Archive for July, 2008
Hacking Project Server 2007 Timesheets — Hiding Planned Work Rows
31 July 2008
I’d like to start by thanking Marc Stoester for pointing out that the planned work rows on Project Server 2007 timesheets can be hidden with a little CSS (Cascading StyleSheets) trickery:
http://marcsoester.blogspot.com/2008/06/make-planned-work-disapear-in.html
However, I’d now like to demonstrate an even easier way to accomplish the same result… by simply adding a little SharePoint web part to the ‘My Timesheet’ page in PWA.
If you’re not familiar with manipulating SharePoint pages with web parts, see my primer on the topic (’Hacking PWA with Web Parts’) here:
http://www.projectserverhelp.com/Lists/Posts/Post.aspx?ID=7
Overview
For some people, navigating through a Project Server timesheet and locating the correct destination cells for data entry can be a bit cumbersome, and since we want to make this process as easy as humanly possible for compliance, simplifying the timesheet interface can be quite helpful. One way to clean up the timesheet interface is by hiding the ‘Planned’ row for each task.
Note: before hiding the ‘Planned’ row s in the Project Server timesheet interface, I recommend polling your Team Members to determine if that row is actually of some use to them. If so, then you may not want to follow this procedure.
Note: this procedure will hide the ‘Planned’ timesheet rows for ALL Project Server users.
Hiding the ‘Planned’ Timesheet Rows
Follow these steps to hide the ‘Planned’ rows in Project Server 2007 timesheets:
1. Visit the ‘My Timesheets’ page in PWA, select any timesheet (regardless of state), then click on the link in the first column to open the timesheet:
2. On the ‘My Timesheet’ page, pull open the ‘Site Actions’ menu near the upper right corner of the page, then select the ‘Edit Page’ option:
3. With the ‘My Timesheet’ page in edit mode, click the ‘Add a Web Part’ button, which spans the entire width of the ‘Main’ web part zone:
4. In the ‘Add Web Parts to Main’ dialog box, select the checkbox next to the ‘Content Editor Web Part’ item, then click the ‘OK’ button:
5. After the ‘Content Editor Web Part’ has been added to the page, pull open the ‘edit’ menu near the upper right corner of the newly-added web part, then select the ‘Modify Shared Web Part’ option:
6. In the ‘Content Editor Web Part’ editing panel which has opened on the right side of the page, click the ‘Source Editor…’ button:
7. In the source editor dialog box, enter the following text, then click the ‘Save’ button:
<style type="text/css">
.XmlGridPlannedWork {display:none;}
</style>
8. In the ‘Content Editor Web Part’ editing panel which should still be open on the right side of the page, expand the ‘Appearance’ heading by clicking [+], then enter ‘Hide Planned Work Rows’ as the ‘Title’ of the web part:
9. In the ‘Content Editor Web Part’ editing panel which should still be open on the right side of the page, select ‘None’ for the ‘Chrome Type’ of the web part, then click the ‘OK’ button at the bottom of the panel:
10. After the ‘Content Editor Web Part’ editing panel is closed, hover the mouse cursor over the header of the ‘My Timesheet’ web part until the 4-way cursor is displayed, click and drag the header until it is positioned above the new ‘Hide Planned Work Hours’ web part header (as indicated by the colored ‘I-beam’), then drop the web part into the upper position in the web part zone:
The ‘Hide Planned Work Hours’ web part will now appear below the ‘My Timesheet’ web part on the page:
11. Exit ‘edit mode’ by clicking the ‘Exit Edit Mode’ link near the upper right corner of the page:
As you can now see, the timesheet interface is a bit less confusing for data entry because there are fewer rows, and therefore fewer places to possibly enter actual work data.
In Summary…
No Server Access Required, and No Custom Coding Required
As long as you have the permission to edit PWA pages, you can perform this hack, regardless of whether you have direct access to the server. This will work in hosted environments (such as ProjectHosts) as well!
Be Careful!
Remember… this hack affects all users and all timesheets, so be sure that there isn’t anyone who will miss the ‘Planned’ row on the Project Server timesheet interface.
To unhide the ‘Planned’ row, simply delete the ‘Hide Planned Work Rows’ web part from the page. To learn how this is done, review my PWA web parts primer (’Hacking PWA with Web Parts’) here:
http://www.projectserverhelp.com/Lists/Posts/Post.aspx?ID=7
Happy hacking!
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Hacking PWA with Web Parts
31 July 2008One of my favorite aspects of working with Project Server is the flexibility of its web interface (PWA), largely due to the fact that it’s built on top of SharePoint technology. Even a hacker like myself can twist, mold, and shape PWA pages any number of ways… without writing, compiling, and installing a single line of .NET code!
In this webisode, we’ll look at just a few ways that you can quickly and easily manipulate the PWA interface, such as re-arranging the information that’s displayed on a page, adding more information to a page, and tweaking what’s already there. To accomplish this, we’ll use a SharePoint concept called ‘web parts’.
What are Web Parts, Exactly?
Without getting too technical, a SharePoint web part can be thought of as a ‘widget’… or a ‘block’ of information that can be displayed on a page within a SharePoint website. Some pages within a SharePoint site — otherwise known as ‘web part pages’ — can be configured to look like ‘dashboards’ by simply adding various ‘blocks’ of information (a.k.a. ‘web parts’) and arranging them on the page. Here are a couple of examples of web part pages:
The first example above is a PWA homepage which has two web parts (outlined in red), and the second example is a Project Workspace homepage which has four web parts (also outlined in red). Each of the outlined web parts has a specific purpose and displays a specific type of information — or ‘content’ — on the page.
How Do I Work With the Web Parts on a Page?
Although you could use a fancy tool like SharePoint Designer or Visual Studio to manipulate the web parts on a page, in most cases this would be overkill. To work with the web parts on a SharePoint page, all you need is a web browser and the appropriate permissions to edit the page. Once you’ve got these two prerequisites knocked out, simply pull open the ‘Site Actions’ drop-down menu located near the upper right corner of the page, then click the ‘Edit Page’ option:
After doing this, the page should be opened in ‘edit mode’, as shown below:
Located near the upper left corner of the page is a small message stating ‘You are editing the Shared Version of this page’:
Located near the upper right corner of the page is a small link which allows you to ‘Exit Edit Mode’:
Note: not all pages in a SharePoint website are web part pages. In other words… not all pages can be edited. To determine if a page can be edited, simply pull open the ‘Site Actions’ menu and look for the ‘Edit Page’ option. If it’s not there, then the page can’t be edited using the methods described here.
Notice that when a web part page is in ‘edit mode’, it’s divided into large sections — or ‘web part zones’ — which may hold one or more web parts:
In the screen scrape shown above, we can clearly see four web part zones on the page: the ‘Header’ web part zone, the ‘Left’ web part zone, the ‘Middle’ web part zone, and the ‘Right’ web part zone. If you look VERY closely, you’ll even see the top of the ‘Footer’ web part zone, located near the bottom of the window. In the top of each web part zone, there is an ‘Add a Web Part’ button which spans the entire width of the zone:
Adding a Web Part to a Web Part Page
To add a web part to a page, simply do the following:
1. Switch the page into ‘edit mode’ as described above by using the ‘Site Actions’ menu near the upper right corner of the page.
2. Identify the web part zone where you’d like to add the new web part, then click the respective ‘Add a Web Part’ button at the top of that zone.
3. In the ‘Add Web Parts’ dialog box, select the checkbox next to one or more web parts which you would like to add to the web part zone, then click the ‘OK’ button:
You should see the selected web part appear at the top of the appropriate web part zone on the page (in my case, the ‘Content Editor Web Part’ was added to the top of the ‘Header’ web part zone):
4. Exit out of ‘edit mode’ as described above by using the ‘Exit Edit Mode’ link near the upper right corner of the page.
Rearranging Web Parts on a Page
To rearrange web parts on a page, simply do the following:
1. Switch the page into ‘edit mode’ as described above by using the ‘Site Actions’ menu near the upper right corner of the page.
2. Click on the header / title of the web part that you’d like to move (as indicated by a 4-way cursor arrow), then drag the web part into another web part zone on the page.
3. When the web part is in the desired location (as indicated by the colored ‘I-beam’), drop the web part into place:
After dropping the web part, it should appear in the new location:
4. Exit out of ‘edit mode’ as described above by using the ‘Exit Edit Mode’ link near the upper right corner of the page.
Removing a Web Part from a Page
To remove a web part from a page, simply do the following:
1. Switch the page into ‘edit mode’ as described above by using the ‘Site Actions’ menu near the upper right corner of the page.
2. Identify the web part that you’d like to remove from the page, pull open the ‘edit’ menu located near the upper right corner of the web part, then select the ‘Delete’ option:
3. In the following warning dialog, click the ‘OK’ button to confirm the deletion of the web part:
The web part should no longer appear on the page:
4. Exit out of ‘edit mode’ as described above by using the ‘Exit Edit Mode’ link near the upper right corner of the page.
Configuring / Tweaking a Web Part
Some web parts need configuration in order to display the desired information properly; to configure a web part, simply do the following:
1. Switch the page into ‘edit mode’ as described above by using the ‘Site Actions’ menu near the upper right corner of the page.
2. Identify the web part that you’d like to configure, pull open the ‘edit’ menu located near the upper right corner of the web part, then select the ‘Modify Shared Web Part’ option:
3. An edit panel with appear on the right side of the web page containing configuration options specific to that type of web part; expand the headings by clicking the [+] and select the appropriate options such as ‘Title’, ‘Chrome Type’, and so forth, then click the ‘OK’ button at the bottom of the panel:
After clicking the ‘OK’ button, the web part will be updated on the page to reflect the changes that were made:
4. Exit out of ‘edit mode’ as described above by using the ‘Exit Edit Mode’ link near the upper right corner of the page.
In Summary…
As you most likely noticed in the ‘Add Web Parts’ dialog box, there are many web parts available for building web part pages, and if your Project Server is installed with Microsoft Office SharePoint Server 2007 (MOSS 2007), there will be even more to pick from! I won’t go into the gory details here, but if you’re interested in learning more about the various web parts that are available for use in SharePoint web part pages, a little online searching and a little careful experimenting will go a long way.
Also, please keep in mind that when you make changes to a web part page, you’re changing that page for EVERYONE who uses the system… so be careful!
Happy hacking!
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On Traveling
31 July 2008
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Configure Excel Calculation Services with Project Server 2007
31 July 2008Published last week on TechNet: http://technet.microsoft.com/en-us/library/cc770224(TechNet.10).aspx
and if you want to see sample Excel Services reports in an EPM context, check the following:
Popularity: 2% [?]
Project Server 2007 as a Development Platform
31 July 2008From September 29 to October 2, 2008 there will be an EPMU Developer Training Class; it’s a great opportunity to learn how to customize the Project Server 2007 platform and address you business specifics needs:
Office Project Server 2007 Developer Training
DESCRIPTION
This course is designed for Developers extending, developing and integrating with Project Server 2007. This online, instructor-led course provides a deep dive into using Project Server 2007 as a Developer Platform with numerous code demonstrates and hands-on labs. Concepts and topics include architecture for developers, best practices on programming with Project Server Interface (PSI), extending Project Web Access (PWA), migrating applications and security.
Popularity: 1% [?]
New Blog Dedicated to EPM Content - for all your Project Server needs
31 July 2008 For news on all the new content as it becomes available you really should subscribe to the new blog at http://blogs.technet.com/epmcontent . Our content team have created this to have links to new content each month including the articles for the…(read more)
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Back to Basics: Understanding task dependencies
29 July 2008In most cases, the tasks in a project are related to each other, and the relationships between them drive the schedule for the project. The relationships between the tasks are called “dependencies.” In Microsoft Office Project, you can create dependencies between tasks in the same project, and between tasks in different projects.
What kinds of task dependencies are available?
Project offers four kinds of task dependencies: finish-to-start, start-to-start, finish-to-finish, and start-to-finish.
First, let’s talk about finish-to-start (FS) dependencies. This is the most common type of dependency and is the default type of dependency that Project uses. In a finish-to-start dependency, the second task in the relationship can’t begin until the first task finishes. So, for example, if you were planning a project to make a wedding cake, you might use a finish-to-start dependency between the “Bake cake” and “Decorate cake” tasks. When the “Bake cake” task is finished, the “Decorate cake” task begins.
Start-to-start (SS) dependencies are used when the second task in the relationship can’t begin until after the first task in the relationship begins. Start-to-start dependencies don’t require that both tasks start at the same time. They simply require that the first task has begun, in order for the second task to begin. Going back to the wedding cake example, let’s say you had planned to make the icing for the cake while the cake is baking in the oven. You can’t start making the icing until the cake has started baking, so you might use a start-to-start dependency between the “Bake cake” and “Make icing” tasks.
If one of your tasks can’t finish until another one finishes, you can use a finish-to-finish (FF) dependency between them. Finish-to-finish dependencies don’t require that both tasks be completed simultaneously. They simply require that the first task be finished, in order for the second task to finish. The second task can finish any time after the first task finishes. In our wedding cake example, let’s say there are some finishing touches to the decorations that you can’t finish until the cake is delivered. You can use a finish-to-finish dependency between the “Decorate cake” and “Deliver cake” tasks. When the “Decorate cake” task is finished, then the “Deliver cake” task can be completed.
Finally, the start-to-finish (SF) dependency is a little tricky. When you use this type of dependency, you are saying that the second task in the relationship can’t finish until the first task starts. However, the second task can finish any time after the first task starts. Going back to our wedding cake example, let’s say you have a task for billing the customer. It begins when the customer requests the cake, but it can’t be completed until after the cake delivery has begun. You can use a start-to-finish dependency between the “Deliver cake” and “Bill customer” tasks, so that when the “Deliver cake” task has begun, it is okay for the “Bill customer” task to finish.
So when you put the entire plan together, with these dependencies intact, the plan might look something like this:
How do I create dependencies?
First, you need to determine whether you want to create a dependency between two tasks in the same project, or between a task in one project and a task in another project.
If you want to create a dependency between two tasks in the same project, review Create task dependencies (links) within your project.
If you want to create a dependency between a task in one project and a task in another project, review Create task dependencies (links) across projects.
Where can I learn more?
Learn more about task dependencies in the following articles:
· View and update task dependencies (links) across projects
· Create and link tasks with Project 2007
· Watch this: Create a cross-project link
· Watch this: Link tasks in your project
· Change or remove task dependencies (links)
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Infrastructure Update Intel
28 July 2008I have information from several reliable sources indicating that there have been some reports of the Infrastructure Update causing major problems when it is installed (including a few reports of deployments becoming unusable).
Although I do not have any specific details on what conditions cause the problems, I just wanted to remind everybody to be absolutely sure they have full database and system backups before applying these updates.
There are rumors that Microsoft will be releasing an update to the Infrastructure Update within the next couple of weeks, but these are wholly unsubstantiated at this point.
Discuss this post on the EPMFAQ Forums
© Stephen Sanderlin for EPMFAQ, 2008. | Permalink
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California Fire Season
28 July 2008
This view of the Tuolumne river flowing through the Poopenaut valley from the road to Hetch Hetchy dam shows the effect of the many fires burning throughout California this summer. The sun appears reddish and there is a warm cast to everything you can see.
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EPM Certifications
28 July 2008
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