Visio 2000 includes many new shortcuts and tools that make drawing and diagramming simpler. You may have already noticed how much easier it is to select just the right drawing type. In addition, you'll see streamlined navigation tools, a cleaner look, and improved performance.

This article presents a few of the many new features for you to try.

Navigate Among Pages Using Page Tabs

Glance down at the bottom of your Visio window and you'll see the new page tabs. It's easier than ever to navigate between, rearrange, and rename pages.

Here's how:

• To display a new page, click the page tab for the page that you want to see.
• To rearrange, rename, or delete pages, right-click a page tab, and then click the command that you want.

Quickly Find Any Shape

Easily find the shape, stencil, template, or wizard that you need with the simplified Shape Explorer.

Here's how:

1. On the Tools menu, point to Macros, and then click Shape Explorer to open Shape Explorer.
2. In the Search For box on the Search tab, type a name, word, or phrase that describes what you want to find.
3. If you want Shape Explorer to match exactly the word or phrase that you typed (for example, to search for items associated with the word "station" but not those associated with the word "substation"), click to select the Match Exact Word or Phrase check box.
4. If you want to search for specific categories, for example, for shapes and stencils only, click the Refine Search tab, and then select or clear categories.
5. Click Find Now to display a list of search results at the bottom of the Shape Explorer dialog box.

Nudge Shapes into Precise Alignment

At last! Nudge that shape into the exact position that you want with the arrow keys on the keyboard.

Here's how:

1. If applicable, turn off scroll lock by pressing the SCROLL LOCK key on your keyboard.
2. Select the shape or shapes that you want to nudge into position.
3. To move the shape one pixel, hold down SHIFT while pressing an arrow key. Or, to move a shape to the next position to which it can snap, press an arrow key.
   
   NOTE: If there is no position to which the shape can snap, pressing an arrow key moves the shape a single tick on the ruler.

Lay Out and Route Connectors More Easily

Let Visio 2000 lay out shapes for you. In any connected diagram, such as flowcharts, network diagrams, or any process diagram where lines connect shapes, you can automate the look and behavior of connectors with one command.

Here's how:

1. Display or create the drawing that you want to lay out.
2. Do one of the following:
   • To lay out the entire page, make sure no shapes are selected.
   • To lay out part of the page, select those shapes.
3. On the Tools menu, click Lay Out Shapes.
4. Under Apply Settings To, select whether you want to lay out the selected shapes or the entire page.
5. Select the layout style, the depth, and the routing style that you want.
   
   For details about each option, click the Help button.
6. To change how shapes and connectors are spaced, click Spacing, select the spacing options that you want, and then click OK.
7. Click Apply, and then click OK to close the Lay Out Shapes dialog.

TIP: To set up the lay out and routing for the whole page, click Page Setup on the File menu, and then select the options that you want on the Layout and Routing tab.

Automatically Number Shapes in a Process

Depicting a complex process, such as in a large flowchart, can span several pages. One new way in which Visio 2000 helps you work with multiple-page flowcharts and other diagrams is by automatically numbering shapes. Use shape numbering to cross-reference explanatory notes or to indicate the sequence of steps in a large business process.

Here's how:

1. Open the drawing in which you want to number shapes automatically, and then display the page that contains the shapes that you want to number.
2. Select the shapes that you want to number. Or, select nothing if you want to number all the shapes on the page.
3. On the Tools menu, click Number Shapes.
   
   NOTE: If you don't see Number Shapes on the Tools menu, then on the Tools menu, point to Macros, point to Visio Extras, and then click Number Shapes.
4. On the General tab, under Operation, click Auto Number. Select the other numbering options that you want.
5. Click the Advanced tab. Under Auto Numbering Sequence, select the sequence option that you want, and then click OK.
6. Repeat steps 2 to 5 for each page where you want to set the numbering sequence.