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Patterns for e-business Resources

Patterns for e-business Microsoft Visio Stencil

Use the following link to download the Patterns for e-business Microsoft Visio Stencil and the following instructions to deploy the file:

  1. Shapes in this stencil can be dragged into any new or existing Visio drawing that is Open in the Visio workspace.
  2. Complex shapes in the stencil can be dragged to a drawing and ungrouped if needed to customize them further.
  3. When reproducing any of the Patterns for e-business with this stencil file, please include somewhere in the Visio drawing the text:
    • "© Copyright IBM Corporation 2006. All rights reserved."
  4. It is easiest to use this stencil file when it is placed in the same directory as other Visio stencil files (i.e. the other .vss files).
  5. This is an optional step, but one which most users will want to do. Although the stencil file can be opened from any directory by double clicking on it, it is easier to place this stencil file in the standard directory path that Visio uses for its stencil files so that it can be more easily located and opened.
    The following steps explain how to do this:
    • Find the correct directory:
      • in Visio, go to "File\Stencils\Open Stencil". This will pop up an Open Stencil window.
      • Click the Twistee next to "Look in:" to display the drop down menu with full file path to the stencil directory displayed.
      • Make a note of this directory path so that you can copy the P4eb file to the correct location.
      • In this example the path is "C:\Program Files\Microsoft Office\Visio 10\1033\Solutions".
      MS Visio Open Stencil
    • Copy the P4eb Visio Shapes.vss file to that directory.
      • Optionally you can create a new subdirectory under the Solutions directory, named to your preference, for example "Patterns", or "P4eb".
      • This new subdirectory will then show up in the File\Stencils dialog, which can be helpful in organizing the stencils.
      • If you create this new optional subdirectory, this is the location that you will copy the P4eb stencil file to.
    • Exit Visio then restart Visio so that it refreshes its cache of the stencil directory contents.
    • Open the stencil file: go to "File\Stencils", then locate and select the P4eb Visio file, click "Open".