Groups and codes

Organize tasks under group headers, style and reorder the groups, and give tasks ID codes that tie schedules together.

Groups #

Groups are the header bands that make a schedule read at a glance, like a work breakdown. Group by phase (SD, DD, CD, Permitting), by building, by package or by party.

To put a task in a group, type the group's name in the Group box of its task details. Tasks with the same group sit together under one header. To move several tasks at once, select them and type the group in the side panel.

New tasks land at the end of their group. Steps always sit in their parent's group.

Group settings #

Click a group header in the Gantt or the table to open Group header on the right:

Order: ↑ Move group up and ↓ Move group down move the header and all its tasks. Alt + ↑ / ↓ does the same.
Name: renames the group on every task in it. It applies when you press Enter or click away. Renaming to the name of another group asks to merge the two. Undo splits them again.
Short prefix: a short form of the group's name, shown before each task's name when prefixes are on.
Header color: tints the header band. ⌀ is the default.
Header lines: a thin line above the header and a thick, darker line below. Untick to turn them off for this group.
Header text size: Default, S, M, L or XL.
Tag every task: adds a tag to every task in the group. Tasks that already have it keep one copy.
Select all … tasks: selects the group's tasks so you can edit them together.

These settings are saved with the schedule, so they show in snapshots, links and exports.

Fold a group #

Click the arrow on a group header, or press and hold the header, to fold it. A folded header shows how many tasks it hides.
Collapse groups in the filter bar folds every group. When all are folded, it reads Expand groups.
Headers in the toolbar hides or shows the header rows altogether.

Folding is a display setting on your screen. It doesn't change the schedule.

Show group prefixes #

Click Prefixes ▾ in the toolbar.
Tick Show the group as a prefix on every task.
Type a short prefix for each group, like "ZON DEV. PLAN PKG".

Every task then shows its group's prefix before its name. A group with no prefix set shows its full name.

ID codes #

Every task has an ID code. It's how you tell apart tasks with the same name, like three "Client review" tasks.

Auto code: shown in gray when you haven't typed one. A step shows its parent's code plus .1, .2 and so on.
Typed code: type one in the ID code cell, like a P6 activity ID or the client's ID. It ties this task to the same task in another schedule. Codes are stored in capitals.

The dependency list and the table show each task's code next to its name.

Several codes on one task #

One task can stand for several items tracked separately elsewhere, like one permit submission that covers three buildings, each with its own ID.

In the ID code cell, separate codes with a semicolon: "A1010; B1010".
In the task details, under ID codes, use + add code. The first code is the primary one. Click ↑ on another code to make it primary, or ✕ to remove it.

Codes not known yet #

Use # for the part of a code you don't have yet, like "ADM-GEN-####". It shows as TBD until you fill it in.

Duplicate codes #

A code belongs to one task. If two tasks share a code, the cell is outlined in red. Change one of them so each code points at exactly one task.