Format Bar Chart dialog - Auto Height tab

You use the Auto Height tab of the Format Bar Chart dialog to set up definitions that make the height or colour of tasks and allocations vary according to particular attributes. For example, if your task costs vary from £10 to £1000, you could set tasks with a cost of £10 to appear as white and tasks with a cost of £1000 to appear as black, so that the greater the cost of a task, the darker it is shaded. You can use either height or colour, or use both together.

If you apply more than one height or colour definition to the same type of object, for example you set up two different definitions that both affect milestones, the height or colour of the object is determined by whichever definition is listed first in this tab.

Note that if the current view is displayed in 'jagged progress' mode, this tab is unavailable.

To access the Format Bar Chart dialog, on the Format tab, in the Format group, click Format Bar Chart.

Field/Button Description
Enabled Select this check box to enable a definition, or clear the check box to disable it.
Object types Select the type of task or allocation to which you want the definition to apply. You can select more than one type. For example, you can choose to adjust the colour and height of tasks and milestones, but not of other types of object.
Object field Select the information that you want the height or colour to represent. For example, you might want to adjust the height of tasks according to their actual cost.
Rate Select the time unit over which you want rate information to be calculated, for example Per Hour or Per Day, in order to divide the value of the selected information by the duration of the task or allocation. Alternatively, select Not A Rate if you do not want the information to be calculated as a rate.
Code library entry Select a code if you want the variable height or colour to apply to only tasks or allocations to which a particular code has been assigned, or leave the column blank to apply the definition to tasks and allocations regardless of their codes.
Start value Enter the minimum value that you want the variable height or colour to represent.
End value Enter the maximum value that you want the variable height or colour to represent.
Type Specify whether to vary the height, colour or both.
Min height Specify the height that you want to link to the minimum value. This is the height at which objects will be displayed if the value of the selected Object field is less than or equal to the specified Start value.
Max height Specify the height that you want to link to the maximum value. This is the height at which objects will be displayed if the value of the selected Object field is more than or equal to the specified End value.
Start colour Specify the colour that you want to link to the minimum value. This is the colour with which objects will be displayed if the value of the selected Object field is less than or equal to the specified Start value.
End colour Specify the colour that you want to link to the maximum value. This is the colour with which objects will be displayed if the value of the selected Object field is more than or equal to the specified Start value.
Use pattern Select this check box if you want cost and resource bars to inherit the pattern and background colour of the task code on their corresponding tasks, so that only the foreground colour of the bar is variable, or clear the check box to vary the colour of the entire bar.
Add Click this button to add another auto height and/or colour definition to the current view.
Remove Click this button to remove the selected auto height and/or colour definition.
Up Click this button to move the selected definition up in the list. If you apply more than one height/colour definition to the same type of object, the definition listed first takes precedence.
Down Click this button to move the selected definition down the list. If you apply more than one height/colour definition to the same type of object, the definition listed first takes precedence.

How do I...

  1. Click Add. A blank definition is added to the first blank line.
  2. Select the type of task or allocation to which you want the definition to apply in the Object types column. You can select more than one type.
  3. Select the information that you want the height or colour to represent in the Object field column.
  4. Select the time unit over which you want rate information to be calculated in the Rate column, for example Per Hour or Per Day, in order to divide the value of the selected information by the duration of the task or allocation. Alternatively, select Not A Rate if you do not want the information to be calculated as a rate.
  5. Select a code in the Code library entry column if you want the variable height or colour to apply to only tasks or allocations to which a particular code has been assigned, or leave the column blank to apply the definition to tasks and allocations regardless of their codes.
  6. Enter the minimum and maximum values that you want the variable height or colour to represent in the Start value and End value fields.
  7. Specify whether to vary the height, colour or both in the Type field.
  8. Specify the minimum and maximum heights that you want to link to the minimum and maximum values in the Min height and Max height fields.
  9. Specify the colours that you want to link to the minimum and maximum values in the Start colour and End colour fields.
  10. Select the Use pattern check box if you want cost and resource bars to inherit the pattern and background colour of the task code on their corresponding tasks, so that only the foreground colour of the bar is variable, or clear the check box to vary the colour of the entire bar.
  11. Select the Enabled check box to enable the definition, or clear the check box to disable it.
  1. Select the definition you want to remove.
  2. Click Remove
  1. Select the definition you want to move.
  2. Click Up to move the definition towards the top of the list, or click Down to move it towards the bottom.

Related Topics:

Working with dialogs

Using task height and colour to represent information

Setting auto-height display options

Using variable colour in allocation bars