Glossary

attributes

Qualities of text or shapes that you can format, including text font and color; line color, ends, weight, and pattern; and fill color, pattern, and shadow, and so on. See also formatting.

 

background

A background is a shape that appears behind a diagram and looks like a pattern, much like the background of a Microsoft Office PowerPoint slide.

 

background page

Another drawing page that appears behind a drawing page in a diagram and usually contains background shapes.

 

backbone

The physical network configuration, or topology, that you can depict in a network diagram by using a shape such as the Ethernet shape on the Network and Peripherals stencil. See also network ring.

 

begin point

The selection handle that appear at the start of a selected 1-D shape and is marked by x. See also endpoints; end point.

 

breakdown shape

A shape in a PivotDiagram that shows the name of the category that's broken down, or shown, on the drawing page. A breakdown shape is positioned on the connector between the parent node and child node. See also parent node; child node.

 

child node

The shape(s) below a parent node in a PivotDiagram. Typically child nodes are connected to parent nodes. A parent node can have multiple child nodes; however, a child node has only one parent node. See also parent node.

 

closed shape

A 2-D shape, such as a box, with a solid border to which you can apply a fill color and pattern. See also open shape.

 

color theme

A set of coordinated fill colors that you can apply to an entire diagram and its shapes. Choose color themes from the Theme Colors task pane.

 

connection point

A point on a shape where you can attach a connector or 1-D shape. Each connection point appears as a blue mark on a shape when the Connection Points command is selected on the View menu.

 

connectors

1-D shapes designed to connect other shapes. The Connectors stencil in the Visio Extras folder contains a variety of connector shapes for use in any drawing type.

 

control handles

Yellow diamond-shaped handles that control a shape's behavior in special ways. Depending on the shape, a control handle might adjust the position of a line, reshape an arrow, or connect to other shapes. To find out what a control handle does, point to the handle to display a ScreenTip.

 

control point

The circular handle that appears on a line or arc when you select it with the Pencil tool. You can drag a control point to change the curve of an arc or ellipse.

 

crop

To reduce the size and cut out a portion of an imported picture. You use the Crop tool to drag one of the picture's selection handles to the desired size, and then drag the picture inside the selection box to view the portion of the picture you want to use.

 

custom properties

See shape data.

 

data graphics

Visio shapes that include visual elements designed specifically for visualizing data. You build your own data graphics using the Data Graphics task pane.

 

data legend

A rectangular shape in a PivotDiagram that's placed next to the top node and contains details about the data source linked to the top node.

 

deselect

To click the pasteboard or a blank area of the drawing page, or press the key so a shape's selection handles don't appear.

 

dock

To attach a window to a side of the drawing page window. For example, stencils are docked by default in the Shapes window on the left side of the drawing window. See also float.

 

drawing file

A file that contains a Visio drawing or diagram. Drawing files have a .vsd file extension.

 

drawing page

The printable area in the Visio window that contains a drawing. Each drawing page has a size, which usually corresponds to a standard printer paper size, and other properties that you can change with the Page Setup command on the File menu.

 

drawing scale

A measure of the relationship between real-world sizes or distances and the sizes represented in a Visio drawing. For example, an office layout might have a drawing scale of one foot of actual distance to one inch in the drawing. To set a drawing scale, click the Page Setup command on the File menu. Then, click the Drawing Scale tab.

 

dynamic grid

The dotted line that appears on the screen when you drag a shape near another shape. The dynamic grid shows the optimal alignment. To turn on the dynamic grid, click the Snap & Glue command on the Tools menu.

 

effect theme

A set of coordinated text, line, fill pattern, shadow, and connector colors and styles that you can apply to an entire diagram and its shapes. Choose effect themes from the Theme Effects task pane.

 

embed

To paste or insert an object, such as text or a group of shapes, from one program into a file created in another program. The embedded object becomes part of the file, but you can double-click it to modify it in its original program. See also link.

 

end point

The selection handle that appear at the end of a selected 1-D shape and is marked by +. See also begin point; endpoints.

 

endpoints

Either of the selection handles that appear at the beginning or end of a selected 1-D shape. The endpoint at the beginning of the shape (begin point) is marked by ¥. The endpoint at the end of the shape (end point) is marked by +. See also begin point; end point.

 

expanded timeline

A linear graphic that represents and is synchronized with a segment of a larger timeline. See also timeline.

 

field

Placeholder text that Visio uses to display dates or other information in a shape. You can insert a field into a shape with the Field command on the Insert menu.

 

fill

The color and pattern inside a shape.

 

float

To display and move a window anywhere within the Visio window. For example, you can drag a stencil onto the drawing page to display it in a floating window. See also dock.

 

formatting

A combination of attributes that make up the appearance of a shape, diagram, or text. For example, you can format a shape to change the thickness and color of its lines, the color and pattern inside the shape, its font, and so on. See also attributes.

 

Gantt bars

Bars in a Gantt chart that represent the duration of a task.

 

Gantt charts

Diagram types you create in Visio with the Gantt Chart template that describes the discrete tasks associated with a project. In a Gantt chart, bars represent the duration of each task within a timescale that is displayed in the chart.

 

glue

Shape behavior that causes one shape to stay connected to another, even if the shape to which it is glued moves.

 

grid

Nonprinting horizontal and vertical lines displayed at regular intervals on the drawing page. The grid makes it easier to align shapes and position them precisely.

 

group

A shape composed of one or more shapes. A group can also include other groups and objects from other programs. You can move and size a group as a single shape, but its members retain their original appearance and attributes. You can also subselect individual shapes in the group to modify them. See also subselect.

 

guides

Visual reference lines that you can drag from the horizontal or vertical ruler onto the drawing page in order to help position and align shapes precisely. Guides do not appear on the printed page.

 

interval markers

A shape used to designate a period of time in a diagram created with the Timeline template.

 

landscape orientation

A printed page or drawing page that is wider than it is tall. You can change page orientation in Visio with the Page Setup command on the File menu. The orientation of the printed page and drawing page can differ. See also portrait orientation.

 

layers

Named categories to which shapes are assigned in some diagram types, such as office layouts and network diagrams. You can organize shapes in your drawing by selectively viewing, editing, printing, or locking layers, and you can control whether you can snap and glue shapes on a layer.

 

line caps

Style of a line end: round or square.

 

line ends

Patterns, such as arrowheads, that can appear on the end of a 1-D shape.

 

link

To create a dynamic link from one file to another so that the contents of the original file appear in the linked file. When changes are made to the original file, you can update the link so that the most recent version of the object appears in the linked file. See also embed.

 

locked

A setting that limits the ways you can modify a shape. For example, this setting can prevent you from resizing a shape using a selection handle. When you select a locked shape, the shape handles appear gray.

 

measurement units

The type of measurement system used in a drawing and displayed on the rulers. You specify the measurement units (inches, centimeters, points, miles, and so on) with the Page Setup command on the File menu.

 

merge

To create a new shape by combining or splitting apart existing shapes using an Operations command, such as Union or Combine, on the Shape menu.

 

milestones

A shape from the Timeline Shapes stencil that shows a significant date in a timeline.

 

network ring

The physical configuration or topology of a network that refers to the configuration of cables, computers, and other peripherals. To create a network diagram, start with the Basic Network Diagram template. See also backbone.

 

node

A shape in a PivotDiagram that represents data. Breakdown shapes and connectors in a PivotDiagram aren't nodes. See also breakdown shape; connector.

 

object linking and embedding

In Microsoft Windows, the ability to link or embed a shape or other object created in one program, such as Visio, into a document created in a different program, such as Word.

 

one-dimensional (1-D) shape

A shape, such as a line, that has only one dimension and two endpoints. See also two-dimensional shape; connector; endpoint.

 

open shape

A shape that does not have a continuous border, such as a line or arc. You cannot apply fill color or patterns to an open shape. See also closed shape.

 

page breaks

Gray lines that appear on the drawing page when you click the Page Breaks command on the View menu. Page breaks show you where the page will break when you print a large diagram.

 

pan

To change the view by moving the drawing page. You can use the horizontal and vertical scroll bars in the Visio window to pan a drawing, or you can use the keyboard shortcut: Hold down as you drag with the right mouse button.

 

parent node

The shape above a level containing one or more child nodes in a PivotDiagram. Typically child nodes are connected to parent nodes. A parent node can have multiple child nodes; however, a child node has only one parent node. See also child node.

 

pasteboard

The blue area around the drawing page, which you can use as a temporary holding area for shapes. Shapes on the pasteboard are saved with a drawing but aren't printed.

 

picture

A graphic file created in another program that you can add to a Visio diagram. To insert a picture, click the Picture command on the Insert menu.

 

PivotDiagram

A diagram that shows collections of shapes arranged in a tree structure that helps you analyze and summarize data in a visual format. Nodes in PivotDiagrams can show data counts, sums, averages, minimums, and maximums.

 

point-to-point connection

A connection between shapes in which the endpoint of a connector stays attached to a particular point on a shape, even when the shape is moved.

 

portrait orientation

A printed page or drawing page that is taller than it is wide. You can change page orientation in Visio with the Page Setup command on the File menu. The orientation of the printed page and drawing page can differ. See also landscape orientation.

 

primary shape

The first shape you select in a multiple selection, which can affect the outcome of a command, such as the Align Shapes and Operations commands on the Shape menu.

 

primary timeline

 

read-only

A setting that prevents you from modifying a file, such as a stencil.

 

report definition

The settings and shape properties included in a report, which you can customize with the Reports command on the Data menu.

 

rotation handle

The round handle that appears above a 2-D shape. Drag it to rotate a shape.

 

rulers

The horizontal and vertical rulers that appear on the top and side of the drawing page, which you can hide and show by clicking Rulers on the View menu. The rulers display the units of measurement specified by the Page Setup command on the File menu. See also measurement units.

 

ScreenTip

Descriptive text that appears when you pause the pointer over a button on a toolbar, a shape on a stencil, handles on a shape, the rulers, and so on.

 

secondary shapes

The shapes you select after the primary shape in a multiple selection. See also primary shape.

 

select

To click a shape so that it becomes the focus of the next action. Selected shapes display handles. Selected text is highlighted.

 

selection handles

Handles that appear on a selected shape. Visio displays different types of selection handles depending on the tool you used to select a shape.

 

selection box

The dotted line that surrounds a shape and shows that it is selected.

 

selection net

The dotted line that appears when you drag using the Pointer Tool. Selection nets are used to select more than one shape; anything within a selection net is selected.

 

shape data

Information about a shape, which appears in the Shape Data win-dow. For example, a shape that represents office furniture can have shape data that identify its inventory number, owner, and location. To see the shape data stored with a shape, right-click the shape, point to Data, and then click Shape Data on the shortcut menu. To easily see the shape data for any shape you select on the drawing page, use the Shape Data window. To open it, on the View menu, click Shape Data Window.

 

shape data fields

Fields that contain shape data values. You can create your own shape data fields. See shape data.

 

shape data set

A collection of shape data. Shape data sets usually include related data, such as IP address, Manufacturer, Model, CPU, Memory, all of which could be included in a Network Asset data set. See shape data.

 

shapes

Objects that you drag onto the drawing page to assemble diagrams and that you create using the Visio drawing tools. Most shapes used in Visio diagrams are pre-drawn symbols stored in Visio stencils. See stencils.

 

shape-to-shape connection

A connection between shapes in which the endpoint of a con-nector stays attached to a shape at the closest point, even when you move the shape.

 

shortcut menu

The menu that appears when you right-click an object, such as a shape, stencil, or the drawing page. Many Visio shapes have special commands that appear only on a shortcut menu.

 

snap

The way a shape aligns itself automatically with the nearest grid line or guide.

 

stencils

Visio files that contain shapes you can drag onto a drawing page. Stencil files have a .vss file extension.

 

style

A set of formatting attributes, which typically include fill, line, and text attributes. To apply a style to a shape, select the shape, and then on the Format menu, click Style.

 

subselect

To select an individual shape within a group. Select the group, and then select the individual shape. See also group.

 

task panes

Panes, or windows, that open to the right of the Visio drawing page and contain task-oriented or diagram-specific information. To view task panes, on the View menu, click Task Pane.

 

template

A Visio file that includes all of the tools, settings, and shapes you need to assemble a particular type of drawing or diagram. A template opens a drawing page and, usually, stencils. Template files have a .vst file extension.

 

text block

The text area associated with a shape that appears when you click the shape with the Text tool or Text Block tool, or select the shape and start typing. You can size a text block and move a text block in relation to its shape using the Text Block tool.

 

text-only shape

Independent text that's not associated with a shape, but behaves like a shape. Create a text-only shape by using the Text Tool.

 

theme

A set of coordinated colors and effects that Visio applies to all the shapes and text in a diagram, including backgrounds and borders. See also effect theme and color theme.

 

timelines

Linear graphics that represent a specific period of time and the events that occur during that time. You create a timeline in Visio using the Timeline template.

 

top node

The top shape in the tree structure in a PivotDiagram that's linked to an external data source.

 

two-dimensional (2-D) shape

A shape, such as a rectangle or ellipse, that has length and width. A 2-D shape has eight selection handles and one rotation handle. See also one-dimensional shape.

 

units of measure

See measurement units.

 

vertex

A diamond-shaped handle that appears when you select a shape with the Pencil tool. Each vertex defines a point at the beginning or end of a line segment.

 

weight

The thickness of a 1-D shape or the border around a 2-D shape.

 

zoom

The degree of magnification of a drawing. A zoom of 100% displays the drawing page at the same size it will be when it is printed.