Before you insert a control, the control must be installed on your computer.

Most controls come with a Setup program that installs and automatically registers the control. If you copy an ActiveX control (a file with an .ocx or .dll extension) from an installation disk or from a network without using a Setup program, the control might not be registered or appear in the Controls list. You must register the control before you use it.

1. In the Microsoft Office Visio drawing window, on the Insert menu, click Control.
2. In the Controls list, click a control, and then click OK.
3. Move and size the control as needed.
4. To edit the control, double-click it.

A control activated for in-place editing looks the same in a Visio drawing as in any ActiveX container.

5. To set control properties, right-click the control, point to Object Name Object, and then click Properties.
6. To turn off design mode so that you can work in your drawing, click Design Mode on the Developer toolbar.

If the Developer toolbar isn't visible, on the View menu, point to Toolbar, and then click Developer.

Notes

Use caution when you are adding ActiveX controls to your document. ActiveX controls may be designed in such a way that their use could pose a security risk. We recommend that you use controls from trusted sources only.

When the security level for Microsoft Office Visio is set to Medium or High and an ActiveX control is not from a trusted source, you and other users might not be able to insert the ActiveX control in the document and the control might not load when the document opens. Users with Medium and High security level settings also might experience problems reading a document that contains an embedded ActiveX control. If you embed a control from an untrusted source in your document, other people might not be able to use the document.

For more information about ActiveX controls, see the Visual Basic Editor Help.