Expert: Scottgem - 3/6/2008

Question
QUESTION: Hi there,

I can't figure out how to:

1)size shapes to widest, narrowest, tallest, shortest as I can in other Microsoft drawing programs and in MS Access forms.

2) I also can't figure out how to adjust the spacing between shapes to make it equal, increase, or decrease it like I can in the Access form design screen.

Any insight?

Thanks,
Laurie

ANSWER: I'm not sure what you are asking in question 1. All shapes have "handles" at the corners and sides, that you can use to size shapes. In addition, you can size shapes by measurement in the properties of any shape.

There is an Layout Shapes option under the Shapes menu, where  you can adjust the spacing.

Hope this helps
Scott<>



---------- FOLLOW-UP ----------

QUESTION: Hi Scott, Thanks for getting back to me. I didn't explain 1) very well. When laying out Access forms, you can select several boxes that are close to each other in size, and then format them to all be the same width, or height (size to widest, narrowest, tallest or shortest). When you do this, it resizes all the shapes, as many as you choose automatically, so you don't have to manually try to match them up by eye. It's a good polishing tool and that's what I'm hoping to find in Visio.
....
anything like that that you know of?

Thanks,
Laurie

Answer
No I can't find any thing similar in Visio. When you place a shape in Visio it places it at the same size. If you don't change the individual shape you can adjust the size of several shapes at once. But you can't make several shapes the same size if they were changed. I even triued using Format Painter and that didn't do it.

Hope this helps
Scott<>