Custom Bar Text

[Nancy]

I want to be able to type what I want in the Bar Text rather than
select from the drop down menu. Can this be done?

I see several line items for Text1, Text2, etc. I was thinking maybe
you can edit these in a table and then select it from the drop down
menu but I can't find where that table would be edited.

Any suggestions?

Nancy

 

[JackD]

It is not entirely clear what you want. First you say you want to write in
the text instead of picking from a drop down list, then you say that you
want to select from a drop down list.
In any case, the answer is similar.

Bar Text comes from fields (also commonly called columns). In your schedule
each task has a name field, start field, resources field etc. These are
displayed on the left (table) side of your schedule. By going to view
menu/bar styles you can change which field you want to display and where it
is displayed. For this example pick the top blue bar and set it to display
Text1 to the right of the bar.

Now, since you are considering displaying the information in one of the text
fields, you will need to make that field visible so that you can edit it.
The easiest way is by simply going to the insert menu, selecting column and
then choose the text1 field. At that point you can write whatever you want
in the text1 field and it will show up on the bar at the position you have
chosen.

If you want to have a picklist for the values in text1 that is a separate
issue. To do that simply right-click on the header of the text1 column that
you just inserted and select customize fields. In the dialog box that comes
up there is a section to set a value list for the field. Choose whatever
options you want there and you will then have a value list for that field.

There are other things you can do with the fields like using custom fields,
renaming them etc. which are also useful.

-Jack

 

[Nancy]

Sorry that my request was vague.....the 'bar text' that I want to
customize is found on the Format menu, Bar option. There is a bar
text tab where you select what you want the text to be next to your
timeline bar. Such as, there is a drop down box where you can select
% Complete, Actual Cost, etc. I want to be able to edit that line so
I can say what I want. Can this be done?

Nancy

 

[John Beamish]

You could choose to display one of the Text fields and then anything you
enter in that Text field will be displayed on the Gantt chart. Note that
the field name itself is not displayed; the contents of the field name are
displayed.

Sorry that my request was vague.....the 'bar text' that I want to
customize is found on the Format menu, Bar option. There is a bar
text tab where you select what you want the text to be next to your
timeline bar. Such as, there is a drop down box where you can select
% Complete, Actual Cost, etc. I want to be able to edit that line so
I can say what I want. Can this be done?

Nancy

--

 

[JackD]

Precisely.
For example pick "Name", the bar won't display "Name", but will instead
display whatever is in the Name field for the task.
The setting of the value to display is done in the field itself, not in the
list of available fields.

-Jack

You could choose to display one of the Text fields and then anything you
enter in that Text field will be displayed on the Gantt chart. Note that
the field name itself is not displayed; the contents of the field name are
displayed.