Defining compound master shapes for showing multiple properties

Note: Siemens Digital Industries Software assumes familiarity with Microsoft Visio and XML.

Using Visio grouping features, you can create master shapes that consist of two or more simple shapes. Because you can map each subshape's text block to a different Teamcenter property, a shape based on a compound master can show multiple properties of the object it represents.

Example: a function shape showing name, revision, and description

1. Add three Function shapes from the Teamcenter stencil, and name each shape (e.g. Name, Revision, Description, each relating to the property intended for its text block). Tip: name a subshape by right-clicking it and choosing Data -> Define Shape Data.
2. Arrange the shapes contiguously and select all three simultaneously.
3. On the Visio Home tab, click Group to join the individual blocks into one shape.
   • Caution: before grouping, ensure all subshapes represent the same object type and each has its own name.
4. Add the master shape by dragging the compound shape from the drawing pane to the stencil. (Open the stencil for editing first if needed by right-clicking the title bar and choosing Edit Stencil.) Click Save Stencil after adding and renaming the master.
5. In the master's ShapeSheet, navigate to the Group Properties section and set IsTextEditTarget to FALSE. (Open the ShapeSheet via right-click -> Edit Master -> Edit Master Shape.)
6. To test the compound master, drag it to the drawing pane, then verify you can select each subshape individually and open its text block for editing by pressing F2.

Note: New shapes based on compound masters are not resized automatically to fit their text-block contents — adjust with Visio resizing features. The component subshapes cannot display multiple properties individually.

Mapping a compound master shape

After testing and verifying, map it to Teamcenter with these XML entries in the mapping file:

• A DiagramShapeMap entry, to declare the master shape name and flag it as a compound shape.
• A typeMaps entry, to relate the master shape to a Teamcenter object type.
• A textPropertyMaps entry, to map the subshape text blocks to object properties.

Note: Special reserved tags are required in the mapping for a compound master shape. To make Teamcenter properties available in Microsoft Visio, you must also follow the steps in "Making Teamcenter properties available in Microsoft Visio."

Related Topics

• Teamcenter mapping file contents