Item Property [Visio 2003 SDK Documentation]

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As it applies to the AccelItems, AccelTables, Colors, Connects, MenuItems, Menus, MenuSets, Paths, ToolbarItems, Toolbars, and ToolbarSets collections, and the Path and Selection objects.

Returns an object from a collection. The Item property is the default property for all collections, and for the Path and Selection objects.

objRet = object**.Item**(Index)

objRet    The object retrieved from the object or collection.

object     Required. An expression that returns an object or collection in the Applies to list.

Index     Required Long. Contains the index of the object to retrieve.

Version added

2.0

Remarks

When retrieving objects from a collection, you can omit Item from the expression because it is the default property for all collections. The following statement is equivalent to the syntax example given above:

objRet = object(index)

Returns an item from a collection. The Item property is the default property for all collections.

objRet = object**.Item**(NameOrIndex)**

objRet     The object retrieved from the collection.

object    Required. An expression that returns a collection in the Applies to list.

NameOrIndex    Required Variant. Contains the name, unique ID, or index of the object to retrieve.

Version added

2.0

Remarks

When retrieving objects from a collection, you can omit Item from the expression because it is the default property for all collections. The following statements are equivalent to the syntax example given above:

objRet = object(index) 
objRet = object(stringExpression)

You can retrieve an object in an Addons, Documents, Fonts, Hyperlinks, Layers, Masters, MasterShortcuts, OLEObjects, Pages, Shapes, or Styles collection by passing the object's name as a string expression in a Variant.

If you retrieve a Shape object by name, the Item property searches all shapes in the Shapes collection's containing page or containing master, in addition to the collection's containing shape. Therefore, the Shape object returned by the Item property can be a shape that is not in the Shapes collection.

You can also pass the unique ID string of a Master or Shape object to the Item property. For example:

objRet = vsoShapes.Item("{2287DC42-B167-11CE-88E9-0020AFDDD917}")

If such a string is passed to the Item property of a Shapes collection, all the shapes contained in the collection are searched. Shapes within the group shapes in the containing shape are not searched.

To search all shapes in the collection, plus the shapes inside groups and the containing shape of the collection, prefix the unique ID string with an asterisk (*). For example:

objRet = vsoShapes.Item("*{2287DC42-B167-11CE-88E9-0020AFDDD917}")

For more information about passing ID strings to the Item property, see the topic for the UniqueID property in this Automation Reference.

Notes

  • In Visio 2000 only, vsoShapes.Item("{guid}") examined the Shapes collection's containing shape and all descendants, and vsoShapes.Item("*{guid}") examined all shapes in the Shapes collection's containing page or containing master.

  • Beginning with Microsoft Visio 2000, you can use both local and universal names to refer to Visio shapes, masters, documents, pages, rows, add-ons, cells, hyperlinks, styles, fonts, master shortcuts, UI objects, and layers. When a user names a shape, for example, the user is specifying a local name. Beginning with Microsoft Office Visio 2003, the ShapeSheet spreadsheet displays only universal names in cell formulas and values. (In prior versions, universal names were not visible in the user interface.)

    As a developer, you can use universal names in a program when you don't want to change a name each time a solution is localized. Use the Item property to access an object in the Masters, Pages, Shapes, Styles, Layers, or MasterShortcuts collection by using its local name. Use the ItemU property to access an object from one of these collections by using the object's universal name.

As it applies to the EventList and Windows collections.

Returns an item from a collection. The Item property is the default property for all collections.

objRet = object**.Item**(Index)**

objRet     The object retrieved from the collection.

object    Required. An expression that returns an EventList or Windows collection.

Index    Required Integer.

Version added

2.0

Remarks

When retrieving objects from a collection, you can omit Item from the expression because it is the default property for all collections. The following statement is equivalent to the syntax example given above:

objRet = object(index)

Example

As it applies to the Pages and Shapes collections.

This Microsoft Visual Basic for Applications (VBA) macro shows how to use the Item property to get a Page object from the Pages collection of the active document, and all the Shape objects in the Shapes collection of the Page object. It prints the names of all shapes on Page1 in the Immediate window.

Before running this macro, make sure that the active document has shapes on Page1.

Public Sub Item_Example()
 
    Dim intCounter As Integer
    Dim intShapeCount As Integer
    Dim vsoShapes As Visio.Shapes 

    Set vsoShapes = ActiveDocument.Pages.Item(1).Shapes 

    Debug.Print "Shape Name List For..."
    Debug.Print "Document: "; ActiveDocument.Name 
    Debug.Print "Page: "; ActiveDocument.Pages.Item(1).Name 

    intShapeCount = vsoShapes.Count 

    If intShapeCount > 0 Then
        For intCounter = 1 To intShapeCount 
            Debug.Print " "; vsoShapes.Item(intCounter).Name 
        Next intCounter 
    Else
        Debug.Print " No Shapes On Page" 
    End If  

End Sub