Template Only Features for Version 5.3 (OnePager Express)

About Template Only Features

Because the Template Properties and Project-View Properties (PVP) forms are similar, this section only covers the areas of the former that are different from the later. If you are unclear on the differences between a template and a PVP, please review the explanation in the Core Concepts (Portal) and Templates versus Project Views articles.

2) You should familiarize yourself with PVP form before reading this section. Please see the article at this link: Editing with the Project-View Properties form (Portal) for more information and access to more detailed articles.

A Couple of Notes On Templates

1) Permanent Template Chronicle Graphics, Inc. ships OPX with one pre-defined permanent template that you cannot accidentally delete. The permanent template has the word Permanent in its name. The permanent template cannot be modified hence all the control features on each tab are disabled (ghosted).

2) Metric versus Non-Metric Within a template there are settings which are measures that must be considered when building the project view graph.

a) These include the height of individual rows, the height of the percent-complete bar within a task bar, and the like.

b) OnePager supports two measurement conventions: English (inches) and Metric (centimeters). For convenience you can identify a Metric based template because the word (metric) is included in the title. And these two sets of templates are separated by default into English and a Metric subfolder of the default templates folder.

3) In addition to the English and Metric folders in the template folder there is a Legacy folder containing templates from versions of OPP prior to version 5.3.

4) Ideally, you will use one of the templates provided you one time and then from there you will customize your project using your own customer template.

a) Once a project view is customized it may be transformed into a template using the Copy to Template button on the ribbon's Home tab.

b) Our templates will give you a starting point, but to maximize your efficiency, we recommend you learn how to create and update your own templates.

Main Template Tab

1) The Main tab of the Template Properties form differs slightly from the PVP form. The template does not have entry positions for the Start date, and End date, or project view title, because these dates are systematically produced by OnePager based on the earliest start date and latest finish dates in your data. The Title is something you designate as you create the new project view with the OnePager choices (OPC) form.

Advanced Template Tab

2) The Advanced tab is shown below. Most of these parameters in the template are identical to those appearing in the PVP form.

a) In the template’s Advanced tab there is no Lock background checkbox in the Display options group. This is an option available after the project view is created.

b) One key difference between the Template Properties form and PVP form is the ability to use the template to configure a multi-project import The next sub-section explains this further.

c) For more information on creating multi-project project views please visit these two articles: Basic Workflows (Portal) and Creating Various Multi-Project Views with OnePager Pro and Express (Portal)

Merge tasks on snapshot replacement (see screenshot above)

3) Checking this checkbox in the template puts any project views created with this template into the multi-file multi-project mode. This mode is specifically designed to support users who want to create multi-project project views from several independent Microsoft Excel plans. It allows OnePager to recognize data as coming from more than one unique file and combine that into your OnePager project view, hence the merge reference.

4) This is an advanced feature and when used, OnePager needs you to create a Task ID column with uniquely numbered tasks and milestones that can be imported from the various Microsoft Excel plans. This is necessary so that OnePager uniquely recognize each row in each separate file.

a) A simple example shows how this checkbox works. Suppose that the first Microsoft Excel plan contains tasks A, B, and C and that the second plan contains tasks D, E, and F. After making a new project view from the first plan, you open the second Microsoft Excel plan and update the project view in Replace Snapshot mode. If the checkbox is checked, the project view will now contain tasks A, B, C, D, E, and F. If the checkbox is not checked, the project view will now contain only tasks D, E, and F.

b) Once you adopted this scheme for the project view being created, it is not possible to update the project view in the future in the default single-file single-project mode.

Other Columns Tab

1) This tab is unique to the Template Properties form and is not available in PVP form. The Other Columns tab is shown below:

2) This tab allows you to specify which columns, including additional columns from your Microsoft Excel plan, should be imported when the project view is first created. This tab gives you the flexibility to use columns for conditional formatting, row labeling, or round-robin color that you did not use when you originally created the project view.

3) As shown in the Other Columns tab form above, are window options available for you to change the columns used to drive display in the Percent-complete column and the Task-name column.

4) Additionally, you may change the Microsoft Excel plan usage for any of the columns mentioned in the Date columns group shown on the right side of the Other Columns tab. The mappings in the template will also drive the values in Page 2 of the OPC form, as shown below, unless No Selection option is made. In that case, OnePager will still look for columns to complete this form when you create a new project view.

Rules Column (snapshot dependent) group

5) When you desire to make use of additional Microsoft Excel plan columns for the creation of Conditional Formatting Rules, it is necessary to add these columns in this Template Properties form's Other Columns tab before creating your project view.

a) These four (4) columns, with their associated window dropdowns, are available for use with Conditional Formatting Rules.

b) However, these four (4) columns are not exclusively reserved for this purpose so you may use them for whatever creative purpose you have in mind.

c) Note that any column you choose for conditional formatting will be refreshed during any form of Update.

Extra Columns (snapshot independent) group

6) The Other Columns tab also lets you import three extra columns from your Microsoft Excel plan in case you later change your mind about which Microsoft Excel plan columns you want to use.

a) These three (3) extra columns with the four (4) Rule columns mentioned above may be used for any purpose such as row or swimlane labels, round-robin color assignments, collecting tasks into rows, etc.

b) Note that only those Microsoft Excel plan columns specified in the Template Properties form or Page 2 of the OPC form will be imported to your new OnePager project view. Once you have created your project view you cannot retroactively map a column.

c) The features described here are not available on the PVP form as that form is available after data are imported from your Microsoft Excel plan.

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