15 replies to this topic

[Matt B]

We were playing with the RC-1 version of the new Visio program - I have to say, as a past visio user who let it drop - i was impressed with many of the new features.

HOWEVER - the best feature of all!!!

There is an website architecture feature that will go out and spider a website and automaticallly generate a diagram. This is very cool, as it also will show how deep a spider may or may not go into dynamic sites. I don't think this was in the Visio 2000 version, at least not this automated of a process.

Very cool - it should be released very soon.

[Jill]

Sounds interesting! Let us know when it's fully released.

It would be neat if someone put up a web version that others could use. I wonder if that's possible? (Or is that how it works anyway?)

Jill

[Scottie]

Wow- that would be worth upgrading for. Very, very cool.

What a great blueprint to use when you are getting started with an existing site! Also useful for new sites, although it's pretty easy to build an outline in Word... if you had a more complex architecture with multiple links I imagine Visio would be worth the extra effort.

[markymark]

I must admit it does sound interesting, but I have to ask this: am I the only person who uses a pen and a piece of paper for this kind of thing ? I also write pretty much all my content on paper as well before even looking at a screen. I find I'm more creative and write better if I'm not staring at a bloody computer screen all the time. Does this make me a luddite ?

[Jill]

What's a pen? :tooth:

[Matt B]

I must admit it does sound interesting, but I have to ask this: am I the only person who uses a pen and a piece of paper for this kind of thing ?

Like Scottie, said - it's a good place to start. I like the ability to quickly view a site's architecture. For example, a current hosting client want to start SEO and get a re-design. Getting a quick snapshot of the existing architecture helps us to quickly see the site from a navigation and usability perspective.

Paper sucks.

[markymark]

LOL. I guess the answer's yes, I am a luddite. I spider new clients site's to generate a site map but when I'm creating something from scratch, I don't want to be anywhere near a PC until I have to actually design it, add in the links and code it. Well, it works for me anyway.

[Matt B]

Yes - i like spidering sites with something like Xenu - but the sitemap is pretty klugy.
This gives you the ability to expand and compress sections, pages, graphics and css on pages, etc.

But I will concede that sketching a new site on paper has it's advantages . It's hard to doodle during a meeting on the PC.

[Scottie]

I'm with Jill- what's a pen?

Now, I will say that when helping the client to define what goes in a site, I tend to use index cards and a big table to lay it all out so that everyone can see how the pages will relate to each other, then copy it from there.

I haven't worked on a startup site that big in a while though. For smaller ones, it's easier to just write up an outline.

[markymark]

i like spidering sites with something like Xenu - but the sitemap is pretty klugy

. Yeah, Xenu's sitemap is kinda horrid. I use Xtreeme SiteXpert for this kind of thing - much nicer and more customizable, but I think I'll give this Visio thing a go.

[Bill Slawski]

The pre-Microsoft professional version of Visio had this feature. It still works fairly well. I'll have to look for the new version and compare.

Visio has always been an awesome program. I got a copy for my father as a present one year, and even though he wasn't very computer literate at the time, he took to it like a duck to water.

Nice smilies, by the way...

[dragonlady7]

I went through a phase of at least a year where I didn't write anything by hand. I started using a pen again and my handwriting had changed. It's hard for me to use a pen because I type at the speed I think, but I write much slower. So... I use a pen for certain purposes, and usually it's a fountain pen or something impractical.
I like to draw elaborate diagrams of websites. My boyfriend and I were planning ours and I used chalk on a big old chalkboard. That was fun.

I haven't used Visio but I've used the nearest thing on the mac-- OmniGraffle, which is so much fun. Before I rearrange furniture, i measure everything and draw it in on Omnigraffle, so that I can drag the little boxes around and see if they'll fit before I kill myself moving heavy things.

I don't know if OmniGraffle will spider a site, though. I'll have to check it out. It's pretty cool otherwise... but as I don't know Visio, I can't compare them.

[qwerty]

There is an website architecture feature that will go out and spider a website and automaticallly generate a diagram.

Do you have any info on the spider's identity, in case anyone wants to disallow the agent?

[Matt B]

Do you have any info on the spider's identity, in case anyone wants to disallow the agent?

Good question - I'll check my logs on Monday to see how it identified.

[TBroadfoot3rd]

If I used Mark's method based on my own hand writing I would never be able to read what I sketched out a day or two after I wrote it

Though I do try to visualize what I want before sitting down at the computer by laying out the general structure of the physical page but again very rudimentary layout of what I wish to put onto a page.

And if it works for you Mark then why worry if you are a Luddite or not.... so long as you do not destroy the machines......... then you are truly not a Luddite.

Have a good day,