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In this lesson you will learn how to:

• Add a border and shadow to the title.

• Display the current date and page number.

• Add a block of free-form text.

• Customize free-form text by changing the font, size, border, shadow and background.

• Display dates with symbols.

• Annotate a symbol using symbol text.

• Add text in the middle of a bar using symbol text.

• Add angled text.

• Adjust symbol and date text position

Open the schedule for this lesson:

1. On the toolbar choose the File tab.

2. In the Files and Templates: Open and Save Options section, click the down arrow next to Open A File.

3. Choose Lesson Chart.

4. Select Lesson 3 Starter Schedule.mlb, (see it  below):

The schedule for this lesson is similar to the schedule we created in the last lesson:

NOTE:

• If you are using Vista operating system and during this lesson you wish to quit and you would like to save your schedule choose the File tab, in the Files and Templates: Open and Save Options section click Save As File. When the Save Chart File dialog box appears save to a different folder.  Vista will not let you save to our lessons folder.

Add color, a border and shadow to the title:

1. Click arrow tool in the toolbox.

2. Click the title Roof Project.

3. The toolbar will change to the Selection tab Current Object :Chart Title and display all the chart titles attributes.

4. For title text justification, choose the center icon.

5. Under Text Highlights choose Shadow.

6. In the Background Color section click the top rectangle to get the color pallet.

7. Choose teal (or any other color you like).

8. In the Background Color section, Special Effects choose Fade to Right.

9. In the Background Color section, Target Color click the rectangle to get the color pallet.

10. Choose light blue (or any other color you like).

11. In the Border and Shadow section, Border Type choose Width of Schedule.

12. In the Border and Shadow section, Shadow choose Small.

13. In the Border and Shadow section, Shadow click the rectangle to get the color pallet.

14. Choose brown (or any other color you like).

15. To have the changes applied to the schedule, in the Tile text Settings section choose the apply button, Press here to apply text change made above.

Your schedule now looks like this:

Add a block of freeform text and enhance the text:

1. Click Text tool in the toolbox.

2. Click in the schedule area, to the right of the Nail on shingles step:

3. Type "3-Man crew to arrive".

4. Press Enter to split the text onto a new line.

5. Type "by 8am daily.".  Your schedule should look like this:

Change the freeform text font and style:

1. Click the arrow tool in the toolbox.

2. Click the freeform text 3-Man crew to arrive by 8am daily.

3. The toolbar will change to the Selection tab Current Object :Freeform Text and display all the freeform text attributes.

4. In the Font section change the font to Arial.

5. Change the Size to 24.

6. For Horizontal Alignment, choose the center icon.

7. For Text Style click the Bold, Italic and Underline icons.

8. Click the Text Color rectangle to get the color pallet.

9. Choose teal.

10. In the Background Color section click on the Set Fill Color rectangle to get the color pallet.

11. Choose gold.

12. Change the Special Effects to Fade to Bottom.

13. Click on the Target Color rectangle to get the color pallet.

14. Choose light yellow.

15. Check off Transparent (Disables Background Color).

16. In the Current Object section check on the Show Shadow.

17. Click on the Set Shadow Color rectangle to get the color pallet.

18. Choose gold

Your freeform text should now look like this:

Note:

• Automation Tag area is for programming.

• In the Page section you can assign freeform text to show on all pages.

Display dates with symbols:

1. In the toolbox, double-click the symbol that is used for the start symbols on your schedule.  

2. The Symbol Options dialog box appears.

3. Click the Text and Date Properties tab.

4. Under Date Placement, choose Above and Center.

5. Click OK. Each start symbol now has a date displayed above it:

Note:

• Just the month and day are displayed for symbol dates in this example. If you would like something different, choose the Dates tab. In the Date Related Settings section, click Set Symbol Date Format and choose from a list of predefined formats or create a custom format.

Add text to a symbol (symbol text):

1. Click the arrow tool in the toolbox.

2. Click the end symbol for the Get Materials step.  

3. The toolbar will change to the Selection tab Current Object :Symbol and display all the symbol's attributes.

4. In the Text section for Line 1 enter Materials:.

5. In the Text section for Line 2 enter  Tar paper, shingles,nails.

6. In the Text Placement section for Horizontal choose Right.

7. In the Text section for Suffix, type in Est..

8. In the Text section click Text Overrides.. for Line 1.

9. The Symbol Text Line 1 Overrides dialog box will come up.

10. Under Text Color Override click the Change button to get the color pallet.

11. Choose light brown.  

12. Click OK.

13. Press the Apply Text Changes button.

This is how your schedule should look.

Add text in the middle of a bar using symbol text:

1. Click the arrow tool in the toolbox.

2. Click the start symbol for Tear off old roof. The toolbar will change to the Selection tab Current Object :Symbol and display all the symbol attributes.

3. In the Text section for Line 1, enter Smith Const..

4. In the Text section click Text Overrides.. for Line 1. The Symbol Text Line 1 Overrides dialog box will come up.

5. Under Text Color Override click the Change button to get the color pallet, choose light gold.  

6. Click OK.

7. In the Text Placement section for Vertical choose Middle.

8. In the Text Placement section check on Center Text on Bar.

9. Press the Apply Text Changes button.

This is how your schedule should look.

Note:

• Always use the left-most symbol to enter text for a bar.

• You can select symbols in the schedule area, but you cannot select connectors.

Draw symbol text at an angle:

1. Click the arrow tool in the toolbox.

2. Click the milestone for Put down tar paper.

3. The toolbar will change to the Selection tab Current Object :Symbol and will display all the symbol attributes.

4. In the Text section for Line 1 enter Rain Reschedule.

5. In the Text section click Text Overrides.. for Line 1.

6. The Symbol Text Line 1 Overrides dialog box will come up.

7. Under Text Color Override click the Change button choose teal.  

8. Click OK.

9. In the Text Placement section for Vertical choose Above.

10. In the Text Placement section check on Draw Text at Angle.

11. Press the Apply Text Changes button.

This is how your schedule should look.

Note:

• Angled text will only show a single line of text regardless of how many lines of text were entered.

The default angle is set to 45 degrees.  To change the angle:

1. Click the Tools tab in the Program Options section.

2. Choose Edit

3. Under Angle for Angled Symbol Text click the down arrow

4. Choose the degree.

Vertically Move Symbol Text:

1. To select the symbol and the vertical line type to be used for vertical symbol text move.  Choose the Tools tab.  In the Customize section choose Symbol Text Move.

2. Using the scroll arrows choose a Symbol from the list that you are not currently using on your schedule. The symbol will then become a blank symbol in the toolbox.

3. Using the scroll arrows choose a Vertical link.

4. Click the  in the toolbox.

5. On the schedule, click once on the symbol with the text.

6. Hold down Ctrl + T.

7. Click and drag to move the symbol and its text to another task row.

Note:

• Once the text is moved to another task line you can move the text horizontally by clicking on the arrow tool in the toolbox, then clicking and dragging the text to the right or left.

• Once the text is moved to another task line you can move the text vertically by clicking the arrow tool in the toolbox, then holding the shift key clicking and dragging the text  up or down to the next taskline.

Adjust symbol text position with the keyboard:

1. Click the arrow in the toolbox.

2. On the schedule, click once on the symbol with the text to be moved.

3. Hold down the ALT key.

4. Click the arrow keys on the keyboard to move the text around the symbol. The text will move as you click the arrow keys.

Adjust symbol date position with the keyboard:

1. Click the arrow in the toolbox.

2. On the schedule, click once on the symbol with the symbol date to be moved.

3. Hold down ALT + CTRL.

4. Click the arrow keys on the keyboard to move the symbol date around the symbol. The symbol date will move as you click the arrow keys.

More about Milestones Professional and Text:

• Symbol text is the best way to annotate large schedules, especially if you need text to "stick" to a task or symbol.

• Default Symbol Text is applied to symbols by double clicking a symbol in the toolbox and choosing the Symbol Options dialog box, Default Text tab. Each time the symbol is added to the schedule, the default text also gets added. Text attached to any symbol already on the schedule will not be affected by changes to the Default Text. That is, changes to the Default Text only affect symbols that subsequently get added, not those already on the schedule.

• Freeform text is most useful for blocks of text that are independent of any task or symbol. Freeform text will not move with a task line -- it is independent of any object.

• If you want to have text stick to a task without displaying a symbol, consider using a comment symbol. A comment symbol can be a blank symbol or a very small symbol on a task line. The comment symbol is ignored when computing start date, end date and duration so you can place it anywhere on your schedule you need text. To create a comment symbol, just double-click any unused symbol in your toolbox and choose Comment Symbol under the Symbol Shape tab.

• Change the Default Symbol Text style and size by choosing the Format tab. In the Default Text section, click Symbol Text and make your changes.

• Do you want to add lengthy notes to a symbol, but not display the notes on the schedule? Try using Symbol Notes. Just click any symbol on your schedule the toolbar will change to the Selection tab Current Object : Symbol.  Select the Notes tab. In the Symbol Note section type your notes then press the apply button.