Creating and Managing Curtains for Version 7.0

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Overview

Curtains displayed in the graph highlight an interval of time in a project relevant to a schedule conversation such as periods with critical schedule constraints, vacation periods, or project reviews. Strategically using Curtains in the chart is a way to focus on that periods of time with your audience.

Inserting Curtains into the Chart

OnePager allows Curtains to be inserted and edited in the chart. You can use the OnePager Insert ribbon tool bar tab and the Curtains button in the Annotations section to access the Curtain Properties form. Additionally, OnePager Pro and Express provides enhanced curtain creation and management capabilities where you can define and edit Curtains using controls associated with Time Axis Levels and Cells. Finally, you can add a Curtain to the chart from an already existing Curtain using the existing Curtain's context menu Add another ... command. This article specifically describes the controls for creating, editing, copying (adding another), and deleting Curtains in the chart using the OnePager ribbon's Insert tab's Curtains button as the starting point.

Using the Time Axis to Insert Curtains into the Chart

Curtains corresponding to Time Axis Cells and other periods of interest can also be inserted into the chart and edited from the OnePager Pro or Express Time Axis. References to the specific articles describing the capabilities and features for creating, managing, and editing Curtain graphics associated with the Time Axis Levels and Cells feature are provided in the table below:

Creating, Editing, and Managing Time Axis Daily Curtains for OnePager Pro Creating, Editing, and Managing Time Axis Daily Curtains for OnePager Express
Managing Inserted Curtains for OnePager Pro Managing Inserted Curtains for OnePager Express
Managing Working Hours and Non-Working Hours for OnePager Pro Managing Working Hours and Non-Working Hours for OnePager Express

About Curtains

A Curtain is a vertical strip, usually in a highlighted color, that identifies a period of time across all rows. The example below shows a Curtain entitled Critical Resource Period that appears from 4/1/2020 to: 9/30/2020.

P70-16 0 1-70-(1-1)-09162020.png

Curtains can be added to the chart, edited, copied, and deleted as necessary. A Curtain context menu is provided for editing individual Curtains and for managing the appearance of Curtains in some or all snapshots.

Adding a Curtain

To add a new Curtain to a chart, start at the OnePager Insert ribbon tool bar tab. On the OnePager Insert ribbon tool bar tab click the Curtain button as shown below:

P70-16 0 1-70-(1A-1)-09162020.png

This accesses Curtain Properties form that allows you define the Start and End dates, appearance, and text label for the Curtain as shown here:

P70-16 0 1-70-(1B-1)-09162020.png

Once you entered the Start and End dates and other properties selections, click the OK button to add the Curtain. For example, if the curtain properties entered into the Curtain Properties form are those of the sample Curtain in the previous section, the Curtain and the Curtain Properties form looks like this:

P70-16 0 1-70-(1-1)-09162020.png

You can always access the Curtain Properties form to edit the Curtain Properties form by right-clicking inside the curtain to access the curtain right-click context menu as shown here:

P70-16 0 1-70-(1C-1)-09162020.png

Clicking the Properties ... command accesses the Curtain Properties form for the selected curtain as shown here:

P70-16 0 1-70-(2-1)-09162020.png

8) In charts with multiple snapshots, this method of adding a Curtain puts the Curtain in all snapshots.

Editing a Curtain

Editing a Curtain is similar to editing other shapes appearing in the chart such as Comment boxes. First, right-click on the Curtain to access the curtain right-click context menu shown below:

P70-16 0 1-70-(3-1)-09162020.png

Click the Properties ... command in the context menu to access the Curtain Properties form shown here:

P70-16 0 1-70-(4-1)-09162020.png

Make your option selections for font text properties and rotation, Curtain text horizontal and vertical alignment. fill color, Curtain border line properties, and transparency level. The controls in the Curtain Properties form are identical to the controls in the Shape Properties form associated with the Free box. The exceptions are that the Shape Properties form does not contain a Transparency slider bar and the Maintain aspect ratio checkbox in the Shape Properties form is replaced with the Rotate text 90 degrees checkbox in the Curtain Properties form.

For more information on the Free box's Shape Properties form, please see this section in the article at: Changing the Properties of a Free Box

The No Fill feature found on the Font properties form accessed from the Fill color dropdown button on the Curtain Properties form applies to a Curtain's Fill Color.

For more information on the No Fill option, please see this section in the article at: Creating and Managing Comment Boxes - Background Color Management

In charts with multiple snapshots, this method of editing a Curtain changes the Curtain’s properties in all snapshots where the Curtain appears. Once you have completed your Curtain editing actions, click the OK button on the Curtain Properties form.

Deleting Curtains

Deleting Curtains is similar to deleting other shapes in the chart such as a Comment box. First, right-click in the Curtain area to access the curtain right-click context menu and click the Delete command from the context menu below:

P70-16 0 1-70-(5-1)-109162020.png

Using the sub-command Delete: From this snapshot deletes the Curtain from the current displayed snapshot. Curtains that remain in other snapshots are treated as a single entity with respect to their properties. The sub-command Delete: From all snapshots deletes the Curtains from all snapshots.

Ordering Curtains

Curtains can be ordered in the chart from front to back in the same way that Free boxes can be ordered in the chart using the same context menu command and sub-commands.

For more information on ordering Free boxes in the chart, please see this section at the article at: Ordering Free Boxes

When the Order's sub-commands are used, the results with respect to the Z-Level positioning of the Curtain is shown in all snapshots where the Curtain is showing.

Adding Another ... Curtain

Also available in the curtain right-click context menu is the Add another … sub-command which is a convenient way to place another Curtain into the chart with potentially different properties as shown here:

P70-16 0 1-70-(5A-1)-09162020.png

First, right click on the Curtain showing in the chart to access the curtain right-click context menu, then click the Add another … sub-command to access the Curtain Properties form. The accessed Curtain Properties form has the same settings as the Curtain used to access the form. Use this Curtain Properties form to set the properties of the new added Curtain as shown below:

P70-16 0 1-70-(6-1)-09162020.png

Click the OK button when finished and the updated chart looks like this:

P70-16 0 1-70-(7-1)-09162020.png

As with all uses of the Curtain Properties form, when you click the OK button the additional Curtain is shown in all snapshots.

Putting A Curtain in Some Snapshots

When the Curtain Properties form is used to add a Curtain in the chart, the Curtain is put in all snapshots.

Displaying Curtains in Some Snapshots

There is no Attach to all snapshots checkbox in the Curtain Properties form as there is in the Create or edit comment box form because all added Curtains are placed in all snapshots by default. The recommend way to display a Curtain in one or a select set of snapshots is to use this two step procedure:

1) First create the Curtain with its desired properties making the Curtain appear in all snapshots as the default result.
2) Then, going to each snapshot where you do not want the Curtain to appear, use the curtain right-click context menu's Delete command to individually delete the undesired Curtains from that snapshot where the Curtain should not be showing.

Repeat this process for each snapshot where the Curtain should not appear.

Reinstating Curtains in the Future

Subsequent project demands can require that you later need to put the Curtain back in all snapshots or into a specific snapshot. To do this, just follow these steps. To put a Curtain in all snapshots, use the Put at all snapshots command found in the curtain right-click context menu for the existing Curtains in the snapshot where it is showing as done below:

P70-16 0 1-70-(8-1)-09162020.png

After clicking the Put at all snapshots command, the selected Curtain is shown in all snapshots. By using the first procedure above, you can now selectively delete Curtains from snapshots where the selected Curtains are not desired.

Editing Curtains in Snapshots

Whenever you edit the properties of a Curtain in any snapshot, the edited Curtain is updated with these edits in all snapshots where the Curtain appears. This being the case, a Curtain is never considered as a maverick because once its properties are set or edited it appears the same in all snapshots where it is showing. Likewise, the Curtains and Timespans Grid entry for the Curtain shows its current properties as discussed in the next section.

Resizing a Curtain

As described above, the width of a curtain in terms of its Start and End dates can be edited through the Curtain Properties form. The width of the Curtain can also be manually edited in the chart. To do this follow these steps.

1) Select the Curtain by left-clicking within the Curtain area to select it.

2) When selected, the Curtain shows a left and right grab box on the left and right border of the selected Curtain.

3) To change the Start and End dates for selected Curtain use your mouse and these Curtain grab boxes on the left and right borders to drag these these grab boxes to the left or right as appropriate as shown below:

P70-16 0 1-70-(10-1)-09162020.png

4) Dragging the mouse to the left or right moves the Curtain’s border as desired, retains the Curtain's original color, and re-positions any text to maintain the specified horizontal and vertical text alignments .

In the example above, the right border is dragged to the right to increase the width of the Curtain as shown below:

P70-16 0 1-70-(11-1)-09162020.png

Selecting a Very Narrow Curtain in the Chart

Some difficulty can be encountered when selecting a Curtain with the mouse left-click when the Curtain is very narrow. To select such a Curtain we recommend using these steps. Position the mouse at the bottom of the screen (in the footer area) to the left of the Curtain. Hold the left-click mouse button down and drag the mouse upward and to the right until the Lasso completely encloses the Curtain. When you release the left-click mouse button, the Curtain is selected. You can now widen the Curtain by dragging the grab boxes with the mouse cursor to the left or right as shown below:

P70-16 0 1-70-(12-1)-09162020.png

Right-clicking in the selected Curtain area accesses the the Curtain right-click context menu as described above.

Keeping Track of Curtains in the Chart

In any chart where Curtains are used for multiple purposes, it may become necessary to consult a list of Curtain entities that are in the chart or snapshots. The Time Axis Levels and Cells feature of OnePager provides a location where all Curtains in the chart are listed. Whenever you add a Curtain to the chart, regardless of the method used, an entry is made in the Curtain's and Timespans Grid found in the Chart Properties form's Time Axis tab's Format sub-tab as shown below for the example used in this article thus far:

P70-16 0 1-70-(13-1)-09162020.png

The Grid entry for the Curtain provides basic identifying properties for the Curtain which can be edited in the Grid.

For more information on The Grid, the Chart Properties form's Time Axis tab, and other Curtain features related to the Time Axis Levels and Cells feature, please see the article at: Managing Inserted Curtains for OnePager Pro and Managing Inserted Curtains for OnePager Express

For more general information on the Time Axis Levels and Cells feature in OnePager, please see the articles at: Modifying the Time Axis (Portal)

Related Links

Creating and Managing Comment Boxes

Creating and Managing Free Boxes

Creating, Editing, and Managing Time Axis Daily Curtains for OnePager Pro

Creating, Editing, and Managing Time Axis Daily Curtains for OnePager Express

Managing Inserted Curtains for OnePager Pro

Managing Inserted Curtains for OnePager Express

Managing Working Hours and Non-Working Hours for OnePager Pro

Managing Working Hours and Non-Working Hours for OnePager Express

Editing Time Axes with the Chart Properties Form for OnePager Pro

Editing Time Axes with the Chart Properties Form for OnePager Express

Manual Editing the Time Axis for OnePager Pro

Manual Editing the Time Axis for OnePager Express

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