Master" sub-menu to the top level context
menu.
Make "Master Properties..." always accessible. Make it read-only for
Visio-supplied stencils or stencils that are not being edited. This
request
and the previous one will make keywords more visible and accessible to the
users and facilitate using this information in searches.
-- Provide an easily visible indicator to show whether a search result
(stencil or shape) is local or on the Web.
-- When a search finds a stencil, allow the user to open the stencil. For
stencils found on the Web, also allow the user to install the stencil
locally.
-- For shapes in a search result, provide a command in the shape's context
menu to open the parent stencil, i.e. the stencil that contains the shape.

Sorry this is so long, but I was trying to be complete. My understanding
is
that this can be voted on in the discussion group and Microsoft tries to
implement suggestions based on the number of votes. Please vote for this
if
you like these enhancements.

The original thread that generated this suggestion was "How install
stencils
for shapes found on web?" and was started on 11/17/2004. It's copied
below
to provide the background on the specific situation that led to the
suggestions above. Have fun reading bottom up. :-)

Thanks for reading this far.

Tom Lonski
================================================== =
I believe so. I'm using Outlook Express, so I don't get the fancy
newsgroup
features. You can also send e-mail to .

--
Mark Nelson
Microsoft Corporation

This posting is provided "AS IS" with no warranties, and confers no
rights.

"tlonski" wrote in message
...
Thanks for the help Mark. That's what I guessed but it's good to have it
confirmed.

How can I submit this as a Visio suggestion/product enhancement to
Microsoft? Do I repost this thread as a "suggestion to Microsoft"
instead
of
a "question"?

"Mark Nelson [MS]" wrote:

No, there's no great solution here. Most shapes in the same stencil
have
a
keyword in common. That is especially true for content that is only
available from the web.

--
Mark Nelson
Microsoft Corporation

This posting is provided "AS IS" with no warranties, and confers no
rights.

"tlonski" wrote in message
...
Hi Mark,

You say "...you can save local copies of all the shapes in it." in
your
post, but that's my dilemma. How can I find all the shapes in a Web
stencil
when I can't see the stencil or download it?

I understand how to save an individual shape that I've found on the
Web
to
another stencil (thus making a local copy). Now that I've found one
shape
in
a Web stencil, how do I find the other shapes in that Web stencil?

As I wrote the paragraph above, it occured to me to try using Visio's
shape
search to look for the Web stencil. While using the full name
(Business
Process Modeling Notation Shapes (US units).VSS) didn't work,
shortening
it
to "Business Process Modeling Notation" found 39 shapes. Voila!

Is there a better way to find all the shapes that belong to a web
stencil?
I have several concerns about using shape search to find what's on a
web
stencil:
#1 - Shape search is looking at the shape keywords. For this method
to
work, the stencil name must always be included as keywords on every
shape
in
the stencil. It appears to have worked this time, but won't work in
general.
For example, if I search for "Blocks Raised", I get no results even
though
that is a stencil provided with Visio. Likewise, if I search for
"UML", I
get over 100 results from the eight UML stencils provided with Visio.
#2 - Even when shapes are found using this method, there's no way of
determining that you have all the shapes in the stencil. I found 39
shapes
in the example above, but the stencil could have more shapes for all I
know.
#3 - I've used Visio for years. Aren't stencils a fundamental concept
of
Visio for organizing and managing shapes? Searching shape keywords to
back
into finding a stencil seems to violate Visio's conceptual principles
(i.e.
how Visio organizes itself and the logical model it presents to users
so
it
appears consistent and is easier to use).

So, while I may have stumbled on a workaround for this one instance,
the
general question remains "How can I find all the shapes that belong to
a
web
stencil?"

Thanks for the response. It helped me get closer to a solution.

Regards.

"Mark Nelson [MS]" wrote:

This stencil is only available from the web. You cannot make the
stencil
local to my knowledge, but you can save local copies of all the
shapes
in
it. Click on the icon next to your search term to save the results
as
a
new
stencil. Alternatively, right click on an individual shape and add
it
to
My
Shapes or another custom stencil.

--
Mark Nelson
Microsoft Corporation

This posting is provided "AS IS" with no warranties, and confers no
rights.

"tlonski" wrote in message
...
Hi,

The general question is "When shape search finds shapes on the Web,
how
can
you get the stencil and install it locally?" The specific
situation
is
below.

I have Visio Professional 2003 SP1 installed. I am working on
process
models and started with the Cross Functional Flowchart template.
This
template provides three stencils: Arrow Shapes, Basic Flowchart
Shapes,
and
Cross Functional Flowchart Shapes. I need to show events in my
process
model. None of the three default stencils has this shape so I
searched
for
it.

In the Shape Search options (Tools - Options...) I have the search
results
sorted by group so I can see what stencil a shape belongs to. I
like
to
see
the original stencil because many times if the stencil has one
shape
I'm
looking for, it has other shapes I need as well.

When I search for an event shape, results are found from seven
stencils.
Six of the seven stencils are installed locally and are visible
under
File -
Shapes. The seventh stencil is labeled "Business Process Modeling
Notation
Shapes (US units).VSS".

Where is this stencil? The shape search looks locally and on the
Web.
This
stencil is not installed in Visio (i.e. not visible under File -
Shapes).
I've searched Microsoft Office Online, my hard drive, and Googled
it
and I
can't find this stencil.

Help! Can anyone tell me how to find and install this stencil?

Thanks in advance,

Tom