Microsoft Project: 33 Exporting to Web

Transcription

1 Page 1 of 11 Home Archives Authors About Us Subscribe/Membership Consultants Mouse Droppings Feedback Member Login Issue Department Next Article Previous Article Microsoft Project: 33 Exporting to Web by Mike Glen, MVP This month we ll begin to have a look at various ways to export data from Project. Why would we want to do that? Well, as P in viewer (see: we might want to show the plan or progress to others. We can do that by a picture or putting the data into another application. Although there are numerous non-microsoft applications that could me concentrate solely on Microsoft applications that most of us are likely to have to hand. Download this project: GIF Picture One of the simplest exporting methods is achieved firstly by creating GIF (Graphics Interchange Format) pictures. GIF is a c normally used for images that do not require too many colours (maximum 256). The file name takes the form of filename.gif Project is designed with the Web in mind, which allows anyone with an Internet Browser or facilities to view details. Le present the Gantt Chart view of Aircraft A on a web page. I have a problem here as the amount of data and its size will var resolution you have personally available on your screen. However, Project can help us here as the view can be zoomed. Try

2 Page 2 of 11 Note that the Zoom dialog allows us to select fixed weeks or months, a particular task or custom, or the entire project. For n and OK. We should be able to see the whole project. (Incidentally, I use SnagIt 8.2 to capture and annotate these pictures great pr

3 Page 3 of 11 To create a picture, click the Copy Picture button (the little camera on the standard toolbar). In the Copy Picture dialog, select To GIF image file: and accept the path and file name, which Project takes from the whatever you want, and OK. We can now find the Aircraft A.gif file using Windows Explorer and double-click on it to open the picture in whatever view send this file to anyone else, they can also view this picture. We can put this into another application by inserting the file. Sa report, open Word and click Insert/Picture, navigate to where we stored the.gif file and open it into Word. I m not giving yo here as it differs according to the application you wish to use. Suffice it to say that we can use similar procedures to Insert t PowerPoint. But remember that we are importing a PICTURE and thus the data cannot be changed by the viewer. I m sure you are now seeing the limitations with this procedure. For instance, the picture we have just saved is not quite the we selected it to be. Whole project in the Zoom dialog generally covers the timescale from start to finish of the project. Bu

4 Page 4 of 11 resource names - that expands beyond the end of the project. We might well need, therefore, to customise the output in th more days. This will require some trial and error to get it right (what a pain, but that s Project for you!). What is worse, thoug important factor. I ve chosen a simple project that we can easily see. If we have several hundred tasks and/or we wish to sh chart and/or the project spans many months, we are in danger of not being able to read what s in the picture. Project suffers when printing see the options open to us in: Microsoft Project: 8 Printing Reports and Views. We might end up havin to show all we need in the detail we need. Web Page If we want to create a web page for, say, on the Company s intranet, then we need to use different procedure. Try File /Sav dialog, select Webpage in the Save as type: pick list and then Save. This will activate the Export Wizard: click Next>.

5 Page 5 of 11 Select Use existing map and then Next>. Note the built-in maps for our data. We ll choose the Who Does What report, then Next>. Note the default selections to see what s available, though we ll keep the default ticks. At the bottom select Include imag can Browse for the gif file if it s not already showing, and Finish.

6 Page 6 of 11 Now find the Aircraft A.html file and open it (double-click). Your HTML page should be showing the gif picture we saved a Who Does What report.

7 Page 7 of 11 Mapping Mapping is the selection of which fields to include in the map produced for importing the data we want into an application. report we ve just created is mapped with the fields for Resources and Assignments, Start, Finish and Work. So let s sta Wizard. This time we ll open it from File, Save As Web Page Select the Aircraft A.html file if it isn t shown, note Web Page is selected for us giving the html suffix, then Save Click to overwrite if that message shows and the Export Wizard will open as before. Click on Next> and in the Export Wiz Map and Next>. So, the Export Wizard Map Options allows us to select Task, Resources and/or Assignments data: select Tasks. F the Export header/row. We want to Include image file in HTML page: so we can Browse for the gif file if it s Next>.

8 Page 8 of 11 And this is where we get down to mapping. The Export Wizard Task Mapping dialog gives us control over the final repor the cost figures along with our gif file. In the Destination HTML table title: type in a suitable name, say, Aircraft A Cost use the drop-down arrow to see the pick list. Note that all the standard filters are available and your own filters will also app any. Select All Tasks and then we ll map the fields in (Click here to map a field). Click the drop-down arrow to see all the standard fields (Columns). Then and as we type in the letter n the Wizard t with that letter. We can either type in the full name or click on Name to enter the first field.

9 Page 9 of 11 Now click to right in the To: HTML Table Field and we can see immediately that the Wizard gives us the first column of a Table as it will appear. Note that the Data Type Text is also defined for us based on the field we ve selected. Go back to Name and overtype it to change the word to Task. Then fill in the other three fields for Resource Names, respective titles: Resource and Man-hours. Check the Preview to see what s happening. Note that we can subsequently a by using the Move arrows. Also, to speed our subsequent revision or entry of further tables, we have a self-explanatory s you re done, click Next>.

10 Page 10 of 11 We could then Save Map for future use, but we ll just click Finish. Now find your Aircraft A.html where we should be able to see the original gif picture as before. In addition, we now have ou we arranged it.

11 Page 11 of 11 Conclusion As Project does not have a viewer, we started having a look at exporting data by use of the Copy Picture facilities to create format. This can be use to insert into other applications like Word or PowerPoint. We then used the GIF picture and added t a tailored map of tabular data for showing in web pages. Next month we ll have a look at exporting data to allow the full pow Ads by Google Image Search Copy Stand Import Files Export XML Export CSV Project Widgets Microsoft Project implementation, training, and software solutions Copyright (c) by MouseTrax Computing Solutions, Chicago, IL, All Content is Copyrighted and All Rights Reserved This site powered by the Logical Web Publisher (TM): Fast, easy, and affordable content management