A Visio shape is a sophisticated drawing object, with a huge range of formatting options and the ability to be merged and grouped. Shapes also support data and events. In Visio's office layout shapes, for instance, each item has custom properties to supply an inventory number and an owner. Events fire when shapes are added to a diagram, clicked or modified. Shapes can also be categorised into layers, so you can show or hide selected objects.
Visio connectors are equally sophisticated.
You can specify connection points and routing behaviour, so that connectors reposition themselves intelligently as a diagram grows. For general-purpose diagramming, such as creating flow charts, organisation charts, or building your own charts from scratch, the Standard edition is a good choice. The product has been extended, with numerous specialist macros and stencils, Visio's term for custom shapes. The Technical edition has stencils for electrical, civil and mechanical engineering, and architecture. The Professional edition targets the IT industry, with basic network design and diagramming, and documentation for database, software and internet development.