Resource Usage Copies Wrong Periods If Week Starts on Monday
  
PSS ID Number: Q105920
Article last modified on 03-15-1995
 
3.00 3.00a | 3.00
 
WINDOWS    | MACINTOSH
 

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The information in this article applies to:
 
 - Microsoft Project for Windows, versions 3.0, 3.0a
 - Microsoft Project for Macintosh, version 3.0
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SYMPTOM
=======
 
If the Resource Usage timescale is formatted for weeks over none and Start
Week On is set for Monday, then Microsoft Project may copy the wrong
timescale columns when you choose Copy from the Edit menu and select the
Table And Timescale option.
 
CAUSE
=====
 
Microsoft Project ignores the Start Week On setting when deciding which
columns to copy based on the From and To dates in the Copy Resource Usage
dialog box. Microsoft Project always determines the columns to copy as if
Sunday were the start of the week.
 
STATUS
======
 
Microsoft has confirmed this to be a problem in Microsoft Project for
Windows versions 3.0 and 3.0a. This problem does not occur in versions of
Microsoft Project later than 3.0a.
 
MORE INFORMATION
================
 
Microsoft Project looks at a regular calendar week as Sunday through
Saturday. However, Microsoft Project gives you the option to change how it
views a regular calendar week by supplying the Start Week On= option in the
Preferences file. This option accepts a value of 0 or 1 (where 0 represents
Sunday and 1 represents Monday). The default setting is Sunday. The Start
Week On setting effects only timescale labels formatted with units of
Weeks. If you are using Microsoft Project for Windows, the Preferences file
is the WINPROJ.INI file, and if you are using Microsoft Project for the
Macintosh, it is called the "Microsoft Project Settings" file.
 
Steps to Reproduce Behavior
---------------------------
 
 1. Exit Microsoft Project. Open the Preferences file in a text editor such
    as Microsoft Notepad or Microsoft Word. If necessary, change the "Start
    Week On=0" option to "Start Week On=1" (without the quotation marks).
    Save the changes.
 
    NOTE: If you do not edit the file in Microsoft Notepad, be sure to save
    the file in ASCII or TEXT file format.
 
 2. Start Microsoft Project. From the Options menu, select Preferences,
    choose Reset and choose OK.
 
 3. From the Options menu, select Base Calendar. Select the Standard
    Calendar and choose Edit. Choose Reset, Yes, OK, and then Close.
 
 4. From the File menu, choose New.
 
 5. From the Options menu, select Project Info and change the project start
    date to Friday 11/5/93 8:00am. Choose OK.
 
 6. Enter a task T with a duration of 6d. Note that T has a scheduled start
    of Friday 11/5/93 8:00am and a scheduled finish of Friday 11/12/93
    5:00pm.
 
 7. Assign a resource R to task T.
 
 8. From the View menu, choose Resource Usage view (top or full screen).
 
 9. From the Format menu, choose Timescale. Set Units on the Major Scale to
    Weeks with the Label option set to January 31. Set Units on the Minor
    Scale to None. Choose OK.
 
10. From the Format menu, choose Work. Note that the period labels
    correctly reflect that Monday is the start of each week. Two timescale
    columns contain non-zero work as shown below:
 
         ID     Name          November 1     November 8
         1        R               8              40
 
11. Select R, and from the Edit menu, choose Copy. In the Copy Resource
    Usage dialog box, select Table and Timescale. Enter the From and To
    dates shown below and Choose OK.
 
        From:     11/7/93 12:00am
        To:       11/7/93 1:00am
 
    Note that 11/7/93 is a Sunday and is part of the week starting on
    Monday 11/1/93 12:00am.
 
12. If you are using Microsoft Project for Windows, open the Clipboard to
    view what was copied, or paste into a new Notepad document. If you're
    using Project for the Macintosh, paste into a new Word document.
 
Expected behavior: Because the From-To range was contained completely
within the week starting on Monday 11/1/93 12:00am, it should have copied
the column for that week as shown below:
 
   R     8
 
Actual behavior: Microsoft Project incorrectly copies the column for the
second week, as shown below, because it treats Sunday as the start of the
week when deciding which timescale columns to copy. That is, Microsoft
Project interprets Sunday 11/7/93 as part of the second week, and therefore
copies the data in the second timescale column, which runs from 11/8/93
12:00am to 11/15/93 12:00am.
 
   R     40
 
NOTE: In step 5, if you enter From-To dates of 11/1/93 12:00am to 11/8/93
12:00am, Microsoft Project should copy only the first week period; however,
both periods are copied because Microsoft Project interprets Sunday 11/7/93
to be part of the second week.
 
KBCategory: kbusage
KBSubcategory:
 
Additional reference words: 3.00 3.00a
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Copyright Microsoft Corporation 1995.
