Change Task Calendar dialog
You use the Change Task Calendar dialog to specify what you want to happen when you assign a different calendar to a task. Assigning a different calendar to a task may alter its duration or start and finish dates for the following reasons:
- The time units in the calendars may differ in absolute terms. For example, a working week may be 5d in one calendar and 6 in another, or a working day may be 7h in one calendar and 8 in another.
- The calendars may have different holidays, overtime and other exceptions. For example, if a task that starts on 1st June will not be able to start on that date if you assign a calendar to it in which 1st June is a holiday.
How to access the Change Task Calendar dialog
The Change Task Calendar dialog appears when you change the calendar that is assigned to a task.
Explanation of the fields on the dialog
| Field | Description |
|---|---|
| Retain the existing duration and change the dates if necessary | Click this radio button to retain the existing duration of the task. If the time units within the calendars differ or if the calendars have different holidays, the finish date of the task may be changed. |
| Retain the existing start and finish dates and change the duration if necessary | Click this radio button to retain the task's start and finish dates where possible. If the time units or holidays within the calendars differ, the duration of the task may be changed. The dates may also be changed because of different holidays or time units. |
| Retain the absolute duration in terms of hours, minutes and seconds | Click this radio button to retain the absolute duration of the task in terms of hours, minutes and seconds. The formatted duration (eg 2w) may be changed, as may the task's start and finish dates, because of differing holidays or time units between the calendars. |
| Do not ask me again | Select this check box if you want to carry out the action you specify in this dialog each time you change the calendar that is assigned to a task without displaying this dialog, or clear the check box to display this dialog the next time you change a task's calendar. |
Illustration of how the option you choose can affect tasks when you assign a different calendar to them
In the following example, a task has been created with a duration of one week and two days (1w, 2d). The calendar that is currently applied to it has a five day working week, with seven and a half hours of working time each working day. As a working week is defined as five days in this calendar, the task’s duration equates to seven days, as illustrated below:
In this example, a different calendar will be assigned to the task: a calendar with a six day working week, with eight and a half hours of working time each working day, and in which a day’s holiday falls between the task’s start and finish dates. The three illustrations below show what the effect of selecting each of the three options on the Change Task Calendar dialog would be when assigning the calendar to the task.
Retain the existing duration and change the dates if necessary
- The task’s duration of one week, two days is retained.
- As a working week is defined as six days in the new calendar, the task’s duration expressed in terms of days is changed to eight days.
- As both the working week and the working day are longer in the new calendar, the task’s absolute duration (in terms of seconds) has increased.
- As the task’s duration in terms of days has increased by a day, the finish date of the task has been increased by one day.
- As the working day ends one hour later in the new calendar, the finish time of the task has been increased by one hour.
- Although the working week in this calendar includes one more day than the original calendar, the effect of this in terms of the task’s finish date is cancelled out by the additional one day’s holiday. If the calendar did not include the holiday, the task’s finish date would be one day earlier.
Retain the existing start and finish dates and change the duration if necessary
- The task’s start date and finish date are retained.
- As both the working week and the working day are longer in the new calendar and as the calendar includes one day’s holiday, the task’s duration – in absolute terms as well as expressed in terms of weeks and days – is changed.
Retain the absolute duration in terms of hours, minutes and seconds
- The task’s absolute duration (in terms of seconds) is retained.
- As both the working week and the working day are longer in the new calendar and as the calendar includes one day’s holiday, the task’s duration expressed in terms of weeks and days is changed, as is the task’s finish date.