When resizing a "parent" shape containing child shapes, is there a way to prevent the child shapes from also resizing.

For example, the Enterprise Application template has the Boundary shape into which I often want to drop in other "child" shapes. Only when all are in can I see what size I need the parent boundary to be but when I resize the boundary shape to be smaller, visio also shrinks the child shapes but I don't want that. I want to just move the Parent shape boundaries without resizing the child shapes.

E.g. maybe there's some keyboard button I can hold down while resizing so the child shapes don't resize?

If you don't want shapes to change size then it is usually enough to open the shapesheet (in developer mode) and put a GUARD on the width and height cells.

al

If you are using Visio 2010,then don't use the Boundary shapes on the Enterprise Architecture stencil. Instad, use the new Insert \ Container feature. It doesn't have the annoyong resiz

Based on the discussion in http://blogs.msdn.com/b/visio/archive/2007/01/30/working-with-resizemode.aspx, I have ascertained the following solution.

I'm using Visio 2013.
I'm using the Enterprise Application stencil.
I'm working with the Boundary shape.

I do not want a Boundary's children to resize when I resize a parent Boundary.

The first click on a Boundary is the first selection-state.
The second click on a Boundary is the second selection-state. (In this state the resize handles are displayed.)

0) This must be done before a Boundary is dropped onto another.
1) Place a Boundary on the drawing.
2) Select the Boundary until it is in the first selection-state.
3) Developer-->Behavior-->[Resize behavior = Reposition only]
4) Select the Boundary until it is in the second selection-state.
5) Developer-->Behavior-->[Resize behavior = Reposition only]

In my case, I copied the Boundary master shape to a custom stencil. I then edited the master shape to make the above settings the default. Now, when I want a Boundary I select it from my custom stencil.

So far, this seems to be working.