Format Bar Chart dialog - General tab
You use the General tab of the Format Bar Chart dialog to specify a number of bar chart formatting options.
How to access the Format Bar Chart dialog
To access the Format Bar Chart dialog, on the Format tab, in the Format group, click Format Bar Chart.
Explanation of the fields on the dialog
| Field | Description |
|---|---|
| Bar chart | Select this check box to display the bar chart pane in the active chart window, or clear the check box to hide the bar chart. |
| Constraint flags | Select this check box to display start, finish and work between flags, or clear the check box to hide them. |
| Task per line mode |
Select this check box to display all bars in the current window in one-task-per-line mode.
|
| Show summary tasks as |
Specify whether you want to display summary tasks using their standard appearance, using the same appearance as normal tasks, as subheadings with all spreadsheet columns populated, or as subheadings with only the name of the summary task displayed.
Specifying how to display expanded tasks, summary tasks and hammocks |
| Show hammock tasks as |
Specify whether you want to display hammock tasks using their standard appearance, using the same appearance as normal tasks, as subheadings with all spreadsheet columns populated, or as subheadings with only the name of the hammock task displayed.
Specifying how to display expanded tasks, summary tasks and hammocks |
| Show expanded tasks as |
Specify whether you want to display expanded tasks using their standard appearance, using the same appearance as normal tasks, as subheadings with all spreadsheet columns populated, or as subheadings with only the name of the expanded task displayed.
Specifying how to display expanded tasks, summary tasks and hammocks |
| Base date and time |
Enter the base date and time for task and link snapping. For example, if the date you enter is a Wednesday and you set snapping to weeks, then tasks will snap to Wednesdays each week. If you enter 09:00 and set snapping to working days, then tasks will snap to 09:00 each day.
|
| Reset to snapping base time each day | Select this check box to ensure that snapping restarts from this time each day. If this option is cleared and your working day does not end on a whole hour, then snapping for following days may not fall on whole hours. For example, if your working day ends at 17:30 and your snapping unit is Hours, tasks on following days will snap to 30 minutes past the hour instead of on the hour. |
| Draw a vertical line at project start | Select this check box to display a vertical line to mark the project start date. |
| Chart background colour | Click to choose a colour for the chart background. Note that applying a dark background colour may make it difficult to see the bar chart. |
| Use summary row colouring on spreadsheet |
Select this check box if you want the colouring you apply to any summary
|
| Use summary row colouring on bar chart |
Select this check box if you want the colouring you apply to any summary
|
| Display hierarchy banding when not sorting |
Select this check box if you want the colouring you apply to any summary
Displaying hierarchy banding in views that display tasks in a nested hierarchy makes it easier to identify the levels within the hierarchy to which tasks belong.
If you select this check box, a popup appears asking if you want to change your project hierarchy appearance settings now. Click Yes to do this using the Hierarchy Appearance dialog, or click No if you are happy with your current hierarchical appearance settings.
Note that you can only display vertical hierarchy banding if the Use summary row colouring on spreadsheet check box is selected; if you choose to display vertical hierarchy banding when the Use summary row colouring on spreadsheet check box is cleared, it is selected automatically.
|
| Off | Click this radio button to turn off all annotations in the bar chart. |
| On by category | Click this radio button to display annotations belonging to the annotation categories that you select in the field below. |
| Ignore filters | Select this check box to display all annotations including any that have filters, or clear the check box to display filtered annotations only when the appropriate filter is applied. |
How do I...
... specify which items are displayed in the bar chart?
Select the items you want to display in the Show group.
... specify the way in which to display expanded tasks, summary tasks and hammocks?
In the Show expanded/summary/hammock tasks as fields, specify whether to display expanded tasks, summary tasks and hammocks:
- Using the standard appearance of expanded tasks, summary tasks and hammocks.
- Using the same appearance as normal tasks.
- As subheadings, with all spreadsheet columns populated.
- As subheadings, with only the name of the expanded task, summary task or hammock displayed.
... specify the base date and time for bar chart snapping?
- Enter the date and time to which you want items in the bar chart to snap in the Base date and time field. For example, if the date you enter is a Wednesday and you set bar chart snapping to Weeks, tasks snap to Wednesday each week; if you set the time as 09:00 and set snapping to Days, tasks snap to 09:00 each day.
- Select the Reset to snapping base time each day check box to use the base time every day. If you clear this check box and your working day does not end on a whole hour, tasks on the following day will not snap to the specified time.
... specify whether to mark the project start date on the bar chart?
Select the Draw a vertical line at project start check box to mark the start date of the project, or clear the check box to omit the start date line from the bar chart.
... specify the background colour of the bar chart?
Select a colour in the Chart background colour field.
... specify where you want the hierarchical appearance settings that you apply to bars that indicate the project hierarchy to appear?
Select the Spreadsheet check box to apply the appearance settings to the spreadsheet and select the Bar chart check box to apply them to the bar chart.
If you have selected the Spreadsheet check box, select the Display hierarchy banding when not sorting check box if you want the hierarchical appearance colouring to continue vertically down the far left hand side of the spreadsheet, or clear the check box to restrict this colouring to the horizontal bars themselves. If you select this check box, a popup appears asking if you want to change your project hierarchy appearance settings now. Click Yes to do this using the Hierarchy Appearance dialog, or click No if you are happy with your current hierarchical appearance settings.
You can configure your hierarchical appearance settings at any time by clicking Hierarchy Appearance in the Format group on the Format tab, or by right-clicking a chart or summary group icon in the project view and selecting Appearance.
... specify whether to display annotations on the bar chart?
Use the fields in the Annotations group to specify whether to display annotations, and if so, which categories of annotation to display.
Drawing tasks in one-task-per-line mode
Setting general display options
Specifying how to display expanded tasks, summary tasks and hammocks