Sort/Group Properties dialog - Permanent RBS tab
You use the Permanent RBS tab of the Sort/Group Properties dialog to specify the sort/group criteria with which to sort/group allocations in permanent resource RBS views when this sort/group is applied. Use the other tabs of the dialog to specify sort/group criteria for project hierarchy, consumable RBS and CBS views.

To access the Sort/Group Properties dialog, on the View tab, in the View Data group, click the Sort/Group dropdown and select New or Properties, or right-click a sort/group in Library Explorer and select Properties.

The dialog displays the following fields relating to the sort/group:
Field | Description |
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Name | Enter a descriptive name to apply to the sort/group. |
Category |
Select a category to assign to the sort/group. Categorising sorts/groups makes it easier to find the sort/group you are looking for, for example when selecting a sort/group to apply to the current view. Whenever you select a sort/group, they are arranged into their categories, with any sorts/groups that do not belong to a category being displayed below the sort/group categories that do exist.
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Display on menu | Select this check box if you want the sort/group to appear on the Sort/Group dropdown in the View Data group on the View tab, making it easier to apply the sort/group. |
Detail |
You use this grid to specify the sort/group criteria with which allocations are sorted/grouped when this sort/group is applied.
You can specify more than one sort/group criterion, each one of which can be based on a different attribute of the allocation, of its associated task, of the bar on which the associated task is located, or of the resource or cost centre that is associated with the allocation - or with other allocations on the associated task. For example, you can specify that allocations are sorted/grouped first by their start date, then by the unique task ID of the associated task. If you specify more than one criterion, the allocations are sorted/grouped by the primary criterion, then by the secondary criterion, and so on.
Use the Type column to specify the type of sorting/grouping you want to carry out for each criterion.
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Use the Attribute column to select the parameter by which allocations are sorted/grouped under each criterion. The available attributes differ depending on the type of sort/group criterion.
Click a sort/group criterion to select it in the grid. You can then configure the selected criterion using the fields on the right of the dialog. |
The dialog displays the following fields and buttons relating to whichever sort/group criterion is currently selected in the Detail field (note that the precise fields that are displayed depends on the type of criterion that is selected):
Field/Button | Description |
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Direction | Specify whether items should be sorted/grouped according to the sort/group criterion in ascending or descending order. |
Flatten resource hierarchy | Select this check box to ignore the resource hierarchy in the sorted/grouped view, or clear the check box to sort/group items in the view within the constraints of the hierarchy. |
Keep separate when contracted in RBS/CBS view |
Select this check box to specify that this sort/group criterion should be respected when a RBS view to which this sort/group is applied is contracted, or clear the check box to specify that this sort/group criterion can be ignored when a RBS view is contracted. Selecting this check box may mean that a RBS view cannot be contracted onto as few lines as would otherwise be the case; however, it does result in a more accurate contracted and sorted/grouped RBS view.
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Show duplicate items for multiple assignments |
Select this check box to specify that items with multiple code, cost or resource allocations (or bars with multiple code allocations) appear multiple times in a sorted/grouped view: once for each unique allocation value or assigned code; clear this check box to specify that items with multiple allocations appear once only in a sorted/grouped view, according to the first relevant allocation that corresponds to the sort/group criteria.
Specifying whether to display duplicate items for multiple assignments in sorted/grouped views |
Group by |
For criteria that relate to dates or durations, select a time period to group items according to the criterion by day, week, month, quarter or year. If you select a time period in this field and display subheadings for the criterion, the date or duration of each time period appears in the subheadings.
If a date or duration-based sort/group displays an undesirably large number of sort bands, grouping items in this way enables you to reduce the number of sort bands that are displayed.
Note that this check box only appears for sort/group criteria that relate to dates or durations.
Grouping tasks or allocations by day, week, month, quarter or year |
Retain hierarchy |
Select this check box to retain the code library or WBS hierarchy within a sort/group criterion that is based on a code library or on the WBS; clear this check box to sort/group items by the code - or WBS attribute - only, regardless of its position in the code library hierarchy - or in the WBS.
Note that this check box only appears for sort/group criteria that relate to code library assignments or to the WBS, and for sort/group criteria that relate to the resource or cost centre hierarchy (it is permanently selected for the latter type of criteria).
Dealing with code library, and WBS, resource and cost centre hierarchies in sorts/groups |
Limit hierarchy to... levels |
Enter a hierarchy limit to specify the number of levels within the code library, WBS, resource or cost centre hierarchy that you want to sort/group. For example, if you specify a hierarchy limit of 2, items will only be sorted/grouped by the initial two levels of the hierarchy; if you specify a hierarchy limit of 1, items will only be sorted/grouped by the first level of the hierarchy.
Note that this field only appears for sort/group criteria that relate to code library assignments or to the WBS, and for sort/group criteria that relate to the resource or cost centre hierarchy. |
Ruling line | If you want to display a line between each sorted/grouped group of items, select the style of line to display. You may want to display ruling lines rather than subheadings in order to save space on the bar chart. |
Sub-heading |
Specify the type of subheading to display above each sorted group of items. You can display no subheadings, subheadings with all columns or only the name of the sort/group criteria displayed, or subheadings with 'fake' summary tasks displayed. If displayed, the subheadings will display the sort/group criteria in a bar above each sorted group of items. For example, if you are sorting/grouping on a code library, it will display the code from within the library that has been assigned to the sorted group of items.
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Display banding in the spreadsheet |
Select this check box if you want to highlight subheadings by continuing their colouring vertically down the far left hand side of the spreadsheet, or clear the check box to restrict subheading colouring to the horizontal subheading bars themselves. Displaying banding in the spreadsheet in sorts/groups that comprise multiple sort/group criteria makes it easier to identify the sort/group criteria to which sorted/grouped items belong.
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Sort/group band with items at the same level |
For 'project hierarchy' sort/group criteria, for criteria that relate to the resource or cost centre hierarchy, and for criteria that are based on code library assignments or the WBS for which the Retain hierarchy check box has been selected, select this check box if you want to sort/group the criterion's subheadings along with other items that appear at the same level in the sorted/grouped view; clear this check box to display the subheadings in order according to the project, resource, cost centre, code library or WBS hierarchy. This applies only to sorts/groups with more than one sort/group criterion.
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Sub-heading colour |
Select the colour to apply to the subheading bar, and to its banding, if banding is used.
You can specify whether this colouring applies to the spreadsheet and the bar chart, or just to the spreadsheet, using the Show sort bands in the bar chart field on the View tab of the Options dialog. |
Sub-heading Font | Click this button to select the font, colour and style to apply to the wording in the subheading. |
Use hierarchy appearance |
For 'project hierarchy' and 'WBS' sort/group criteria, select this check box to use the hierarchy appearance settings (which affect the font and background colour that is applied to subheadings) that have been defined for either the project hierarchy or the WBS when this sort/group is applied; for sort/group criteria that relate to code library assignments or to the resource or cost centre hierarchy, select this check box to use the foreground and background colours of individual codes, resources or cost centres when this sort/group is applied; clear this check box to specify sort/group-specific appearance options.
Note that this check box only appears for sort/group criteria that relate to code library assignments or to the resource or cost centre hierarchy, and for 'project hierarchy' and 'WBS' sort/group criteria. Note also that the colour and font that you specify using the Sub-heading colour field and the Sub-heading font button are applied to the 'Not applicable' subheadings in sorts/groups that use the hierarchy appearance to group objects to which the specified sort/group criteria does not apply.
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Show path |
Select this check box to display the full path of codes or WBS criteria in subheadings; clear this check box to display the criteria name without the path that indicates their position in the hierarchy.
Note that this check box only appears for sort/group criteria that relate to code library assignments and 'WBS' sort/group criteria. |
Prefix with UDF name |
Select this check box to prefix subheadings that relate to user-defined field sort/group criteria with the names of the user-defined fields on which the criteria are based; clear this check box to display subheadings without the user-defined field names.
Including the user-defined field names in subheadings makes it easier to identify the criteria by which items are sorted/grouped. Note that this check box only appears for sort/group criteria that relate to user-defined fields. |
The dialog displays the following buttons:
Button | Description |
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Up | Click this button to move the selected sort/group criterion up one place in the grid, giving it greater priority in the sort order. |
Down | Click this button to move the selected sort/group criterion down one place in the grid, giving it lower priority in the sort order. |
Add | Click this button to add a new sort/group criterion to the grid. |
Remove | Click this button to remove the selected sort/group criterion from the grid. |
How do I...

- Enter a name for the sort/group in the Name field.
- If you want to assign a category to the sort/group, select a sort/group category in the Category field.
- Select the Display on menu check box if you want the sort/group to appear on the Sort/Group dropdown in the View Data group on the View tab, making it easier to apply the sort/group.

- Click Add. A new sort/group criterion appears in the grid.
- Click the Type column and select the type of sorting/grouping you want to carry out.
- Click the Attribute column and select the parameter by which allocations are sorted/grouped under this sort criterion. The available attributes differ depending on the type of sort/group criterion.
- Use the fields on the right side of the dialog to specify the way in which you want each sort/group criterion to be used. The fields that appear depend on the type of sort/group criterion that is selected in the grid on the left side of the dialog.
- Use the Appearance group of fields to specify the way in which you want the breaks in between each group of sorted/grouped items to be highlighted.
Follow the instructions above to define as many sort/group criteria as you need to construct the sort/group. You can change the priority of each criterion by selecting it and clicking Up and Down to alter its position in the grid. Select a criterion and click Remove to delete it from the sort/group.
The Sort/Group Properties dialog may or may not display three tabs that you can use to specify how the sort/group sorts tasks in other types of view: Bars/Tasks, Consumable RBS and CBS. If these three tabs are not currently displayed, you can click More >> to display them. If they are currently displayed, you can click Less << to hide them from view.
Creating, applying and editing sorts/groups
Specifying whether to display duplicate items for multiple assignments in sorted/grouped views
Grouping tasks or allocations by day, week, month, quarter or year
Retaining resource and cost centre hierarchies in filtered sorts/groups
Dealing with code library, WBS, resource and cost centre hierarchies in sorts/groups
Specifying the order in which code library sorts/groups appear