Using OnePager Standalone with Microsoft Project Server/Project Online for Version 7.2

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Overview

OPP Standalone can connect to cloud resident databases so that charts and snapshots can be created directly from these source plans. The OnePager Pro Standalone operates the same in all modes (i.e., NEW, UPDATE, and OPEN) when source plans are accessed from Microsoft Project Server or Project Online accounts as when source plan data are resident on your computer. When you intend to use Microsoft Project source plans that are resident in the cloud along with OPP Standalone, we recommend that you access your source plans using Microsoft Project Professional rather than through OPP Standalone. By doing so, OPP supports access to multiple accounts, searches of online databases for specific Gantt chart source plans, and online security protocols. With this access, you are able to Pull Microsoft Project source plans from the cloud and use the OPP Add-in and Standalone applications to create, update, and open charts.

For more information on Pull Operations, please see the articles at: Basic Workflows (Portal) 7.0.1-72

This article is primarily focused on OnePager Pro (OPP). However, this article also applies to OnePager Bundle (OPB) Standalone where OPB is accessing Microsoft Project source plans.

General Cautions

OnePager Pro and OnePager Bundle Standalone support accessing cloud resident source plans without the assistance of Microsoft Project Professional. Additionally, OnePager Pro and OnePager Bundle Standalone can create, update, and open multi-project charts from source packages consisting of more than one Microsoft Project source plan. As a result, Template Properties forms for OnePager Pro and OnePager Bundle Standalone do not contain the Server method selection window in the form's Advanced tab as shown for OnePager Pro in the illustration below:

P71-8 5 1 2-71-(1A)-03222022.png

For more information on Creating multiple charts, please see the article at: Creating Various Multi-Project Charts with OnePager (Portal) 8.0.1-72

As a caution, however, due to technical differences between Microsoft Project source plans resident on your computer and those that are cloud resident (i.e., Microsoft Project Server or Project Online), we do not recommend mixing source plans from different media (i.e., your computer and the cloud). As a protection, OPP Standalone prohibit, to the extent possible, the combination of source plans from differing media from being incorporated into a single source package for the purpose of creating a NEW chart or for UPDATING an existing chart.

If you are UPDATING and previously set the Server method in the Template Properties or Chart Properties form's Advanced tab to Connect directly to Server, you should access the Chart Properties form and change the Server method setting to Use MS Project Professional if you want to use Microsoft Project to access the source data.

Please keep these cautions in mind when constructing source packages for OPP Add-in.

Getting Started

Launch OnePager Pro Standalone

Launch the OPP Standalone application. Then, click the NEW button on the OnePager Pro Start form as shown below:

P70-8 5 1 2-70-(1)-09052019.png

When the OnePager choices (OPC) form appears, click the Select button which accesses a dropdown menu. Then, click the BROWSE Project Server… option as shown below:

P70-8 5 1 2-70-(2)-09052019.png

Logging-in to Your Microsoft Project Server Account

The previous action accesses the Account Information for Data Source form, shown below. Use the form to connect to your Microsoft Project Server account.

P70-8 5 1 2-70-(3)-09052019.png

The function of three (3) of the five (5) fill-in windows and the checkbox are mostly self-explanatory, however, more details are provided below:

Save Password

A few comments are in order related to the Save Password checkbox. When this checkbox is checked ON, OnePager encrypts and remembers the password you provide. Essentially, checking this checkbox ON gives OnePager Pro permission to store your credentials. As with any stored credentials, you should only save your password when your device and network are both trusted and secure. The information is used to automatically connect to the same Microsoft Project Server account in the future if you make reference to its projects.

If the Save Password checkbox is not checked ON, you need to fill in the password form each time you want access one of its projects. If you previously logged into a Microsoft Project Server account via Microsoft Project Professional and gave Windows permission to remember your credentials, OnePager does not even need to know your user name and password. It can login using the Windows credentials stored on your computer for that URL. For more information go to the Windows Control Panel\User Accounts and Family Safety\Credential Manager.

At the present time, whenever you upgrade your version of OPP on your local computer, the OPP database is purged of all data associated with Microsoft Project Server or Project Online credentials.

For login actions to get to Enterprise Custom Fields see the article at: Using Enterprise Custom Fields for Microsoft Project Server/Project Online 24.3.1-71

Account Nickname

The Account Nickname can be anything you want. It starts out as something constructed from the URL, but that is just a suggested default value for the nickname. You should choose an Account Nickname makes it easy to tell different accounts apart. OnePager Pro keeps track of all accounts (set of account parameters and credentials) that you create and lets you give the account credentials a custom name or Nickname. If you don't give a new account a custom name, OnePager Pro numbers the accounts and caches them for you. The custom names that are cached by OnePager Pro are provided to you in the Choose what to import form's Select Account dropdown list shown below where you have the option to Edit, Delete, or to Add an additional Account. Once the fields are filled in, click the OK button to go to the next form where you click the Connect button.

Selecting a Project or Projects from Your Microsoft Project Server Account

Clicking the OK button on the form above accesses the Choose what to import form shown below:

P70-8 5 1 2-70-(4)-09052019.png

The Select Account control group of the form, as mentioned above, contains a list of previously cached account names. Use the dropdown list to select the account you wish to access. You can also Edit the selected account name, Delete it from the dropdown list, or Add a new account name. Clicking the Edit button accesses the Account Information Data Source form for the selected account containing the associated account parameters and credentials when can then be edited. Clicking the Delete button immediate removes the selected account from the dropdown list. Clicking the Add button accesses a blank Account Information Data Source form that is ready to be filled in with information to create a new account.

The form above allows you to establish Microsoft Project Server account connections, perform edits on the account log-in information, and delete accounts. Once connected, the form provides a scrollable space to display the projects in the account and a filtering mechanism to assist in searches.

The OPP Standalone application does not let you mix ordinary projects (e.g., non-Project Server files) with server-based project. It never gives you the option to add a server object to the ordinary projects that are already in your source packet. If, however, you delete all the projects from the source packet, it gives you the option to add either type of project (i.e., ordinary or server-based) to the empty source packet.

Using the Automatically Connect Checkbox

If you plan to ultimately select several projects to create a multi-project chart, we recommend that you check the Automatically connect checkbox before clicking on the Connect button as described below. As a warning, be advised that once the Automatically connect checkbox is checked ON, this checkbox must be unchecked in order to disconnect from your Microsoft Project Server account with the Disconnect button. Checking the Automatically connect checkbox automatically logs in to the selected account every time you open the form.

Connecting to your Microsoft Project Server Account Projects

When you click the Connect button in the Connect to Source group, the form displays the project information available at the site and looks something like this:

P70-8 5 1 2-70-(5-1)-09052019.png

There are three groups of controls in the Choose what to import form:

Select Account

The left-most field contains the Account Nickname you gave the account and has a dropdown menu so that, if you have several accounts available, you can select among them. Clicking the Add button accesses the Account Information for Data Source form allowing you to enter another set containing a URL, User name, Password, and Account Nickname. Clicking the Edit button accesses the Account Information for Data Source form containing the information for the Account Nickname in the window at the left. With this form available, you can edit the data and save it when you click the OK button. Clicking the Delete button deletes the account information for the Account Nickname displayed in the window to the left. The account itself is not deleted.

Connect to Source

The Connect and Disconnect buttons allow you to make the connection or break it. When the Connect button is clicked, OnePager displays a message providing you with the status of the connect operation. When the connection is made a green dot appears to the right with a tag stating Connected. If the attempt to connect fails, a red dot with the tag of Not Connected appears. Additionally, one of the following error messages appears in red in the Connect to Source group of the form:

Message Meaning

Need login account

Cannot login because user has not created a login account.  Press the Add button to create an account.   If the Add button is not showing, press the Change button first.

Unable to connect

OnePager could not connect to the server using the specified account.

Clicking the Disconnect button immediately disconnects Microsoft Project Server and OPP from the account. The form does not close and a red dot with the tag Disconnected appears. If you do not click the Disconnect button before exiting OPP Standalone, the connection is terminated OPP Standalone is closed. As mentioned above, in the Save Password group, OPP remembers your login information in encrypted form if the Save Password check box is checked for the account. Checking the Automatically connect checkbox ON tells OPP to keep the connection to the URL displayed in the Select Account window active until the Disconnect button is clicked.

Choose Projects

This group on the form displays the list of files available for import from the designated Microsoft Project Server account. You have some options available when searching the projects to import. Scroll-Down the List. Scroll down the list until you find the project or projects to import. Select the project or projects desired by clicking on them. Click the OK button at the bottom of the form.

P70-8 5 1 2-70-(6)-09052019.png

Use the Filter. You can filter through the projects by placing filter text in the window to the immediate right of the Filter button. When the Filter button is clicked, OnePager displays those files that meet the filter criteria as shown here:

P70-8 5 1 2-70-(7)-09052019.png

You can then select the desired project or projects. Show All. Clicking the Show All button displays all the projects available for selection. Use the scroll bar at the right to search down the project names.

If you encounter difficulties connecting to your Microsoft Project Server or Project Online accounts please reference the links to the OnePager Frequently Asked Questions section of our website at Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs) or at the suggested specific FAQ articles at the Troubleshooting 8.5.1.2-72 section of this article.

Creating NEW Charts

Upon completing the project source plan selection process, click the OK button at the bottom of the Choose what to import form and the OPC form is updated to show the source plans selected, as shown below:

P71-8 5 1 2-71-(8-1)-02182022.png

As with any set of project source plans, you can examine and manipulate them by clicking on the Add/Remove button shown above which brings up the Data source selection form. By clicking the Create new chart button in the OPC form above OPP Standalone directly accesses the cloud resident source plan and create the desired chart that looks like this:

P70-8 5 1 1-70-(11)-09052019.png

The new chart can be edited, saved, or shared as required.

UPDATING Charts from Microsoft Project Server

Create the Updated Chart

Since the chart is associated with a source plan and OPP Add-in knows the path name to access that source plan, OPP Standalone retrieves the source plan from your cloud resident location when you click the New button at the bottom of the OPC form. Assuming that the source plan at this cloud location was updated with current information, in this case up to 9/30/2019, OPP Standalone creates a new snapshot with this date as shown below:

P70-8 5 1 1-70-(14)-09052019.png

The updated chart can be edited, saved, or shared as required.

Updates to Charts from Microsoft Project Server or Project Online Sources

The OPP Standalone application supports Pull and Push updates from Microsoft Project Server or Project Online source plans. You can perform any update from Microsoft Project Server source plans using either the Pull or Push operations available for OPP.

Sharing Charts Created from Microsoft Project Server/Project Online

OPP Standalone is able to update charts from cloud source plans because it has access to the credentials. These credentials can be stored for convenience in the OPP database or in the Windows Credential vault. Sharing charts created in the cloud is, therefore, a bit more involved because the recipient needs access to the same cloud data sources (i.e., Microsoft Project Server account) if there is a need to update the shared chart. Your internal procedures for giving various team members cloud access credentials should govern these considerations. More information is available on sharing charts at these links:

Managing Chart Data (Portal) 23.0.1-71
Sharing Charts (Portal) 23.2.1-71

Disconnecting from Microsoft Project Server

Your individual installation of Microsoft Project Server or Project Online probably has procedures for disconnecting from these applications. We also recommend using these installation specific procedures to assure proper disconnection/log out from these applications. We recommend that when using Microsoft Project Server or Project Online with OnePager Pro Standalone that you make sure that OnePager Pro Standalone is closed at the end of your session and any instances of Microsoft Project Server or Project Online are also closed to assure that OnePager Pro Add-in is disconnected/logged off. The steps provided below can be used to disconnect/log off from Microsoft Project Server or Project Online from OnePager Pro Standalone.

To Disconnect from your Microsoft Project Server cloud files which is essentially the same as logging off from the OnePager Chart Editor first click the OnePager ribbon's Data tab and click the Select file(s) button to access the OnePager Data source selection form and then click the Add button on the form as shown below:

P70-8 5 1 1-70-(15)-09112019.png

Clicking the Add button accesses the dropdown menu as shown below:

P70-8 5 1 1-70-(16)-09112019.png

Clicking the BROWSE Project Server ... option accesses the Choose what to import form which can initially look like this:

P70-8 5 1 1-70-(18A)-09112019.png

To expand the Choose what to import form to see the Connect to Source control group, click the Change button, shown above, which expands the form. Clicking the Disconnect button disconnects or logs off from your Microsoft Project Server account as shown here:

P70-8 5 1 1-70-(17)-09112019.png

Clicking the Disconnect button closes the connection and afterward the Choose what to import form looks like this:

P70-8 5 1 1-70-(18)-09112019.png

Disconnecting OnePager Pro Standalone from Microsoft Project Server has no impact on the current chart in OnePager Chart Editor. However, the source plan accessed from the cloud is no longer accessible for update and the subsequent update of the chart.

Troubleshooting

Please refer to these two Frequently Asked Questions if you are having issues:

Updating OnePager with a Project Online or Project Server 2016/2019/2021 plan
Can't Connect to Project Online/Project Server
Importing Enterprise Custom Fields from Project Server and Project Online
Migrating from Project Server to Project Online

Related Links

Basic Workflows (Portal) 7.0.1-72

Creating a NEW Chart via Pull Operation Feature 7.13.1-72

REPLACING a Snapshot via Pull Operation 7.14.1-72

ADDING a Snapshot via Pull Operation 7.15.1-72

Custom Update (Replacing) of a Snapshot via Pull Operation 7.16.1-72

Using the OnePager "Data" Tab's "Selected file(s)" Button 7.17.1-72

Creating Various Multi-Project Charts with OnePager (Portal) 8.0.1-72

Managing Chart Data (Portal) 23.0.1-71

Sharing Charts (Portal) 23.2.1-71

Using Enterprise Custom Fields for Microsoft Project Server/Project Online 24.3.1-71

(8.5.1.2-72)