Using Links and Bookmarks

Links and Bookmarks let you jump from anywhere to anywhere among Visio drawings and show any files online or offline.  You can:

  1. visio_EasyLink_FileLink_Yellow.PNG (1017 bytes) Use a File Link to link an Item to a file, online (such as http://www.AmazingVisio.com) or offline (such as a PowerPoint presentation on your computer). 

  2.  visio_EasyLink_ItemLink.PNG (349 bytes) Use an Item Link to jump from one Item to another in any drawing (such as from a high-level flowchart to a detailed one). 

  3. visio_EasyLink_Bookmark.PNG (373 bytes) Use a Bookmark to jump to any Item in any drawing from the main window. 

For more explanation, please click here and here.

Creating and Editing Links and Bookmarks

Please click here for details.

Showing a File

You can choose to show a linked file as:

  1. visio_EasyLink_ShowFileOnWindow.PNG (615 bytes): To show the file on the visio_EasyLink_FileTab.PNG (282 bytes) tab of the main window.

  2. To show the file with its designated tool.  For example, a Web page (local or on a Web site) is to be displayed with a Web browser and a Word document is to be displayed with Microsoft Word. 

There are pros and cons for each choice:

To Do Pro Con
Show file on the main window The display is integrated as part of the window.  It's easier to view and discuss. It's hard to edit the file. 
Show file with its designated tool It's easier to edit the file. The file display may cover the main window.   

When File Can't Be Displayed

Easy Link uses Internet Explorer to show a file on the main window.   Internet Explorer can show many types of files directly, such as:

  • Web pages
  • Pictures

  • Microsoft Office files: Word, Excel, and PowerPoint

A window like this will show if Internet Explorer can't handle the file directly:

visio_EasyLink_IEMessage.PNG (13802 bytes)

Simply click the Open button to show the file with its designated tool.

Showing an Item

For an Item Link or Bookmark, Easy Link will show the Item as the following:

  1. Open the drawing if it have not been opened yet

  2. Switch to the Page where the Item is on

  3. Highlight the Item if it's a Shape instead of a Page

Links, Bookmarks, and Repository

Here's how everything works together:

  • A Repository folder and its sub-folders may contain a set of files.
  • The main folder can be used to store any files.
  • To better organize these files, one or more sub-folders can be used to store a specific set of related files, such as Web pages and their image files.
  • Links and bookmarks can be created for Items in a Visio drawing (such as Drawing 1 in the following diagram) as:

    1. File Links visio_EasyLink_FileLink_Yellow.PNG (1017 bytes) from an Item to any file, such as a PowerPoint presentation (File 1 for example), a local Web page (The one in Sub 1 for example), or a remote Web page or file on the Internet.

    2. Item Links visio_EasyLink_ItemLink.PNG (349 bytes) from one Item to another, in the same drawing or a different one.

    3. Bookmarks visio_EasyLink_Bookmark.PNG (373 bytes) for different items.

visio_EasyLink_Architect.PNG (11451 bytes)

Files Out of Repository

A File Link can link to a file out of the Repository, for example "W:\My Network Folder\My Document.doc" or "http://www.MyWebSite.com/MyWebPageOrFile.htm".

You can import files from a local or Network folder into your Repository when creating a File Link.  Please click here for more information.

 

See Also: Creating and Editing Links and Bookmarks, The Easy Link Scope, Using Data Fields, Using Repository

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