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| Symbol
Maker |
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| Milestones
Professional, Milestones Simplicity and Milestones Project
Companion have a built-in Symbol Maker, allowing you to create
a variety of custom symbol shapes. |
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This article refers to version 2006.
Click for Version 2008 |
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| Design custom symbols with the
Symbol Maker |
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In the Symbol
Maker, simply click grid
points which become red dots. The sequence of dots are connected
by lines which form the shape.
A preview of the symbol is
shown in the right margin of the Symbol Maker as a green shape.

Then save the symbol and select
it in the toolbox for use just like any other symbol.
On the toolbar,
click
to access the Symbol Maker.
If this icon does
not exist, choose Tools | Customize |
Toolbox to add it to the
toolbar. |
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| Create a simple
single-part symbol |
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| A simple symbol would be a
single enclosed shape like a diamond or a triangle. |
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Create the
symbol
- Click the Symbol Maker icon
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- Click on the add button.
- Click on the grid with the left mouse button. A grid
point (red dot) appears.
- Click again to place a second point on the grid. A line
appears between the first and second points.
- Continue placing points on the grid until you have an
enclosed figure (end by clicking on the original point, to
enclose the shape).
All enclosed parts of the shape, as well as single line
extensions constitute the symbol shape. |
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Edit the symbol
- Click the minus button to undo the most recent additions
to the shape.
- To move established points,
click the arrow button and then click-and-drag existing
points on the grid.
- To edit an existing symbol, choose File | Open
Embedded Symbol or Open Symbol File.
Save the symbol and exit the
Symbol Maker
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When finished, choose one of two save options:
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File | Save to Symbol File to save the
.SYM file to the Symbols folder. Any Milestones schedule
can use this symbol. These symbols can be embedded
later.
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File | Save as Embedded Symbol to save
the symbol as a part of that schedule. Embedded symbols
automatically have EMBEDDED: attached to the beginning
of the symbol name, e.g. EMBEDDED:symbol1.sym.
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Embedded symbols are recommended if you plan to
share the schedule containing the custom symbol.
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Name the file and Save.
- Choose File | Exit Symbol Maker.
Add the custom symbol to the
toolbox
- In your toolbox double-click on a symbol which should be
replaced with the user-defined symbol, such as a .SYM or
.BMP file.
- Under User Defined Shapes, choose your symbol
from the list. The list contains all .SYM and .BMP files in
the Symbols folder and embedded symbols for that
schedule.
- Optionally, choose to embed the symbol in the Milestones
file.
More
information
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If your symbol is not in
the list of User Defined Shapes, be sure that symbol is
placed in the Symbols folder. To find this folder which
contains the user-defined symbols, choose Tools | Options |
Folders. Notice the path as shown next to Symbols(*). For
example, the Symbols folder could be your MyDocuments
folder.
- .SYM files can be
formatted with fill color, outline color, fill pattern, and
other characteristics.
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| Create a
multi-part symbol |

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| A more complex symbol would be a
shape with multiple enclosed shapes, such as a pinwheel
comprised of four triangles. |
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Create the
symbol
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Click the Symbol Maker icon
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Click on the add button.
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Click on the grid with the left mouse button. A
grid point (red dot) appears.
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Click again to place a second point on the grid. A line
appears between the first and second points.
- Continue placing points on the grid until you have an
enclosed figure (end by clicking on the original point, to
enclose the first shape). For example, each of the four triangles
to the right are single shapes.
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To begin the second shape,
click once with the right mouse button at the place
that you want to begin the next piece of the symbol.
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Next, use the left mouse button to click on grid
points until this piece of the symbol is completed.
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Click with the right mouse button at the spot
where you want to begin the next piece.
- Continue in this fashion until all parts of the symbol are
complete.
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Edit the symbol
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Click the minus button to undo the most recent additions
to the shape.
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To move established points,
click the arrow button and then click-and-drag existing
points on the grid.
- To edit an existing symbol, choose File | Open
Embedded Symbol or Open Symbol File.
Save the symbol and exit the
Symbol Maker
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When finished, choose one of two save options:
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File | Save to Symbol File to save the
.SYM file to the Symbols folder. Any Milestones schedule
can use this symbol. These symbols can be embedded
later.
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File | Save as Embedded Symbol to save
the symbol as a part of that schedule. Embedded symbols
automatically have EMBEDDED: attached to the beginning
of the symbol name, e.g. EMBEDDED:symbol1.sym.
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Embedded symbols are recommended if you plan to
share the schedule containing the custom symbol.
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Name the file and Save.
- Choose File | Exit Symbol Maker.
Add the custom symbol to the
toolbox
-
In your toolbox double-click on a symbol which should be
replaced with the user-defined symbol, such as a .SYM or
.BMP file.
-
Under User Defined Shapes, choose your symbol
from the list. The list contains all .SYM and .BMP files in
the Symbols folder and embedded symbols for that
schedule.
- Optionally, choose to embed the symbol in the Milestones
file. Embedding is recommended if you plan to share the
schedule containing the custom symbol.
More
information
-
If your symbol is not in
the list of User Defined Shapes, be sure that symbol is
placed in the Symbols folder. To find this folder which
contains the user-defined symbols, choose Tools | Options |
Folders. Notice the path as shown next to Symbols(*). For
example, the Symbols folder could be your MyDocuments
folder.
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.SYM files can be
formatted with fill color, outline color, fill pattern, and
other characteristics.
- Each symbol you design can
have as many as 200 points with up to 20 different sections.
Each section must be a complete outline, and each section
must start and end at the same point. You are limited to 20
points for each section.
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Milestones Professional Feature - Embedded
custom symbols |
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Custom symbols, either ones created with the
Symbol maker or bitmaps (.bmp files) can now be embedded in a schedule.
This is
a great convenience when e-mailing a schedule to someone. The example
below includes several custom symbols |
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| Free downloads |
| Add these symbols to your symbol
library today:
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| How to add these symbols: |
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Download this file
SymbolsMarch2007.zip
and extract the contents to your default Milestones
"Symbols" folder. |
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Double-click any symbol in your toolbox. Under "User
Defined Symbols", select the name of the symbol you want to
use. (If you want one of these symbols to appear
whenever you start a new schedule, you should
customize your default template.)
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Saving a Default
Template |
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Choose Save As | Standard
Template on the File menu. |
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For File Name, enter or
select Default.mtp |
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3. |
Click Save |
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Now, the next time the New File
icon is selected, the template settings will be used. |
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