Microsoft Visio 2010 : Laying Out Shapes (part 1) - Using Visio’s Layout Features

Layout refers to the arrangement of shapes in a connected diagram. If you think about the way flowcharts, org charts, and network diagrams are typically laid out, you notice a difference in style that helps with the meaning and organization of each diagram type.

1. Using Visio’s Layout Features

If you look at Figure 1, you see a well-connected diagram that needs help. Surprisingly, this diagram has enough information to determine the hierarchy of the system. The top-level shapes have been rigorously connected to the next level of shapes, on down the chain. Connectors are glued so that the 1D Begin handle is at the superior shape, and the 1D End handle is glued to the inferior shape. To prove that the hierarchy is really there, I’ve used thicker lines and bigger fonts for higher-level boxes. Regardless, this diagram is still a mess and needs to be cleaned up.

Figure 1. A well-connected diagram that desperately needs layout.

If I knew in advance all the boxes needed for this diagram, the Dynamic Grid, AutoConnect could have helped me keep order as I drew. However, I was working quickly and adding boxes as they popped into my head. This is a perfectly valid and organic way to work in Visio.

You could try tidying up using Auto Align & Space, as I’ve done in Figure 2. You see that some order is gained, but the overall meaning still isn’t clear.

Figure 2. Auto Align & Space makes the diagram neater, but the hierarchy is still not apparent, and the connectors are still spaghetti-like.

The trick, then, is to use Visio’s layout features, which you find in the Layout group on the Design tab. Figure 3 shows the heretofore messy energy diagram laid out using the Hierarchy style, chosen from the Re-layout Page gallery.

Figure 3. Choosing the Hierarchy layout style from Visio’s layout gallery arranges shapes in an org chart fashion.

Now, the meaning and hierarchy of the diagram are clearly visible. The only complaint is that it is a bit wide for such a small number of shapes—this fairly simple diagram now spills over onto three pages.

In Figure 3, notice the Compact Tree layout styles, located just below the Hierarchy options. Compact tree styles work very nicely for this diagram, as Figure 4 demonstrates. This is an improvement over the previous one because all the information fits nicely on one page and is more easily seen at a glance.

Figure 4. The Compact Tree layout style does wonders for the energy sources diagram.

Notice the Radial and Circular groups at the bottom of the Re-layout Page gallery. A circular arrangement might also work for a diagram like this, although I find that circular or radial arrangements work better for mind maps and network diagrams.

As food for thought, Figure 5 shows our example energy hierarchy diagram laid out using the Circular style. I’ve changed the shapes to circles because I think it looks better with this arrangement. Note that I changed the shapes by hand; there’s no magic “change shape” feature.

Figure 5. The energy sources diagram with a circular layout and a change in shape style. For extra clarity, darker shapes are higher in the hierarchy.

Before I go on, I’d like to call attention to a few points about the circular layout in Figure 5:

• The arrangement takes up more space than the Compact Tree layout.

• Connectors cross over nodes (the circles), so a bit of hand tweaking is required to perfect the diagram.

• The connector style changed from right-angle to straight.

• Because Visio calculates the new layout from existing positions, repeatedly clicking Circular layout gives you a different layout each time. Some might frown on this inconsistency; others might enjoy the game of chance!