argh! Word 2013 is so frustrating! So much stuff has changed that it’s like learning a completely different application!
I want to create documentation for this database I built in FileMaker. I want to use connectors to connect the screen shots I took in order to illustrate flow. By default, it’s impossible to do this in Word 2013.
I can select the connectors (arrows) but they won’t connect to the objects. I thought I could do this no problem in Word 2003. So I checked. The objects have to been in the drawing canvas, but it is possible.
It took me almost two hours to figure this out. I went to ten different pages using three different search queries before I stumbled on the answer.
I found out that they are called connectors, but searching for connectors doesn’t help because it brings up stuff about connecting over the internet or something.
You can indeed use connectors to link your objects, but only within a drawing canvas. You can create a drawing canvas but only if you go to:
the File Menu, click Options.
Click Advanced.
Under Editing options, click to select the Automatically create drawing canvas when inserting AutoShapes check box.
Click OK.
But what if you already placed your objects in the document, not knowing that the drawing canvas is not created by default? You have to add a button to the Quick Access Toolbar:
- On the Quick Access Toolbar drop-down menu, click More Commands.
- Click the drop-down menu under Choose commands from, and then click Commands Not in the Ribbon.
- Scroll through the list, click to select Insert Drawing, then click Add.
- Click OK.
There doesn’t seem any other way to place the drawing canvas on there other than to create a button. Why? I have no idea, but it has been frustrating.
In order to get here I had to perform the following searches:
“word 2013 flowchart” – to find out the names of everything.
“word 2013 connectors won’t connect” – to find out if it is a known issue.
“word 2013 connectors won’t connect flowchart” – the previous search brought up connection issues dealing with networking.
“word 2013 create drawing canvas” – had to change it because the previous search didn’t illustrate how to create the drawing canvas if your objects are already on there.
Ultimately, I got my answer from here: http://support.microsoft.com/kb/2447096.
Carlos, this one's for you! 