Clickable visio diagram

[keith284]

Hi all,

I created a diagram with Visio. It maps tables that I have in a database. Is it possible for me to export this in a web format that makes the tables clickable? Each table would lead to a different page on a website that would explain in details the functionality of the tables.

Example:

[ Table 1: Person ]
|
|
[ Table 2: Accounts ] ----- [ Table 4: Bills ]
|
|
[ Table 3: Address ]

This would be exported from Visio in either vsd, vst, vdx, vss or vtx (Visio allows exporting in several formats).

Once I put this on my web page, Table 1 could be clicked and would lead to say

http://www.mysite.com/person.html,

table 2 would lead to

http://www.mysite.com/accounts.html

and so on...

One way of doing this would be to export the visio diagram in an image format (like GIF, JPG), but then you would have to define in an HTML page from which pixel of the image to which pixel it will link to.. that's a lot of pain and micromanaging for something that could perhaps be automated.

Any feedback is appreciated.

 

[MakeItSo]

Well, you have obviously already found the "Save As" menu item.
Directly beneath it, there is a "Save As Webpage" option. Should give you a nice starter page. The rest is HTML coding...

[navy]"We had to turn off that service to comply with the CDA Bill."[/navy]
- The Bastard Operator From Hell

 

[keith284]

I was hoping that one of the export formats like XML Drawing (vdx) or XML stencil (vsx) along with the usage of a third-party program would be able to do what I wanted.

HTML coding wouldn't be efficient, because if I change the structure or position of the tables in the future, the HTML coding needs to be changed heavily.

 

[keith284]

You see, if I save it as an image, or export it as a web page (exporting it as a webpage simply creates an html page linking to a GIF format of the diagram... pretty silly in my opinion), then I can use the following code to point to a section of the image:

<img src="images/er_diagram.gif" ismap usemap="#diagram.map" border=0>
</a> <map name="diagram.map">
<area shape="rect coords="6,4,99,70"
HREF="accounts.html">
<area shape="rect" coords="110,10,160,300" HREF="person.html">
<area shape="rect" coords="162,50,262,101" HREF="bills.html"> </map>

But then, one day, if I decide to move the tables a bit, add new tables, or re-arrange them, I'm screwed. I have to reworked all the coordinates

 

[MakeItSo]

I'm afraid you'll have to live with that.
vdx is a Visio-specific XML format. You need to Visio to work with it.
Websites are meant to be independent from applications such as Visio. That is why sites are set up in HTML, which functions cross-platform and without the need for MS Office or anything of that sort installed on the web server...

Perhaps anyone here has some brilliant thought - I think there is no other way.
Sorry

[navy]"We had to turn off that service to comply with the CDA Bill."[/navy]
- The Bastard Operator From Hell

 

[mrmovie]

can you transform a vdx file like you can xml into a HTML document, might seem like a silly question i guess as this is what the save-as MakeItSo has suggested does. I would go with the save-as option. an alternative might be to parse it code and create your own xml file in a format you are happy with, then xml transform it to HTML,,,,seems circular though