Visustin - Save flow charts

To use the flow charts in your documentation you can save them in several file formats and copy them to the clipboard.

Save formats

Visustin can save and export the flow charts in a multitude of file formats. You can save the charts as bitmaps, in vector format, as a web page or export directly to other applications.

Format	Type	Use	Edition	Editor	Requires software
Editor formats
Visustin flow chart (.flw)	Flow chart	Editing		Yes	Visustin Editor
PNG with Visustin flow chart (.flw.png)	Bitmap + Flow chart	Editable documentation, web		Yes	Visustin Editor
Single-image formats
BMP	Bitmap	Documentation		Yes
PNG	Bitmap	Documentation, web		Yes
PNG with source code (.code.png)	Bitmap + code	Documentation, web		No
GIF	Bitmap	Documentation, web		Yes
GIF with source code (.code.gif)	Bitmap + code	Documentation, web		No
JPG	Bitmap	Documentation, web		Yes
PCX	Bitmap	Documentation		Yes
PBM, PGM, PPM	Bitmap	Documentation		Yes
TGA	Bitmap	Documentation		Yes
TIFF	Bitmap	Documentation		Yes
TIFF with source code (.code.tif)	Bitmap + code	Documentation		No
PostScript	Vector	Documentation, printing		No
WMF, EMF	Vector	Documentation		Yes
Visio (more)	Vector	Documentation, editing	Pro	No	MS Visio
Word (more)	Document	Documentation		Yes	MS Word
PowerPoint (more)	Document	Slide show		Yes	MS PowerPoint
DOT	Graph definition	Graph generation		No
MHT	Web page	Documentation, archiving		No
HTML with GIF	Web page	Web		No
HTML with PNG	Web page	Web		No
Multi-image formats (Bulk flowcharting only)
GIF archive	Multi-page bitmap	Archiving	Pro	No
GIF archive with code (.code.gif)	Multi-page bitmap + code	Archiving	Pro	No
TIFF archive	Multi-page bitmap	Archiving	Pro	No
TIFF archive with code (.code.tif)	Multi-page bitmap + code	Archiving	Pro	No
MHT web archive	Multi-page web	Archiving	Pro	No

Choose the format that fits the use

Planned use	Recommended formats
Import in word processor	GIF, BMP, Word
Publish online	GIF, PNG, HTML
Edit	FLW, Visio
Keep image editable	.flw.png
Make slide show	PowerPoint
Store for later reference	GIF, PNG, Word
Store code and chart	GIF, PNG, TIFF, MHT
Store all charts in one file	TIFF, GIF, MHT
Use with legacy applications	PPM, PCX, TGA

Editor formats

When you wish to edit the flow chart later, save it in one of the editable formats.

Visustin flow chart (.flw). This is the Visustin Editor native format. You can load it back to continue editing later. Sample.flw (save and open in Visustin)
PNG with Visustin flow chart (.flw.png). This format is a standard bitmap which also contains an Visustin flow chart. You can include the file in your documentation or on a web page. If you wish to modify the picture later, load it back to Editor, change and save. Sample.flw.png (save and open in Visustin)

Bitmap pictures

Bitmap file formats are useful for all kinds of documentation.

GIF bitmap, the web standard format for drawings. Use GIF for your documents and web publication. GIF is widely supported by other programs. GIF sample chart
BMP bitmap. Use BMP for your documents. Import it in a word processor, for example. This format is widely supported by virtually all Windows programs. BMP sample chart
PNG bitmap. Use this format for your documents and web publication. PNG offers the best quality/size ratio, which is especially good for web use. However, not all programs or web browsers support PNG yet. PNG sample chart
JPG JPEG bitmap. This popular photo format is less suitable for flow charts. The image loses some quality. GIF or PNG is more suitable for flow charts. JPG sample chart
PCX bitmap. This format offers compatibility with applications that read PCX images. PCX is similar to BMP and offers no specific advantages over BMP.
PBM Portable Bitmap (black & white). This format is similar to PPM and PGM, but it contains a monochrome image. Use PBM for black & white flow charts to save some disk space. Available in Editor only.
PGM Portable Greymap (grayscale). This format is similar to PPM, but it contains a grey image. Use PGM for black & white flow charts to save some disk space.
PPM Portable Pixelmap (color bitmap). This format offers compatibility with (Unix) applications that read PPM images. PPM produces large files but is compatible with many applications and tools.
TGA Targa bitmap. This format offers compatibility with applications that read TGA images. TGA is similar to BMP and offers no specific advantages over BMP.
TIFF bitmap. Use this format for your documents. TIFF is a standard with many imaging and document archival programs.

Visustin can optionally save the source code in a GIF, PNG or TIFF file. Read more

Office documents

Visio. Export to Visio
PowerPoint. Export to PowerPoint
Word. Export to Word

Web publication

HTML with GIF and PNG. These options generate a web page with the flow chart and also the source code. The PNG format produces better quality output, but is not supported by older browsers. If good browser compatibility is desired, choose GIF. The web pages saved are compatible with Microsoft Internet Explorer 5 (or later) and Mozilla Firefox 1.0 (or later). They are not compatible with Netscape 4 or 6. HTML with GIF sample chart, HTML with PNG sample chart
MHT Web Archive. This is the same as HTML with GIF, but in one file. It is compatible with Microsoft Internet Explorer 5 and 6. MHT sample chart

Note about HTML and MHT formats. Internet Explorer may be unable to display very large charts. This doesn't mean the generated files are wrong. Use Mozilla Firefox to view large pictures.

Vector drawings

Vector formats are good for exporting pictures that need to be resized or edited. The picture consists of lines and other shapes. Vector formats typically takes less memory and allows lossless zoom in/out. Not all programs support vector files.

PostScript. A vector format file. This format always generates a chart that will fit on one page on the current printer. For the viewing and printing of .ps files we recommend the free GSView and Ghostscript, which allows viewing, printing and conversion to PDF.
WMF Windows Metafile. A lot of Windows applications support WMF metafiles. You can import metafiles to a word processor, for example. WMF sample chart
EMF Enhanced Metafile. A format that is very similar to WMF. Certain programs support either EMF or WMF. Prefer EMF when you have a choice. EMF sample chart
DOT is a graph language. Visustin uses it internally. It can be displayed, converted and edited with the free Graphviz. This is a technical program suitable for those interested in programmatic graph generation.

Bitmap with source code

Visustin can optionally save the original source code in the following image formats. You can view the code by opening the file in Visustin. This way you get to see the original code, even if you already changed the original program.

GIF with source code (*.code.gif). This format extends the GIF image by adding the original source code in the file. View the code by opening the file in Visustin. GIF sample chart (save and open in Visustin)
PNG with source code (*.code.png). This format saves a standard PNG image with source code. View the code by opening the file in Visustin or another imaging application that displays PNG text fields. PNG sample chart (save and open in Visustin)
TIFF with source code (*.code.tif). This format saves a standard TIFF image with source code. View the code by opening the file in Visustin.

The images in these files are fully compatible with all applications. The source code in the files is not standards compatible. Other applications are unlikely to display the source code. They will display the image, but not the code in it. Note: The .code. formats contain source code. Do not distribute them unless you wish to share your code.

Multi-image formats / Bulk charting

The following file formats are specific to the bulk flowcharting feature of the Pro Edition. These formats save several images in a single file. This makes it easy to archive a group of related flow charts. As an example, you can document a small program in a single file.

GIF archive contains several GIF flow charts. You can view the charts by opening the file with Visustin. Many other applications support multi-image GIFs, but they are likely to display it in a slide show fashion.
GIF archive with code (.code.gif) contains several flow charts along with the original source code they were created from. You can view the charts and the code by opening the file with Visustin.
TIFF archive is a regular multi-page TIFF image. Many image viewers, but not all, support multi-page TIFF files. TIFF offers the best multi-page compatibility across viewers making it the best format for archiving several charts in one file.
TIFF archive with code (.code.tif) contains several flow charts along with the original source code they were created from. View the charts with any multi-page TIFF viewer. View the code by opening the file with Visustin.
DCX archive contains several PCX images. You can view the saved images by opening the file with Visustin. Many image and fax viewer applications support DCX as well. Use DCX for archiving your flow charts for later use. A DCX file can contain up to 1023 flow charts. Visustin will create several DCX files if the maximum is exceeded.
MHT web archive contains several flow charts along with the original code. This file format is compatible with Microsoft Internet Explorer.

See samples for multi-image examples.

Tips

Create a PDF flow chart

A PDF flowchart is useful because you can easily zoom and pan it. Visustin does not natively save flow charts as .pdf files, but you can use external tools to create them. You have several alternatives to choose from:

Print to a PDF printer driver. Instead of printing on paper, the driver will save a PDF file. Several PDF printer drivers are available on the Internet. Select File|Print Preview (one page) to fit the chart on a single page. Recommended free driver: CutePDF
Save the chart as a PostScript (.ps) file. Use the freeware GSView and Ghostscript to convert .ps to .pdf.
Print with a PostScript printer driver. Instead of printing on paper, print to a .ps file. Use the freeware GSView and Ghostscript to convert .ps to .pdf. If you don't have a PostScript printer installed, add one via the Windows Printers folder. A color printer such as HP C LaserJet 4500-PS is a good option.

Create an XPS flow chart

An XPS flow chart is roughly similar to a PDF flow chart. The XPS format (XML Paper Specification) was introduced in Windows Vista and Office 2007. Visustin does not natively save XPS files, but you can use Microsoft XPS Document Writer to create one. It is a printer driver that is available for free download from Microsoft. Just print the flow chart on the XPS "printer" and you get a .xps file.