Updating instances of shapes when changing the master

[mattquantic]

Hi. This is really driving me crazy.

I have a custom stensil with a load of shapes in it, each representing functions in a system.

These recur on mulpile pages within the visio document.

If I change a master of the shape, I was expecting all of the instances to update.

The process I'm following is:
- drag shape from stensil group onto page 1 and again onto page 2 of a visio diagram.

- right click the stensil and select 'edit stensil'

- right click the shape in question and select 'edit master > edit master shape'

- make the change/addition

- press save

- I then get the message: "Modifications made to a master open in a window will not be saved. Close the window and resave the drawing to record the modifications"
> If I close the other window - everything closes, If I close and press save the instances don't update.

Please please help.

Matt

 

[VisioMVP]

This has been a long term request. You can edit a master in a Visio file and all shapes within the file are updated. You can NOT update a shape in a stencil and have all drawings that used that shape update to the new version.

In the interim, Paul Herber has a shape substitute utility.

http://www.visio-utilities.sandrila.co.uk/

John... Visio MVP - Visio.MVPs.org

 

[bakershawnm]

Matt,

I think I may have found a solution for this. I am using Visio 2003. I had the same issue but found that if I opened the 'Document Stencil' (instead of the masters stencil) and made changes to the masters in there it would update across the document when you clicked yes on the dialog.

I don't know if it will change on all pages since I only had one page at the time however I cannot think of any reason why it shouldn't.

Hope this helps.

 

[VisioMVP]

When a shape is copied from a stencil to a drawing, a copy of the shape is placed in the local stencil. Even though a Visio drawing may have multiple pages, there is only one local stencil.

So changing a shape on the local stencil will affect all pages of a Visio Drawing.

John... Visio MVP - Visio.MVPs.org