Revision as of 20:26, 16 August 2021

Using Dynamic Shapes and Emoji Symbols for OnePager Version 7.1 (P71-0_4_4-71-08162021.docx)

Overview

OnePager version 7.1 is enhanced with the addition of one hundred eighty five (185) dynamic shapes and four hundred thirty one (431) emoji symbols for milestone symbols, deadlines, and endpoints. Additionally, these dynamic shapes and emoji symbols are available options when you configure Conditional Formatting Rules for milestone symbols and other uses.

The purpose of this article is to overview the enhanced dynamic shape and emoji symbol features and the controls available to use these features in the Chart Editor. Additionally, several examples of use are provided.

This article uses the Chart Properties form for most of its examples. For brevity, this article does not cover the features in the Template Properties form related to these version 7.1 upgrades because the controls in the Template Properties form are identical to those of the Chart Properties form.

Making Global Changes to Dynamic Shapes and Emoji Symbols for Milestone Symbols

In addition to the dynamic shapes currently available for differentiating milestone symbols, we added a set of four hundred thirty one (431) emoji symbols that can be used as described above.

Dynamic Shapes Controls

The dynamic shapes are shown below as an example at the Chart Properties form’s Milestones tab’s Shape dropdown in the Default Milestones Symbol Styles sub-section:

Emoji Symbol Controls

When you click the Emojis sub-tab shown above, the dropdown form containing all the available emoji symbols appears as shown here:

For a complete list of dynamic shapes and emoji symbols, please see the article at: Glossary of Dynamic Shapes and Emoji Symbols 29.3.1-71

Examples of Dynamic Shapes and Emoji Symbols

Using the Chart Properties form’s Milestones tab and the chart shown below, you can change the shape of milestone symbols:

When you click the OK button, the selected dynamic shape is applied to the selected milestone symbol as shown below:

When you change a milestone symbol’s dynamic shape, the dynamic shape takes on the color of the original milestone symbol.

In a similar way, starting with the original chart, all the milestone symbols can have their shapes changed to a specific emoji symbol as shown in the sequence below:

When you click the OK button, the selected emoji symbol is applied to all milestone symbols as shown below:

Emoji symbols have their own color, therefore, when an emoji symbol replaces a dynamic shape, the new milestone symbol loses its original color. The Legend is also updated with the new emoji symbol and its inherent color.

Making Dynamic Shape and Emoji Symbol Changes to Individual Milestone Symbols

Dynamic shapes and emoji symbols can also be applied to individually selected milestones symbols using the Change Task/Milestone Properties form. If you select a milestone symbol as shown in the illustration below by right-clicking on the milestone symbol and then clicking the Format command in the right-click context menu, you can access the Change Task/Milestone Properties form at its Format tab:

When you click the OK button on the Change Task/Milestone Properties form, the change is applied to the chart as shown here:

You can use this same technique with the Change Task/Milestone Properties form’s Format tab to apply different emoji symbols to individual milestone symbols.

Making Global Changes to Dynamic Shapes and Emoji Symbols for Milestone Symbol Decorations

In addition to being able to apply dynamic shapes and emoji symbols to milestone symbols, you can also apply these new features to baseline decorations and the four endpoint decorations.

Complete information on task bar/milestone decorations can be found in the article at: Modifying Decorations on Tasks/Milestones (Portal) 10.0.1-71.

The controls for these milestone symbol decoration features are discussed below with specific examples.

Baseline Decorations

To apply these features to baseline decorations you need to first access the Chart Properties form at the Milestones tab. At the Milestones tab, navigate to the Milestone Symbols Decorations section of the form and check the Baseline Properties checkbox ON. Then click the Baselines Properties button to access the Set baseline properties form as shown in the illustration below:

When the dynamic shape changes for all baseline decorations shown above are applied to the chart, the chart looks like this after its been enlarged in the upper left quadrant for ease of viewing:

The baseline shape was changed to highlight the baseline decoration in the chart above.

You can use this same technique with the Chart Properties form’s Baseline Decorations tab to apply different emoji symbols to milestone symbols.

Deadline Decorations

To apply these features to deadline decorations you need to first access the Chart Properties form at the Task Milestones tab. At the Milestones tab, navigate to the Milestone Symbol Decorations section of the form and check the Deadline Properties checkbox ON. Then click the Deadline Properties… button to access the Set deadline properties form as shown in the illustration below:

When the dynamic shape changes shown above are applied to the chart, the chart looks like this after its been enlarged in the upper left quadrant for ease of viewing:

The deadline shape was changed to highlight the deadline decoration in the chart above.

You can use this same technique with the Chart Properties form’s Deadline Decorations tab to apply different emoji symbols to milestone symbols.

Endpoint Decorations

Endpoint decorations are not provided for milestone symbols as milestones are considered an endpoint with respect to either the start or finish of a task.

Making Dynamic Shapes and Emoji Symbol Changes to Individual Milestone Symbol Decorations

Decorations for milestone symbols are applied globally. Although milestone symbol properties can be edited individually by manually selecting a milestone symbol and using the Change Task/Milestone Properties form’s Format tab to edit their properties, it is not possible to edit the dynamic shape or emoji symbol of individual baseline or deadline decorations. OnePager is configured such that all milestone symbol decorations take on global properties.

Dynamic Shapes and Emoji Symbols and the Chart Legend

OnePager updates Legend items whenever a change is made to the dynamic shape or emoji symbol of milestone symbols globally or individually. This is illustrated using the starting chart shown below where all task bars in the chart are converted to be represented by milestone symbols at their start date:

Allowing Milestone Symbols to Appear in the Legend

Most OnePager users do not want to have milestone symbols appear in the Legend especially when the milestone symbols represent the same legend category as task bars. If you want milestone symbols to appear in your Legend as legend items you need to turn OFF the Do not duplicate task/milestones checkbox in the Template Properties form and/or Chart Properties form at the Legend tab as shown below for the Chart Properties form:

For more information on the use of the Do not duplicate tasks/milestones, please see the sub-section in the article at: Legend Editing Controls for OnePager - Controlling Duplication of Legend Items 15.3.1-71

For the purpose of the examples and illustrations that follow, the Do not duplicate tasks/milestone checkbox is checked ON so only task bars are shown as legend items.

Global Changes to All Milestone Symbols

Making a global change to the milestone symbols for all milestone symbols updates the entire Legend as shown below:

In the illustration above, all milestone symbols have their shapes changed to the Equilateral Triangle Pointing Down shape. When the change is made, the milestone symbols reflect the change in the graph and the Legend is updated to reflect the global change.

Changing to a Dynamic Shape for an Individual Milestone Symbol

In a similar way the Legend is also updated if an individual milestone symbol is mavericked to a dynamic shape as in the example below starting for the original OnePager chart:

After accessing the Change Task/Milestone Properties form for the selected milestone symbol, the dynamic shape is changed to the X-Sign shape. Making this change adds a new Legend Item showing the mavericked milestone symbol’s new dynamic shape.

Making Global and Individual Emoji Symbol Changes in the Chart

OnePager updates the Legend as described in the two sub-sections above when both global and individual emoji symbol changes are made to all or individual milestone symbols in the chart as shown below for a global change:

As with the example above for global dynamic shape changes, changing the emoji symbol updates all items in the Legend. Emoji symbols have their own color as a permanent attribute. Therefore, applying an emoji symbol to the chart may override the color associated with the legend item. Changes made to individual milestone symbol’s emoji symbol are also reflected in the Legend with the addition of a new Legend item.

For more information on Legends, please see the articles at: The Chart Legend (Portal) 15.0.1-71.

Using Dynamic Shapes and Emoji Symbols in Conditional Formatting Rules – An Example

Conditional Formatting Rules allow you to dynamically change the shape, color, fill pattern, background color, and other properties of task bars/milestone symbols based upon a rule or set of rules driven by data OnePager imports from your source plan. In version 7.1 the enhancement for dynamic shapes and emoji symbols is extended to conditional formatting rules.

Before proceeding further, if you need to refresh your knowledge of Conditional Formatting Rules, please see the articles at: Conditional Formatting (Portal) 11.0.1-71.

Example – Starting Chart Configuration

To illustrate the use of the new dynamic shape and emoji symbols, suppose you are starting off with the chart shown below that consists of a project plan using five (5) different resources where OnePager has created the chart using different colors to represent different resources. When this is done, the Legend reflects the resources and the colors OnePager assigned. The chart looks like this with all task bars represented again as milestone symbols at their start date:

Example – Adding Conditional Formatting Rules to Highlight an Issue

Now suppose there is an issue with Team 1 and Team 2 and you want the chart you plan to use for this schedule conversation to have the milestone symbols that are the responsibility of Team 1 and Team 2 to stand out clearly. This can be done by adding conditional formatting rules that apply different dynamic shapes or emoji symbols to the milestone symbols involved. Using the Conditional Formatting Rules form shown below, you can configure rules for Team 1 and Team 2:

Example – Chart with Highlighted Task Bars Using Hash Fill Patterns

Applying these two Conditional Formatting Rules to the chart, the chart looks like this:

When Emoji symbols are used in conditional formatting rules, the color attributes for foreground color and/or background color are not used when the chart is updated when the conditional formatting rules are applied.

Conditional Formatting Rules can be formulated before the chart is created by adding the rules to the Conditional Formatting Rules form in the current Template Properties form.

Related Links

Changing Individual Task/Milestone Properties (Color, Shapes, Labels, etc.) 9.2.1-71

Modifying Decorations on Tasks/Milestones (Portal) 10.0.1-71

Conditional Formatting (Portal) 11.0.1-71

The Chart Legend (Portal) 15.0.1-71

Glossary of Gradient and Hash Fill Patterns 29.2.1-71

Glossary of Dynamic Shapes and Emoji Symbols 29.3.1-71

(0.4.4-71)