Many views—such as the Gantt Chart, Task Usage view, and Resource Usage view—display a table of data as a major section. A few views, like the Task Sheet and the Resource Sheet, consist entirely of one big table of data. If the information you want doesn’t appear in the current table, you can switch tables or modify the table contents. You can customize the contents of a table directly in the view or through the Table Definition dialog box.
For information on switching the table applied to a sheet view, as well as working with tables in general, see Using Tables.
Inside Out: Table modifications update the table definition
Table changes you make in the view change the table definition. If you insert or remove columns, modify the column attributes in the Field Settings dialog box, or use the mouse to adjust the column width, the table definition changes to reflect those modifications.
Because it is so easy to make changes to a table in a view, it’s important to remember that those changes become a permanent part of that table’s definition. If you want to keep the current table the way it is, make a copy of it, and then make your modifications to the copy.
Many of the customizations you can make in the Table Definition dialog box are also available directly within a table in a view. You can insert, remove, and edit columns in a view. To learn more about modifying a table in a view, see Using Tables.
You can add, move, remove, or modify columns in any table. To modify the definition of an existing table, follow these steps:
Right-click the Select All cell in the upper-left corner of the sheet (above the task ID cells) and then click More Tables on the shortcut menu.
The More Tables dialog box appears with the current table selected.
Click the Edit button.
To use the current table as a foundation for a new table, click Copy instead of Edit.
To use a different table as a basis for a new table, in the More tables dialog box, click that table’s name and then click Copy.
The Table Definition dialog box, shown in Figure 28-17, appears. If necessary, type a descriptive name in the Name box.
If you want this table to appear on the table drop-down menus, select the Show In Menu check box.
To move a column in the table, click the field name you want to move, and then click Cut Row.
You move columns in a table by moving fields in the rows in the table definition grid.
Click the row above which you want to insert the field.
Click Paste Row to insert the field at the new location.
You can add columns to the end of the table definition grid or insert them where you want. To insert a column into the table, follow these steps:
In the Table Definition dialog box, click the row in the grid above which you want to insert the field.
Click the Field Name cell, click the arrow that appears in the cell, and then click the field name you want in the list.
Specify the alignment of the data and the column heading as well as the width of the column.
If you want the column heading text to wrap, click Yes in the Header Wrapping cell. If you want the contents of cells to wrap, click Yes in the Text Wrapping cell.
To display text in the column header—other than the field name—in the Title cell, type the text you want to appear.
Pressing Enter is the same as clicking OK—either action closes the Table Definition dialog box. To complete a row with default entries, press Tab or click another cell in the list.
Troubleshooting: The Field Name list doesn’t show the field you want to add
When you’re editing a task table, only task fields appear in the Field Name list. Likewise, when you edit a resource table, you can add only resource fields. Assignment fields appear only when you edit usage views.
Similarly, if you can’t find the table you want to modify, you might have the wrong type of view displayed. In the More Tables dialog box, select the Task or Resource option to display the list of task or resource tables.
You can turn the current table into a new table directly in a view. On the View tab, in the Data group, click the arrow next to the Tables button, and then click Save Fields As A New Table. In the Save Table dialog box, type the name for the table and click OK.
To remove a column from a table, follow these steps:
In the Table Definition dialog box, click the field name for the column you want to remove.
Click Delete Row.
You can customize other properties of a table by using the Table Definition dialog box. For example, you can specify the format of dates or set a row height for all rows.
To set other table options, do the following:
In the Table Definition dialog box, in the Date Format box, click the format you want for any date fields.
If you don’t specify a format, the table uses the default date format for the entire project.
To change the height of the rows in the table, click a number in the Row Height box.
This number represents a multiple of the standard row height.
To adjust the height of the header row to make room for the full column title, select the Auto-Adjust Header Row Heights check box.
To include the Add New Column column as the rightmost column in the table, select the Show ‘Add New Column’ Interface check box.
To learn more about the Add New Column interface option, see Using Tables.
Inside Out: Lock the first column for scrolling
If a table includes numerous columns, you might have to scroll in the sheet area of the view to see them all. But it’s difficult to enter data in the correct cells when you can’t see the Task Name column. You can keep a column in view by moving it to the first column and then selecting the Lock First Column option in the Table Definition dialog box.
To lock the Task Name column, in the Table Definition dialog box, click Name in the Field Name column and then click Cut Row. Click the first row in the Field Name list, and then click Paste Row to insert the Name field in the first row in the list. Select the Lock First Column check box, and click OK. Task Name is the first column, shaded to indicate that it’s locked in place. It does not disappear as you scroll.
If none of the existing tables even come close to meeting your needs, you can create a completely new table. To do this, follow these steps:
Right-click the Select All cell in the upper-left corner of the sheet (above the task ID cells), and then click More Tables on the shortcut menu.
In the More Tables dialog box, select the Task or Resource option to create a task or resource table, respectively.
Click New.
The Table Definition dialog box appears with a default name in the Name box.
Enter a new descriptive name in the Name box.
If you want this table to appear in table menus, select the Show In Menu check box.
Continue by adding the fields you want to appear in the table.
For information about how to add fields to a table, see Modifying the Columns in a Table.
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