REDMOND, Wash., March 20, 2002 — Microsoft Corp. today announced the availability of a software development kit (SDK) for Microsoft® Visio® 2002 drawing and diagramming software. This free* toolkit, available online at the MSDN® developer program site, provides tools and information to assist developers in capitalizing on the Visio extensible development platform.
“Visio has a long history as a development platform,”
said Lori Pearce, general manager for Microsoft Visio.
“Developers new to Visio were often stymied by a lack of resources. Now with the new Visio 2002 SDK, beginning to advanced developers have access to everything they need — from documentation and tools to code samples and libraries — in one location.”
Developers Benefit From the Extensibility of XML in Their Visio Solutions
Included in the SDK is an updated programmer’s reference that includes documentation on the Visio XML file format and Save as Web application programming interface (API). New in Visio Standard 2002 and Visio Professional 2002 is an alternative XML file format. The documentation for this new file format enables developers both to extract XML data from Visio diagrams and to programmatically create and alter Visio diagrams using XML. Similarly, the programmer’s reference to the Visio Save as Web API allows developers to provide automation that generates Web pages programmatically from Visio.
“Many of our clients are large companies that demand support for open standards, especially in data exchange,”
said Brett Newman, CEO of Visimation Inc., a Microsoft Visio Premier Partner.
“The XML in Visio enables us to deliver the benefits of Visio as a solution development platform, while fulfilling that support requirement. Through Microsoft’s well-documented Visio XML schema, we can integrate Visio graphics with enterprise data more effectively than before. Microsoft’s investment in opening this information to developers in the new Visio SDK provides a huge benefit to Microsoft customers and development partners.”
Essential Tools, Code Samples Found in One Location
The SDK also offers tools to aid developers in managing the Visio solutions they create, including the Visio Event Monitor tool, Persistent Events tool and Print ShapeSheet® shape extensibility tool. These tools help developers monitor events within their Visio-based solutions and document their shape customization.
Also included in the toolkit is a collection of comprehensive code samples to assist developers new to Visio. Developers can use the Code Librarian Viewer to browse, search and copy reusable procedures from the Visio 2002 database for common Visio Automation tasks, such as working with connectors, formatting shapes and working with custom shape properties.
Building on the Visio Platform
Visio 2002 offers developers greater flexibility than before in creating custom Visio applications. In addition to its new XML file format, Visio 2002 features the following:
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Extended object model. More than 90 new Automation properties and methods provide access to more Visio diagram data.
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COM add-in support. Visio 2002 enables developers to extend and enhance Visio programmatically through Component Object Model (COM) add-ins.
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Digital signatures for VBA projects. Developers can extend and enhance Visio 2002 functionality using Visual Basic® for Applications (VBA) 6.3. Microsoft Authenticode® technology allows developers to digitally sign the VBA projects in their solutions using a digital certificate that identifies the developer as a trusted source. If a signed project has been altered, a user can choose to disable the macros in a Visio document.
“Visio’s longtime support for open programmatic interfaces makes using Visio as our graphics platform the obvious choice,”
said Bill Battaglia, director of Product Development at D-Tools Inc.
“Visio’s extensible platform frees D-Tools to focus our development energies on those efforts that add the most value for our customers — building tools that make the systems integrator’s job easier.”
Obtaining the Visio SDK
The Visio SDK can be downloaded from http://msdn.microsoft.com/downloads/default.asp?URL=/downloads/sample.asp?url=/msdn-files/027/001/894/msdncompositedoc.xml .
Visio Professional 2002 Evaluation
Those interested in evaluating Visio 2002 can obtain free evaluations of Visio Professional 2002 at the following URLs:
The evaluations of Visio Professional 2002 provided by Runaware Inc. require no download or installation, providing a hassle-free evaluation experience. Additional information about Runaware-enabled software evaluations can be found at http://www.runaware.com/ .
Microsoft also offers 30-day trial CDs of Visio Standard 2002 and Visio Professional 2002. Customers can order either trial CD for $7.50 U.S./$10 Canadian, plus applicable sales tax, at http://www.microsoft.com/office/visio/evaluation/trial.asp .
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