Microsoft Visio 2010 : Distributing Templates and Stencils (part 2) - Creating a Separate Stencil for Shape and Code Delivery

Creating a Separate Stencil for Shape and Code Delivery

If you want to use the notes shape with any number of drawing types, you should distribute a stencil rather than a template.

Also, because the sample shape has supporting VBA code, it makes a lot of sense to distribute a stencil to contain both the shape and shape-related code.

Having VBA code in a template has the drawback that the code is copied and saved with every drawing that is created. This is not only wasteful, but makes updating the code nearly impossible. And VBA code can’t be stored in a shape. Putting code in a stencil alleviates the problem of having copies of your code saved with every drawing, but the stencil must be open for the code to run. This is hard to guarantee, so your users must be informed of this.

Creating a new stencil to hold the notes shape is easy enough, but copying the VBA code to the stencil is a bit trickier. Let’s look at both of these procedures.

Creating a New Stencil

When you copy the code from the drawing to the stencil, you can’t put it in ThisDocument; you have to put it in a different module. Because of this requirement, you also have to update the ShapeSheet formula that calls the code.

Copying VBA Code to a Stencil

1.	Starting where you left off with Notes Shape Stencil.vss and Chapter 11.vsd open, and bring up the VBA environment.
2.	In the Project Explorer, note that there are two projects: one for the document and one for the stencil.
3.	Open the ThisDocument code module  and copy the subroutine CreateNewNote.
4.	Right-click on the Project Explorer node for the stencil and choose Insert, Module. A new item named Module1 should appear in the Modules folder, as shown in Figure 3. Figure 3. A new item appears in the Modules folder.
5.	Double-click Module1 to bring up its code window and then paste the copied code into the window.
6.	Note the project name for the stencil. In Figure 3, it is Notes_Shape_Stencil. You need this name for modifying the ShapeSheet formula in the Notes shape master.
7.	Back in Visio, close Chapter 11.vsd.
8.	Because the code for the shape now resides in Module1 of the Notes_Shape_Stencil project, you have to make a slight change to the Action formula for the notes shape. Double-click the Notes shape master to open its editing window.
9.	In the master-editing window, show the ShapeSheet for the notes shape.
10.	Change the Actions formula as follows: Actions.CreateNewNote = CALLTHIS("CreateNewNote","Notes_Shape_Stencil") Notice that ThisDocument. is removed from the first argument and that the stencil’s project name is added as a second argument.
11.	Close the master-editing window.
12.	Save the stencil.
13.	Open a new drawing, drag the notes shape into it, and test that the code works by right-clicking the shape.

Creating a Template with a Separate Stencil

Of course, you might still want to distribute a template but with the notes shape stencil and supporting code. In this case, you use a separate stencil that contains the VBA code, as you just created. Then you open a new, blank drawing (with no code in it), add backgrounds, titles, logos and other pre-drawn graphics, then open the Notes Shape Stencil via More Shapes. Save the document as a template, and you’re done!

To deploy, you send both files: the stencil and template. Users can place both files in a directory and set up the templates file location to point to this directory so that the template appears in the New screen.

Alternatively, the stencil can be placed in the My Shapes folder where it is easily opened for use with other drawings. The template expects the stencil to be in the same folder, but Visio is smart enough to searches through My Shapes as well, if the stencil isn’t found in the same directory as the template file.