Microsoft KB Archive/873431

= Layer properties are not retained after you export a drawing to .dwg format or to .dxf format by using Visio 2003 =

Article ID: 873431

Article Last Modified on 11/12/2004

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APPLIES TO


 * Microsoft Office Visio Professional 2003
 * Microsoft Office Visio Standard 2003

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SYMPTOMS
When you create a Microsoft Office Visio 2003 drawing that has multiple layers, the layer properties of text objects may not be retained. Text that is on hidden layers may appear in a single visible layer when you open the file by using AutoCAD 2000 or AutoCAD 2002.



CAUSE
This problem may occur if the following conditions are true:
 * You create a Visio 2003 drawing with multiple layers that contain text objects or text block objects.
 * You save the Visio drawing as an AutoCAD Drawing (.dwg) or an AutoCAD Interchange (.dxf) file.
 * You open the Visio drawing in AutoCAD 2000 or in AutoCAD 2002.



WORKAROUND
To work around this problem, set a border on all the text objects that are associated with a layer.

To do this, follow these steps:
 * 1) Right-click the text object, and then click Format.
 * 2) Click Line, and then click the line pattern that you want in the Pattern list.
 * 3) Click OK.



Steps to reproduce the problem

 * 1) Start Visio 2003, and then open a new drawing. To do this, click File, point to New, point to Block Diagram, and then click Basic Diagram (Metric).
 * 2) On the toolbar, click the text object, and then click Text Tool or click Text Block Tool in the list.
 * 3) Drag your pointer to create the size and the shape of the text object that you want.
 * 4) Repeat steps 2 and 3 to add another text object to the drawing.
 * 5) Right-click the text object that you created in step 2, click Format, and then click Layer.
 * 6) Click New, type the name for the layer that you want such as Visible Layer, and then click OK.
 * 7) Right-click the text object that you created in step 2, click View, and then click Layer Properties.
 * 8) Verify that the check box that is in the Visible column for the layer that you created in step 5 is selected. This layer will be visible.
 * 9) Leave the default values for the rest of the properties, and then click OK.
 * 10) Right-click the text object that you created in step 3, click Format, and then click Layer.
 * 11) Click New, type the name for the layer that you want such as Invisible Layer, and then click OK.
 * 12) Right-click the text object that you created in step 3, click View, and then click Layer Properties.
 * 13) Click to clear the check box in the Visible column for the layer that you created in step 11. This step hides the layer.
 * 14) Leave the default values for the rest of the properties, and then click OK.
 * 15) Click File, click Save As, in the Save as type list, and then click AutoCAD Drawing (*.dwg).
 * 16) Quit Visio 2003.
 * 17) Start AutoCAD 2000 or AutoCAD 2002, and then open the .dwg file that you saved in step 15.

The text that is in the layer with the property set as Hidden is visible.

Additional query words: AutoCAD Layers DWG

Keywords: kbprb kbtshoot KB873431

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