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Using compare with embedded Visio diagrams

I have some Word documents with embedded Visio diagrams. When I compare the documents to a previous version. the word compare tool thinks that I've deleted and inserted the Visio diagrams when the diagrams haven't changed. This is really annoying because I then have to check the diagrams for changes when there aren't any.

Is there any way that I can change this behavior? I don't remember seeing this with a previous version of Word but I wasn't using document compare as much.

In the latest case, I opened a document with diagrams. Then I made three changes in a table at the end of the document. When I did a compare, it said that I had inserted and deleted the diagrams in addition to the changes that I really made.

I've also seen compare say that the formatting changed when I can't tell what the change was.

I'd really like this compare function to be more reliable about detecting what actually changed.

Hi Elizabeth,

 

I would like to know more information to assist you better.

When you insert the Visio diagram, does it insert the image as picture or does it insert as flowchart?

 

If the Visio diagram is inserted as a picture, then Word does not have the ability to compare pictures within the document.

 

Let us know the required information to assist you better.

Thank you.


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Hi Elizabeth,

I would like to know more information to assist you better.

When you insert the Visio diagram, does it insert the image as picture or does it insert as flowchart?

If the Visio diagram is inserted as a picture, then Word does not have the ability to compare pictures within the document.

Let us know the required information to assist you better.

Thank you.


I'm not sure what you mean by "insert as flowchart" but if you mean that it's editable using Visio within Word then that is how its inserted.

I also have pictures in these files and Word does not compare them but only notices if one is added or removed.

The issue is that when I do a compare, the compare gets cluttered with these Visio diagrams that haven't really changed.

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I STILL don't have an answer or explanation for this.

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Elizabeth

I don't like your chances of ever getting an acceptable answer to your problem. Revision tracking of embedded objects is something that the Microsoft programmers probably consider 'out of scope' since it would be a massive can of worms to manage every possible embedded object type.

I don't know how OLE objects are handled by Word but I expect that Word's revision tracking is unable to look inside these objects to determine what may have changed.

Andrew Lockton
Melbourne Australia

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The problem is not that revision tracking of embedded objects is not supported. What really bothers me is that Word's compare feature seems to be inconsistent as to what it considers a change.

Yesterday I was checking some new changes made in one of the same documents I checked earlier. This time ONE of the two embedded Visio objects was flagged and the other was not. Neither of them was changed.

One thing that would be nice is if Word compare could just say "diagram changed" instead of "deleted" and "inserted" but that may also be out of scope.....

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Last updated October 5, 2021 Views 192 Applies to: