Text imported to MSP notes field is truncated to 255 characters

[SteveH]

I have an Excel spreadsheet that contains a number of columns, one of which
contains some extensive text on multiple lines.

I also have an import map in Project to bring this data into my Project file
as an import to update some information. However, whilst the import is
successful, the import of the text column into the Notes field for a task
truncates the text to 255 characters.

Clearly the Notes field allows for more text than this to be stored, yet I
cannot see how to import this correctly. There appears to be no way to alter
the Data type setting in the map from Text (which presumably limits it to 255
characters) to RTF whuch is the data type that Notes is as described in the
Help file.

Any help greatly appreciated.

Steve Huckett
Project Leader
Flare Software Systems

 

[John]

I have an Excel spreadsheet that contains a number of columns, one of which
contains some extensive text on multiple lines.

I also have an import map in Project to bring this data into my Project file
as an import to update some information. However, whilst the import is
successful, the import of the text column into the Notes field for a task
truncates the text to 255 characters.

Clearly the Notes field allows for more text than this to be stored, yet I
cannot see how to import this correctly. There appears to be no way to alter
the Data type setting in the map from Text (which presumably limits it to 255
characters) to RTF whuch is the data type that Notes is as described in the
Help file.

Any help greatly appreciated.

Steve Huckett
Project Leader
Flare Software Systems

Steve,
You are correct. An simple import map will truncate Notes text at 255
characters. There are a few options. A simple copy and paste will
increase the string length to 1024 characters at which time Excel will
no longer word wrap but if you have lots of Notes to copy this approach
is tedious to say the least.

Another option is VBA. I have a couple of VBA macros that will export
the full Notes text. If you are interested, write me direct. A third
option is to query the Project database directly. With that method you
can extract the RTF string that resides in the Notes.

Hope this helps.
John
Project MVP

 

[SteveH]

John

Thanks for the response. However, I am trying to import INTO Project FROM
Excel. I have an in house application that we use to manage our work flows
but isn't very good at scheduling. I can export the work tasks created in
that application to Excel and have got Project to update the tasks and/or
create new ones from the spreadsheet created by the export to Excel. What I
would like is for the notes about the work task to be imported into Project
along with the other data, but for it to be stored in the Notes field of the
Project file. It only seems to accept the first 255 characters, even though
the Project help file refers to the field having 'virtually no size limit'.

Any help appreciated

Steve

 

[John]

John

Thanks for the response. However, I am trying to import INTO Project FROM
Excel. I have an in house application that we use to manage our work flows
but isn't very good at scheduling. I can export the work tasks created in
that application to Excel and have got Project to update the tasks and/or
create new ones from the spreadsheet created by the export to Excel. What I
would like is for the notes about the work task to be imported into Project
along with the other data, but for it to be stored in the Notes field of the
Project file. It only seems to accept the first 255 characters, even though
the Project help file refers to the field having 'virtually no size limit'.

Any help appreciated

Steve

Steve,
Sorry, I misread your original post. I've never used an import map
between Excel and Project and when I tried it, I couldn't get it to
work. Obviously I'm doing something wrong. Nonetheless, I am not
surprised an simple import truncates text at 255 characters. In my
opinion the preferred solution is still VBA - just going the opposite
way.

John
Project MVP

 

[VB]

John,
I'd like your VBA macro as I'd like to export to Excel the full notes
text...I hope that's what you are talking about. How do you query the Project
direct to extract the RTF string.
Thanks, Vic