Developing Microsoft Visio Solutions is a complete guide to creating solutions with Microsoft Visio. This guide presents:

An introduction to the Visio environment and conceptual information about Developing Microsoft Visio Solutions.
Detailed information about using formulas to design SmartShapes symbols that model real-world objects and behavior.
Information, tips, and techniques for using Microsoft Visual Basic for Applications (VBA) to extend Visio or to use Visio as a component in your own applications.
An introduction to using the Microsoft Visual Basic and C++ programming languages to develop programs that use the Visio application as a component.

This Preface defines the guide's audience and conventions, introduces the top new features of interest to solution developers, and points to key online reference materials.

About this Guide

Developing Microsoft Visio Solutions provides assistance for anyone who wants to customize Microsoft Visio shapes or solutions, including application developers, systems analysts, programmers, architects, engineers, and users of computer-aided design (CAD) programs.

Assumptions

We assume you are already familiar with drawing techniques and with the Visio menus, tools, and commands. We also assume a high-school level knowledge of basic geometry and Cartesian coordinate systems. An understanding of transformations, trigonometry, and analytic geometry can also be helpful.

In the chapters that discuss controlling Visio with another programming language such as Microsoft Visual Basic for Applications (VBA) or C++, we assume you are familiar with the programming language you'll be using. Most of the examples in this book are written using VBA.

Conventions

This guide uses the following typographical conventions.

Typographical convention	Description
Bold	Programming terms in text.
Italic	Variables in text, formulas in text, or terms defined in text. In syntax, italic letters indicate placeholders for information you supply.
EmbeddedCaps	Capitalization for readability in Visio and VBA. Language terms are not case-sensitive in Visio or VBA, but they are case-sensitive in C++ and XML (Extensible Markup Language).
Title Caps	File names in text.
Monospace font	Code examples.

To enhance the readability of formula and code samples, these conventions are followed:

Within formulas, we have inserted spaces before and after operators and equals signs (=). These spaces are not required and are removed by Visio if you enter them with your formula.
In code examples, we have used numeric and string constants where you would ordinarily use variables or global constants, especially if you intend to localize your programs.

New Features for Developers

Microsoft Visio provides a powerful single platform for your custom drawing solutions. The new features and improvements in Microsoft Visio 2002 give you more options for defining the behavior of the elements in your solutions.

For details on new ShapeSheet cells and Automation events, methods, objects, and properties that have been added in Microsoft Visio 2002, see the Microsoft Visio Developer Reference (on the Help menu, click Developer Reference).

New features in Microsoft Visio 2002 for developers

Feature	Description
Object model changes that support new and improved Visio features	Experience more complete access to persisted document data and better access to a variety of commonly used areas in Visio with more than 90 new properties and methods in the Visio 2002 object model.
Native XML file format	Share your Visio drawings with a full-fidelity, XML-based, alternative file format. Based on Extensible Markup Language (XML) syntax, XML for Visio enables a more open exchange of Visio data with other applications.
Storage of XML data for solutions	Store well-formed, solution-specific XML data within your Visio documents. Your XML data can be associated with a document as a whole or stored in individual ShapeSheet cells.
Component Object Model (COM) add-in support	Develop Visio solutions using the new COM add-in technology that is available to many of the Microsoft Office applications.
Access to the command bar object model	Customize and create menus and toolbars in Visio using the command bar object model that is shared by all Microsoft Office applications.
Event filters	Use event filters to tailor the events you listen to, and prevent many of the events you don't want to hear from firing.
Digital signatures	Identify your VBA project code as a trusted source by digitally signing it.
New ShapeSheet cells and values	Use new cells to add transparency to any color attribute, set more concise glue type and behavior, set connectors as smooth curves, or flip shapes during placement. Set new values for more control in connected diagram solutions and for currencies.
Drop-down lists for ShapeSheet cells	Select values from drop-down lists in ShapeSheet cells that have a constant set of valid values.
GDI Plus for better graphic rendering and handling of file formats	Build graphically rich applications, manage raster image formats and metadata, and improve text readability with GDI Plus. Includes native support for JPEG, PNG, GIF, BMP, TIFF, EMF, and WMF files.
32-bit color and transparency	Take advantage of the ability to use over 16 million colors in this 32-bit color drawing environment. Produce professional-quality drawings when you add transparency, shadows, and semi-transparent objects to your documents.
Improved in-place behavior	Visio drawings embedded in other applications now run identically to drawings in the Visio application.
Ability to host add-ons inside of Visio windows	Support simultaneous docking of anchored windows, add-on windows, and stencils inside your Visio 2002 window. Windows can be docked or merged at the same time, and resized to suit your application.
Microsoft Visual Basic for Applications version 6.3	Use the same version of VBA as Microsoft Office XP.

For more details on features that are not discussed in this guide, see documentation updates and technical articles on the Microsoft Visio Developer Center on the MSDN Web site (msdn.microsoft.com/visio/).

Online Reference Material, Samples, and Code

Microsoft Visio 2002 includes a detailed Developer Reference with information on Visio Automation objects, methods, properties, and events and ShapeSheet sections, rows, cells, and functions. The Microsoft Visio Developer Reference is available from the Help menu in Visio (on the Help menu, click Developer Reference).

You can find shape samples and code on the Developing Microsoft Visio Solutions CD that is provided with this guide. Additional, related developer reference materials are on the Microsoft Visio Developer Center on the MSDN Web site (msdn.microsoft.com/visio/).

The Developing Microsoft Visio Solutions CD

Besides an electronic copy of this guide, you can find reference information, samples, and code on the Developing Microsoft Visio Solutions CD that correspond to each chapter in the guide.

Here's an overview of what is on the Developing Microsoft Visio Solutions CD:

An illustration of the Visio object model
Sample drawings and stencils that include a variety of shapes illustrating a wide variety of common shape behaviors
Templates that contain a variety of useful Microsoft Visual Basic for Applications (VBA) macro samples
Microsoft Visual Basic support files, along with C++ utility programs and source code described in Chapter 27, Programming Visio with Visual Basic and Chapter 28, Programming Visio with C++

System Requirements for the CD

To use the CD with this guide, you'll need the following:

Microsoft Visio Professional 2002
Microsoft Windows 98, Microsoft Windows 98 Second Edition, Microsoft Windows Millennium Edition, Microsoft Windows NT 4.0 with Service Pack 6 or later (requires Microsoft Internet Explorer 4.01 browser software with Service Pack 1 or later), or Microsoft Windows 2000 Professional or later operating system
Microsoft Visual Basic 6.0 or later
A C++ development tool, such as Microsoft Visual C++ 6.0 or later

The Microsoft Visio Developer Center

The Microsoft Visio Developer Center on the MSDN Web site (msdn.microsoft.com/visio/) contains current information for developers who are developing custom solutions for Visio, such as:

Technical articles about different aspects of creating custom Visio solutions
Developer support resources, including key reference materials that supplement the documentation in this guide, a knowledge base, and a library of downloadable files that includes sample code and applications
Developer news, including developer-related events, upcoming online broadcasts, and the latest downloads
Visio Newsgroups, a place for you to share information and get help from other Visio developers
Information about developer training, including a course description and syllabus
Real-world case studies so you can learn how companies are extending Visio technology to meet their specific needs
Information about Visio Solution Providers and technical assistance

Point your browser to msdn.microsoft.com/visio/ to access the Microsoft Visio Developer Center.