Database Reference
In-Depth Information
Automatically Link
To use the Data tab's Automatically Link functionality, first you need to set a Text value
either by double-clicking on the shape or by using the Shape Data Window on all the
shapes. Using the Data Graphics option, you can create items based on data fields
(as shown in the previous section). First, you will have to create a complete data graphic
for at least one shape. After you create the data sources, you can bind a shape to a row of
data by simply dragging and dropping the row onto the shape. This process creates a link
between the shape text, the data column name (for instance Title), and the column values
of the row. This is the final step before linking all the shapes. Click on the Automatically
Link button in the External Data section of the Data tab. The wizard lets you decide
whether to link 'Selected shapes' or 'All shapes on this page, as shown in Figure
3-7
.
Figure 3-7.
Automatically link data to shapes
Choosing one of these options takes you to the next step—mapping the Data Column
to the Shape Field, as shown in Figure
3-8
. Click Next to reach the Details page, or click
Finish to complete the automatic linking. This step links all shapes with the text matching
the Data Column name.
