The Smart Text Optimization Feature for OnePager 7.0
Contents
- 1 About the Smart Task/Milestone Text Labeling Collision Avoidance Feature
- 2 Using The Smart Task/Milestone Text Labeling Feature
- 3 Avoiding Task/Milestone Text Label Collisions
- 4 User Control over Smart Task/Milestone Text Labeling
- 5 Related Links
About the Smart Task/Milestone Text Labeling Collision Avoidance Feature
1) Often task/milestone text labels overlap in cases where task shapes are moved up or down in the Chart Editor or the text label is too long to fit in the allowable space. An example using several edited charts representing a typical situation might look like this:
Manual Method for Resolving Text Label Collisions
- a) Here is a portion of the graph before tasks are moved into the same row:
-03262019.png)
- b) And here is the same graph portion after a task is moved into the same row:
-03262019.png)
- c) The above task text label collision can be easily remedied by selecting one or both of the text labels in collision and using the Label Position control dropdown menu on the Home tool bar tab to select alternative positions for the text label as illustrated below where the left most tasks text label is moved to the left of the task shape and the dropdown list below shows that the Right option is being selected for the right most task:
-03272019.png)
- d) When the action is completed the selected task's text label is positioned to the Right of the task:
-03272019.png)
2) The steps taken above are the same steps available with OnePager before version 7.0.
Change to Task Shape and Text Label Selection Methods in OnePager Pro and Express 7.0
3) As part of the Smart Task/Milestone Text Labeling feature's implementation, and in conjunction with the Task/Milestone Text Sub-Shape Selection Capability also introduced in OnePager 7.0 we changed the task shape and text label manual left-click and right-click selection rules as follows:
Left-Click Selection Rules
- a) To select a task shape in OnePager 7.0 you left-click the task shape itself.
- b) To select the task shape's text label left-click the text label only.
Right-Click Selection Rules
- c) A right-click on a task shape accesses a context menu with commands that are associated with edits to the task shape itself.
- d) A right-click on a text label accesses a specific context menu tailored with commands that are for edits to the text label.
- e) When a set of task shapes and their associated text labels are in a text label collision situation, a right-click on the tasks shape accesses the context menu augmented with a command to invoke the text label collision avoidance algorithm.
Select Associated Text
- f) Since the above represents a change from previous versions of OnePager Pro and Express with respect to selecting task shapes and their text labels, OnePager 7.0 provides a option for setting the behavior of task shape selection to that of previous versions.
- g) This option is controlled by a checkbox in the Advanced tab of the Template and Chart Properties forms in the Display options control group called Select associated text shown below:
-04292019.png)
- h) The default setting in the checkbox is checked OFF.
- i) Checking this checkbox to ON changes the behavior of a left-click on a task shape such that the left-click selects both the task shape and the text label.
- j) Regardless of the setting in the Select associated text checkbox, there is no difference in how the right-click on a task shape and/or text label operates.
Changes to Task Shape and Text Label Right-Click Context Menus
4) The changes to task shape and text label selection described above offers an opportunity to simplify the context menus associated with task shapes and text labels.
- a) The right-click on task shape context menu contains commands available in previous versions of OnePager Pro and Express with the addition of a new command associated with the Smart Task/Milestone Text Labeling feature - the Re-optimize text collisions for the selected task/milestones command shown below;
-04292019.png)
- b) This new context menu command is explained in greater detail in the Wiki articles referenced below.
- c) The right click on a text label is a simplified context menu of two commands is shown below: that allows you to edit the text label name and to access the Change Task/Milestone Properties form at the Task Label tab. As in previous OnePager versions this form allows you to turn the display of text labels ON and OFF, change their positions relative to their task shape, and change their font properties.
-04292019.png)
- d) The above context menu allows you to edit the text label name and to access the Change Task/Milestone Properties form at the Task Label tab shown here:
-04292019.png)
- e) As in previous OnePager versions this form allows you to turn the display of text labels ON and OFF, change their positions relative to their task shape, and change their font properties.
- f) Please note that the default Label Position is Best fit all directions representing a change from the defaults used in previous versions of OnePager Pro and Express.
Using The Smart Task/Milestone Text Labeling Feature
1) The Smart Task/Milestone Text Labeling feature new with OnePager 7.0 provides you with a more automated way to tidy up a chart where task/milestone text labels are in collision.
2) To illustrate this let us consider the situation found in the example from paragraph 1) b) above.
- a) Using your mouse to select both tasks with the CTL+Left-Shift action and then right-clicking on one of the two selected tasks accesses the context menu shown below with the new command for fixing this task text label collision situation:
-03262019.png)
- b) At the completion of the action, the text labels for each of the selected tasks look like this:
-03262019.png)
3) The purpose of implementing this feature is to give you control over how OnePager 7.0 fixes task/milestone text label collision situations.
4) OnePage 7.0 comes to your assistance when you select one or more task/milestone shapes where their text label(s) are in collision.
5) Once you make the desired selections, the Re-optimize text collisions for the selected task/milestones command is available and tells OnePager 7.0 to re-optimize the selected task/milestone shape's text labels so they avoid the collision situation.
- a) These task/milestone text label positions are either established by default in your Template form or you can change the positions of selected task/milestone shape text label using the OnePager tool bar controls or the Change Task/Milestone Properties form at the Task Label tab.
- b) OnePager has always supported your ability to place text labels with respect to their task/milestone shape Above, Below, Left, Right, Centered, Best fit left/right, Fit in task bar, and In Comment Box.
- c) We added two additional position option for you to tell OnePager 7.0 where to position task/milestone shape text labels to support this feature. These two addition position options are:
- i) Best fit all directions which tells OnePager to consider the possibility of positioning the text label for the selected task/milestone shape Above, Below, Left, or Right the shape.
- ii) Best fit above/below which tells OnePager to examine the possibility of positioning the text label for the task/milestone shape selected Above or Below the shape.
- d) Below is the list of text label position options from the OnePager 7.0 Home tool bar tab's Label Positions control group:
-03262019.png)
6) With the addition of the Smart Task/Milestone Text Labeling feature, OnePager 7.0 is released with its standard Template forms preset to position text labels using the Best fit all directions option. Where possible in OnePager 7.0 where there is a label position option to be taken, OnePager 7.0 distributed Template forms include the Best fit all directions as the default.
7) When Template forms are brought forward from previous versions of OnePager Pro or Express, OnePager 7.0 does NOT change any Label Position options previously set in your previously used Template forms.
8) For more information on sharing charts and Template forms between OnePager 7.0 and previous versions, please see these articles: Sharing Charts (Portal) 23.2.1-70 and Sharing Charts with Older Versions of OnePager 23.2.3.1-70.
Avoiding Task/Milestone Text Label Collisions
1) OnePager 7.0 employs a Smart Task/Milestone Text Label Collision Avoidance algorithm to perform this re-optimization under priorities you control.
2) OnePager 7.0 does NOT automatically attempt to re-optimize task/milestone text label positions when collisions are present. Rather, you must initiate the algorithm by first selecting the one or more task/milestone shapes involving the text label collision situation and then clicking the Re-optimize text collisions for selected task/milestones command in the right-click context menu provided as shown in the example in the previous section above.
3) The minimum conditions necessary for OnePager 7.0 to apply the text label collision avoidance algorithm are:
- a) There must be at least one task/milestone shapes where its respective task/milestone text label is in collision.
- b) All the task/milestone shapes involved must be capable of being selected with a left-click.
4) It is possible to invoke the text label collision avoidance algorithm when there are no text labels in a collision situation. In this case, nothing appears to happen in the chart when the Re-optimize text collisions for selected task/milestones command is clicked. OnePager 7.0 provides a notice the lower right corner of the Chart Editor that says No label collisions detected.
User Control over Smart Task/Milestone Text Labeling
1) As mentioned above, you have control over the Smart Task/Milestone Text Labeling algorithm with controls available in the Template and Chart Properties form's Task Bars, and Milestone tabs.
2) The text label collision avoidance algorithm employs four methods, called Escape Methods for fixing or avoiding text label collision situations and are explained below.
3) These controls are available in the Set Label Properties form found at the Task Bars and Milestones tabs in the Template form and Chart Properties form as shown below:
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4) The Enable Smart Labeling for task/milestones labels checkbox enables or disables the feature. As a convention, all Template forms provide with OnePager 7.0 have this checkbox checked ON.
5) When enabled, the five sets of checkboxes and selection windows give you the capability to establish your own Smart Task/Milestone Text Labeling algorithm priorities. The settings shown above are the default setting provided with OnePager 7.0.
6) The four checkboxes in the Set Label Properties form's Smart Labeling Setting control group allow you to turn ON and OFF the available Escape Methods for fixing or avoiding text label collisions.
7) The four Escape Methods available are described below:
- a) When the Wrap text escape method is enabled, you can specify the maximum number of lines you want OnePager 7.0 to use before truncating the remainder of the text label's content.
- b) When the Stairstep escape method is enabled, you can specify the maximum number of levels OnePager 7.0 can attach to the task/milestone involved in the process. A task text label in a Stairstep configuration looks like this:
-03262019.png)
- c) When the Truncate Text escape method is enabled, you can specify the maximum number of characters in the text label you want OnePager 7.0 to display before discarding the remaining characters to the right.
- d) When the Shrink Font escape method is enabled, you can specify the percentage of shrinkage you want allow OnePager 7.0 to shrink the font size of the original text to fit into the allowable space.
8) The Priority selection windows to the right of each Escape Method are enabled when the Escape Method's checkbox is checked ON.
- a) The options available permit you to specify the priority ordering you desire OnePager 7.0 to follow when applying the text label collision avoidance algorithm using the four available Escape Methods.
- b) The dropdown options for the Priority selection looks like this:
-03262019.png)
9) OnePager 7.0 only lets you set one priority per Escape Method so you must decide which of the four Escape Methods is your Highest, Lowest, and in between.
- a) This requires some experimentation as charts differ with source plan input content and formatting.
- b) Once determined, the Priority settings should remain acceptable for snapshots created from the same updated source plan.
10) An important capability of the Smart Task/Milestone Text Labeling feature is that it automatically re-optimizes text labels in collision situations when a chart update is performed.
- a) The most typical update is to Replace a Snapshot in one of the three replacement modes available.
- b) Snapshot replacement modes are described in the articles found at Basic Workflows (Portal) 7.0.1-70
11) This capability is provided automatically when the Smart Task/Milestone Text Labeling feature is enabled as described above.
12) The Re-Optimizing After Updates selection window provides three options for controlling how OnePager 7.0 re-optimizes after you update the chart at the snapshot level by using one of the replacement modes available with OnePager. The three options are shown below:
-03262019.png)
13) These options are:
- a) Reoptimize changed tasks is the default setting and re-optimizes those text labels that changed as a result of the Replace snapshot operation.
- i) The term “changed tasks” refers primarily to those tasks/milestones in the source plan that changed in some manner such as a change to the Task Name or to a Start/Finish date as examples and for which the Replace snapshot action is intended to accommodate.
- ii) Any changes to task/milestone attributes in the chart that also result in a text label collision such as moving a task/milestone into another row or swimlane is subject to reoptimization with this setting.
- b) The Do not reoptimize option disregards any changes to the chart where there are task/milestone text label collision situations and updates the chart in the Chart Editor. This option effectively turns OFF the feature.
- c) The Reoptimize all tasks option applies the text label collision avoidance algorithm on all task/milestones shapes involved in a Replace snapshot operation regardless of whether there are “changed tasks” or not.
- i) A simple example is the case where a task shape with a short text label is moved into an occupied row but does not cause a text label collision situation. In this case any application of the text label collision avoidance algorithm does not change the appearance of the chart.
- ii) Now, after making the task shape row move, go back to the source plan where you change the length of the Task Name field for the task shape that you previously moved to a different row.
- iii) In order to apply this source plan update, you must go to the Chart Editor’s Data tool bar tab and click the Custom Update… button. This action accesses the OnePager choices form where the All properties Replacement mode button is clicked followed by a click on the form’s OK button.
- iv) The result of this Replace snapshot (All properties mode) action is to update the chart so that the lengthened task text label is imported.
- v) Since the lengthened text label now causes a text label collision situation the text label collision avoidance algorithm is invoked.
- vi) The final result is that the text label collision avoidance algorithm removes all text label collision situations through the application of the appropriate Escape Method.
14) The Smart Task/Milestone Text Labeling feature with its controls are discussed in detail in the article referenced below and elsewhere in this Wiki.
Related Links
Basic Workflows (Portal) 7.0.1-70
Modifying Decorations on Tasks/Milestones (Portal) 10.0.1-70
Task/Milestone Text Labels for OnePager Pro 10.15.1.-70
Task/Milestone Text Labels for OnePager Express 10.16.1.-70
Labeling Task/Milestone Dates for OnePager Pro 10.1.1-70
Labeling Task/Milestone Dates for OnePager Express 10.2.1-70
Percent complete for OnePager Pro 10.3.1-70
Percent complete for OnePager Express 10.4.1-70
Order of Tasks/Milestones Decorations 10.13.1-70
Task Bars Tab for OnePager Pro 21.3.1-70
Task Bars Tab for OnePager Express 21.4.1-70
Milestones Tab for OnePager Pro 21.5.1-70
Milestones Tab for OnePager Express 21.6.1-70
(0.4.2.2-70)
