Q113994 - PRJ4: Upgrading Questions and Answers for Project 4.0

PRJ4: Upgrading Questions and Answers for Project 4.0

Q113994

The information in this article applies to:

Microsoft Project for Windows, version 4.0

SUMMARY

This article contains upgrading questions and answers for Microsoft Project for Windows, version 4.0.

MORE INFORMATION

Q. What new features are included in Microsoft Project version 4.0 for Windows?

A. Some of the new features of Microsoft Project version 4.0 include the following:
- The ability to use electronic mail to distribute task assignments and request task updates.
- The GanttChartWizard asks you how you want your Gantt chart to look and applies the proper formatting automatically. Like Microsoft Office, Microsoft Project 4.0 features ToolTips, tabbed dialog boxes, shortcut menus, customizable toolbars, and object linking and embedding (OLE) 2.0 support.
- New multiproject consolidation and improved multiproject resource sharing make it easier to manage multiple projects and balance resources. Additional database utility features enable Microsoft Project 4.0 to store and retrieve project data in Microsoft Access DBMS database files.
- The new crosstab reports provide task and resource information over time with the associated assignment information over time as well.
- Microsoft Project 4.0 also includes the Microsoft Visual Basic Programming System, Applications Edition, the shared macro language for Microsoft Office programs.

Q. What are the minimum hardware and software requirements for Microsoft Project version 4.0 for Windows?

A. To run Microsoft Project version 4.0, you need the following:
1. An IBM PC/AT or compatible, or PS/2, with an 80386 or higher processor
2. A minimum of 4 megabytes (MB) of RAM
3. A hard disk drive with 9 MB of available hard disk space
4. MS-DOS or PC-DOS version 3.3 or later
5. Microsoft Windows operating system version 3.1 or later, Microsoft Windows for Workgroups version 3.1 or later, or Microsoft Windows NT version 3.1 or later
6. An IBM-compatible VGA, 8514/A, or Hercules graphics card or other high-resolution graphics card compatible with Windows version 3.1 or later
7. A Microsoft Mouse or other mouse or pointing device compatible with Windows version 3.1 or later
8. A 5.25-inch or 3.5-inch high-density disk drive or a 3.5- inch low-density disk drive
9. A MAPI- or VIM-compliant mail system to use electronic-mail- enabled features

Q. Microsoft Project version 3.0 does not have custom calculated fields that I could define. Has this changed in Microsoft Project version 4.0?

A. Microsoft Project version 4.0 includes Microsoft Visual Basic Programming System, Applications Edition. Using this powerful programming language, you can create simple macros to calculate custom data on a task-by-task basis. All you need to do is run the macro each time you want to update the data. Using this method, you can create a macro to calculate almost any value you need and have it placed in a number field.

For example, the following macro subtracts the start date from the finish date for each task in the active project and places the result in the Number1 column for that task.
```
          Sub Macro1()
             Dim t As Object
             On Error Resume Next
             For Each t In ActiveProject.Tasks
                t.Number1 = t.Finish - t.Start
             Next t
             On Error GoTo 0
          End Sub 
```
Microsoft provides programming examples for illustration only, without warranty either expressed or implied, including, but not limited to, the implied warranties of merchantability and/or fitness for a particular purpose. This article assumes that you are familiar with the programming language being demonstrated and the tools used to create and debug procedures. Microsoft support professionals can help explain the functionality of a particular procedure, but they will not modify these examples to provide added functionality or construct procedures to meet your specific needs. If you have limited programming experience, you may want to contact a Microsoft Certified Partner or the Microsoft fee-based consulting line at (800) 936-5200. For more information about Microsoft Certified Partners, please see the following page on the World Wide Web:
http://www.microsoft.com/partner/referral/
For more information about the support options available from Microsoft, please see the following page on the World Wide Web:
http://support.microsoft.com/directory/overview.asp

Q. Microsoft Project version 4.0 combines view, calendar, and project information in a single file. How do I copy elements from my Microsoft Project version 3.0 files (calendar, view, and project) into a Microsoft Project version 4.0 file so that I have the same information available in 4.0 that I had in 3.0?A. To combine a Microsoft Project version 3.0 calendar file, view file, and project file, follow these steps:
1. In Microsoft Project version 4.0, open your Microsoft Project version 3.0 calendar file.
  
  NOTE: In Microsoft Project version 3.0 for Windows, the default calendar file is Calendar.mpc.
2. On the View menu, click More Views, and then click Organizer. Click the Calendars tab.
3. In the Calendars Available In list on the left, click GLOBAL.MPT. From the equivalent list on the right, click the Microsoft Project 3.0 calendar file. In the list under the Microsoft Project 3.0 calendar file name on the right, select the calendars you want to copy. Click Copy. In the Organizer dialog box, click Close. In the More Views dialog box, click Close.
4. In Microsoft Project version 4.0, open your Microsoft Project version 3.0 view file.
  
  NOTE: In Microsoft Project version 3.0 for Windows, the default view file is View.mpv.
5. On the View menu, click More Views, and then click Organizer. Select the Views tab.
6. In the Views Available In list on the left, click GLOBAL.MPT. In the equivalent list on the right, click the Microsoft Project 3.0 view file. In the list under the Microsoft Project 3.0 view file name on the right, select the views you want to copy. Click Copy. In the Organizer dialog box, click Close. In the More Views dialog box, click Close.
7. Open your Microsoft Project version 3.0 project files.
  
  To transfer customized elements from your Microsoft Project version 3.0 view and calendar files to your Microsoft Project version 4.0 project file or Global.mpt file, follow these steps:
  1. On the View menu, click More Views, and then click Organizer Select the appropriate tab for the element (view, table, filter, report, or form) that you want to copy to another project file.
  2. In the Available In list on the left, click the Microsoft Project version 4.0 file to which you want to copy the element, or click GLOBAL.MPT to copy the information to your global file. In the equivalent list on the right, click the file that contains the Microsoft Project version 3.0 custom element that you want to copy. In the list under the Microsoft Project 3.0 file name, click the custom element you want to copy. Click Copy.
    
    NOTE: If you copy an element with the same name as an element in the destination file, you will receive a message asking if you want to replace the element in the destination file or rename the element you are copying.
  3. In the Organizer dialog box, click Close. In the More Views dialog box, click Close.

Q. In Microsoft Excel versions 4.0 and 5.0 and in Microsoft Word version 6.0, I can use the secondary mouse button to bring up a shortcut menu. Does Microsoft Project 4.0 have any shortcut menus?

A. In Microsoft Project version 4.0, you can use the secondary mouse button to access the most commonly used commands in almost any situation. The menu commands available depend on where you click. To find out what shortcut menus are available, try clicking the secondary mouse button when the mouse pointer is on the toolbar, the timescale, the Gantt Chart, or the Gantt bars; shortcut menus are available nearly everywhere you can click.

Q. In Microsoft Project 3.0, I use the Resource Assignment dialog box to add resources to my tasks. This dialog box has changed in Microsoft Project version 4.0. Is this dialog box still the best way to add resources to a task?

A. Because of the changes in the Resource Assignment dialog box, the dialog box is even easier to use for assigning resources to tasks. For example, the dialog box remains open while you edit your tasks in the Gantt Chart; therefore, the dialog box is always available when you assign resources.

To assign resources using this dialog box, use any of the following methods:
- To assign the resource full time to the task, select the tasks in your schedule, select the resource in the dialog box, and click Assign.
- To drag a resource to a task line to assign the resource, select the resource you want to assign, then move your mouse to the row header until the profile of a person is displayed below the mouse pointer. Drag the resource to a task (not the Gantt bar for the task), and release the mouse button. The resource is assigned full time to the task.
- To assign a resource part time from this dialog box, select the task or tasks to which you want to assign the resource. In the Units column, type the partial unit. For example, to assign the resource half time, type .5.

Additional query words:

Keywords : kbdta
Issue type : kbinfo
Technology :