Transparent Fills for Task Bars and Milestone Symbols Version 7.2

Introduction

Illustrations used in this article are from OnePager Pro using data from Microsoft Project but the features, functions, controls, and manual edits apply equally to other OnePager editions that import from data sources like Microsoft Excel, Microsoft Project Online, Microsoft Project Server, Microsoft Project for the Web, Smartsheet, Oracle Primavera P6, Planisware Enterprise, Asana, and Wrike.

This article describes OnePager’s Transparent Fills for Task Bars and Milestones feature.

OnePager charts are constructed in layers on your computer screen so some graphics in the chart may be behind or in front of other graphics. Graphics in these layers can be adjusted by using Order commands and the transparency feature for task bars/milestone symbols. This article discusses both.

Order Commands

Graphics in the chart are represented by shapes that are positions in one of several levels as they appear on your computer screen. As a consequence, some shapes on the top most level (front) may block the appearance of shapes at a lower level (back) and this may be an unwanted result.

There are controls provided where you can bring shapes to the front of the chart or move them to the back of the chart. For example, you can access the task bar context menu with a right click and navigate to the Order command as shown below:

Order commands and the same sub-commands as shown above are provided for Comment Boxes, Free Boxes, Task Links, Curtains, and inserted Images or Pictures. The sub-commands provide options to (1) bring the shape to the front, (2) send it to the back, (3) bring it forward one level, or (4) send it back one level. With these controls you can manipulate shapes that are overlapping to obtain the results you need for your schedule conversations.

For more detailed information on the Order command, please see the article at:

Order of Tasks/Milestones Decorations

Controlling Transparency

OnePager also provides controls for changing the transparency of various shapes in the chart so you achieve intended visual effects. That is, by increasing the transparency of an object in the foreground, you can make a background shape visible while retaining the foreground shape’s presence. Transparency controls are provided for Comment Boxes, Free Boxes, Baselines, Deadlines, Endpoints, Curtains, Drop shadows, and inserted Images or Pictures.

These transparency controls all operate in the same way: transparency is expressed as a percentage where zero (0) percent transparency is considered a solid and 100% transparent is considered totally see through. Prior to OnePager Version 7.2 transparency controls were only provided for the shapes identified in the above list. There were no transparency controls for task bars/milestone symbols either globally or on an individual task bar/milestone symbol basis. OnePager Version 7.2 and later now provides full transparency controls for task bars/milestone symbols.

This article describes the new transparency controls provided with OnePager Version 7.2 for task bars/milestone symbols for global and individual editing in the chart.

Global Transparency Controls for Task Bars/Milestone Symbols

The OnePager Template Properties and Chart Properties form’s Task Bar and Milestone tabs are enhanced in OnePager Version 7.2 with the addition of transparency controls as shown below for the Chart Properties form:

Chart Properties Form’s Task Bar Tab Chart Properties Form’s Milestone Tab

Transparency values can be set for task bars/milestone symbols before the chart is created by making the appropriate control settings in the Template Properties form’s Task Bars or Milestones tabs. After the chart is created, transparency values can be set or reset by making the appropriate control settings in the Chart Properties form’s Task Bars or Milestones tabs.

Global Task Bar Transparency - Example

As an example of how transparency can be used in a chart, suppose we have a BlueGrass Project chart in OnePager and have added an image (Picture) to the background as shown below:

In the chart above, the inserted picture appears behind the task bars obscuring the top portion of the picture. If we suppose further for a moment that this a branded product and we want to show it more prominently but still have the task bars present, we can increase the task bar’s transparency value bringing out more detail on the picture that is in a back level as shown below with Transparency set at fifty-percent (50%).

Increasing the Transparency value lets the background picture show through with greater clarity yet does not completely reduce the visibility of the task bars.

Increasing the Transparency value even further to ninety-five percent (95%) allows the background picture to become more prominent as shown here:

Altering the global transparency value of task bars/milestone symbols is a way of maintaining the visibility of task bars/milestone symbols in the chart and allowing objects or pictures in the background to have some prominence. The global transparency controls for task bars/milestone symbols can be used in conjunction with Order commands to achieve various chart effects.

Global Milestone Symbol Transparency - Example

As mentioned at the beginning of this article the milestone symbol transparency controls are provided for created charts in the Milestones tab of the Chart Properties form as shown below:

As an illustration we can take the OnePager chart used in this article and transform its task bars into milestone symbols at their Finish dates. That OnePager chart looks like this:

Changing these milestone symbols’ transparency values to 50% makes the chart appear as shown below:

A note is necessary on the OnePager Emoji feature that can be used in addition to Dynamic shapes for the purpose of representing Milestone Start/Finish dates. Emoji shapes cannot be increased in transparency. There changing the milestone shapes in the above charts which shows its Dynamic shape milestone symbols at 50% transparency results in a chart with Emoji shapes that look like the chart shown below:

For a complete list of Dynamic and Emoji shapes, please see the article at:

Gallery of Dynamic Shapes and Emoji Symbols

Individual Task Bars/Milestone Symbols Transparency Controls

In addition to global transparency value controls, you have the capability to select one or more task bar/milestone symbols using various selection combinations and change the selected shape’s transparency values. The controls for making transparency value changed to individual task bar/milestone symbols is provided in the Change Task/Milestone Properties form at the Format tab as shown below:

The Transparency value control shown above operates the same as described for the Transparency value control discussed for the global transparency value controls. Increasing the Transparency value increases the level of transparency for the selected task bar/milestone symbol.

When you change an individual task bar/milestone symbol’s transparency value, you are creating a maverick transparency value. As with other controls in the above Change Task/Milestone Properties form, clicking the Use Format Defaults button restores the values at the Format tab to the values specified in the Chart Properties form.

Transparency value settings are snapshot dependent.

Individual Task Bar Transparency - Example

For a selected transparency value change let’s start with the basic chart shown below where all transparency values are set at zero-percent (0%):

For purpose of illustration, we’ll select the MERLINE Subcontractor Selection and ADONIS Subcontractor Selection tasks with a right-click to access the task bar right-click context menu and click the Format command to access the Change Task/Milestone Properties form shown below:

When you click the OK button on the Change Task/Milestone Properties form, the two selected task bars and the chart looks like this:

As an illustration of how this can improve the visibility of other objects in the chart, suppose there is a manual task link added for planning purposes that happens to pass through a task bar as shown below where the task link is visible through a task bar with 50% transparency:

Having a Transparency value of 50% allows the manually inserted task link to remain visible from the predecessor task bar to the successor task bar. If, however, the two task bars with 50% transparency values are returned to the default transparency values of 0%, the chart looks like this:

In the illustration above the selected task bars are restored to zero-percent (0%) transparency value and hide a portion of the manual task link. Task bar/milestone transparency value changes can be used in this way to increase the visibility of critical shapes in the chart.

Individual Milestone Symbol Transparency

Changing the transparency value for a single or multiply selected milestone symbol in the chart is the same as described in the previous sub-section for single or multiply selected task bars. Selection of a milestone symbol with a right-click accesses the milestone symbol right-click context menu where you can then click the Format command to access the Change Task/Milestone Properties form at its Format tab. When these actions are taken, the Format tab for the Change Task/Milestone Properties form looks like this:

Once accessed, the form above can be used to change the properties of selected milestone symbols in the chart including their transparency values.

Related Links

OnePager Express Import of Data from Microsoft Excel	OnePager Import of Data from Primavera P6
OnePager Import of Data from Smartsheet	OnePager Import of Data from Project for the Web
OnePager Import of Data from Planisware Enterprise	OnePager Import of Data from Asana
OnePager Import of Data from Wrike	Manual Editing Task/Milestone Shapes and Text Labels (Portal)
Changing Individual Task/Milestone Properties (Color, Shapes, Labels, etc.)	Labeling Task/Milestone Dates for OnePager
Percent complete for OnePager	Baselines for OnePager
Order of Tasks/Milestones Decorations	Editing with the Chart Properties form (Portal)
Managing Templates (Portal)	Gallery of Dynamic Shapes and Emoji Symbols

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