Fixing PowerPoint Annoyances

Chapter 5. Organization Charts, Diagrams, and Drawing Tools

PowerPoint helps explain complex concepts visually using organization charts and diagrams of all sorts. However, many of these tools can be inflexible and frustrating to use at times.

This chapter shows you how to minimize annoyances associated with creating, editing, and formatting organization charts and diagrams. It also looks at PowerPoint’s drawing functions, and solves the most vexing problems you encounter when you use its AutoShape and alignment tools, transparency and shadow options, 3D objects, and watermarks.

ORGANIZATION CHARTS

Edit Existing Org Charts

THE ANNOYANCE: I have a bunch of organization charts in an old PowerPoint file. I’m now using PowerPoint 2003, and when I try to edit the org charts, I get an error message that says “server application, source file, or item can’t be found.” How can I edit these org charts?

THE FIX: PowerPoint 2002 and 2003 use a new diagramming applet to create org charts rather than relying on the OLE Organization Chart objects PowerPoint 97 and 2000 used. This error message just means that Organization Chart 2.0 isn’t available, so PowerPoint can’t edit the organization chart.

You need to download and install Organization Chart 2.0 (http://support.microsoft.com/default.aspx?scid=kb;en-us;826835), which lets you edit old-style organization charts in your PowerPoint files. Installing Organization Chart 2.0 also lets you create more “old-style” org charts in PowerPoint 2002 and 2003 ...