Contains a work area for entering and testing formulas that are referred to by other elements. This element is typically used to isolate repeated complex calculations.
<Scratch
[IX]
[Del]>
</Scratch>
IX
Optional int. The zero-based index of the element within its parent element.
Del
Optional boolean. A flag indicating whether the element has been deleted locally. A value of 1 indicates that the element was deleted locally.
| Property | Value |
|---|---|
| Name | Scratch |
| Minimum Occurrences | 0 |
| Maximum Occurrences | Unbounded |
Parent elements
Child elements
Elements contained in the Scratch element use units in two different ways. X and Y elements use drawing units; A, B, C, and D elements don't use units. (In C programmers' jargon, X and Y elements are "typed," and elements A through D are "void.") The X and Y elements are often used for deriving x- and y-coordinates, such as PinX and PinY (the X and Y elements found in a Geom element). Elements A through D can display whatever units you specify.
An additional difference is the way these elements store point values. A point in Microsoft Office Visio is a single data package for an (x,y) coordinate. When a formula returns a point value, that value is interpreted in one of three ways, depending on the element the formula is in. Elements that relate to x-coordinates (for example, PinX, or X elements of a Geom element) extract just the x-coordinate part of a point value. Elements that relate to y-coordinates extract just the y-coordinate part of a point value.
For example, Visio extracts the formula PNT(3,4) in these three ways.
|
Element |
If you enter | Visio treats it as | Result |
|---|---|---|---|
| X |
PNT(3,4) |
PNTX(PNT(3,4)) |
3.0000 in. |
| Y |
PNT(3,4) |
PNTY(PNT(3,4)) |
4.0000 in. |
| A-D |
PNT(3,4) |
PNT(3,4) |
PNT(3.0000 in., 4.0000 in.) |
In DatadiagramML, the IX values start at 0. However, in the Visio ShapeSheet user interface, row numbers start at 1. Therefore, row 1 in a ShapeSheet window is equivalent to IX='0' in the XML.
The Scratch element is relevant only when contained in a DocumentSheet, PageSheet, or Shape element. It is ignored when contained in a StyleSheet element.
Scratch section