Adding/Modifying

Due to the visual nature of NetPoint, [anchor]adding [/anchor]and modifying activities is best done graphically on the canvas. When the cursor is moved over the canvas, the date and day-of-the-week display above the crosshairs. As the cursor moves around the canvas, the date changes to reflect the exact calendar date that the cursor is at. If the date is a non-working period or holiday (according to the default calendar for the schedule), the text will appear red. If the default calendar were the Calendar Day calendar, the date will appear black.

Steps

[anchor]Adding [/anchor]to the Canvas

1. Click the Activity or Delay/Gain  icon in the toolbar.
2. Move the cursor to the desired date, indicated by the text above the crosshairs.
3. Left-click with the mouse.
4. Without releasing, drag the cursor to stretch the duration (displayed in blue) until the intended finish date.
5. Release the mouse. The Activity Object window will open.
6. Enter a Description.
7. Click OK.

Modifying Dates/Durations

1. Click the Select Tool icon  in the toolbar.
2. Select the desired activity on the canvas.
3. To change both the start and finish date simultaneously, left-click with the mouse and drag it to the right or left.
   1. Release the mouse.
4. To change the duration, hover the mouse over the start or finish node until a double-arrow appears.
   1. Click and drag the node earlier or later until it lands on the desired date.
   2. Release the mouse.

NOTE: Dates and durations can also be modified in the Dates tab. To do so, double-click the desired object, or right-click and choose Properties.

Converting Between Activities to Delays

1. With the Select Tool  chosen in the toolbar, right-click on the desired activity or delay.
2. Choose Convert to Delay or Convert to Activity, respectively.

NOTE: If an activity has an embedded node or resources have been assigned to it, the option to convert to a delay will be disabled.

Editing the Description

1. With the Select Tool  chosen in the toolbar, double-click the description directly on the canvas. A text box will open.
2. Edit as desired.
3. When finished, click anywhere outside the text box on the canvas.

Positioning Fields on the Canvas

1. Begin at step 1 of [bookmark postid=”12749″ anchor=”fields”]Through GEM Mode[/bookmark].

Notes

Properties Tab

The Properties tab is where general settings are changed.

Dates Tab

The Dates tab contains all date related fields, such as the start and finish, duration, calendars, and constraints.

Displays Tab

The Displays tab contains checkboxes for hiding or showing different fields on the canvas.

NOTE: Drift, float, buffer, and total float are displayed in that order below the activity bar on the same line. They may be distinguished from one another by the shape of their bounding boxes: drift points to the left, or project start; float and buffer point to the right, or project completion; and total float points in both directions. Either buffer or total float may be displayed, but not both at the same time. If too many fields are being displayed for the duration of the activity, the data may stack under and perpendicular to the bar. To customize the position of the fields on the canvas, see [bookmark postid=”12749″ anchor=”fields”]Repositioning Fields (GEM)[/bookmark]

Format Tab

The Format tab contains controls for changing the look of the object on the canvas.

Bar & Nodes

Descriptions

The description and the abbreviated description can be styled/formatted differently or the same. To make them different, choose Description from the dropdown, customize the options, and then choose Abbr. Description from the dropdown, and customize the options for it. The settings will be saved, and you can switch between the two to confirm.

To make them the same, choose Both from the dropdown, and then customize the options. Note that choosing both will only overwrite the options that receive a change. For example, imagine the description’s font has been formatted to Arial and the abbreviated description’s font has been formatted to Tahoma. If Both is chosen from the dropdown and the font is set to Calibri, then the font for both the description and the abbreviated description will be set to Calibri, but the color, alignment, style, and size will be unaffected, since they didn’t receive any change. This can be confirmed by switching between the description and the abbreviated description and reviewing them without losing any of the changes.