Project 2000. The Network Diagram View, страница 4

Row Spacing – this option ranges from zero to 200. Each number represents one pixel when the zoom setting is set at 100%. The default for this option is 40.

Column Spacing – this option ranges from zero to 200. Each number represents one pixel when the zoom setting is set at 100%. The default for this option is 60.

The size of virtual cells is dependent on the row and column in which it resides. It is set via the following two options:

Row Height – this option sets the vertical size of a virtual row. There are two available options. The default, Best Fit, allows each virtual row to be a different height with the tallest node residing in the row determining the row height. The other available option, Fixed, sets all rows to the same height with the tallest node in the diagram determining all row heights.

Column Width – this option sets the horizontal size of a virtual column. The default, Best Fit, allows each virtual column to be a different width with the widest node residing in the column determining the column width. The other available option, Fixed, sets all columns to the same height with the widest node in the diagram determining all column widths.


Three other options exist in the Box Layout section. They are listed below:

Show summary tasks – This option shows summary tasks. It is the same setting as that found in Tools/Options on the View tab. It is simply replicated here for ease of discovery.

Keep tasks with their summaries – This option allows you to chose whether summary tasks or predecessors should take precedence when nodes are laid out. If you check this option, Microsoft Project will position nodes in relationship to their summary tasks over their predecessors. Not checking this option does the opposite. This option comes into play when a task in a link chain has a predecessor that belongs to a different summary task; it is grayed out if Show Summary Tasks is not checked.

Adjust for page breaks – This option keeps nodes from breaking across pages. It is on by default.

Below the Box Style section is the Link Style Section. Here you can choose between Rectilinear or Straight links. You can also choose to not display links and to display link labels.  Link Labels show the type of link. (that is, SF, SS, etc.)

The next section is the Link Color section. Here you can choose between manually setting the link color for non-critical and critical tasks, or allowing links to be the same color as the preceding node’s border color.

The final section of the Layout dialog box is Diagram Options. Here you can set the Network Diagram background color and pattern.   You can also choose options to show page breaks, mark in-progress and completed tasks, and to hide all fields within a node except ID. You should note that internally, choosing the option to hide all fields except for ID applies a hidden internal template to all nodes. This template does not show up in the list of data templates. For all practical purposes, it is a part of the Network Diagram view.

Manual Layout Mode Extras

When manual layout is selected in the Layout dialog box, there are some extra options that become available. These options allow you to manually lay out some nodes while automatically laying out others, and automatically lining up nodes.

Selective Layout

Microsoft Project 2000 allows you to manually layout some nodes while it selectively lays out other nodes automatically. To have Microsoft Project automatically arrange nodes, select the nodes, right-click your mouse, and choose Layout Selection Now.

When you do this, Microsoft Project internally calculates the layout of the entire project, but then moves only the selected nodes to their positions.


Automatically Align Nodes

The align option allows you to line up selected nodes with others selected nodes. To do this, Microsoft Project uses the first node selected (also called the master node) and aligns all other selected nodes to it. When you select multiple nodes, right-click your mouse, and choose Align, you are presented with the following options: