Rounded Rectangular Callout shapes rendered differently on differentsystems

[Dave]

I am running an addin, developed on PowerPoint 2007, on both 2007 and
2003 systems. The addin generates Rounded Rectangular Callouts. On
the 2007 system and one of the 2003 systems, the callouts appear
"normal" - a rectangfular shape with slightly rounded shoulders (which
appear to be 90 deg. parts of a circle when blown up). On another
2003 system, the shoulders appear perfectly square, and on yet
another, they appear to be about 30 deg. of a circle.

It's the same code that generates all of these shapes.

Is there some preference or setting that governs how the shape
shoulders will be generated, and I'm just not setting it correctly?
Are there perhaps some adjustment values for Rounded Rectangular
Callouts that I'm not specifying? And if not those, any other ideas as
to what might be going on?

Here's the code that produces the callouts (I've removed some of the
stuff dealing with fonts and line weights, etc.):

Set calloutSh =
ActiveWindow.View.Slide.Shapes.AddShape(msoShapeRoundedRectangularCallout,
l, T, W, H)
calloutSh.Adjustments.Item(1) = 0.5
calloutSh.Adjustments.Item(2) = 3.25

With calloutSh


With .TextFrame
.WordWrap = msoTrue
.AutoSize = ppAutoSizeShapeToFitText
.MarginBottom = 6
.MarginLeft = 6
.MarginRight = 6
.MarginTop = 6

With .Ruler
.Levels(1).FirstMargin = 0
.Levels(1).LeftMargin = 0
End With

End With ' .textframe

.LockAspectRatio = msoTrue

End With ' ActiveWindow.Selection.ShapeRange(1)

Thanks.

 

[Glen (TD DTP)]

It looks like is 2003 you only have access to change 1 item - Item(1) and not
2 items. Hence at 0.5, you can expect a semi circle on one side in 2003... is
that what is happening?

I suspect is error handles on your Item(2) in 2003... is that correct.

Sorry if this is wrong, I do not have 2007 to test against.

 

[Dave]

It looks like is 2003 you only have access to change 1 item - Item(1) and not
2 items. Hence at 0.5, you can expect a semi circle on one side in 2003...is
that what is happening?

I suspect is error handles on your Item(2) in 2003... is that correct.

Sorry if this is wrong, I do not have 2007 to test against.

No, that's not what's happening in 2003. Various 2003 systems are
behaving differently (see orig. post). Some have no rounded shoulders
at all, while others have a widely varying rendition of the
roundedness.

Do you know for a fact that item 2 is unsupported in 2003?

Glen (TD-DTP)
It''''s cold up here in Toronto...
Sent Vegemite!!!!!

Temperature here plunged to a chilly 65 deg. yesterday. I don't know
what Vegemite is, but just drop south a couple of thousand miles and
maybe you won't need it!

 

[Steve Rindsberg]

I am running an addin, developed on PowerPoint 2007, on both 2007 and
2003 systems. The addin generates Rounded Rectangular Callouts. On
the 2007 system and one of the 2003 systems, the callouts appear
"normal" - a rectangfular shape with slightly rounded shoulders (which
appear to be 90 deg. parts of a circle when blown up). On another
2003 system, the shoulders appear perfectly square, and on yet
another, they appear to be about 30 deg. of a circle.

Not sure why this'd be, but can confirm. I'm seeing the latter (ugly) effect
on these shapes, at least when they're substantially different from a
non-square aspect ratio.

I get this whether via your code or by inserting the shapes manually.

Happens on two systems using PPT 2003, SP2 and one running SP1.

Can you check the SP levels on the 2003 systems that behave differently?

 

[Dave Jenkins]

Thanks, Steve. Never crossed my mind that it might NOT be my code! <g>

The fact that it generates different results on different 2003 systems is
differrent. I'll try to gather the version info on all of them.

It acts (to me, operarating blindly) like it's applying some circle geometry
to create the shoulders, and that the radius of the circle that's used ot
generate the shoulder arc is based somehow on the rendered dimensions of the
of the callout. And so I thought that there might be a) an adjustment item
for that, or b) it might be some sort of preference/parameter someplace.

Where ARE the adjustment items for the various shapes exposed? The darn
help text tells you to run the macro recorder to see what gets adjusted when
you fiddle with the shapes characteristics. Big help!

 

[Dave Jenkins]

The version of the system on which the callouts have the "large" shoulders
(i.e., apparent small arc angle/large circle radius) is:

PowerPoint 2003 (11.8169.8172) SP3

I'm still checking on the others.

 

[Dave Jenkins]

[Scratching head] Another user has identically the same version installed
(PowerPoint 2003 (11.8169.8172) SP3) but her callouts are rendered correctly!

 

[Dave Jenkins]

The guy that gets the "square" shoulders is on:

PowerPoint 2003 (11.6564.6568) SP2

If I get any other data points, I'll send them along - that's all the data
cases I have right now.

Any idea what's happening?

 

[Steve Rindsberg]

Thanks, Steve. Never crossed my mind that it might NOT be my code! <g>

The fact that it generates different results on different 2003 systems is
differrent. I'll try to gather the version info on all of them.

Another thought: might it be that somebody has somehow worked out how to make
a proper-looking one in 2003 and then done a Set Defaults on it? I don't know
how many autoshape props that picks up, but ... well, it's worth a peek.

Try drawing the same shape manually on both boxes, see what comes up.

Where ARE the adjustment items for the various shapes exposed? The darn
help text tells you to run the macro recorder to see what gets adjusted when
you fiddle with the shapes characteristics. Big help!

Exposed? Heh.

Like David said, .Adustments(1) ... .Adustments(.Adjustments.Count)

Get out yer fiddle, Dan'l.

Speaking of fiddles, let's change the subject. I just saw a bumper sticker:

I hear banjo music. PADDLE FASTER!