Chapter 2. Learning the Basics of Microsoft Project

In this chapter

Starting and Exiting Microsoft Project

Exploring the Microsoft Project Window

Using Learning Aids

Introducing the Gantt Chart View

Changing Views

Scrolling and Selecting Data Fields

Troubleshooting

Starting and Exiting Microsoft Project

When Microsoft Project is installed, the Setup program places the executable on the Start menu. So, to start Project choose Start, All Programs, Microsoft Office, Microsoft Office Project 2003.

When Project starts, a new project document file named Project1 opens. The default features in this file are based on Project's template for new files, the GLOBAL.MPT . If you plan to use this blank file to start a project, then you can enter pertinent data like the start date at this time.

Project displays the Task pane (see Figure 2.1), which lets you choose the file you will work with. The Task pane also appears any time you select File, New to create a new document.

The Task pane gives you options for starting a new file or for opening an existing file to work with:

• Click the Close button to close the Task pane if you want to use the blank document that has just been started.

• If you want to resume working on a recently used file, look for its name in the list under Open. If you find the name, simply click it. If the name is not there, click More to display the Open dialog box, where you can browse for the file.

• If you want to start working on a new project, you can use the Create a New Project option. There are three ways to create your new project (see Figure 2.2).

  Figure 2.2. The Task pane presents all the options for creating a new project.

  

• You can use the Blank Project option when you have been working on other files and want to start a new project file. When you start Project, you already have a blank document to work with.

• If you want to make a copy of an existing project to use for a new project, you can use the From Existing Project option. Browse for the file on which you want to base the copy. Select the file you want to copy and click the Create New button. The file initially has the same name as the original, but when you attempt to save the new file, Project displays the Save As dialog box, where you need to provide a unique name so that you don't overwrite the original version of the file, behaving like it was a template.

• If you want to base a new file on a template other than the Global template, check the list of options under the Templates section, which lets you browse for the template on Office Online, on your computer, or on your own Web sites. Choose Office Online to select a template from the Microsoft Office Online Templates. You can also search Office Online directly from Project by using the Search invite. Choose On My Computer to open the Templates dialog box, where you find the templates that Project provides and the templates you previously saved. Choose On My Websites if you have identified favorite network places in Microsoft Explorer.

NOTE

The typical installation of Project doesn't install any templates. You might need the Project CD if you want to install those templates later.

TIP

If you need to search for a file based on text contained within it, select File, Open, click the Tools button, and choose Search. By default, the Basic Search pane appears, but you can click the Advanced Search tab.

In the Basic Search tab, you can type the text you want to find in the Search Text box. You must also select a location for the search in the Search In box. You can specify the file types to accept in the Results Should Be box.

In the Advanced Search tab, you can select the file property you are looking for in the Property box. To search for text, choose Text or Property. The file properties are Windows file properties such as size and date modified and Outlook item properties. Microsoft Project file properties such as Manager, project Title, and custom properties are included in the list of properties to be searched.