Setting up spreadsheet columns for text entry

One common use of spreadsheet columns is for the entry of text relating to the tasks on a bar. In order to set up a spreadsheet column so that you can enter text into it, you must first set up a user-defined field that will allow the entry of text, then display the user-defined field in the column, as described below.

Setting up a user-defined field for text entry

On the Project tab, in the Properties group, click User Field Manager. The User Field Manager dialog appears (the User Field Manager command is unavailable if the project contains any unsaved changes, if a Properties dialog is active, or if the project is stored on a server-mounted data source).
Select Bar in the Object type field, then click Add. The Add User Field dialog appears.
Click the String radio button. This will create a user-defined field into which you can enter strings of text.
Enter a name for the field in the User Field Name field. This name will appear in the heading of the column to which you add the user-defined field. To avoid possible naming conflicts with future versions of Asta Powerproject, prefix the user-defined field name with a unique string such as your company name or a non-English word.
Click OK to close the dialog and return to the User Field Manager dialog.
Click Close to close the User Field Manager dialog. When you click Close, any views onto the active project are closed so that the database can be updated.
Click Programme Chart to redisplay the programme chart of the project, or select the view you want to display from the View dropdown in the Views group on the View tab.

Displaying a user-defined field in a spreadsheet column

Right-click the heading of the column in which you want to display the user-defined field.
Select Field from the menu that appears, select the User Fields submenu, then select the user-defined field that you have just created.

The spreadsheet column now displays the user-defined field, and its name appears in the column heading. You can now use this spreadsheet column to enter text relating to the tasks on a bar.