December 2023 Newsletter

Coded Import Options from MS Project into Milestones Professional

We made a great video for this month on importing from MS Project.

This video shows almost all of our Coded Import options for getting your tasks from MS Project over to Milestones Professional.

This video covers lots of different import options, including “Birds on a Wire”, “Coded Presentation Timeline”, “Coded Symbols and Bars”, “Coded Finish Dates”, and a few more.

With these import options, you can either set up a Text field in MS Project to group tasks together during the import, or you can even use Number fields with a couple of the options, to tell Milestones how to display the tasks.

Check out our Videos page to see all of our available videos. You can also directly go to our Youtube Channel to see them as well.

Be sure to Subscribe to our Youtube Channel for all the latest and greatest Milestones software videos!

December 2023 Tips and Tricks

For these and more, view Tips and Tricks for December 2023

Global symbol date changes
My symbols are not showing dates.  I’ve tried unhiding dates in the toolbox and also individually.  Why won’t the dates show up?

Highlight changed dates when refreshing
I refreshed my schedule and choose the option to highlight the changes.  Now, how do I turn off the highlighting?

Transfer a license
The last user of one of our milestones licenses has left the company.  How do we transfer his registered license to another user at our company?

Skipping dates when moving with mouse
In a Gantt chart when I try to move an end date, it always seems to skip one day of the week (i.e. Mon, Wed, Thurs, Fri). The day skipped changes as well. I have checked all calendar options and cannot determine why it is doing this.

Sorting by dollar values
I need to sort tasks by dollar amount and dollar categories.  How is this done?

Anchor text to a symbol
Is there a way to anchor  a string of text to a symbol or a task row?

Bars not filling in on imported schedule
I imported my Microsoft Project schedule into Milestones Professional.  I want the bars to fill to the status date.  Most of them don’t do this.  Why not?

Change a symbol’s color
How can I change the color of a single symbol on the schedule?

For these and more, view Tips and Tricks for December 2023

Upgrade to the latest version of Milestones Professional

Click here to Upgrade to the latest version of Milestones Professional using your serial number (if you already own any version of Milestones Professional).

To see what has changed, check out our home page.

Join the Milestones Professional Users LinkedIn Group

For anyone interested, there’s a free Milestones Professional user group on LinkedIn you can join to share best practices, network with other users, and maybe learn some tips along the way from other experienced Milestones users. To join, head over to the following website and click Join: https://www.linkedin.com/groups?home=&gid=6796817

Note: This user group is an unofficial group run by Milestones software users, and is not managed by KIDASA Software, Inc. A free LinkedIn account is required to join the group.

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    October 2023 Newsletter

    Milestones Professional ValueSet Type 4: Values from Symbols

    Did you know you can add DataGraphs to the bottom of your Milestones Professional Schedule?

    In this video, we cover one of the types of ValueSets that you can graph, ValueSet 4 (where you can assign values to symbols).

    Check out our Videos page to see all of our available videos. You can also directly go to our Youtube Channel to see them as well.

    Be sure to Subscribe to our Youtube Channel for all the latest and greatest Milestones software videos!

    October 2023 Tips and Tricks

    For these and more, view Tips and Tricks for October 2023

    Show baseline dates without showing baseline symbols
    Is it possible to display baseline fields in the schedule’s columns but not show the baseline symbols and bars in the Gantt chart?

    Show date and text on same line for a symbol
    I have a few symbols on my schedule for which I would like to display both the start date AND the text on the same line on the left side of the symbol.  Is there a way to combine the symbol text and the date?

    Vertical connectors on a multi-page schedule
    My schedule has many vertical connectors, connecting dates across pages.  When I look at the connectors, it’s often challenging to determine which page they are connected to.  Is there anything I can do to make this easier?

    Multiple legend rows
    I would like to have a legend with multiple rows and 4 entries per row. How do I add a 2nd or 3rd row in the legend?

    Move a symbol and keep the same date
    When I move symbols to another task row, the dates changes.  I want the dates to stay the same when the symbols are rearranged on the schedule.  Is there a way to make them stick to their original date?

    Insert page breaks
    I need a couple of page breaks in my schedule so that I can have a couple of short pages.  Is this possible?

    Flag tasks that are nearing completion
    How can I display symbols in a column to indicate which tasks are, for example, 50%, 75%, 90% complete?  I want to show which tasks are complete, which ones haven’t started and so on.

    For these and more, view Tips and Tricks for October 2023

    Upgrade to the latest version of Milestones Professional

    Click here to Upgrade to the latest version of Milestones Professional using your serial number (if you already own any version of Milestones Professional).

    To see what has changed, check out our home page.

    Join the Milestones Professional Users LinkedIn Group

    For anyone interested, there’s a free Milestones Professional user group on LinkedIn you can join to share best practices, network with other users, and maybe learn some tips along the way from other experienced Milestones users. To join, head over to the following website and click Join: https://www.linkedin.com/groups?home=&gid=6796817

    Note: This user group is an unofficial group run by Milestones software users, and is not managed by KIDASA Software, Inc. A free LinkedIn account is required to join the group.

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      September 2023 Newsletter

      Milestones Professional Program Options: Tools Tab

      Check out some of the more common options that people change in the Tools Tab in Milestones Professional. Who knows, maybe you’d like to change some options!

      Check out our Videos page to see all of our available videos. You can also directly go to our Youtube Channel to see them as well.

      Be sure to Subscribe to our Youtube Channel for all the latest and greatest Milestones software videos!

      September 2023 Tips and Tricks

      For these and more, view Tips and Tricks for September 2023

      Trouble Refreshing or Importing from Project
      The connection to Project seems to be broken.  I am unable to refresh or import any Project schedules into Milestones.

      Microsoft Project files close when using a refresh list
      Milestones is closing Microsoft Project files when I refresh from Project Server with a refresh list.  Can we have an option to not close the files when using a refresh list?

      Sideways text
      I want to show a title to the left of my schedule.    Is this possible in Milestones?

      Only page 1 available when copying to clipboard
      Whenever I use the Copy Schedule to Clipboard (OLE) function it only copies page 1, even if I move to pages 2 or 3.  Is this a defect?

      Override legend colors
      I used the color override option for some connectors and symbols placed on my schedule. How can I define those in the legend, using the same color override?

      Percent complete pie color
      When using the Percent Complete SmartColumn, how do you change the color of the pie chart that appears?

      Picture disappears
      I added a picture to my schedule.  However, as soon as I add the picture it disappears before I have a chance to re-size it.

      Print an extra large schedule
      My schedule’s page size is set to 24 inches wide by 8.5 inches high.  I would like to print it in sections on my laser printer and later tape them together to build a large schedule.

      For these and more, view Tips and Tricks for September 2023

      Upgrade to the latest version of Milestones Professional

      Click here to Upgrade to the latest version of Milestones Professional using your serial number (if you already own any version of Milestones Professional).

      To see what has changed, check out our home page.

      Join the Milestones Professional Users LinkedIn Group

      For anyone interested, there’s a free Milestones Professional user group on LinkedIn you can join to share best practices, network with other users, and maybe learn some tips along the way from other experienced Milestones users. To join, head over to the following website and click Join: https://www.linkedin.com/groups?home=&gid=6796817

      Note: This user group is an unofficial group run by Milestones software users, and is not managed by KIDASA Software, Inc. A free LinkedIn account is required to join the group.

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        August 2023 Newsletter

        Import or Link to MS Project Overview

        Check out this video where we cover most of the options for linking your MS Project file over to a Milestones Professional schedule.

        Check out our Videos page to see all of our available videos. You can also directly go to our Youtube Channel to see them as well.

        Be sure to Subscribe to our Youtube Channel for all the latest and greatest Milestones software videos!

        August 2023 Tips and Tricks

        For these and more, view Tips and Tricks for August 2023

        Thicker outline for a symbol
        I want a thicker line around my diamond symbol.  How do I set this up?

        Show curtains on top of grid lines / shading
        I have several curtains on my schedule but they aren’t showing up on some of the rows.  It looks like they don’t appear when there is row shading.  How can I fix this?

        Add date range shading (curtains) to individual task rows
        I know how to set up curtains for a schedule, to shade a date range.  How can I shade only certain task rows?

        Customize task cells
        I want to color the individual entries in my main column.  How is this done?

        Add multiple milestones on different levels
        How do I stack more than one timeline on the same row? When I create it centers in the middle of the row and I can’t move it.  I want to show, develop, design, test, etc. all on the same row. The dates overlap each other. When I try to create a separate timeline it lays on top of the previous one.

        Appendix instead of Page
        Can Milestones display the page numbering other than with the word “Page”? When I include a Milestones schedule in my report, it is in the appendix. Thus, I would like the pagination to say “Appendix” instead of “Page.”

        Add many symbols above and below a bar
        I want to show milestones above and below the task bar so I can have a condensed presentation format.  Please advise the steps on how to show symbols above and below the task bar.

        Working remotely
        I started working remotely last month.  Can I use my Milestones license on my personal laptop?

        What is the red line which zig zags down my schedule?
        What is the red line which seems to go in and out from the current date line?

        Want a different triangle shape
        Is it possible to get a different triangle symbol?  I see there are several to choose from but I have a specific requirement.

        For these and more, view Tips and Tricks for August 2023

        Upgrade to the latest version of Milestones Professional

        Click here to Upgrade to the latest version of Milestones Professional using your serial number (if you already own any version of Milestones Professional).

        To see what has changed, check out our home page.

        Join the Milestones Professional Users LinkedIn Group

        For anyone interested, there’s a free Milestones Professional user group on LinkedIn you can join to share best practices, network with other users, and maybe learn some tips along the way from other experienced Milestones users. To join, head over to the following website and click Join: https://www.linkedin.com/groups?home=&gid=6796817

        Note: This user group is an unofficial group run by Milestones software users, and is not managed by KIDASA Software, Inc. A free LinkedIn account is required to join the group.

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          July 2023 Newsletter

          Check Out our Recent Milestones Professional Videos

          Be sure to Subscribe to our Youtube Channel for all the latest and greatest Milestones software videos!

          July 2023 Tips and Tricks

          For these and more, view Tips and Tricks for July 2023

          No change or unexpected changes after schedule refresh
          Nothing is happening when I refresh my master schedule.  I previously refreshed from multiple MS Project files but now I want to pick just one MS Project file.  How can I resolve this?

          Set up a default format and toolbox
          I want all new schedules to be in a certain format, with only the symbols and connectors I use displayed in the toolbox.  Is this possible?

          Shade holidays
          How do I shade holidays?

          Share import filter with others
          We are using Excel to enter information that we import into Milestones Professional.  We have several Excel users who are entering the information.  I have a filter that works for me when importing with our Excel spreadsheet.  How can I share my filter with other Excel users who also use Milestones?

          Share schedules with those who do not have Milestones
          I have Milestones but many of my co-workers don’t have the software.  I want to be able to share my schedules with them.  What are my options?

          For these and more, view Tips and Tricks for July 2023

          Upgrade to the latest version of Milestones Professional

          Click here to Upgrade to the latest version of Milestones Professional using your serial number (if you already own any version of Milestones Professional).

          To see what has changed, check out our home page.

          Join the Milestones Professional Users LinkedIn Group

          For anyone interested, there’s a free Milestones Professional user group on LinkedIn you can join to share best practices, network with other users, and maybe learn some tips along the way from other experienced Milestones users. To join, head over to the following website and click Join: https://www.linkedin.com/groups?home=&gid=6796817

          Note: This user group is an unofficial group run by Milestones software users, and is not managed by KIDASA Software, Inc. A free LinkedIn account is required to join the group.

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            May 2023 Newsletter

            Video: Bring over Symbol Text from Excel

            Did you know there’s two ways to bring over Symbol Text if you’re importing from Excel? The first method involves using a column, and the second method involves linking the text directly back to Excel during Refresh!

            Check out the video today!

            Be sure to Subscribe to our Youtube Channel for all the latest and greatest Milestones software videos!

            May 2023 Tips and Tricks

            For these and more, view Tips and Tricks for May 2023

            Add a horizontal bar and symbol to an existing symbol
            I have a symbol on my schedule and would like to add another symbol with a bar between them.  How do I accomplish this?

            Want solid connector (not dashed) after status date
            How do I make the horizontal connector between the triangles solid and not dashed after the status line?

            Work with a schedule with no columns
            My schedule has no columns.   How can I select a task row?

            Working with color themes
            I’m interested in Milestones Professional’s color themes feature.  Where can I learn more

            Eliminate the date stamp
            How can I eliminate the Date that appears near the upper right corner of the schedule?

            Suggested symbols and bars for “Birds on a Wire” charts
            I like the “Birds on a Wire” charts I have seen made in PowerPoint.  I know these are easier in Milestones. Can you give me a clue how to make mine look like this with Milestones (sample made in PowerPoint)?

            Stoplight status indicators
            How can I create a schedule with stoplight status indicators without reading the manual?

            Start every schedule with the same toolbox
            I have spent a lot of time working on my perfect toolbox.  How can I have all my schedules start up with this same Toolbox?

            For these and more, view Tips and Tricks for May 2023

            Upgrade to the latest version of Milestones Professional

            Click here to Upgrade to the latest version of Milestones Professional using your serial number (if you already own any version of Milestones Professional).

            To see what has changed, check out our home page.

            Join the Milestones Professional Users LinkedIn Group

            For anyone interested, there’s a free Milestones Professional user group on LinkedIn you can join to share best practices, network with other users, and maybe learn some tips along the way from other experienced Milestones users. To join, head over to the following website and click Join: https://www.linkedin.com/groups?home=&gid=6796817

            Note: This user group is an unofficial group run by Milestones software users, and is not managed by KIDASA Software, Inc. A free LinkedIn account is required to join the group.

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              April 2023 Newsletter

              Video: Outline Levels and Summary Bars

              Sometimes your schedule can be full of hidden or invisible symbols. This video goes over a few different ways that there might be extra symbols on your schedule that you might not know about, and what they mean.Check out the video today!

              Be sure to Subscribe to our Youtube Channel for all the latest and greatest Milestones software videos!

              April 2023 Tips and Tricks

              For these and more, view Tips and Tricks for April 2023

              Task outline levels
              I would like to outline my schedule.  Where do I start?

              Set symbols and other properties by summary level
              I have a project with several outline levels.  Can I use different symbols for the different outline levels?   Can I change the shading too?

              Always use transparent text

              Is there any way to set up Milestones so that all the symbol text and dates are shown transparent (not opaque?)  I have to change them constantly and would like to know how to set the default up permanently.

              Eliminate gray bars in roadmap format
              I have just imported from Microsoft Project using the Roadmap format.  Can you tell me how to eliminate the gray bars in the resulting Milestones Professional file?

              Create a template to use in with Microsoft Project
              I want to create a single template I can use for multiple Microsoft Project files. Can I do this or do I have to have a template for each Microsoft Project file?

              Exclude hidden tasks when filtering
              I am making an upper level schedule, and am using the Split Summary Bar setting.  I would like to filter the schedule so that I can exclude certain tasks and then show just the tasks I want on the summary bar.  The problem is that when I filter, the summary bar is still showing the unwanted tasks.

              For these and more, view Tips and Tricks for April 2023

              Upgrade to the latest version of Milestones Professional

              Click here to Upgrade to the latest version of Milestones Professional using your serial number (if you already own any version of Milestones Professional).

              To see what has changed, check out our home page.

              Join the Milestones Professional Users LinkedIn Group

              For anyone interested, there’s a free Milestones Professional user group on LinkedIn you can join to share best practices, network with other users, and maybe learn some tips along the way from other experienced Milestones users. To join, head over to the following website and click Join: https://www.linkedin.com/groups?home=&gid=6796817

              Note: This user group is an unofficial group run by Milestones software users, and is not managed by KIDASA Software, Inc. A free LinkedIn account is required to join the group.

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                March 2023 Newsletter

                Video: Finding Hidden / Invisible Symbols in your schedule

                Sometimes your schedule can be full of hidden or invisible symbols. This video goes over a few different ways that there might be extra symbols on your schedule that you might not know about, and what they mean.

                Check out the video today!

                Be sure to Subscribe to our Youtube Channel for all the latest and greatest Milestones software videos!

                March 2023 Tips and Tricks

                For these and more, view Tips and Tricks for March 2023

                Highlight Changed Dates when Refreshing
                Is it possible to highlight the milestones which have changed after running a Milestones refresh to update my presentation schedule with dates from Microsoft Project?

                Locked Symbols
                I have attached a chart that I created in Milestones Professional.   This is a chart that is used for a lot of briefings for the government.  Unfortunately my engineer and I opened it to make some changes and if you try a lot of the bars are locked and I cannot change the links or delete.

                Copy a column of text from Milestones to Excel
                I’m seeking help on how to export a column of text (Task Names) from Milestones Professional to Microsoft Excel.

                Show only the month with the symbol
                How can I make the symbol date show only the month?

                Move a master schedule
                I have moved a master schedule and its slaves to a different folder on my PC. How do I get it to update the links for the slave schedules so that the point to the new folder I’ve moved them too?

                Angled symbol text
                How can I show some of my text at an angle so I can get more information onto my crowded schedule?

                No numbers below DataGraph
                I have two data graphs on my chart.  Since my timeline covers about 2 years, the data table associated with the graph is not legible.  I would like to have only the graph with no data table.  From what I can tell, the only options I have are Data Above the Graph or Data Below the Graph.  However, I want to leave out the numbers entirely.

                Using substitutable text strings and default symbol text
                I’m making a “no-columns” presentation schedule.  Is there an easy way to attach my task names as symbol text?

                For these and more, view Tips and Tricks for March 2023

                Upgrade to the latest version of Milestones Professional

                Click here to Upgrade to the latest version of Milestones Professional using your serial number (if you already own any version of Milestones Professional).

                To see what has changed, check out our home page.

                Join the Milestones Professional Users LinkedIn Group

                For anyone interested, there’s a free Milestones Professional user group on LinkedIn you can join to share best practices, network with other users, and maybe learn some tips along the way from other experienced Milestones users. To join, head over to the following website and click Join: https://www.linkedin.com/groups?home=&gid=6796817

                Note: This user group is an unofficial group run by Milestones software users, and is not managed by KIDASA Software, Inc. A free LinkedIn account is required to join the group.

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                  October / November 2022 Newsletter

                  Video: Link to Active MS Project Task

                  Do you already have a Milestones Professional schedule, and you want to grab some tasks from an existing MS Project file quickly?

                  You should try “Link to Active MS Project Task” to bring over tasks easily from MS Project. Check out the video below:

                  Be sure to Subscribe to our Youtube Channel for all the latest and greatest Milestones software videos!

                  October 2022 Tips and Tricks

                  For these and more, view Tips and Tricks for October / November 2022

                  Help finding “invisible” symbols
                  I have deleted some symbols from a schedule , but there are several blank symbols scattered around and I’m having trouble finding them.

                  Vertical connectors in the legend
                  Can I show a vertical connector in the legend?

                  Want the line to appear on top of the bar when graphed
                  I would like to have the red line appear on top of the blue bars.  How is this accomplished?

                  Hide indicator symbols on blank lines
                  I have indicator symbol values that are “0”. How do I get Milestones Professional NOT to draw an indicator symbol on lines that are blank?

                  Add, Move, and Delete Freeform Text
                  Is there a way to add another header to the chart other than the title?

                  Copy the structure of a schedule only
                  Could you tell me if it is possible to copy the structure of a schedule without the data?.

                  Unidentified blue box

                  Specifying print size
                  I have the chart size set to 7.5″ horizontal and 5.5.” vertical. However, when I print the chart, it fills the entire page, rather than printing at the size I have specified.  How can I get it to print using my specifications?

                  Standard curtains for all my projects
                  I would like the same curtains to appear on all of my schedules.  How can I do this?

                  Special symbol needed
                  I would really like to show a symbol that looks like this one on my schedule.  Is it possible?

                  Show percent symbol on a task row
                  I see that it is possible to add a pie symbol to a task row as a normal symbol.  Can you tell me how to set this up?</p
                  For these and more, view Tips and Tricks for October / November 2022 

                  Upgrade to the latest version of Milestones Professional

                  Click here to Upgrade to the latest version of Milestones Professional using your serial number (if you already own any version of Milestones Professional).

                  To see what has changed, check out our home page.

                  Join the Milestones Professional Users LinkedIn Group

                  For anyone interested, there’s a free Milestones Professional user group on LinkedIn you can join to share best practices, network with other users, and maybe learn some tips along the way from other experienced Milestones users. To join, head over to the following website and click Join: https://www.linkedin.com/groups?home=&gid=6796817

                  Note: This user group is an unofficial group run by Milestones software users, and is not managed by KIDASA Software, Inc. A free LinkedIn account is required to join the group.

                    Sign up for our newsletter!

                    September 2022 Newsletter

                    Video: The Legend… of Milestones Professional

                    In this video, we show you how to add a legend, change the height, add items to the legend, modify them, and even add a legend entry from the toolbox!

                    Be sure to Subscribe to our Youtube Channel for all the latest and greatest Milestones software videos!

                    September 2022 Tips and Tricks

                    For these and more, view Tips and Tricks for September 2022 

                    Add pages to the schedule
                    How do I add a page to my schedule?

                    Rolled up symbol to show up on summary bar
                    How can I get one of the symbols on a lower outline level to show up on my summary bar?

                    Copy a task row from one schedule to another
                    How can I copy a task row from one Milestones schedule to another?

                    Move symbols and their connectors to another task row
                    Can I move or copy a bar on my schedule to another task row?  If so, how?

                    Show vertical connections on top of bars
                    Could you tell me how to make the vertical links appear on top of instead of behind the task boxes?  I’m sure it’s something simple.

                    Remove the border
                    How can I remove the border around the schedule?

                    Fiscal and calendar quarters
                    How can I have fiscal quarters and calendar year quarters, as shown below?

                    Copy toolbox rows
                    My schedule has several different colored bars.  I want to set one up in the toolbox and then copy all the settings to another row so that I can then just set the colors.  Is this possible?

                    For these and more, view Tips and Tricks for September 2022 

                    Upgrade to the latest version of Milestones Professional

                    Click here to Upgrade to the latest version of Milestones Professional using your serial number (if you already own any version of Milestones Professional).

                    To see what has changed, check out our home page.

                    Join the Milestones Professional Users LinkedIn Group

                    For anyone interested, there’s a free Milestones Professional user group on LinkedIn you can join to share best practices, network with other users, and maybe learn some tips along the way from other experienced Milestones users. To join, head over to the following website and click Join: https://www.linkedin.com/groups?home=&gid=6796817

                    Note: This user group is an unofficial group run by Milestones software users, and is not managed by KIDASA Software, Inc. A free LinkedIn account is required to join the group.

                      Sign up for our newsletter!