visio-image-rebuilder

Visio Image Rebuilder

Core Rule

Recreate the reference as editable Visio content. Do not satisfy a rebuild request by inserting the whole reference image into the page. Embedding the reference image is only allowed as a temporary locked tracing layer if it is removed or hidden before delivery and the final .vsdx remains native shapes, text, connectors, and groups.

Treat .vsdx as the source of truth. Export PNG, SVG, PDF, or PPTX only after the Visio page has been rebuilt or restyled and checked for native editability.

Workflow

1. Inspect inputs.

   • Confirm paths for the target .vsdx, reference image, requested output formats, and output directory.
   • Export the current Visio page to PNG before editing when a target file already exists.
   • Inspect the .vsdx package for pages, media entries, and shape counts.
   • Back up the target file before any write.
   • If Visio is already open, close only the target document or ask before terminating a stuck process.

2. Decode the reference image.

   • Identify page orientation, panel boundaries, module colors, captions, text hierarchy, arrows, dashed lines, and repeated motifs.
   • Build an object inventory: containers, titles, process boxes, icons, charts, graphs, equations, connectors, captions.
   • Calibrate the canvas first, then calibrate each major panel or subpanel with explicit top-left bounds or four corner points.
   • Draw panel internals in panel-local normalized coordinates whenever the figure has dense multi-panel content.
   • Decide whether the task is a full rebuild, color/style transfer, local edit, or export-only job.
   • For dense scientific figures, first create a coarse panel map, then draw panel internals. Do not start with small decorative details.

3. Prefer Visio automation for native edits.

   • Use COM automation on Windows when Visio is installed.
   • Use DrawRectangle, DrawOval, DrawLine, Page.Import only for small source assets, and shape cells such as FillForegnd, LineColor, LineWeight, Char.Size, Char.Color, Rounding.
   • Use explicit coordinates and IDs for fragile edits.
   • Keep grouped structure meaningful: major panels, submodules, repeated blocks, legends.
   • For nested modules, use helpers such as RectRel, TextRel, LineRel, and OvalRel so child shapes are constrained by their calibrated parent panel.

4. Use package XML edits only for narrow, deterministic changes.

   • XML patching is appropriate for recoloring existing shapes, replacing font tables, or changing known cell values.
   • Preserve Visio XML ordering: shape-level Cell nodes should be before Section, Text, or child Shapes.
   • Avoid rebuilding complex geometry by raw XML unless COM automation is unavailable.

5. Export requested formats from the verified Visio source.

   • Use scripts/visio_page_tools.ps1 for export-only jobs.
   • Use scripts/visio_rebuild_scaffold.ps1 with -ExportFormats for rebuilds that should immediately create deliverables.
   • Prefer SVG for vector web/manuscript handoff, PDF for review/print, and PPTX for presentation decks.
   • For PPTX, use PowerPoint COM when available; the generated slide contains the Visio page render, usually inserted from SVG.

6. Verify without overtrusting a single signal.

   • Export at least one preview after editing when possible.
   • Inspect the .vsdx package to confirm that no full-size reference PNG/JPG was left in visio/media.
   • Check shape count and representative text labels.
   • Check that major panels do not overlap and that child shapes stay within their intended panel bounds.
   • Check every requested output file exists and is non-empty.
   • If Visio automation hangs, stop safely, close the document if possible, and report whether the file was actually modified.

Implementation Pattern

For full rebuilds, generate a script that:

• Opens the target .vsdx with Visio COM.
• Saves a timestamped or descriptive backup.
• Clears or duplicates the page depending on user preference.
• Sets page size to match the reference aspect ratio.
• Draws native shapes in top-left reference coordinates converted to Visio coordinates.
• Defines calibrated panel bounds for complex regions and uses panel-local coordinates for their internals.
• Adds reusable helpers for rectangles, text boxes, ovals, lines, arrows, mini charts, graph nodes, and image-like stacks.
• Saves the document and exports requested formats.

Start from scripts/visio_rebuild_scaffold.ps1 when building a full reconstruction script. Copy it into the workspace and customize the Draw-ReferenceFigure function rather than editing the skill copy.

For style transfer, generate a script that:

• Reads existing shape IDs, text, approximate geometry, fill, and line colors.
• Maps known modules to target palettes by text and group context.
• Applies fills, borders, text colors, line patterns, and font changes to existing shapes.
• Avoids repositioning unless the user asks for layout changes.
• Exports only after the .vsdx has been saved and inspected.

For export-only requests, run:

powershell -ExecutionPolicy Bypass -File scripts\visio_page_tools.ps1 `
  -VsdxPath "C:\path\figure.vsdx" `
  -ExportFormats svg,pdf

For rebuild plus multi-format export, run:

Safety Checklist

• Back up before writing outside the workspace.
• Close any open Visio document that locks the target file before direct package edits.
• Never delete or revert unrelated user files.
• If a previous attempt embedded the reference image, restore from backup or remove the image shape before continuing.
• Tell the user clearly whether the final file is native editable shapes or a flat embedded image.
• Tell the user when PPTX export is a rendered slide rather than native PowerPoint shapes.

Acceptance Criteria

A Visio rebuild is acceptable only when:

• Main panel positions, flow direction, captions, and module hierarchy match the reference at first glance.
• Major panels are aligned to calibrated bounds, with no obvious submodule drift, collision, or cross-panel overlap.
• Text remains editable and uses a consistent academic font, usually Times New Roman.
• Repeated motifs are represented with reusable native shapes rather than pasted raster crops.
• The final .vsdx package has no full-page raster reference image in visio/media.
• Requested PNG/SVG/PDF/PPTX deliverables were exported from the saved .vsdx and are non-empty.
• A preview export or package inspection was performed, or the final response explicitly states why verification was skipped.

Useful Resource

Use scripts/visio_page_tools.ps1 for common inspection, backup, preview export, multi-format export, and package checks. Use scripts/visio_export_formats.ps1 when a custom task script needs reusable export helpers. Use scripts/visio_rebuild_scaffold.ps1 as the starting point for native-shape drawing scripts; it includes both global top-left helpers and panel-local calibrated helpers. Read references/rebuild-guidelines.md when a task requires a full figure reconstruction or careful one-to-one scientific diagram matching.