Importing Information from Other Programs

Just as there are many ways to display Visio 2007 information in other applications, there are several methods for bringing data into Visio. Which method should you use?

• If you think you’ll need to edit the original file later, OLE is a good choice, but the application in which the file was created must be installed on your computer.

• If you want to include an image but don’t plan to do anything more than resize or rotate it, export the image from the other program in a graphic format that Visio 2007 can import. Graphic files that you import without OLE take up less space in the Visio drawing file.

Embedding and Linking Microsoft Office Documents in Visio

Earlier in the chapter, you learned how to use OLE to insert Visio 2007 diagrams into other documents. To insert other documents or objects into Visio diagrams, you use the same techniques.

If you add a link to another document from within a diagram, Visio 2007 stores a reference to that document file in the diagram, and it automatically updates the link every time you open the diagram. You can edit the original document either by double-clicking the linked file in the Visio 2007 diagram or by editing the original in its native application. Either way, both will be updated. Of course, you can only use the linked data if the other application is installed on your computer and if the linked file keeps the same name and remains in the same location.

If you embed a document in a Visio 2007 diagram, you don’t need to worry about the location of the original, and you don’t need to have the document’s native application installed. If you do have access to the native application, though, you can edit the embedded object from within the Visio 2007 diagram. Double-clicking it will give you full editing capabilities. When you edit an embedded object, it has no effect on the original document. However, because the entire object is included in the drawing file, rather than just a reference, the drawing’s file size will be much larger.

To link to a document in Visio 2007, follow these steps:

1.	In Visio, choose Insert, Object.
2.	In the Insert Object dialog box, select the Create From File option, and then locate the file to which you want to link.
3.	Select Link To File.
4.	Click OK to return to the Visio diagram. To edit the object, double-click it to open its native application. When you’re done editing the object, close its native application and you’ll see the changes in your Visio drawing.

To embed a document in Visio 2007, follow these steps:

1.	In Visio, choose Insert, Object.
2.	In the Insert Object dialog box, select the Create From File option, and then locate the file you want to link to.
3.	Click OK to return to the Visio diagram.

Troubleshooting: An imported image doesn’t appear correctly in an embedded diagram If you embed or export a Visio 2007 diagram that includes an inserted enhanced metafile picture, the image might appear as a crossed-out box. This happens when you save the Visio 2007 drawing file in Windows Metafile Format (WMF) or when you embed the Visio 2007 diagram into an application that supports only WMF files. You can safely embed enhanced metafiles (which Visio creates when you rotate a metafile) in applications that support this file format, including Visio 2007 and Microsoft Office. As long as you don’t need to rotate the inserted picture, your Visio 2007 drawing file will be compatible with more applications if you import graphics as WMF files instead of picture (enhanced metafile) files.

Importing Graphics

You can import a picture or graphics file that was created in another application even if you don’t have that application. For example, you can import a corporate logo that appears on the page with an organization chart. Visio 2007 can import most of the standard graphics file formats, so there’s almost certainly a format that Visio and the graphics application have in common.

Inside Out: How Visio 2007 imports an image When you export a file from another application, the file’s data is translated and saved to a separate file in a different format. When you import the file into a Visio 2007 drawing, the file is translated again. Because an image is changed slightly each time it’s translated, the picture you import into your Visio drawing might not look exactly the way it does in the original application.

There are two ways to import graphics files:

• If you open the file, Visio 2007 creates a drawing with the bitmap or metafile graphic on it.

• If you insert the file, Visio 2007 imports the bitmap or metafile graphic into the drawing that’s currently open.

Files you open are larger than files you insert, so if you need to keep your drawing file small, insert the data.

To insert a picture or graphics file, choose Insert, Picture, From File. The Insert Picture dialog box displays small previews, or thumbnails, of your files’ contents, as Figure 7-9 shows. To insert a file, double-click a thumbnail or file name. Depending on the format of the file, you might see another dialog box that includes importing options. Visio uses the same filters to open and insert pictures and graphics files, so the same dialog boxes appear for both procedures.

Troubleshooting: Quality is poor with an imported graphics file The reasons for poor quality depend on the type of graphic you’re importing. To improve quality, try the following procedures: With some vector-based graphics, lines might appear jagged in the Visio 2007 drawing. You might get better results with these file formats if you open them using File, Open, which places the image in its native format into Visio. By contrast, inserting them using Insert, Picture converts the images to metafiles. When you import a bitmap or raster graphic (.jpg, .gif, .bmp, .tif files) into Visio 2007, the graphic can become fuzzy or indistinct, particularly if you resize it. Although bitmaps always look better at 100 percent size, the new smoothing technology (called anti-aliasing) in Visio 2007 might have softened the edges too much. However, you can turn this feature off for graphics (and also for text, which is a separate option). Choose Tools, Options. On the View tab, clear the Higher Quality Shape Display check box. When you import a graphic in a bitmap format, it comes into your Visio 2007 drawing as a single picture that you can edit a little—you can resize it, move it around on the page, crop it, or move it to a different layer. Bitmap graphics include files with the following extensions: .bmp, .dib, .gif, .jpg, .pct, .png, and .tif. Vector graphic formats, however, give you a little more control. Most vector graphics are converted to metafiles as they are imported. Visio 2007 can import the following vector file formats: .dwg, .dxf, .emf, .igs, .svg, .svgc, and .wmf files. You can move a vector graphic around on the page, just as you can move a bitmap picture. You might also be able to convert it to Visio shapes, which creates a new shape for every separate component that makes up the metafile. To do this, select the metafile, and then choose Shape, Grouping, Ungroup (or press Shift+Ctrl+U). You might need to do this more than once to ungroup everything. Note that when you ungroup a metafile graphic, you might get dozens or hundreds of components. For example, you’ll see all the paths, or each band, of a gradient fill. Additionally, text might appear as outlines.

Editing Imported Graphics

You can improve an imported picture’s appearance by adjusting its contrast, brightness, and other values. Using the Picture command on the Format menu, you can work with color editing tools that might be familiar to you if you use other picture editing programs. As Figure 7-10 shows, you can adjust the levels of several properties and get immediate feedback—the preview shows the effect of an option. For example, if an imported picture looks dark on your computer screen, adjust the brightness (the gamma option). To make the edges in the picture stand out, increase the sharpness.

Troubleshooting: An imported graphic cannot be edited in Visio 2007 as expected There are several possibilities when this occurs: If the imported graphic is a metafile and you’re trying to group or ungroup it, the problem could be that the metafile is rotated. The Convert To Group and Ungroup commands are unpredictable when used with a rotated metafile, and it can take a long time to see any results. If you want to crop a metafile and you encounter resistance, make sure the Visio 2007 drawing page and the metafile are both upright. You can tell whether a metafile is upright by looking at the handles that appear when you crop it. If they’re gray, the metafile isn’t upright. If you can’t select the cropping tool at all, the page isn’t upright. If you want to rotate as well as crop a metafile, first crop it, and then rotate it. If you rotate a metafile in Visio 2007 and the quality is poor, your best option might be to rotate the picture in its original application before exporting it for use in Visio. When you rotate a metafile in Visio, it’s converted to a picture in enhanced metafile format.

Inserting Pictures from a Scanner or Digital Camera

Another way to bring information into Visio 2007 is to insert it directly from your scanner or digital camera. If you have set up the hardware and installed the software for either a TWAIN-compliant or WIA-compliant digital camera or scanner, you can use it to insert pictures into Visio 2007. Choose Insert, Picture, From Scanner Or Camera to display a dialog box with the options shown in Figure 7-11. Use the Web Quality or Print Quality option for quick results. These options specify default settings for images you’ll display on the screen or Web (choose Web Quality) or use in a printed diagram (choose Print Quality). To adjust settings yourself, or if you’re using a digital camera, click Custom Insert. Visio 2007 embeds the image as a picture that can’t be edited.

Inside Out: Defining TWAIN and WIA A TWAIN or WIA interface allows a scanner or digital camera to be controlled by another program, such as Visio 2007, so that the hardware device’s output can be used directly by the program. TWAIN stands for Technology (or Tool) Without An Interesting Name—evidently, its inventors were stumped. WIA stands for Windows Image Acquisition and was originally developed for Microsoft Windows Me.

Troubleshooting: The Insert Picture From Scanner Or Camera command won’t work Is your digital camera or scanner turned on and connected to the port where its card is installed? It’s always wise to check connections. If that’s not the problem, you can try some standard hardware and software diagnostics: Make sure the cables are fully inserted and not kinked, bent, dusty, or damaged. Make sure the camera or scanner software is installed in Control Panel (Add/Remove Programs). See if Windows can detect the device. In Control Panel, double-click System. In Microsoft Windows XP, click Printers And Other Hardware, then click Scanners And Cameras. In Microsoft Windows 2000, click the Hardware tab, and then click Device Manager. If it indicates anything other than that the device is operating properly, you might need to install or reinstall your camera or scanner software. Remove the camera or scanner software using Add/Remove Programs, restart Windows, and then reinstall the software. Make sure your device and its card are compatible with each other and that their drivers are compatible with your operating system.

Other Methods for Using Data from Other Applications in Visio 2007

Although linking, embedding, and importing graphics are the most common methods for bringing pictures, text, and other data into Visio 2007 diagrams, there are a few other ways you can import information:

• If you have the Office Suite and you installed the Microsoft Media Gallery, you can import clip art into your Visio 2007 drawing by choosing Insert, Picture, Clip Art.

• If you have the Office System and you installed Microsoft Graph, you can use it to create a graph in a diagram. In Visio 2007, choose Insert, Microsoft Graph. The Microsoft Graph menus and tools are displayed in Visio. When you’re finished creating the graph, click in the drawing window outside the graph to return to the default Visio 2007 menus.

• You can drag objects onto your Visio 2007 drawing page if you have another application open at the same time. When you drag an object from another application, it’s copied into your Visio 2007 drawing.

Matching Themes to PowerPoint Presentations

In Visio 2003, the themes for shapes were referred to as styles, but in Visio 2007 they are referred to as themes. Themes can greatly enhance your drawings with color and special effects. Themes have two parts: theme colors—a set of colors designed to work well together, and theme effects—a set of effects for font, fills, shadows, lines, and connectors. These theme colors and effects can be mixed and matched. Visio 2007 comes with a set of themes already built in. To apply a theme to your drawing, follow these simple steps:

1.	On the Format menu, click Theme. The Theme – Colors task pane opens by default. To open the Theme – Effects task pane, click Theme Effects.
2.	To apply a theme to the current drawing page, right-click a thumbnail, and then click Apply To Current Page.

Creating a Custom Theme

To create a new theme, follow these steps:

1.	In the Theme task pane, click New theme colors, or New theme effects.
2.	In the New Theme Colors or New Theme Effects dialog box, choose the colors or effects you want, and click OK.

You can also duplicate themes. To do this, in the Theme task pane, right-click the thumbnails for the theme you want to duplicate, and then click Duplicate. The duplicated theme is added to the Theme task pane under the heading Custom.

Not only can you duplicate themes, but you can edit the custom themes. To do this, right click on the custom theme you wish to edit, click Edit, and in the Edit Theme Colors or Edit Theme Effects dialog box, make the changes you want and then click OK.

Copying a Custom Theme to Another Visio 2007 Drawing

To use in one drawing a custom theme created in another drawing, follow these steps:

1.	Open the drawing that has the custom theme you want to copy.
2.	Select a shape with the custom theme applied.
3.	On the Edit menu, click Copy.
4.	Open the drawing that you want to copy the custom theme to.
5.	On the Edit menu, click Paste. The custom theme is then added to the Themes task pane.
6.	You can now delete the shape that you pasted.

Remove a Theme From a Shape

Right-click the shape, point to Format, and click Remove Theme.

You can also delete a custom theme. To do this in the Theme task pane, right-click the thumbnail for the custom theme you want to delete, and then click Delete.

Applying a Matching Theme in PowerPoint

In PowerPoint 2007, it is quite simple to add color and pizzazz to your work. Open the PowerPoint presentation to which you wish to add color. Follow these easy steps:

1.	Click the Design Tab.
2.	Next, click the Colors drop-down menu on the right of the Themes group. This displays the different Color Schemes or “themes” that can be applied to your PowerPoint presentation. These themes are similar to those in Visio 2007.

Viewing Visio 2007 Diagrams in Outlook 2007

Outlook has been one of the most widely used e-mail service programs. It is compatible with many other programs, and now in Outlook 2007, you can view Visio 2007 drawings. To do this, follow these simple steps:

1.	Either open a message with a Visio drawing attached to it or view it in the Reading Pane.
2.	Click the attachment.
3.	In the message, click Preview. Your Visio drawing will then appear in your message box.

If you would like to view the attached file in Visio and you have Visio 2007 installed on your computer, double-click the attachment link in the message and click Open. Visio 2007 will open and display the drawing from your message.