Difference between revisions of "Changing Individual Task/Milestone Properties (Color, Shape, Labels, etc.) for Version 7.0"

Revision as of 22:02, 6 January 2021

Changing Individual Task Bar/Milestone Symbol Colors

The ability to use color to represent various kinds of information about a task bar or milestone symbol in OnePager is a powerful communications tool. When you manually change the color of a task bar/milestone symbol you are creating a task bar color maverick.

Changing Colors using the Ribbon

The easiest way to change a color is to select one or more task bars/milestone symbols. Then use the color-changer (Paint Bucket Icon) control on the OnePager Home ribbon tool bar tab shown below:

Clicking the paint bucket control shown above accesses the standard Color Chooser form from which you can select an alternative color for the selected task bars/milestone symbols. For more information Selecting task bars/milestone symbols and task bar name labels, please see the article at Selecting Task/Milestone Shapes and Text Labels 9.1.1-70,

Changing Colors Using the Format Selection

You can also right-click on a task bar/milestone symbol to change colors. Right-clicking any selected task bar/milestone symbol accesses a task bar right-click context menu that looks like this:

The color and other controls pertaining to task bars/milestone symbols are accessed by the Format… command shown above. When click the Format... command, the Change Task/Milestone Properties form is accessed as shown below:

Click the Color dropdown button which accesses the standard Color Chooser form shown here:

Selecting the new color resets the color shown in the Color window of the Change Task/Milestone Properties form. Or, if you want to use a color that is not shown, click the More colors… button to access the standard Microsoft Color-definition form shown here:

After selecting an existing or newly defined color in this manner, all the selected task bars/milestone symbols now have the new color. Once you are satisfied with the color of the selected task bars/milestone symbols, click in any blank space in the graph to deselect all selected task bars/milestone symbols.

Using a Different Color Palette

To have a larger set of colors to choose from, you can switch among several predefined color palettes of 24 colors each or you can create your own custom color palettes. Whenever you are changing the color of a task bar/milestone symbol, you can always choose to select the new color from any of the existing color palettes. To do this, click the paint bucket’s dropdown tab on the Home ribbon tool bar tab which accesses the standard Color Chooser form. From this point, click the Choose color from palette: dropdown list and a selection of other color palettes is accessed as shown below:

Using the No Fill Option of the Standard Color Chooser on Task Bar/Milestone Symbol Fill Colors

In addition to the various colors available and color palettes available, the No Fill option in the standard Color Chooser form enables you to remove all color and leave the task bar or milestone symbol as a transparent shape with a border.

Turning the No Fill Checkbox ON

For example, the portion of the chart shown below has one task bar selected with a right-click using the Format… command. Further, selecting the Color dropdown button reveals the standard Color Chooser form. Note the No Fill checkbox shown below:

Checking the No Fill checkbox ON and clicking OK in the Change Task/Milestone Properties form removes the color and display the selected task bar as shown below:

Since a color changed for a task bar, OnePager also adds a legend item reflecting the no fill pattern for the task bar. Manual legend item text update of this added legend item is recommended. The feature shown above yields the best results when the task bar’s fill pattern is originally flat and the background color for the chart is solid. Reversing the process and unchecking the No Fill checkbox OFF requires you to select a color before the standard Color Chooser form closes and display the selected task bar in the selected color. This option is useful when using Deadlines or Endpoints and you want to put emphasis on those decorations as opposed to the task bar graphic itself.

Changing an Individual Task Bar/Milestone Symbol

To change the shape (i.e. the specific symbol) of an individual task bar or milestone symbol, select the task bar/milestone symbol by right-clicking and select the Format… command. When the Change Task/Milestone Properties form is accessed, click the Shapes dropdown. This displays the shape choices as shown below:

As an alternative, after you select the desired task bar or milestone symbol, click the Format… button on the Home ribbon tool bar tab to access the Change Task/Milestone Properties form as shown below:

Clicking the Format… button also accesses the Change Task/Milestone Properties form. If you want to change the shape of the selected task bar to something different from a rectangle, go ahead and select the desired shape from the dropdown menu. If you select the double pointed rectangle as shown below, when you click OK the selected task bar looks like this:

If multiple task bars/milestone symbols are selected, the desired shape change is applied to all selected task bar/milestone symbols. When you manually change the shape for one or more selected task bars/milestone symbols, you are creating a task bar shape maverick. If you wish to change the global default shape of all task bars/milestone symbols in the chart (as opposed to making task bar shape mavericks) please see one of the following article:

Changing Individual Task Bar/Milestone Symbol Fill Patterns

To change the fill pattern of an individual task bar/milestone symbol, select the task bar/milestone symbol with a right-click and select the Format… command. When the Change Task/Milestone Properties form is accessed, click the Fills dropdown button. This Fill Pattern choices are shown below:

If we apply a different Fill pattern to the selected task bar as in the example above, the selected task bar might look like this:

As discussed above, you can access the Change Task/Milestone Properties form by clicking the Format… button. If multiple task bars/milestone symbols are selected, the desired fill pattern change is applied to all selected task bars/milestone symbols. When you change the fill pattern of a selected task bar or bars, you are creating a task bar fill maverick. If you wish to change the global default fill pattern for all task bars/milestone symbols in the chart (as opposed to making task bar fill mavericks), please read this article: Editing with the Chart Properties form (Portal). 21.0.1-70

Changing An Individual Task Bar/Milestone Symbol Borders

Changing Task Bar/milestone Symbol Borders

For both task bars and milestone symbols, you have control over three properties of the task bar/milestone symbol’s borders:

• color,
• width, and
• style.

To change the border properties of an individual task bar/milestone symbol, select the task bar/milestone symbol with a right-click and select the Format… command. When the Change Task/Milestone Properties form is accessed, go to the Borders control group on the right side of the form. The control over border properties is shown below:

If we apply the Dash-dot border style pattern to the selected task bar as well as change the border color to green and increase the border width to 5, the selected task bar looks like this:

As discussed above, you can get to the Change Task/Milestone Properties form by clicking the Format… button. If multiple task bars/milestone symbol are selected, the desired task bars/milestone symbol's border property change is applied to all selected task bar/milestone symbols. Changing the border properties of one or more selected task bars/milestone symbols creates a task bar border maverick. The initial border default setting is for the task bar/milestone symbol's border to be the same color as the task bar/milestone symbol's color, have a border width of one (1), and a border style of solid.

Using the No Border Option

OnePager can assign colors to the borders of task bars and milestone symbols other than specific colors. This permits you to use the No Border feature in the standard Color Chooser for borders to eliminate the border. Using the previous chart, you can do the following to hide the border with the No Border option as follows. Below is a portion of a chart where we’ve increased the border width to 5 and changed the border color to black to accent the task bar/milestone symbol's borders:

Select the task bar/milestone symbol with a right-click and select the Format… command. This accesses the Change Task/Milestone Properties form where you see a Border Color dropdown button. Click the Border Color dropdown button to reveal the standard Color Chooser form for borders as shown below:

Checking the No Border checkbox ON then clicking OK eliminates the selected task bars/milestone symbols border and with this result:

The process can be easily reversed by unchecking the task bars/milestone symbol’s No Border checkbox OFF.

Changing the Task Bar/Milestone Symbol's Name Label

Since the method for selecting task bar name labels changed in OnePager Pro and Express 7.0, it is strongly recommended that you read this article before proceeding further: Selecting Task/Milestone Shapes and Text Labels 9.1.1-70.

You can replace the imported task name from your Microsoft Project or Microsoft Excel source plan with a shorter or more descriptive task bar name label without affecting the name in the original Microsoft Project or Microsoft Excel source plan. To do this, just slow left-click the task bar/milestone symbol which accesses the Enter text form. Using the form, enter the desired task bar name label in the box as shown below:

OnePager displays the new edited task bar name label in all snapshots of the chart.

Alternatively, you can right-click the task bar name label to access the right-click context menu shown below:

Click the Edit task name… command to access same the Enter text form as shown above. Make the desired edit to the task bar name label and click OK.

Changing the Font of Task Bar/Milestone Symbol Name Labels

Since the method for selecting task bar name labels changed in OnePager Pro and Express 7.0, it is strongly recommended that you read this article before proceeding further: Selecting Task/Milestone Shapes and Text Labels 9.1.1-70.

There are several ways to change the font type, size, or color of one or more selected task bar name labels. When you change the font properties for a selected task bar name label, you are creating a task bar name label font maverick.

Use the Home Ribbon Tool Bar Tab

Increase/Decrease Font Size by One Point.

After selecting a task bar name label, click the decrease font size or increase font size button in the Font control group on the OnePager Home ribbon tool bar tab. Each click changes the font size of each selected task bar name label by one point. Once you have the fonts sized as you want them, click in any blank space in the graph to deselect all selected task bar name labels.

Change to a Specific Font Size

Change the number in the font size dropdown box shown below:

Change to a Specific Font Style

Choose a different font style from the dropdown box shown below:

Change the Font Color

Choose a different font color by clicking the font color button shown below:

Use the Right-Click Context Menu for Task Bar Name Labels

Alternatively, right-clicking any one of the selected task bar name labels accesses the name label right-click context menu as shown here:

Next, click the Format… command which accesses the Change Task/Milestone Properties form. The Format... command takes you to the Task Labels tab on the form. Now go to the Label Font dropdown button as shown below:

Clicking the dropdown control as shown above accesses the Font properties form where all text label font property controls are located. You can then select font style, color of text, font size, and control whether the text is Bold, Italic, or Underline. The Font properties form is standard throughout OnePager for controlling text font properties. Note that the button labeled Use Label Defaults causes all the task bar name label properties, including font size, to adhere to the global default task bar name label settings, and returns any task bar name label mavericks to the global defaults established in the Chart Properties form. If you wish to change the global default font (as opposed to making font mavericks), please review the appropriate article in this series:

Changing the Task Bar Name Label Position of Task Bars/Milestone Symbol Labels

You can specify where the task bar name label is positioned in one of thirteen positions relative to the task bar/milestone symbol itself:

• Centered,
• Above,
• Below,
• Left,
• Right,
• Legacy best fit,
• Best fit left/right,
• Best fit above/below,
• Best fit all directions,
• In comment box,
• Fitted inside taskbar,
• Hide, or
• Use default.

Note that there are three (3) new task bar name label position options added to OnePager Pro and Express 7.0 - Legacy best fit, Best fit all directions, and Best fit above/below. When you change the position of the task bar name label of an individual task bar/milestone symbol you are creating a task bar name label position maverick. Once you make a selection, you can change the task bar name label position of all selected task bar/milestone symbols in one of several ways.

Use the Home Ribbon Tool Bar Tab

On the One Pager Home ribbon tool bar tab’s Position control group, click the Label Position dropdown menu and make a task bar name label position selection as shown below:

Use the Task Bar Name Label Right-Click Context Menus

Alternatively, right-click any task bar name label to access the name label right-click context menu as described previously. Next, click the Format… command to access the Change Task/Milestone Properties form at the Task Labels tab. Then click the Label Position dropdown as shown below:

There are eleven (11) task bar name label position options in the dropdown menu. The Hide and Use default options are not available. If you wish to change the global default task bar name label position (as opposed to changing task bar name label positions manually), please see one of the following article:

Changing the Height of Task Bars/Milestone Symbols

By default the height of every task bar/milestone symbol in the graph is set to an absolute height of 0.30 inches or centimeters. You have the option to change the absolute height or to express task bar/milestone symbol height as a percentage of row height. Typically row height is set at 0.38 inches or centimeters as the default. We strongly recommend that great care be taken when changing the height of individual task bar/milestone symbol or the height of all task bars/milestone symbols globally. Individual task bar/milestone symbol height controls are located in the Change Task/Milestone Properties form at its Format tab. Accessing the form and the Format tab is discussed above. The Task Height controls are shown below:

Changing the height of an individual task bar/milestone symbol creates a task bar height maverick. If you wish to change the global task bars/milestone symbol's height (as opposed to making task bar height mavericks), please reference the article at: Managing Templates (Portal) 24.0.1-70

Related Links

Selecting Task/Milestone Shapes and Text Labels 9.1.1-70

Editing with the Chart Properties form (Portal) 21.0.1-70

Manual Editing of Task Links for OnePager Pro 19.4.1-70

Managing Templates (Portal) 24.0.1-70

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