Visio

Check Diagram

A Visio Professional feature that validates a diagram against a predefined set of rules.

comment

A Visio annotation object that can be attached to a shape or to the drawing page.

drawing

A Visio document that contains a drawing window and can contain other open windows. Also referred to as a diagram.

foreground page

A Visio drawing page that can have a background page attached to it.

AutoConnect

A Visio feature that glues a dynamic connector from one shape to another with a single click;

data graphic

A Visio feature that you use to annotate a shape by using icons and text callouts based on data in the shape.

Custom Import

A Visio feature you can use to connect a diagram to an external data source.

Quick Import

A Visio feature you can use to connect a diagram to data in a Microsoft Excel workbook.

Auto Size

A Visio option that automatically expands or contracts the drawing page as you move shapes across page boundaries.

background page

A Visio page that can be attached both to foreground pages and to other similarly pages of this type. Shapes on a page of this type appear on other pages to which this type of page is attached;

2-D shape

A Visio shape that has a border and an interior and behaves like a polygon.

1-D shape

A Visio shape that has two endpoints and behaves like a line, sometimes in spite of its physical appearance.

guide

A Visio shape you create by dragging either the horizontal or vertical ruler onto the drawing page; used to align other shapes.

Connector Tool

A Visio tool that you use to add dynamic connectors to a drawing by dragging from one shape to another or from one connection point to another.

Lasso Select

A Visio tool used to select multiple shapes within a freeform area drawn by the user.

Area Select

A Visio tool used to select multiple shapes within a rectangular area.

page controls

A collection of buttons and tabs at the bottom of the Visio drawing window that you can use to navigate from one page to another within the drawing.

business process

A collection of tasks and activities that leads to a desired result; also known as a work process.

OLE DB

A component database architecture that provides efficient network and Internet access to many types of data sources, including relational data, mail files, flat files, and spreadsheets. This component comprises a specialized set of COM interfaces that expose data from a variety of data stores, both relational and nonrelational.

effect

A coordinated set of fonts, fill patterns, gradients, shadows, and line styles.

Quick Access Toolbar

A customizable collection of buttons for frequently used functions that appears in the title bar of the Visio window and is always visible.

custom property

A data value that is stored inside a Visio shape.

UML Diagram

A diagram based on Unified Modeling Language with the purpose of visually representing a system along with its main actors, roles, actions, artifacts or classes, in order to better understand, alter, maintain, or document information about the system.

Duplicate Page

A feature in Visio 2013 and later that you can use to copy both a page and its contents.

Change Shape

A feature introduced in Visio 2013 that you can use to substitute a different shape for a shape already on the drawing page; shape data and most other shape attributes are preserved after the swap.

mini toolbar

A floating toolbar accessed by right-clicking either a shape or the drawing page. It contains the drawing tools and Connector tool, alignment and send to front/back buttons, font and text enhancement buttons, the Format Painter, and access to shape styles.

BPMN Diagram

A flow chart method that models the steps of a planned business process from end to end. A Business Planning Management Notation.

Backstage view

A full-page UI view that exposes file-level functionality in Office applications. This is a companion feature to the Office ribbon and helps users discover and use the features that fall outside of the authoring features on the ribbon.

Relational Database

A group of database tables that is connected or linked by a defined relationship that ties the information together.

data graphic legend

A key to the data graphics used on a Visio drawing page.

connection point

A location on a Visio shape to which other shapes can be glued; represented by a small dark square that appears when you point to a shape.

layer

A means for organizing sets of shapes in a drawing;

Object Role Modeling

A method used for designing and querying database models at the conceptual level, where the application is described in terms easily understood by non-technical users.

glue

A property of a Visio shape that lets it remain attached to another shape.

drawing scale

A ratio that expresses the size of an object in a drawing compared to its counterpart in the real world.

Quick Styles

A set of predefined colors and styles that can be applied to one or more shapes.

drawing tools

A set of six tools—Rectangle, Ellipse, Line, Freeform, Arc, and Pencil—that enables the creation or alteration of shapes.

callout

A shape you use to annotate other shapes in a drawing.

developer mode

A special Visio operating mode that provides additional features and tools beyond the normal user interface.

action tag

A special Visio shape that can be designed to display a special icon when you point to the shape. Clicking this type of object, displays a menu that contains one or more items. Prior to Visio 2010, this item was referred to as smart tags.

dynamic connector

A special type of line that adds and removes bends as the shapes to which it is glued are moved or resized.

container

A structured diagram shape that can contain other shapes.

list

A structured diagram shape that can contain other shapes.

page name tab

A tab at the bottom of the Visio drawing window that displays the name of a page.

add-in tab

A tab on the Visio ribbon that is present only when a Visio add-in is running—for example, the Org Chart tab for the Organization Chart add-in.

Activity (General)

A task or step in a work process.

bounding box

A temporary rectangular shape created by clicking the background of a page and dragging to select one or more shapes. By default, Visio selects all shapes that are fully contained within the area of this object.

Gantt Chart

A time and activity bar chart that is used for planning, managing, and controlling major programs that have a distinct beginning and end.

color by value

A type of data graphic that applies color to shapes based on data values within the shapes.

Object Relational Database

A type of database (both object-oriented and relational) that stores both objects and traditional tables.

cross-functional flowchart

A type of flowchart in which each process step is placed into a horizontal or vertical lane based on which person, department, or function is responsible for that step.

absolute link

A type of hyperlink that contains all of the information required to locate the linked object—such as D:\MyFolder\MyDocument.docx or http://www.taskmap.com/Downloads.html.

rack unit

A unit of measure for the space occupied by equipment mounted in a network or data center equipment rack.

functional band

A vertical or horizontal rectangle in a cross-functional flowchart that contains process steps.

Work Flow Diagram

A visual representation of a business process, usually done through a flowchart. It uses standardized symbols to describe the exact steps needed to complete a process, as well as pointing out individuals responsible for each step.

Network Diagram

A visual representation of a computer or telecommunications network. It shows the components and how they interact, including routers, devices, hubs, firewalls, etc. This depiction can be either physical or logical.

Drawing Explorer

A window that shows a hierarchical view of a document and updates it to reflect the current drawing hierarchy as items (such as shapes or pages) are added or deleted.

control handle

A yellow square or diamond that you use to alter the appearance or function of a shape.

Live Preview

An Office feature that shows the results of many operations before you implement the change.

background

An area of the drawing page that does not contain any shapes.

embellishment

An extension of the theme concept that helps set the overall tone of a diagram by altering the geometry of selected shapes.

master

An object in a Visio stencil. Dragging it from a stencil onto the drawing page creates a shape.

JavaScript

An object-oriented scripting language used by Visio to implement some navigation functions for websites created by using Save As Web Page.

insertion bar

An orange horizontal or vertical line that appears when you drag a shape near the edge of a shape that is already in a Visio list.

connector

Any one-dimensional (1-D) shape that can be glued between two shapes in a drawing to connect the shapes.

collaboration

As it applies to Visio 2016, two new features: the capability for multiple authors to edit a diagram simultaneously, and the facility for multiple people to enter comments in a diagram by using either Visio or a web browser.

gravity

In Visio, a mathematical function that creates the appearance of equilibrium. This function usually used in the TxtAngle cell.

ODBC

In the Microsoft WOSA (Windows Open System Architecture) structure, an interface providing a common language for Windows applications to gain access to a database on a network.

AutoDelete

Occurs when you delete a shape that is connected to two other shapes with dynamic connectors. Visio removes the deleted shape, deletes the dynamic connector glued to the second shape, and then glues the remaining dynamic connector to the second shape.

AutoAdd

Occurs when you drop a shape onto an existing dynamic connector that is glued to two shapes. Visio disconnects the dynamic connector from the second shape, glues it to the shape you dropped, and automatically adds a new dynamic connector, which it then glues to the new shape and to the second shape.

active window

Of the windows inside the Visio window, this is the one that has the focus; most often this type of window is the drawing window.

graphic item

One graphic element within a data graphic. A graphic item represents one data field in a specific way.

Connecting Object

One of a set of arrow shapes that links other shapes in a BPMN diagram.

Events

One of a set of circle shapes that mark start, intermediate, and end events in a BPMN diagram.

Gateway

One of a set of diamond shapes that identify divergence and convergence in a BPMN diagram.

Activity (BPMN)

One of a set of rectangle shapes that represents a step in a BPMN diagram.

Line Tool

One of six drawing tools; used to create straight lines or combinations of multiple straight lines.

Quick Shape

One of up to four masters that appear on a mini toolbar when you point to the AutoConnect arrow for a shape on the drawing page.

Information Rights Management

Software that limits what actions (read, copy, print, etc.) that users granted access to a file or document can perform.

add-in

Software written by Microsoft, other companies, or individuals that adds features and capabilities to Visio.

drawing window

The Visio window that contains the drawing page.

data linking

The act of building a dynamic connection between a Visio diagram and an external data source;

pin

The center of rotation for a shape.

active page

The drawing page that has the focus within the drawing window.

pin position

The location of the pin for a shape.

Crow's Foot Database Notation

The most commonly used notation. It's good for a clean look when there are many attributes, such as a model of a complex database system. Attributes are encapsulated within the entity shapes. Relationship connectors are used to show an association between entities.

print title

The portion of the drawing page that is the size of a piece of printer paper;

anchor shape

The primary shape when multiple shapes are selected. If you select multiple shapes at one time by using a bounding box, this object is the one farthest to the back (see Z-order). If you select multiple shapes one at a time, this object is the first one you select. This object affects the results of alignment, spacing, and numbering operations.

drawing page

The printable drawing surface within the drawing window.

dynamic glue

The result of attaching a dynamic connector to the body of a shape

drawing canvas

The space in the drawing window that is outside the Visio drawing page.

hyperlink base

The starting point for determining the path to a hyperlink target;

UML Class

This type of diagram is used to specify the static structure of the system under study, such as classes, types and various kinds of static relationships among them. Objects of the persistent classes can be stored in object-oriented databases or in relational databases.

Cross-Functional Flowchart

This visual representation is used to show the relationship between a business process and the functional units (such as departments) responsible for that process.

pan

To change which part of a drawing is visible by moving the page horizontally, vertically, or both.

Reverse Engineer

To take something apart so you can figure out how it works.

Dynamic Grid

Visio feature that provides visual alignment and positioning feedback when you move shapes near other shapes or near the page margins.

Data Model

a diagram that represents entities in the database and their relationships.

Data Flow Diagram

a graphical description of the flow of data within an organization, including data sources/destinations, data flows, transformation processes, and data storage.

fixed list

type of shape data list from which users must select an entry.