The Menu Options

The Menu bar is the place that you can edit, view and save your project plans

The following options are available:

• File: Here you can open and close your project plans, save and print them. You can also see project plans that you have recently had open, and you can exit the application (i.e. close it).
• Edit: This allows you to perform actions to the task you have selected in your project plan. You can add, cut, copy and paste tasks into other areas of your plan. You can indent and outdent your tasks, assign resources to tasks and link them together. Make sure you have selected your task first before using this option.
• View: The view menu allows you to show and hide areas of the software to customize it for your use. For instance, you might want to show / hide the columns, Gantt or Task information area. And you might want to see the timescales or column list for further customization.
• Tools: In the tools menu, a number of options have been provided to allow you to perform advanced features for your plan. For instance, you can import and export it to Microsoft Project, you can set task locks, baselines and notes, and you can use the Settings option to change the working days and project length.
• Help: The Help menu allows you to get further information when you need it. Here, you can also activate and deactivate your software, so that you can move your license to another PC

The File Menu

In the File menu, you can open and close your project plans, save and print them. You can also see project plans that you have recently had open, and you can exit the application.

Here are each of the options provided, under the File menu:

• New: Create a new project plan.
• Open: To open an existing project plan.
• Close: Close your project plan so that you can open another.
• Save: Whenever you wish, you can click the Save button to save your most recent changes.
• Save as: To save your project plan as an alternative file type.
• Print: Print your project plan. You can do a single or multi-page print.
• Recent Files: View recently opened files.
• Exit: To exit the ProjectPlan.com software.

The Edit Menu

Using the Edit menu, you can perform actions to the task you have selected in your project plan. You can add, cut, copy and paste tasks into other areas of your plan. You can indent and outdent your tasks, assign resources to tasks and link them together. Make sure you have selected your task first before using this option.

Here are each of the options provided, under the Edit menu:

• Add: This will add a brand new task to your plan.
• Cut: The "Cut" button allows you to cut and paste a task into another location. You will need to select a task first, by clicking anywhere on the task row, before you click the Cut button. And when you do, the task will be removed from the list. Then proceed immediately to the target location in your task list and perform a Paste, as described below.
• Copy: Like the Cut button, the "Copy" button allows you to move a task from one location to another. However the difference is that the Cut button will immediately remove the task from the list, whereas the copy button will simply take a copy of it and leave it as it was.
• Paste: After you have performed either a Cut or Copy operation, you will be able to perform a Paste. You can either select an empty task to paste the content into, or select an existing task and paste the cut or copied task into the row immediately below it.
• Indent: If you have two tasks and you want one task to appear indented underneath the other one, then select the task that is lower down on the list and click the Indent button.
• Outdent: This button performs the opposite function of an Indent. It aligns the selected task to the left.
• Resources: This will allow you to create a new resource, or assign an existing resource to the selected task.
• Resource List: This enables you to see the list of all resources associated with your plan, and to edit / delete them accordingly.
• Delete: To delete a task, simply click on the task and click the delete button. All links with this task will also be deleted.
• Rename: To rename a task, click on the Rename button. You will be able to enter a different name for your task and then click another task, or click enter on your keyboard to make the changes take effect.
• Link: To add links (otherwise known as "dependencies") between tasks, use the Link button. You will be able to select the tasks that you want to link to this task, from a list provided.
• Unlink: If you select a task that has links from or to other tasks, then you can click "Unlink" to remove all of these links immediately.
• Set Milestone: A "Milestone" is typically defined as a minor or major achievement in a project. Like Microsoft Project, you can make a task a "Milestone". When you do this, it will change the view of the task in the Gantt area, from a bar to a diamond. This represents the date that your achievement is due.
• Select all: This will select all tasks within your plan, so that you can perform a mass function (e.g. delete).
• Restore: As you make changes in the Task panel, the changes you make will not be saved until you click on the Save button. At any time, you can revert back to your saved version (ignoring all of the unsaved changes you have made), by clicking on the restore button.

The View Menu

With the View menu, you can show and hide areas of the software to customize it for your use. For instance, you might want to show / hide the columns, Gantt or Task information area. And you might want to see the timescales or column list for further customization.

Here are each of the options provided, under the View menu:

• Welcome: This will load the Welcome screen that you will have seen when you first logged in.
• Project Info: A panel will appear which allows you to change the working days and the project length.
• Column List: This shows you the columns currently viewed in the Data Column area, so that you can turn columns on and off as you wish.
• Timescales: This enables you to change the timescales viewed in the Gantt, so that you can see your entire schedule on the screen if you wish.
• Show / Hide Planned: As you create new tasks, the Gantt chart shows you the "planned" view of these tasks. When you start entering "actuals" or you set a "baseline", then you can turn off this planned view and instead show the Actual or Baseline view in the Gantt chart area. You can only turn off the Planned view when the Actual and Baseline views are available.
• Show / Hide Actual: When you complete the "Actual" Start and Finish dates for each task (in the Task Information panel at the bottom of the Task panel), then you will be able to see the "Actual" progress of the project. You can click "Show Actual" to see the actual progress against the Planned or Baseline views in the Gantt area below.
• Show / Hide Baseline: If you have clicked on the Baseline button previously to set a new baseline for the project, then the "Show Baseline" button will become available. This allows you to show the Baseline view of the project in the Gantt area, against the Actual and Planned progress to date.
• Show / Hide Columns: If you only want to see the Gantt area and you want to hide the Columns area of the Task panel, then click on the "Hide Columns" button. You can click on "Show Columns" any time after that to restore the Column view on the screen.
• Show / Hide Gantt: If you only want to see the Columns area and you want to hide the Gantt area of the Task panel, then click on the "Hide Gantt" button. You can click on "Show Gantt" any time after that to restore the Gantt view on the screen.
• Show / Hide Task Info: If you want to show or hide the Task Information panel at the bottom of the Task panel, then use this button. You will not lose any information. You will simply hide and show the features provided.

The Tools Menu

In the Tools menu, a number of options have been provided to allow you to perform advanced features for your plan. For instance, you can import and export it to Microsoft Project, you can set task locks, baselines and notes, and you can use the Settings option to change the working days and project length.

Here are each of the options provided, under the Tools menu:

• Import: This allows you to import project plans which are currently in Microsoft Project (.mpp or .xml) format. In future versions, you will be able to import Excel data as well.
• Export: This enables you to export your current plan into Microsoft Project (.xml) format. You can then open Microsoft Project and open your .xml file quickly and easily.
• Lock Task: By clicking this feature, it will lock the task currently selected in your project plan, so that you can't move it. This means, you can't change the start or end date for the task, until it is unlocked.
• Set Baseline: When you click to set the baseline, it stores a snapshot of your project at that point in time. You can then use the View menu to view the current planned and actual progress, against the baseline you have set.
• Lock: When you select a task and click to Lock it, you will notice that in the Task Information area below that the Planned start and end dates are no longer editable. This means that if you lock a task, you can no longer move the task to another date. You can unlock the task using the same button, at any time.
• Add Note: You can click on any task and add a note to it. When you have added a note, the note icon will appear in the Information column (marked with a blue circular "i"). Your entire team can then see the notes you have added.
• Options: On the settings panel, you can change the project length which determines the timescales you see along the top of the Gantt. By default it will be set to 3 months, however if you change it to 6 months for instance, then it will show 6 months along the top of the Gantt schedule. On this Settings panel, you can also change the working and non-working days. By default, weekends are set as non-working days.

The Help Menu

The Help menu allows you to get further information when you need it. Here, you can also activate and deactivate your software, so that you can move your license to another PC.

Here are each of the options provided, under the Help menu:

• Read Help: This is how you access the help panel that you are reading now.
• Visit Website: It will take you to www.ProjectManager.com
• Support: This will take you to our Support page on our main website.
• Contact: This will enable you to send us a secure message, via the form on our website.
• Deactivate: If you want to delete your license from your PC and install it on another PC, then use this "deactivate" option.
• About: This provides key information about ProjectPlan.com.