SmartDraw is a much better, and cheaper, choice.
FYI - From the List serve:
********************
From: Nancy Jennejohn
Date: Tue, 31 Jul 2001 10:25:59 -0500
Subject: Re: Flowcharts on Intranet /Lewis/Humphries
From: "Edwin Humphries"
> From: Peter Lewis
>
> We have created our Processes in Visio 2000 Flowchart format.
> We are now looking for the best method to distribute them over our
> Intranet. We have a webpage that represents our Quality Manual and
> would like to link from that page to the top level flowchart and then
> have further links to other flowcharts and text documents.
>
> We are presently looking at three options;
>
> 1. To import the flowcharts as GIF files into a webpage for each. 2.
> Save each as html. Creating the hyperlinks first in Visio. 3. Save as
> pdf. Creating the links in Adobe Acrobat.
>
> Any comments or information on the best approach would be most
> welcome.
>
Peter,
Having been down this path, some learnings:
* Don't use the GIF export facilities in Visio, they're appalling. Use the HTML export - it still results in GIFs, but with much better consistency.
* Don't use the HTML files that Visio generates unless you can ensure that all browsers are frames capable and have full Javascript support turned on. Also The Visio files are generic, and may not be compatible with how you want to use them or the company's style.
* Don't create the links in Visio. They are often misplaced by quite a degree.
* When using Visio-generated GIFs in a browser, ensure you have graphics editing facilities, as they generally need cropping to remove an errant wide border. Also, if you're trying to match different pages in terms of size, you may need to resample graphics to get them to match up.
I can't comment about Acrobat (other than size of files, as they're TIFFs), but our process to use HTML is: export the file as a HTML page from Visio; import the GIF (only) into a DreamWeaver file template; crop the graphic using PhotoImpact, then save it using PhotoImpact's SmartSaver (to cut the file size down by around 75%), create the links using Dreamweaver's built-in Image Map Editor. This creates files that are very compliant (run on just about every browser), small and fast loading, and very consistent in layout and appearance.
Best Regards
Edwin Humphries
FYI - From the List serve:
********************
From: Nancy Jennejohn
Date: Tue, 31 Jul 2001 10:25:59 -0500
Subject: Re: Flowcharts on Intranet /Lewis/Humphries
From: "Edwin Humphries"
> From: Peter Lewis
>
> We have created our Processes in Visio 2000 Flowchart format.
> We are now looking for the best method to distribute them over our
> Intranet. We have a webpage that represents our Quality Manual and
> would like to link from that page to the top level flowchart and then
> have further links to other flowcharts and text documents.
>
> We are presently looking at three options;
>
> 1. To import the flowcharts as GIF files into a webpage for each. 2.
> Save each as html. Creating the hyperlinks first in Visio. 3. Save as
> pdf. Creating the links in Adobe Acrobat.
>
> Any comments or information on the best approach would be most
> welcome.
>
Peter,
Having been down this path, some learnings:
* Don't use the GIF export facilities in Visio, they're appalling. Use the HTML export - it still results in GIFs, but with much better consistency.
* Don't use the HTML files that Visio generates unless you can ensure that all browsers are frames capable and have full Javascript support turned on. Also The Visio files are generic, and may not be compatible with how you want to use them or the company's style.
* Don't create the links in Visio. They are often misplaced by quite a degree.
* When using Visio-generated GIFs in a browser, ensure you have graphics editing facilities, as they generally need cropping to remove an errant wide border. Also, if you're trying to match different pages in terms of size, you may need to resample graphics to get them to match up.
I can't comment about Acrobat (other than size of files, as they're TIFFs), but our process to use HTML is: export the file as a HTML page from Visio; import the GIF (only) into a DreamWeaver file template; crop the graphic using PhotoImpact, then save it using PhotoImpact's SmartSaver (to cut the file size down by around 75%), create the links using Dreamweaver's built-in Image Map Editor. This creates files that are very compliant (run on just about every browser), small and fast loading, and very consistent in layout and appearance.
Best Regards
Edwin Humphries