Adding/Modifying

Due to the visual nature of NetPoint, [anchor]adding [/anchor]and modifying milestones and benchmarks 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

Adding to the Canvas

1. Click either the Start Milestone , Finish Milestone , Start Benchmark , or Finish Benchmark  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. The Milestone Object or Benchmark Object window will open.
4. Enter a Description.
5. Click OK.

Modifying Dates

1. Click the Select Tool icon  in the toolbar.
2. Select the desired event on the canvas.
3. Left-click with the mouse, and without releasing, drag it to the right or left until it lands on the desired date.
4. Release the mouse.

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

[anchor]Converting [/anchor]Between Milestones and Benchmarks

1. Click the Select Tool icon  in the toolbar.
2. Select the desired event on the canvas.
3. To convert between start and finish events, choose Convert to Start or Convert to Finish accordingly.
4. To convert between milestones and benchmarks, choose Convert to Milestone or Convert to Benchmark accordingly.

NOTE: Any existing constraints will be removed before converting. Once converted, the date is adjusted to maintain the current position of the object. For example, when a start milestone at 3/30/2010 is converted to a finish milestone, the date is adjusted to 3/29/2010, as the start of 3/30 and the end of 3/29 are at the same position on the schedule. This also allows the type of a benchmark to be changed without affecting float or drift calculations.

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 is where date-related settings are changed.

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 milestone 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. 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.

Icon

Shape
	Hourglass
	Vertical Diamond
	Horizontal Diamond
	5-point Star
	4-point Star
	Flag
	Triangle

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.