How do I bring back the Shapes Window?

[Kevin O]

When I opened Visio 2003 yesterday, the Shapes window was gone. I have not
used Visio for a couple of months, and last time I did there was nothing
wrong with or unusual about the Shapes Window.
On the View menu, Shapes Window is selected (checked); it also appears
selected on the toolbar. I can toggle the Size & Position, Pan & Zoom, and
Custom Properties windows on and off. I've checked to see if there is a
reduced icon somewhere in the main window, but there is nothing like the
reduced icons shown when the other windows are on Auto Hide. I've searched
help, the web, and every command for customization, options, preferences,
page setup, etc. in the Vision UI.

 

[WapperDude]

Sorry Kevin, I've not been able to replicate this problem. Not sure I want
to. Does this happen with all files - previously saved files and new files?
If you go to the toolbar and open a stencil or a listed set of shapes, e.g.,
Blocks, do either of these actions bring up the shapes window? If you do get
a shapes window, you might want to go to the File>Properties and make sure
the Save workspace is checked, and then do a Save As. That ought to bring up
the Shape Window when you open that file. But, if all of these fail, you
probably should do a re-install of Visio.

Hope this helps.
Wapperdude

 

[Paul Herber]

Sorry Kevin, I've not been able to replicate this problem.

I think the problem is accidentaly moving the shapes window
off-screen. I had a look at the registry settings bit I can't find
anything specific. However, renaming the Visio section temporarily
will cause Visio to create a new section with the shapes window
restored to the default docked left position, it tries to go through a
re-installation as well but I just did a cancel to that.

 

[Kevin O]

Hi,
Thanks for your replies. I figured out what the problem was. Apparently I'd
undocked the Shapes window, and it was floating outside the main Visio app
window. I run Visio on my laptop, with multiple monitors both at work and at
home. At work I have a dock, so am running Windows on two external monitors.
At home, I do not have a dock, so am running it on one external monitor and
laptop. Apparently, I last used Visio at work, so when I opened it at home,
the Shapes Window was floating on another monitor that wasn't hooked up. This
happens all the time with Word, but with Word I'm at least able to
right-click the taskbar, click Move, and then bring the Word window back on
screen with the arrow keys on the keyboard.

My solution was to change my display settings so that my laptop monitor was
the only monitor (turned off Extend my desktop to this monitor in Control
Panel > Display > Settings). This forced all windows onto one display. And
there was my Shapes Window floating in my Visio window. I docked it inside
the Visio window, reset my multiple monitors, and was back in business.
--
Kevin
Technical Writer
"Opportunity is missed by most people because it is dressed in overalls and
looks like work."
Thomas A. Edison