Connectors that cross each other

[Adeline]

Hi everyone,

Sorry for the English level, not my mother language.

I am drawing charts on PowerPoint and I have lines (connector lines) that
cross each other. I would like them to make a little "bridge", like they do
in Visio when they cross cause my chart is kind of confusing like that.
I know I should use Visio but I prefer using PowerPoint. Any idea how I can
fix that?

Thanks very much !

[Echo S]

Adeline, your English is fantastic.

Unfortunately, I don't think there's a way to create a bridge with your
connector lines in PPT the way you can in Visio.

If your lines are fairly thick, you can add a shadow to them using the
shadow tool on the drawing toolbar -- that seems to help distinguish what
line is going where when they cross. But if the lines are thin, the shadows
will just make things more confusing.

--
Echo [MS PPT MVP]
http://www.echosvoice.com

"Adeline" <Ade...@discussions.microsoft.com> wrote in message
news:F1723043-C6C1-491B...@microsoft.com...

[Steve Rindsberg]

> Sorry for the English level, not my mother language.

Nobody would ever guess. ;-)

> I am drawing charts on PowerPoint and I have lines (connector lines) that
> cross each other. I would like them to make a little "bridge", like they do
> in Visio when they cross cause my chart is kind of confusing like that.
> I know I should use Visio but I prefer using PowerPoint. Any idea how I can
> fix that?

You could draw the lines with the curve tool; it'd be *very* tedious though.

What about drawing a few representative lines in Visio.
Then copy paste them into PowerPoint.
Then duplicate them and move them/rotate them as needed to create your drawing.

-----------------------------------------
Steve Rindsberg, PPT MVP
PPT FAQ: www.pptfaq.com
PPTools: www.pptools.com
================================================

[Adeline]

Thanks, I am going to try that and I let you know

[Adeline]

Thanks, but my lines are thin, so I guess there is no automatic solution. As
a "patch" I put crosses on the intersection where a bridge was supposed to
be, my boss seems to think that's ok but I am not completely satisfied with
that solution.

Thanks anyway

Adeline

[Doug F]

Here's a trick I've used, both for the "bridge" problem and for rerouting
connectors any way I please. A bit tedious, but it works well:

> For the bridge:

1. Turn "snap to grid" on
2. Zoom to 400% for good precision.
3. Draw a square shape that is an even number of "grid-snaps" in size (I use
two or four)
4. Select the "Arc" shape, and draw the bridge you want (half-circle) that
will fit exactly in half the square you just drew (getting arc angles exact
enough takes a bit of doing).
5. Move the arc to be coincident with the top, bottom, left or right half of
the square (depending on bridge orientation - e.g., if bridge is horizontal
and sags down, put it in the bottom half).
6. Bring square to Front (set to no fill if needed to still see the arc).
7. Group the square and arc.
8. Select the square in the group, and set it's line type to "no line"
(invisible).
Now when you connect lines to either end of the bridge, they will actually
connect to the (invisible) square and you'll have a bridge.

> "Rerouters" - same as the "Bridger" above, but use a straight line instead of the arc shape. You can connect connectors to these and drag them anywhere. Unlike the adjustment handles on connectors, they wont snap back to their default position when you move the other shapes to which they are connected.

Hope that helps.

[debora...@googlemail.com]

You sir are a genius! I have been trying to figure out how to do this for ages, and this has resolved it in about 45 seconds :) Thank you for sharing

[gerrar...@qsapartners.co.uk]

You can also use a "rainbow" shape, set the thickness to 0.0cm and connect to each end of that.

[matt....@gmail.com]

It's fiddly but you could add a plain white circle under the uppermost line at each intersection - it will visually break through the lines below.