Word Perfect 7.0 Drawing Flowchart Tip

WordPerfect is not the best tool for drawing flowcharts. However, it works adequately and since it is on the MSOE network it is readily available. Graphics programs like Visio or even Design CAD work better. There are also specialized programs specifically for drawing flowcharts. However, you'll have to buy these programs if you don't already own a copy.

I suggest you use imbedded OLE objects for your flowcharts. Insert these into your WordPerfect documents using the Insert | Object menu choice and selecting a WP Draw 7.0 Drawing type object. Inserting (or later double clicking on) an object puts you into a special Drawing Mode. In this mode (really a separate program), the tool bars and menu choices will be different than in the standard WordPerfect text editing mode.

Once in the drawing mode there are some changes you can make to the program's settings to make drawing flowcharts easier. To change these settings, choose View | Grid/Snap | Grid/Snap options... from the main menu and make the following adjustments in the Grid/Snap Options dialog box. Make sure the Display Grid and Snap to Grid options are checked (active). Set the Horizontal Spacing to 0.1", the Vertical Spacing to 0.1", the Interval to 5 and the Alignment Guide Snap Zone to 0.1". Click on the Okay button to close the dialog box and return to the drawing mode. Next, adjust the drawing to the size and position on the page you want using your mouse and the control points (squares) at the edges of the drawing.

Next, I suggest you set the default object fill options, line width and font to produce nice looking flowcharts. Start by selecting Format | Object properties.... Click on the Fill Attributes tab and be sure the No Fill option is checked. Click on the Line Width/Styles tab and change the width to the next to thinnest choice (0.028"). Close the object properties dialog box by clicking on okay. Now change the default font by selecting Format | Font and selecting Arial for the Font Face and 12 for the Font Size and clicking on okay.

You are now ready to draw your flowchart. By default, the drawing tools are along the left side of the screen. Use a combination of lines and shapes to draw your flowchart. Use the text tool to enter text. Sometimes you may want to combine elements (lines, shapes and text) so they can be moved or copied together. Do this by holding down the shift key and selecting the desired elements with the mouse and then choosing Graphics | Combine. Add arrows to your lines by right clicking on the desired line and choosing Object properties..., selecting the Line Joints/Ends tab and choosing the desired arrowhead. Sometimes elements overlap making it impossible to select the element in back. When this happens, select the top element and choose Graphics | Order | Back to push the selected element to the back. This should make it possible to select the object you want by clicking on it. Once you have some of your basic shapes drawn, you can select them and press Ctrl-c (or Edit | Copy) to copy them and Ctrl-v (or Edit | Paste) to reinsert copies into your drawing.

WordPerfect Draw 7.0 sometimes forgets to redraw objects you have changed (particularly when you exit the draw mode with anything selected). If this happens to you, just select View | Zoom... | Margin Width to force the screen to be redrawn. Corel Office 7.0 also comes with the CorelFlow 3.0 flowcharting program. It is a better tool for flowcharting than WP Draw, but does not seem to have been included in Corel Office 8.0.