One of the more common things I’ve seen done with Microsoft Visio is to create something in it (such as a flowchart, graph, or diagram) and then embed this creation into a Microsoft Word document. A good example of this occurs when creating a software design document. It’s pretty standard to include both a written description of how the software should work, as well as a visual flowchart of how software should work. Visio is the tool of choice for creating this flowchart. However, once this flowchart is created in Visio, what is the best way to include it in your document?

There are multiple ways to include your Visio object into a document. I’m going to go over two of the ones I’ve seen most commonly used:

• Copying the Visio contents into the document.
• Inserting the Visio contents as an object icon.

Copying the Visio contents

This is the method that I use the most, as it is both quick and easy. To do this, simply select the parts of your Visio project that you want to include in your document and then paste your selection into the document. Need a simple way to select everything on a Visio page? Simply use CTRL+A. This will select everything in the current window.

Once you have pasted your selection into the document, you can size the Visio object to fit your needs using the sizing handles. I like to use this method because it’s easy to perform inline edits. For example, say that you are revising a design document that was created a long time ago. It’s more than likely that you don’t have access to the original Visio object. However, you can edit the embedded object. To do so, follow the steps below:

1. Right click on the object.
2. Select Visio Object.
3. Select Open.

Visio will then open, and you’ll be able to perform any changes you want to the object. To save your changes, select Update from the File menu. Also, if you want to save the object from your document into a separate Visio file, you can go to the File menu and select Save Copy As….

*Note: Instead of selecting Open from the Visio Object menu, you can select Edit. This will open the embedded object for inline editing in Word. However, I find this hard to use, so I recommend that you use the method described above.

Inserting the Visio contents as an object icon

This is a good option if you need to attach your Visio object to the document as a reference or appendix. Including an icon instead of the entire diagram can cut multiple pages from your document.

All you have to do to insert your Visio object this way is follow these steps:

1. Go to theInsert menu.
2. Select Object.

A dialog box will then appear. For our purposes, we will be using the Create from File tab. Browse to the location of your Visio file to select it. Then, click on the Display as icon checkbox. This will enable the Change Icon button. You can use this to change the caption and picture for your icon. Once you’ve finished, click Ok and your object will show up as an icon in your document.

*Note: If you enable the Link to file checkbox, any changes made to your source file will cause the object in the document to be updated.

Important drawback to this method: If you choose this route, your audience will need to have Visio installed on their computer to be able to read it. It’s for this reason that I don’t use this method very much. Visio is not a common Microsoft Office install, so you’ll have to make the call on whether or not your audience will have access to it.

Embedding Visio objects is relatively simple, you should decide which way to do it based on who your audience is and what you are trying to accomplish by using your Visio object.