Is it possible to someway link a shape within a service Visio to an Element using a wildcard character, as described here:
- Element name mask, service name mask, or service alias mask containing wildcard characters ("?" and/or "*").
If wildcard characters are used, the shape dynamically refers to the first element in the view to which the Visio file is linked. If no element matches the name mask in that view, then the elements in the services and subservices in that view (and, if necessary, all subviews) are also checked.
Here is the current element tree (Numbered elements are Services):
- UAT
- UAT Playout
- 601 - ... - Playout
- 602 - ... - Playout
- UAT Distro
- 601 - ... - ... Distribution
- 602 - ... - ... Distribution
- UAT Playout
The ... are human-readable labels that may change so they don't match. Also each service has a property containing the ID number (i.e. 601).
On the "UAT Distro" shape I tried this:
- View: UAT Playout
- Element: [Property:id_number] - * - Playout
As well as creating a group and moving the "View" field to the group level shape data.
Is there anything else that will work without having to strictly enforce matching labels?
This feature was designed for this exact use case and should work exactly as you described: https://docs.dataminer.services/user-guide/Basic_Functionality/Visio/linking_shapes/Linking_a_shape_to_an_element_a_service_or_a_redundancy_group.html#item-reference
Do note that if we find something else that matches the wildcard in the general view structure (or in an earlier service) you will need to use the ServiceContext to make sure you find the right one. It's in fact always good practice to do so.
To note the Elements I’m trying to link to/from are Services, but they are not included in each other’s service (that would seem to create an alarm loop). Instead I was just trying to include them in the Visio drawing for navigation.
Hi Nick, that last part is not entirely clear to me. Maybe it’s best to reach out over mail to our technical support so we can sync closer on what the actual setup looks like.
Then why is it not working for me? If I write out the Element name without wildcards it links the shape, but if delete some characters and use a * the shape disappears from the Visio.