Using Additional Visio 2010/2016 Templates
This page includes information on installing additional templates for Visio 2010 and 2016 versions outside the lab setting. Visio 2010 and 2016 handle shapes in new templates and stencils in a manner that is fairly consistent with prior versions of the product, which means that any third-party or user-created stencils and templates for earlier versions of Visio will work with Visio 2010 and 2016. However, the location of templates and stencils needs to be designated differently.
Objects in Visio are stored in stencils, which can be used in any diagram, provided you have access to the stencil. For convenience, these are packaged into templates, which can include many stencils and other document settings. Adding new diagramming tools will usually require the addition of two files, a template, and one or more stencils. The simple procedure for adding this material is as follows:
- Create a folder called C:\Visio (you can use another folder if you wish, as long as you do so consistently).
- Create a sub-folder within that to designate the type of drawing. Examples that you might consider (if you wish to be consistent with Visio 2010 structures) include Business, Software and Database, etc. See the instructions below as to which to use.
- Download the appropriate template(s) and stencil(s) to this folder – see details below.
- Start Visio 2010.
- Click on File | Options. In the Advanced tab, scroll down to the bottom and select File Paths under General
- Change the file path for both Stencils and Templates to C:\Visio [Do not include the sub-folder].
- Click OK twice and exit Visio 2010 or 2016.
- Restart Visio 2010 or 2016. You should see the template(s) that you have just installed in the appropriate template categories. Note that the template(s) and stencil(s) display with a blank preview screen.
Templates available:
| Template Name | Course | Description | Template | Stencil | Preferred Folder |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| BPMN09 | 747 | BPMN notation version 0.9, with newer symbols | BPMN09.vst | BPMN09.vss | C:\Visio\Business |
| SOA-Erl | 747 | Symbols used in Thomas Erl SOA book series | SOA-Erl.vst | SOA-Erl.vss | C:\Visio\Software and Database |
Note:
- You may need to right-click on the link and select Save target as… to download the files – clicking simply opens it, which is not desirable.
- Also, some browsers try to save the files with a .vsd extension. Make sure that you save the files with the appropriate .vst and .vss extensions.