Bar Styles
Online Help > Bar Styles
What does the “Bar Styles” functionality do?
By using the Bar Styles functionality, you can make view-wide changes to all the bars in the Gantt Chart view, which is different from the Bar option, that applies format changes only to the specific line item you've selected.
How to change the bar color for manual tasks?
To change the bar color, go to Format menu - Bar styles. Under the Name tab look for Manual Task and click on its Appearance field. Select the color you wish and press OK.
How to make the milestones appear as red diamonds in Gantt Chart?
To change the shape or color of a milestone in Gantt Chart, go to Format menu - Bar styles. Click on the Appearance cell correspondent to the row named Milestone and select the Shape and Color then press OK.
Can the views be customized in the app?
Views can be customized by using the Text Styles, Font, Bar Styles or Bar functionalities from the Format menu.
Which views support style customizations?
The views which can be customized are Gantt Chart, Task Sheet, Resource Sheet and Tracking Gantt.
How can I customize bar appearance in Gantt Chart or Tracking Gantt views?
The appearance of the task bars can be changed by using the Bar Styles or Bar options from the Format menu. By using the Bar Styles option, all the bars belonging to the modified category (milestone tasks, manual tasks, etc.) will be changed. By using the Bar option, the customizations will only apply to the bar which corresponds to the selected task from grid.
How do I change the color, shape, or pattern of Gantt bars?
To change the appearance of Gantt bars for the whole project, apply the Gantt Chart View – make sure you are not selecting any particular task – on the Format menu, click Bar Styles – modify the pattern as desired and click OK.
How do I add text to a type of bars in Gantt Chart?
To add text to certain types of Gantt bars, apply the Gantt Chart View – make sure you are not selecting any particular task or bar – on the Format menu, click Bar Styles- select the type of Gantt bar – click Text tab – select the desired text – click OK.
How can bar styles be changed for split tasks?
By default, split tasks are represented in the Gantt Chart view with dotted lines connecting each split portion. You can change the appearance of the split by modifying the split bar style using Bar Style dialog.
How can I add Start and Finish dates to appear next to the bars in Gantt Chart?
If you want the Start and Finish dates to appear in the Gantt Chart, please go to the Format menu - Bar Styles option, select the Text Tab. Then, from Left - select the column Start and from Right - select the column Finish. Press OK and your Start and Finish dates will be displayed in the Gantt Chart.
How do I change the appearance of a summary task in Gantt Chart?
To change the appearance for the summary task, click on Format menu - Bar Styles - Summary - Appearance. In the lower bottom of the window modify the appearance as desired then click OK.
How do I change the appearance of the project summary task in Gantt Chart?
To change the appearance for the project summary task, click on Format menu - Bar Styles - Project Summary - Appearance. In the lower bottom of the window modify the appearance as desired then click OK.
How do I change the appearance of a milestone in the Gantt Chart?
To change the appearance for the milestones, click on Format menu - Bar Styles – Milestone - Appearance. In the lower bottom of the window modify the appearance as desired then click OK.
Note: Gantt bars look simple enough, but they can get confusing as projects get complex. Customizing the bars on a Gantt Chart view is often the first thing a project manager does to create clarity in a project and to help spot problem areas quickly.
Formatting the look and feel of the Gantt bar area is very useful. You can modify the look and feel of summary tasks, tasks, and milestones, including attributes such as progress lines for percent complete, delay lines, and so on. Not only you can change the appearance of the bar, but you can also add text around the bar. Any of the fields available to be added to a table is also available to be added on top of, below, to the right of, to the left of, or inside a bar. This allows for richer communication of schedules.
How can I modify the text from bars to appear on top of them?
In order to modify the text from bars to appear on top of them, go to the Format menu and then select the Bar Styles option. Then, select the "Text" tab and from "Top" select the desired value and press "OK".
How to change all the Bars from Bar Styles?
To change the bar style for all tasks, please click on Format menu - Bar Styles. Then, for each type of task you can change the bar appearance.
Why I can’t see the “Bar Styles” button in ribbon on the Mac platform?
If the “Bar Styles” button is not visible in ribbon, please press "More" button. You should be able to find in the dropdown the button that doesn't fit inside the ribbon because of the small window size.
What does the “Help” button in the “Bar Styles” dialog do?
The “Help” button in the Bar Styles dialog redirects you to the “Bar Styles” article in our Online Help page.
Can I add Cost next to the bars in Gantt Chart?
If you want the Cost to appear in the Gantt Chart, please go to the Format menu - Bar Styles option, select the Text Tab. Then, from Right - select the column Cost. Press OK and the Cost will be displayed in the Gantt Chart.
How to remove a bar style?
In order to remove a bar style, go to the Project menu - Format - Bar Styles. Select a category and from "Bars" tab, click on the placeholder in order to open the dropdown and select the empty field. After that, click on "OK" button for changes to take effect.
How do I add the task name inside all summary task bars?
Go to menu Format-Bar Styles. Select the Summary task, click on the Text tab and from “Top” or “Inside” field select the “Name” option. After that, press “OK” for the changes to take effect.
How to change the color of Critical Path bars?
In order to change the color of Critical Path bars, go to the Project menu - Critical Path. After that, go to the Format menu and from the list, select "Critical Path". Change the color for the middle section and press "OK" for the changes to take effect.
How can I set the start date of the milestones to appear next to the bars?
In order to set the start date of milestones to appear next to the bars, go to the Format menu - Bar Styles, select Milestones and click on "Text" tab. After that, from "Right" select "Start" and press "OK" for the changes to take effect.
How do I add notes next to the bars in Gantt Chart?
If you want the notes to appear in the Gantt Chart, please go to the Format menu - Bar Styles option, select the Text Tab. Then, from Right - select the column "Notes". Press "OK" and your Notes will be displayed in the Gantt Chart.
How do I remove the text for all bars, including critical bars?
In order to remove the text from your task bars/critical task bars, please follow the steps below:
1. Go to the Project menu – Critical Path;
2. Go to the Format menu – Bar Styles;
3. Scroll into the list and click on “Critical Path” name text;
4. Click on “Text” tab and remove “Resource Names” – click on another field for the change to take effect;
5. Click on “Task” field from the list and go again to “Text” tab and remove “Resource Names” (click again on another field inside the dialog for the changes to take effect)
6. Click on “Milestone” field from the list and go again to “Text” tab and remove “Finish” (click again on another field inside the dialog for the changes to take effect)
7. Click on “OK” button inside the “Bar Styles” dialog;
The "Bar Styles" option does not exist in the "Format" tab.
Please make sure you have our latest version of the application installed on your device: Download Project Plan 365
How do I show the Calendar type information in Gantt Chart?
To add the Calendar information to Gantt bars, apply the Gantt Chart View – make sure you are not selecting any particular task or bar – on the Format menu, click Bar Styles- select the type of Gantt bar – click Text tab – select "Task Calendar" – click OK.
How can I show the Resource Initials next to the bars?
In order to add the Resource initials in the Gantt Chart, go to the Format menu – Bar styles, select the Text tab, chose in which side of the Gantt Chart you want to display the Resource name initials and select the “Resource Initials” field. Press “OK” and the Resource Initials will be displayed in the Gantt Chart.
How do I change the color of logic lines between bars?
The color of the link lines is the same as the color of the task bar. At the moment it cannot be customized differently.
How can I remove the text from the task bars?
In order to remove the text from your task bars, please follow the steps below:
1. Go to the Format menu – Bar Styles;
2. Select the task type you want to remove the text from;
3. Click on Text tab and remove the content from all the fields – click on another field for the change to take effect;
4. Click on OK button inside the Bar Styles dialog.
Why aren’t the “Top” and “Bottom” bar text options available on Mac?
Please make sure you have our latest version of the application installed on your device: Download Project Plan 365
How do I add the Task Name inside the Bar in the Tracking Gantt view?
To add the Task Name inside the bar in Tracking Gantt view, go to the Format tab, click Bar Styles– select the type of Gantt bar – click Text tab – on the Inside field select Name – click OK.
Step by step on how to change color, shape or pattern of Gantt bars:
To call attention to task bars on a Gantt Chart view, such as a milestone or summary task, you can change their color, shape, or pattern to separate them from other bars of a particular type.
- Apply a Gantt Chart view (such as Gantt Chart, Tracking Gantt).
- Double-click anywhere in the chart portion of a Gantt Chart view (but not individual bars), or in the Gantt Chart View (or other) - select Format menu– click Bar Styles.
You can also select BarStyles option from the contextual menu by right-clicking in the chart portion of a Gantt Chart view.
- In the Name field, click the type of Gantt bar (such as Task or Progress) that you want to format, and then click the Bars tab.
- Under Start, Middle, and End, click the shapes, types or patterns, and colors for the bar. For example, if you click Milestone and change the shape and color, the change affects all the milestones in the chart.
Note: Some categories have only a start shape (such as milestone), while other categories have a start shape, middle bar, and end shape (such as summary tasks).
- Preview how the Gantt bar will look like in Sample area.
- Click OK to accept all new bar modifications.
- Click Cancel if you decide not to make the changes.
Step by step on how to add text to Gantt bars:
You can add specific project information, such as task names, resource names, completion percentages, and start dates, to bars on a Gantt view. In most cases you will want to add text to certain types of Gantt bars.
- Apply a Gantt Chart view (such as Gantt Chart, Tracking Gantt).
- Double-click anywhere in the chart portion of a Gantt Chart view (but not individual bars), or in the Gantt Chart View (or other) - select Format menu– click Bar Styles.
You can also select BarStyles option from the contextual menu by right-clicking in the chart portion of a Gantt Chart view.
- In the table, click the type of Gantt bar (such as Task or Progress) that you want to add text to, and then click the Text tab.
- In the Left, Right, Top, Bottom, and Inside boxes, type or select the field that contains the data you want to display on the Gantt bar.
Note: If you want to add text that is unique to each task type, type or select a custom text field, such as Text1, Text2, or Text3. Text that you enter into these fields from other views is automatically added to the Gantt bars.
Tip: Do not add too many text items. They can become impossible to read. Use enough text to help readers of the plan identify information.
- Preview how the Gantt bar will look like in Sample area.
- Click OK to accept all new bar modifications.
- Click Cancel if you decide not to make the changes.
