Diagrams, such as flowcharts, organization charts, and network diagrams, include connectors that represent process sequences, employee relationships and hierarchies, and physical relationships among pieces of equipment.
Visio 2007 makes connecting shapes even easier by adding a new feature: AutoConnect. With AutoConnect, Visio does all the connection work for you. Just drag shapes onto the drawing page, and Visio connects, aligns, and evenly distributes the shapes for you.
You can use AutoConnect or the Connector tool to create connections in flowcharts. Connectors are 1-D shapes that connect 2-D shapes. In flowcharts, connectors are usually lines or arrows.
Connectors can be glued to the shapes that they connect. You can break the bond by moving a connector endpoint or deleting the connector. Connectors that are glued to shapes are represented with a red endpoint.
You can create two types of connections in Visio diagrams: shape-to-shape connections and point-to-point connections. Shape-to-shape connections connect shapes at the two closest points. Point-to-point connections connect shapes at specific connection points. When you move a shape connected by a point-to-point connection, the connector stays attached to the connection point.
You can add text to a connector the same way you would any other shapeby selecting the connector and typing. Each connector also has a shortcut menu; right-click the connector to display it.
You can reroute connectors by dragging an endpoint to a new shape or connection point, or by dragging a midpoint on a connector segment. Delete a connector by selecting it and pressing the Delete key.
You can change the layout of all the shapes in your flowchart by clicking Configure Layout on the Shape menu.
You can distribute three or more shapes evenly by using the Distribute Shapes command on the Shape menu.
You can align two or more shapes by using the Align Shapes command on the Shape menu. Visio aligns the secondary shapes with the primary shape.