Visio

Enabling Visio to Open FRS Stencils (Shapes)

Posted on by Jeff Feiertag

Visio 2013, be default, will block the FRS Stencils/Shapes (which include gas, electric, connections, north arrow and more) since they were created in much older versions of the program. Follow these steps to tell Visio they are acceptable files to open. (Note: This must be done within the profile of anyone who logs in to use Visio for mapping, not just once per computer.)

  • Run Visio.
  • Click Blank Drawing and click the Create button.
  • Access the File tab and click Options at the bottom of the left-hand navigation.
  • Click Trust Center at the bottom of the left-hand navigation on the pop-up window.
  • Click the Trust Center Settings button on the right side of the pop-up window.
  • Click File Block Settings on the left side navigation.
  • Uncheck the boxes for all three rows. (A checked box means Visio should block it, not unblock it.)
  • Click the two OK buttons.

Stopping Your Visio Map from Expanding into a New Page

Posted on by Jeff Feiertag

Like other Microsoft software, Visio likes to help sometimes and it may differ from your undersanding of the word. One common way of helping is to create new pages automatically for you if you get too close to the margins.

As map makers, you want your drawings to be close to the margins but without making new pages.

To turn this feature off:

  • Switch the Design tab.
  • Find the Auto Size button on the left side of the ribbon.
  • Click the button. It is a toggle, so it will turn back on if you prefer it to be enabled.

    Auto Size button