Module 4 - Viewing and Editing Microsoft Project Support Course
Module 4 - Viewing and Editing
Lesson 4.1: User Interface Overview 3
Lesson 4.2: Customizing the User Interface 51
Lesson 4.3: Formatting Improvements 62
Lesson 4.4: Filter Improvements and AutoFilter 78
Lesson 4.5: Printing and Reports 96
Lesson 4.6: View Changes and Improvements 113
Lesson 4.7: Usage Views 126
Lesson 4.8: OLE and Copy Picture 162
Lesson 4.9: Office Assistant 201
Microsoft Project Support Group 4 – 1 Created Date 6/15/98
Module 4 - Viewing and Editing Lesson 4.1: User Interface Overview
Lesson 4.1: User Interface Overview
Some Topics to be introduced in this lesson include:
· View Bar
· Hyperlinks
· Default menus and Toolbars; Shortcut Menus
· Dropdown, Date Picker, and Spin Controls
· The New Replace Command
· Fill Commands
· Linking Tasks Interface
· Autotab
· Outlining Interface; Outlining with Usage views and Inserted Projects
· AutoCorrect
· Most Recently Used Filename List
· Microsoft â Intellimouseä
User Interface Overview
This lesson covers a variety of changes and improvements to the User Interface in Microsoft Project 98.
View Bar
Microsoft Project 98 has a new View Bar similar in functionality to the Outlook Bar in Microsoft Outlookä.
The View Bar displays icons for all of the task and resource views listed on the View menu, in the same order. It also has a More Views icon. Up and Down scroll buttons are displayed in the View Bar if necessary.
The View Bar command on the View menu toggles the hidden/visible state of the View Bar.
If the View Bar is displayed, the button corresponding to the active view is displayed depressed.
New View Bar in Microsoft Project 98...
The name of each visible view pane is displayed in the left border of the pane only if the View Bar is not displayed.
View name in left pane border if View Bar not displayed...
Hyperlinks
Microsoft Project 98 supports the Office Web hyperlink features. Hyperlinks are supported in Text<n> fields and in the special fields shown in the table:
Hyperlink Address / The URL for the destination (for example, http://www.microsoft.com) or UNC path (for example, \\proj1\public\project1.mpp).Hyperlink SubAddress / For Microsoft Office documents, this is the location within the file. For Microsoft Word, this is a bookmark name. For Microsoft Excel, a named range. For Microsoft PowerPointâ, a slide number. For Microsoft Access, this is a <object type> <object name> (for example, Form Customers).
Hyperlink HREF / Combines the Hyperlink Address and the Hyperlink SubAddress fields with a # as the delimiter, for example:
C:\Dir1\Book1.xls#Sheet2!R3C4
Hyperlink / Stores the alias for the hyperlink. This can be any text you want to represent the link, for example, My Spreadsheet could represent C:\Dir1\MySheet1.xls.
Link Appearance
Hyperlinks are formatted to appear differently than normal text. By default, unfollowed hyperlinks are displayed as blue, underlined text, and followed hyperlinks are displayed as magenta (purple), underlined text.
You can change the hyperlink colors in the Tools Options Workgroup Tab, using the settings shown in the picture to the right.When the mouse is over a hyperlink, the cursor changes to the follow Hyperlink cursor.
Single clicking a hyperlink in any of the hyperlink related fields follows the link.
Context Menu
The context menu (displayed by a right mouse click) for a cell containing a hyperlink includes a Hyperlink submenu as shown in the picture to the right.The table describes each of the Hyperlink submenu commands.
Hyperlink submenu item / Description
Open / Follow the link (same as left single click the link).
Open in New Window / Opens a new window and follows the link.
Copy Hyperlink / Copies the link as a shortcut so it can be pasted into another application, a folder, or the desktop as a shortcut. This command only copies the shortcut.
It is included for consistency with Microsoft Internet Explorer and to make the functionality of copying a shortcut more discoverable. Otherwise the Copy command by itself suffices. The Copy command also puts the shortcut format on the clipboard.
Add to Favorites... / Adds the link to the favorites.
Edit Hyperlink... / Edits the properties of the hyperlink
Select Hyperlink / Selects the hyperlink. Used when you want to select the cell instead of follow the link. Note that click the left mouse button follows the link instead of selecting the cell. The keyboard can also be used to select the cell.
Web Toolbar Display
The Web toolbar is displayed when you follow a link.There also is a button on the standard toolbar that allows you to toggle the Web toolbar on and off.
The Web toolbar is modeled after the Internet Explorer toolbar.
Web toolbar with the Go menu displayed...
The Show Only Web Toolbar toolbar button toggles between showing only the Web toolbar or showing the other selected toolbars too.
Creating Links
You can enter hyperlinks directly into the hyperlink-related fields or in text fields, or you can use the Hyperlink command on the Insert menu.The Insert Hyperlink command displays the Insert Hyperlink dialog, as shown in the picture.
Insert Hyperlink dialog using relative path...
The Use relative path for hyperlink setting causes Microsoft Project to search for hyperlink targets relative to the path of the active project.
After you click OK in the Insert Hyperlink dialog above, the hyperlink-related fields are filled in automatically as shown. Click the hyperlink in any of these fields to follow the same hyperlink.
Hyperlink-related fields using relative path...
If the Use relative path for hyperlink setting is unchecked, then Microsoft Project searches for hyperlink targets using absolute paths.
Insert Hyperlink dialog using absolute paths...
Hyperlink-related fields using absolute path...
Pasting Hyperlinks
You can also create hyperlinks by copying data from an Office application or Microsoft Project. Use the Paste as Hyperlink command on the Edit menu in Microsoft Project.The examples illustrate how to paste hyperlinks from Excel into Microsoft Project, and from Microsoft Project into Microsoft Project.
Example
Cell D3 in Sheet2 of the Excel Workbook C:\Dir1\XlsFolder\HypTarget.xls contains the word "wow." The cell is selected and copied.
Then a task is selected in Microsoft Project 98, and the Paste Hyperlink command is used. The resulting hyperlink-related fields are automatically calculated as shown:
Example
The resource with ID = 2 is selected in the Resource Sheet view of a project and copied.
Then a task is selected in the Gantt Chart view and the Paste Hyperlink command is used. The resulting hyperlink-related fields are automatically calculated as shown:
Menus and Toolbars
This section reviews all of the default menu and toolbar commands.
Menus
Microsoft Project 4.x has two default menu bars, Standard and Standard (no file). You can create other menu bars using the Tools Customize Menu Bars submenu command. You can also right-click the menu bar and choose Customize Menu Bars. Menu bars can be moved into MPP files in the Organizer, but cannot be displayed unless they are in Global.mpt.
Microsoft Project 98 has only one menu bar as do other Office applications. If you use the Tools Customize Toolbars submenu command to display the Customize dialog, the one and only menu bar is listed under the Toolbars Tab as "Menu Bar."The Menu Bar is customizable (menu commands and submenu commands can be added, removed, renamed and so on), but there is no command like the Microsoft Project 4.x Customize Menu Bars command to create additional menu bars. Likewise, there is no Menu Bars Tab in the Microsoft Project 98 Organizer (there is still a Toolbars Tab).
The single Menu Bar and all of the Toolbars in Microsoft Project 98 are called CommandBars.
CommandBar font
Microsoft Project 4.x used the Display Scheme menu font and size for menu text.
Microsoft Project 98 uses the same font as other Office applications. If the Display Scheme menu font is set to MS San Serif, then Tahoma is used for CommandBars. Otherwise the Display Scheme menu font is used (Tahoma is a TrueType font that Microsoft Project 98 installs in the Font directory).
Microsoft Project 98 default menus
Only new Microsoft Project 98 menu items and menu items that have been moved or changed from Microsoft Project 4.x are discussed in detail.
The sample pictures in this section are from the Gantt Chart, Task Usage, and the Resource Usage views unless specified otherwise. Some of the items shown in this section are disabled in some views.
If the Customize dialog is active, then menu command names in brackets [] are dynamic and change based on your actions. A ‘/’ is used to separate command names that change based on context. This is similar to the notation used in the Menu Bar Definition dialog in Microsoft Project 4.x.
File menu
The picture shows the File menu and its submenus if the Customize dialog is displayed.
Save As HTML: Added for Office consistency. Displays the normal Save As dialog with the HTML Document (*.html;*.htm) file type selected.Send To: Has the submenu that follows that replaces the separate Microsoft Project 4.x File menu items Send, Add/Edit Routing Slip, and Post To Exchange Folder.
The actual submenu displays as shown:
Without a routing slip... With a routing slip...
More about the Sent To submenu: The Mail Recipient command is to send files without routing slips. The Next Routing Recipient command is to forward files with a routing slip. As in Microsoft Project 4.x, when the document has a routing slip, this command displays a dialog asking if you want to send the project to the next routing recipient or send the document as a normal send. The Routing Recipient and Other Routing Recipient commands replace the Microsoft Project 4.x Add Routing Slip and Edit Routing Slip commands. The Exchange Folder command replaces the Microsoft Project 4.x Post To Exchange Folder command.
Properties: Moved below the Send To item for consistency with Office 97.
Edit menu
The picture shows the Edit menu and its submenus if the Customize dialog is displayed.
Cut, Copy, Paste, Delete, Hide and Clear Entire:
Þ Each of the commands can include selection-based text. In Microsoft Project 4.xeither Cell, Task, or Resource was appended after the command in parenthesis. In Microsoft Project 98, the text is appended without parenthesis and also includes Assignment or Row. Assignment is used when the selection includes only assignment rows in one of the Usage views. However, Clear Entire Assignment is not supported, so that command is disabled. Row is used when a selection includes both resources and assignment rows or both task and assignments rows in a Usage view. It also supports Delete Cells on the timescaled portion of the Usage view.
Þ Paste as Hyperlink: Creates a hyperlink to the copied data, if the source of the copied data supports it. Office 97 supports this feature. The hyperlink information is stored in the Hyperlink, Hyperlink Address, Hyperlink SubAddress, and Hyperlink HREF fields.
Þ Clear Hyperlinks: Clears the information in the Hyperlink fields for the selected rows.
Þ Hide Column: When an entire column is selected, the command Hide Column is displayed on the menu instead of the Microsoft Project 4.x command, Delete Column. This makes it clearer that no data is deleted, and that the column is simply removed from the table.
Fill submenu: Replace the Microsoft Project 4.x Fill Down command. Only the Down and Up commands apply to tables. All the commands apply to the timescaled portion of Usage views.
Split Task: New split task feature in Microsoft Project 98.
Replace: New search and replace features in Microsoft Project 98.
View menu
The picture shows the View menu and its submenus if the Customize dialog is displayed.
In the four pictures, the Customize dialog is not displayed:
Default View menuitems / Default Task Table submenu items / Default Resource Table submenu items / Default Toolbars
submenu items
Task Usage and Resource Usage: New views in Microsoft Project 98 to view task/resource records and assignment records, both as totals in a table in the left pane, and timephased values in a timescaled right pane. Microsoft Project 4.x had a Resource Usage view, but it did not show both resource and assignment records together. The timephased data could also not be edited.
Tracking Gantt: Microsoft Project 4.x had this view, but it was not listed in the default view menu.
Toolbars: In Microsoft Project 4.x, this command displayed the Toolbars dialog. In Microsoft Project 98, it displays a submenu that lists available views and indicates which are displayed.
View Bar: This toggles the display of the new Microsoft Project 98 View Bar.
Header and Footer: For consistency with Office 97. This command displays the Page Setup dialog Header Tab. This is not listed in the Microsoft Project 4.x View menu.
Insert menu
The picture on the right shows the Insert menu when the Customize dialog is displayed.The default Insert menu items depend on the active selection as shown in the following six pictures (when the Customize dialog is not displayed).
Note: If a blank task or resource record is selected, then the Page Break and Object items are disabled. If a cell is selected in the timescaled grid of a Usage view, then the Object item is disabled.
If a nonblank task record is selected in a task view: / If an assignment record is selected in a Task Usage view: / If a nonblank resource record is selected in a resource view: / If an assignment record is selected in a Resource Usage view:
If a nonblank record is selected in the left pane of the Task Usage view and a cell is active in the timescaled grid. / If a nonblank record is selected in the left pane of the Resource Usage view and a cell is active in the timescaled grid.
Redundant use of the word Insert is eliminated: Microsoft Project 4.x included the redundant word Insert as part of several items listed on the Insert menu, such as Insert Recurring task. Microsoft Project 98 does not use the word, Insert, in the names of the items on the Insert menu.
New Task/Resource/Assignment: The Microsoft Project 4.x Insert Task/Resource/Resource assignment commands changed to New Task/Resource/Assignment in Microsoft Project 98. The Microsoft Project 4.x Resource Assignment command (which displays the Resource Assignment dialog) is now the Microsoft Project 98 Tools Resources Assign Resources submenu command (which displays the Assign Resources dialog).