ShapeType Element
The <ShapeType>
element defines a definition, or template, for a shape. Such a template is “instantiated” by creating a <Shape>
element that references the <ShapeType>
. The shape can override any value specified by its <ShapeType>
, or define attributes and elements the <ShapeType>
does not provide. A <ShapeType>
may not reference another <ShapeType>
.
The attributes and elements a <ShapeType>
uses are identical to those of the <Shape>
element, with these exceptions.
<ShapeType>
may not use the <Type>
element.
CSS positioning attributes are ignored and not passed to individual <Shape>
instances.
Visibility is always hidden.
A VML authoring agent may make the <ShapeType>
visible, in which case the CSS positioning attributes are meaningful.
The <ShapeType>
element is used to define a shape once and reference it multiple times throughout a document. One of the most useful attributes or elements a <ShapeType>
defines is a complex Path. Since Path coordinates are defined in a relative coordinate space that scales with a shape’s height and width, this is very flexible for defining a shape outline that can be custom scaled and formatted for a given use.