PRJ4: Project 4.0 for Macintosh Upgrading Questions and Answers

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1. Q. I noticed that the Gantt bar chart now displays link lines. Have other enhancements been made to the Gantt Chart?
   
   A. The new items in the Gantt Chart view include the following:
   • Link lines. There are two styles of link lines, as well as the option to not show them. To see these lines, click Layout on the Format menu while the Gantt Chart is displayed.
     
     
   • Nonworking time can be displayed as a shaded area on the Gantt Chart. You can also change which calendar the nonworking time shows. To do this, click Timescale on the Format menu, and click the Nonworking Time tab.
     
     
   • You can display graphic images on the Gantt Chart, over or behind the task bars. Images you can display include: OLE objects, graphics pasted from the Clipboard, and drawing objects you create with the Drawing toolbar.
   
   
   
2. Q. How can I transfer files between Microsoft Project version 4.0 for the Macintosh and Microsoft Project version 3.0 for Windows or the Macintosh?
   
   A. In Microsoft Project version 4.0 for the Macintosh, you can open Microsoft Project version 3.0 for Windows or the Macintosh files directly, no conversion is necessary. However, you must save a version 4.0 file in the MPX 3.0 file format in order to open the file in Microsoft Project version 3.0. To do this in version 4.0, click Save As on the File menu, and then click MPX 3.0 in the Formats list.
   
   View and calendar files in Microsoft Project are transferable in one direction only. That is, you can open a version 3.0 view or calendar file in version 4.0, but not vice versa. Microsoft Project version 4.0 stores view and calendar information in the project file. To use a version 4.0 project file in an earlier version of Microsoft Project, make a backup copy before you open the file in version 3.0.
   
   Workspace files created in an earlier version of Microsoft Project cannot be opened in version 4.0. You must re-create the files in version 4.0.
3. 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 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 save this information in a single file, you must open the 3.0 files in Microsoft Project 4.0 and use the Organizer to merge them into a single file. 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, the default calendar file is named Calendar.
   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 Template (your global file). In the equivalent list on the right, click the Microsoft Project version 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. Close the More Views dialog box.
   4. In Microsoft Project version 4.0, open your Microsoft Project version 3.0 view file.
      
      NOTE: In Microsoft Project version 3.0, the default view is named Views.
   5. On the View menu, click More Views, and then click Organizer. Click the Views tab.
   6. In the Views Available In list on the left, click Global Template. In the equivalent list on the right, click the Microsoft Project version 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. Close the More Views dialog box.
   7. In Microsoft Project version 4.0, 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 Template, 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 Template 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. Choose 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. Close the More Views dialog box.
      
      NOTE: When you copy a view or report, copy the associated table or filter as well, so that it will be available for use with the view or report in Microsoft Project version 4.0.
4. Q. How can I open Microsoft Project for Windows, version 1.0, and Microsoft Project for the Macintosh, version 1.1, files in Microsoft Project version 4.0?
   
   A. You can only open Microsoft Project version 1.0 and version 1.1 files in Microsoft Project version 4.0 if you first save them in the MPX file format from version 1.0 or 1.1.
   
   To save your project files in MPX file format from within Microsoft Project version 1.0 or 1.1, follow these steps:
   
   
   1. In Microsoft Project version 1.0 or 1.1, open the file you want to open in Microsoft Project version 4.0.
   2. On the File menu, click Save As. Click Options.
   3. In the Formats list, click MPX. Click OK.
   The MPX file you just created can now be transferred and opened in Microsoft Project version 4.0.
5. Q. I have been opening my Microsoft Project version 3.0 view files in Microsoft Project version 4.0, and now I have several toolbars that all look the same. Why is this happening?
   
   A. When you open a Microsoft Project version 3.0 view file in Microsoft Project version 4.0, the toolbar contained in the view file is automatically displayed. The toolbars displayed when you open these view files are given the name TOOLBAR<x>, where <x> is a number that is incremented each time you open another view file.
   
   To hide unwanted toolbars, following these steps:
   
   
   1. On the View menu, click Toolbars.
   2. In the Toolbars list, select the name of the toolbar that you no longer want to be displayed, and click Hide.
   To remove a toolbar from the list of available toolbars, follow these steps:
   1. On the View menu, click Toolbars.
   2. Click Organizer.
   3. In the Global Template list, select the names of the toolbars you want to remove completely (use the COMMAND key to select multiple toolbars) and then click Delete.
6. Q. In Microsoft Project version 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. Yes. In fact, the changes in the Resource Assignment dialog box make the dialog box 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.

     -or-

   • To assign a resource by dragging it to a task line, select the resource you want to assign, and 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 below the Gantt bar for the task), and release the mouse button. The resource is assigned full time to the task.

     -or-

   • 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.
   
   
   
7. Q. I want to delete only a specific cell of information about a specific task. When I press DEL on the keyboard, I delete the entire task. In version 3.0 of Microsoft Project, I can use the DEL key to delete a single cell; how can I do this in version 4.0?
   
   A. The DEL key functionality has changed in version 4.0 of Microsoft Project. Pressing DEL now deletes the entire task. To remove the contents of a specific cell in Microsoft Project, press COMMAND+DEL. You can also press COMMAND+Z to undo any action that you just performed.
8. Q. Microsoft Project version 3.0 does not have custom calculated fields that I define. Has this changed in Microsoft Project version 4.0?
   
   A. Microsoft Project for the Macintosh, 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 that calculates almost any value you need and places it 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
               For Each t In ActiveProject.Tasks
                  If Not (t is Nothing) then
                     t.Number1 = t.Finish - t.Start
                  End If
               Next t
            End Sub
   					

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