What other applications can TaskMap communicate and share information?
Sharing TaskMaps
TaskMaps can be easily shared with others by using some of the standard tools provided with Microsoft Visio. TaskMaps or TaskMap shapes may be:
• Shared as Visio Drawings
• Pasted into other Visio Drawings
• Stored as Images
• Published as Web Pages
• Printed as PDF Files
• Saved as XML Documents (requires the developers version of the system)
• Exported as Data to other applications like Microsoft Excel or Access
Sharing Visio Drawings
You may share TaskMaps with anyone merely by sending them the TaskMap file, which is a standard Visio drawing file (the filename ends in .vsd). Please note that while any Visio user will be able to open and view a TaskMap, only someone with a TaskMap license will be able to modify or add to TaskMap shapes.
Including TaskMaps in other drawings
TaskMap™ process maps can be easily integrated into other Visio drawings by:
1. creating a “New Page” from the “insert” menu bar,
2. selecting either all or the desired portions of the TaskMap™ drawing to be copied
3. right mouse click and select the copy function
4. move to the “new page or area that you want to paste the TaskMap™ drawing into
5. right mouse click and paste
The TaskMap™ drawing elements should then be in the desired location.
NOTE: if you place TaskMap objects into drawings that were not created with the TaskMap template, you will no longer have any of the TaskMap functions available. Said another way, you can only modify TaskMap objects in drawings created with the TaskMap template.
Sharing Images:
Saving Images of TaskMaps®
Visio provides several options to save a TaskMap (or a portion of a TaskMap) as an image. To use this feature:
1. Select either all objects on the drawing page, or just those that you want to save as an image
2. On the File menu click the “Save As” button
3. Select the image option that best suits your needs. As a guide to making your choice:
• Web images are best saved in a gif or jpg form.
• A bmp file format is well suited for inclusion in high quality publications for printing.
• If you have photographs or other gray scale images as a part of your TaskMap, then use either jpg, gif or TIFF formats.
4. Click save
5. Depending on your version of Visio you will be prompted with options to save your image at different resolutions. In general terms, low resolution (less than 100 dpi) will be adequate for web pages or Powerpoint presentations; resolutions greater than 600dpi will be needed for high quality printing applications.
Sharing Images
Once images of TaskMaps have been saved in the file format you need, then you can include them in other applications by using the import functions within the selected application.
The wide variety to file save options in Visio makes it easy to create the right type of image for your application (see Saving Images of TaskMaps™).
Securing Your TaskMap™ Data
As a TaskMap™ author you have the option to determine which portions of your TaskMap are displayed on screen. See TaskMap display options for more information.
By setting the display options before you save your drawing as an image, you can control the distribution of TaskMap data.
Sharing Web Pages
Publishing TaskMaps without Links and Navigation
The easiest way to include a TaskMap on a web page is to save all or a portion of the TaskMap as an image as described under Saving Images of TaskMaps. Gif and jpg image formats are well suited for inclusion on web pages.
One disadvantage of this approach to sharing TaskMaps is that any hyperlinks in your TaskMap drawings will be lost. To retain active hyperlinks in web pages, refer to the section that immediately follows.
Publishing TaskMaps as Web Pages
Visio provides a feature to save a TaskMap as a web page. To use this feature:
1. On the File menu select “Save As Web Page”
2. Provide a filename in the “Save As” dialog that appears
3. Click save
The advantage of this approach is the hyperlinks in the TaskMap drawing will be retained and can be followed from the web page.
When you save a TaskMap™ drawing as a web page, you must ensure that embedded hyperlinks will still function properly once the TaskMap is published on a web site. You may need to consult with your IT department or web developer to ensure that the links are stored in the TaskMap in the correct manner. In addition, you should ensure that the web site to which you post the TaskMap provides the level and type of security that you require.
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Sharing PDF Files
To save a TaskMap™ as a PDF (Portable Document Format) you will need a software product to create the PDF file. These are available from Adobe systems (www.adobe.com) and a number of other vendors. Once you have purchased and installed the PDF writer application, follow the software vendor’s instructions for creating the PDF file. In many cases you accomplish this by Selecting File/Print and "printing" the PDF document to your disk.
Sharing XML Documents
Visio provides the option to save information in an eXtensible Markup Language (XML) document. For this option to provide value, you must have another application that is capable of reading and interpreting the XML document.
If you decide you want to use this function, please contact The Harvard Computing Group for technical consulting support.
Exporting Data
There are a number of export functions included in Microsoft Visio that allow shape data to be exported to a Microsoft Excel spreadsheet or an Access database. Please contact The Harvard Computing Group for technical consulting support if you want to exploit these options with TaskMap.
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