Using DIA As An Alternative To Microsoft Visio

All people like the free stuff and it is same to me. Anyhow, nothing is free nowadays. But it is little different in computer world especially when we talk about software. Most license software that users have to buy sometimes has an alternative software which the users can download for free from the Internet. The good example is GNU Image Manipulation Program (GIMP)

But today, I would like to introduce you the another free software which can become an alternative to Microsoft Visio. It is DIA, a diagram creation program, released under the GPL license. 


Click Here To Download


As far as I know, DIA can give ability to you to create various type of diagram such as programming flowchart, DFD diagram, UML diagram and many more which most of them are closely related to computer and network.




How To Use

To start create the diagram you want, you can click the drop down menu place at the left pane of DIA program interface. See below



Then, the list of available types of diagram will appear like below.



Highlight and click the type of diagram you want to create. Then you will notice the symbols that related to the chosen diagram appears under the drop down menu.



To use the symbol, click on it once and then move your mouse cursor onto DIA workspace (at the right pane). Click on the workspace once and the symbol will appear on it. See below



To label the symbol, you need to click and then hover your mouse onto the symbol. Click once onto the symbol and then you can write the appropriate word for the label.






The Problem

It is one problem that you will face while using DIA. You cannot rotate the label you created in vertical direction. See below



To solve the problem above, you can do the following:

1. Launch the Microsoft Word –-> on its menu bar, click Insert –-> click Text Box –-> choose Simple Text Box
   
   
   
   
2. Write the word inside text box –-> rotate the text box to the vertical direction
   
   
   
   
3. Use snipping tool to snip the text box –-> save it on your computer desktop.
   
   
   
   
4. Now, back to DIA program interface, click Tools –-> click Image –-> hover your mouse cursor onto DIA workspace –-> click on it once –-> you will notice the “broken image” like below. See the blue arrow
   
   
   
   
5. Right click on the “broken image” –-> click Properties… –-> the image properties will appear. See below
   
   
   
   
6. On the image properties, click Browse
   
   
   
   
7. Select the image that you had snipped and saved in step 3 –-> click Open –-> click Apply –-> click OK
   
   
   
   
8. Now, you will see the vertical label on DIA workspace. Resize the label due to your own need and put it on the appropriate place. See below