Flows
Visio editing — Using freeform shapes and other stencils
 

A freeform shape is a closed shape that does not (yet) correspond to a PRPC task type (such as Utility, Notify, Route, Ticket, and so on).

You can select, drag, and drop a freeform shape from any Visio template onto a flow. If the shape supports Visio connection points, you can assign a PRPC task type to the shape, causing the appropriate properties panel to appear. You can complete the Properties panel for that task, as described next.

You can specialize a single instance of a freeform shape into almost any PRPC task instance.

For example, your business process may include an assignment requiring the user to telephone the Customer party identified in the work item. As an alternative to using the generic Assignment shape for this task, you can adapt the Cell Phone shape () from Microsoft's Telecom Shapes stencil, following these steps:

1. Open the flow.
2. On the Design tab, choose TelecomShapes from the SmartPrompt list of stencils.
3. Click the Save toolbar button () to save the flow.
4. Click the FlowEdit toolbar button () to start Visio editing.
5. Drag the Cell Phone shape to the flow and drop it.
6. Select the shape. The Shape Panel identifies the type as Freeform.
7. Choose Assignment from the selection list. Click  Apply  .
8. Complete the normal Assignment Properties panel for assignment tasks.
9. Connect at least one incoming connector to the shape. Add flow actions as appropriate.
10. Click the Return button () to end Visio editing.

This completes a single use of the shape, corresponding to a single task on one flow. Other shapes can be used for other assignments, or the Cell Phone shape can represent another task on another flow.

In addition to the standard PRPC template and the BPMN template, PRPC includes the following stencils (as standard binary file rules). You can associate any of these (or all) with a flow by selecting adding them to the Stencils list on the Design tab.

Stencil Name	Contents	Example
BasicMindShapes	Microsoft Mind Mapping
RecreationShapes	Microsoft Recreation Signs
SymbolsGeneral	Microsoft Symbols
TelecomShapes	Microsoft Telecommunications
TransportSigns	Microsoft Transportation Signs
vinprocmodel	Process Modeler shapes

These binary file rules — like all standard rules — belong to a locked RuleSet version. If you want to customize one of these stencils, first copy the corresponding binary file rule to your application RuleSet using the Save As toolbar button.

You can create a Visio stencil file, upload it into a binary file rule, and use as a supplement or replacement for the standard stencil. The stencil can include shapes of your choice, and can permanently

1. Start Visio as a stand-alone workstation application (for example, using the Windows Start menu). Create a set of convex, closed shapes to correspond to tasks. Using the Standard and Format Shape toolbars, choose colors and shadows as desired.
2. You can create multiple shapes that will eventually correspond to one standard task type. For example, you can create ten shapes that will correspond to ten separate external systems at your company that can be accessed through Integrator tasks, or six shapes to correspond to six kinds of assignments or six departments.
3. Save the shapes in a Visio VSS file. Exit from Visio.
4. Create a binary file rule in your application with biw as the final key part and a stencil name as the second key part. Upload the VSS file into the rule. Save the binary file rule.
5. Create a flow for stencil development use. On the Design tab, select the new stencil, identified by the second key part of the binary file rule. Save the flow.
6. On the Design tab, click  Edit Flow External   to start an external Visio session (outside the Internet Explorer window).
7. Click the square to the left of the stencil name to access a context menu. Select the Edit Stencil menu item. Visio adds a small red asterisk to the stencil name to show that it open for editing.
8. Select a shape from the stencil. Drag and drop it onto the flow. The Shape Properties panel identifies the task type as Freeform.
9. Select a task type such as Notify. Click  Apply  .
10. Complete, or leave blank, the shape properties for the selected task type as desired. Click  Apply  .
11. Using the Visio Connection Point tool (), add an appropriate number of incoming and outgoing connection points to the shape, choosing suitable locations at the edge of the shape.
12. Drag the updated shape to the stencil, taking care to distinguish it from the original.
13. Repeat as desired. You can delete shapes from the stencil, or add shapes (from other stencils you have open) to the custom stencil.
14. Click Save in the Stencils menu from time to time after you have completed changes to the custom stencil.
15. As you save the flow, PRPC also saves the updated stencil in the binary file rule.

The updated stencil is now available for ordinary use in defining flows.

A local stencil is a VSS file located on your on workstation or a network drive, rather than as a binary file rule. You can use a local stencil as a source of freeform shapes.

To add shapes from a local stencil to a flow:

1. Open the flow.
2. On the Design tab, click  Edit Flow External   to start an external Visio session (outside the Internet Explorer window).
3. Select Open from the File menu. Navigate to the local VSS file and click  OK  .
4. You can drag shapes from the template and drop them to a flow. They become freeform shapes, which you can specialize as described above.
5. The VSS file is not part of your application RuleSet and may not be available to other developers.