When you use the Visio Online service, you can’t create documents from a local template or upload templates that you have created. However, by using the Visio Online user interface as a starting point, you can create new documents that meet your needs and achieve the same result as if you had used templates. Visio Online provides access to four types of pre-built document elements: Business Processes, Industry Solutions, Menus, and Visual Assets. These elements are all based on standard templates and provide a starting point for creating new documents. You can use these elements as is to create your own custom document or combine them with other objects to create your own custom document template that you can reuse in future projects. With this article, we will explore how to use these four types of pre-built templates to create a custom document without using local templates.
Business Processes
A business process can be a workflow, sales process, manufacturing process, distribution process, or any process that you want to document and share. It can contain flow charts, tables, charts, inventory, or other types of Visio shapes and text. Using an existing business process as the starting point for your document is a good approach because it gives you an existing structure that you can customize to your needs. You don’t have to start from scratch, and you can get up and running quickly. You can search for pre-built business processes in two ways:
Click Create > Business Process > Blank Process. This opens a blank business process for you to start creating your document. You can find a large selection of business process templates by clicking the “Business Process” tab in the “Search for templates” box.
Click Create > Business Process > Processes by industry > industry>. For example, click “Processes by industry> Manufacturing.” This opens the pre-built business process that applies to that industry. You can find more business process templates by clicking the “Business Process” tab in the “Search for templates” box.
Industry Solutions
An industry solution is a pre-built solution to a business challenge such as managing inventory, a supply chain, or sales and marketing. If you want to create a new document that incorporates elements from an existing industry solution, you can search for pre-built industry solutions in two ways:
Click Create > Industry Solution > Blank Solution. This opens a blank industry solution for you to start creating your document. You can find a large selection of industry solution templates by clicking the “Industry Solution” tab in the “Search for templates” box.
Click Create > Industry Solution > Solutions by industry > industry>. For example, click “Solutions by industry> Sales and Marketing.” This opens the pre-built industry solution that applies to that industry. You can find more industry solution templates by clicking the “Industry Solution” tab in the “Search for templates” box.
Menus
A menu is a list of items that you can use to organize information in your document. A menu can contain text, images, tables, charts, and other shapes. When you create a new document and use a menu as the starting point, you get a menu items list that has predefined fields. You can customize the fields and add content to them to suit the needs of your document. You can search for predefined menus by clicking Create > Menu > Menus by industry > industry>. For example, click “Menus by industry> Food Industry.” This opens a menu that you can use as the starting point for your document. You can find more menus by clicking the “Menu” tab in the “Search for templates” box.
Visual Assets
Visual assets are images and graphics that you can use in your document. For example, you can use a map, diagram, or chart created by a third party. When you create a new document that uses a visual asset as the starting point, you get a predefined layout that contains fields. You can change the fields and add content to them to suit the needs of your document. You can search for predefined visual assets by clicking Create > Visual Asset > Visual Assets by industry > industry>. For example, click “Visual Assets by industry> Manufacturing.” This opens a visual asset that you can use as the starting point for your document. You can find more visual assets by clicking the “Visual Asset” tab in the “Search for templates” box.
Conclusion
Templates in Visio Online are not available to users; however, you can create custom documents by using the predefined document elements that Visio Online provides. These elements include business processes, industry solutions, menus, and visual assets. The advantage of creating a custom document compared to using a predefined document element is that you can save your document as a template that you can use in future projects.