How to generate a flowchart in Visio from a topic in Mavim

Target audience: Mavim users who want to visualize topics and subtopics in a flowchart using Visio.

Purpose: This article explains how to create a flowchart for a selected topic in Mavim and customize its layout and options in Visio.

Select the topic
- Go to the Topics screen.
- Choose the topic you want to generate a flowchart for. The chart will include the topic and its direct subtopics.
Open the flowchart editor
- Click the Edit tab.
- Navigate to Overview > Flowchart.
A Visio session will open, displaying the flowchart options.

Show Title
Displays the selected topic as the chart title. This does not affect publication because:
- In manuals, the topic name is printed as the chapter title.
- On websites, the topic name appears at the top of the description frame.
Show External Topics
Show or hide references to other topics linked to this process.
Number Shapes
Adds the topic order number (from Topic Properties) to the text in each shape.
Orientation
Choose Vertical or Horizontal layout for the chart and related topics.
Automatic Layout
Automatically adjusts the chart layout when topics are added or removed.
Centre Merged Branches / Centre Shared Decisions
Fine-tunes how automatic layout is applied.
Available Stencils
Select a modified Visio stencil if one has been created (see New Visio Stencil).

Click OK to generate the chart.
You only need to create the chart once per process. Any changes to the process will automatically update the chart the next time it is opened in Visio.

Important notes: