Here are answers to some of the frequently asked questions about OmniPlan culled by our Support Team from the volumes of mail we receive. If you don't see your question here please feel free to ask our Support Ninjas. You may also want to check the forums to see if your question has been answered there.

• I tried to attach an OmniPlan file to an email in Microsoft Entourage, but it won't let me! It tells me that I need StuffIt. What gives?
• How do I set up a task that takes time, but doesn't require anyone to actually exert effort on them like "paint drying" or "bamboo growing"?
• It seems like I can only create a dependency that flows from a task near the top to a task farther down in the document. How can I create a dependency that flows from bottom to top?
• I'm getting an error when I import/export a Microsoft Project file. What can I do?
• How can I make a 1 page printout of my project?
• How do I set up vacation days, sick days, half-days, or holidays?
• I have a task in my project that lasts a certain amount of time, regardless of how many resources are assigned to it. When I add resources to the task, the duration shrinks! How can I change this?
• Is it possible to customize the HTML reports?

I tried to attach an OmniPlan file to an email in Microsoft Entourage, but it won't let me! It tells me that I need StuffIt. What gives?

OmniPlan saves your document as a package, which is a special kind of folder that Mac OS X treats as a single file. Unfortunately, Entourage doesn't handle packages very well. To get around this shortcoming, you'll want to single-click your OmniPlan document in the Finder, then select Create Archive from the File menu. This will create a new file with the same name as your document, but ending in a .zip suffix. If you attach the .zip file to your email and send that, instead, the recipients can double-click the zip file to turn it back into your OmniPlan document.

Last Updated on January 29, 2007

How do I set up a task that takes time, but doesn't require anyone to actually exert effort on them like "paint drying" or "bamboo growing"?

You can make a fake resource called "Time" or "Nobody" and give that resource a 24 hours a day, 7 days a week work schedule. Assign those tasks to that resource, thus letting them continue undisturbed during working and non-working times.

Last Updated on January 29, 2007

It seems like I can only create a dependency that flows from a task near the top to a task farther down in the document. How can I create a dependency that flows from bottom to top?

Move the pointer near to the end of the task bar you'd like the connection to flow out of. You'll see a new control appear at the end of the bar which looks like two arrows. Click and drag to start a connection line. Continue dragging up the document to the beginning of the task bar you want to connect to - you'll know you're in the right spot when a soft glow begins to pulse around the bar. Release your drag; you've just created a bottom to top dependency.

Last Updated on January 29, 2007

I'm getting an error when I import/export a Microsoft Project file. What can I do?

The first thing you'll want to do is check to see that you have the latest version of Java installed. We use Java to handle Microsoft Project files; if you don't have a fairly recent version of Java installed, you may get an error message.

To check this, open up the application Terminal (in the Utilities folder on your machine). Once it opens type java -version at the prompt, then hit Return.

At this point, some text will appear the first line printed after the prompt will list the version of Java you have installed. (You may need to scroll up a bit to see the relevant information.) Any version after 1.5.0_06-112 should work fine. If you see that you have an earlier version installed, please download the Java update from Apple's website, which you can locate at http://search.info.apple.com

If you are still receiving an error message after you try this, please let us know! If possible, send us your Microsoft Project file - it's much easier to diagnose these problems when we can reproduce the problem and observe it directly.

Last Updated on January 29, 2007

How can I make a 1 page printout of my project?

To print everything on a single sheet of paper:

1. Open the File menu and select Page set up. Choose your preferred paper size and make sure you're using the landscape orientation.
2. Next, select Print (also under the File menu. Use the dropdown menu to switch to the OmniPlan section.
3. Select Timeline & Outline.
4. Make sure the dimensions are set to 1 Pages Wide x 1 Pages High.

Last Updated on January 29, 2007

How do I set up vacation days, sick days, half-days, or holidays?

To set up the normal work hours in a week, open the View menu and select Calendar View. The window will change; you should now see a calendar with 2 green bubbles. OmniPlan will only schedule tasks in the times covered by one of those green bubbles. If you simply click and drag the bubbles around, you can make the working hours longer, shorter, or go into the weekends as well. This is your default weekly schedule, which is why there are no specific dates attached to each day; it's just a generic seven-day week.

If, for example, you want to shut down for Christmas, you'll need to make some exceptions to that default schedule. To do this, you should select the drop down menu on the lower left side of the window and set it to "Work Schedule for Project". At this point, dates appear in your calendar view on the right. Find the day or days you want to modify, then set the workable hours just as you did in the example above.

To set up personalized schedules for each resource, just highlight their name in the left column and repeat these steps.

Last Updated on January 29, 2007

I have a task in my project that lasts a certain amount of time, regardless of how many resources are assigned to it. When I add resources to the task, the duration shrinks! How can I change this?

If you don't want the duration to change when you add resources, you need to give your task a fixed length. To do this, highlight the task and bring up the "Information" panel of the "Task" inspector. You should see an icon that looks like a silhouette of two people. Click it once so that the silhouette is lit up next the the "Effort" field. Enter the duration you want and no matter how many resources are assigned to your task, it'll stick to that duration.

Last Updated on January 29, 2007

Is it possible to customize the HTML reports?

You can customize them by going to File → Customize HTML Templates. This creates a folder with the default set of HTML files. After the files are created, we'll open a new finder window that shows them, so you can edit them in the HTML editor of your choice until they suit your needs.

If you move the files, make sure you put them back into your Home/Library/Application Support/OmniPlan/HTMLTemplates folder; only files in that location will show up when you export to HTML.

Last Updated on January 29, 2007

You may use a demo of OmniPlan as long as you like but while unlicensed you are limited to 20 items in your document. Please visit our online store to purchase OmniPlan licenses.

If you have misplaced your license code just visit the Lost Licenses page to retrieve it. If this does not work for you, please send email to sales@omnigroup.com.

Question not answered? If you have questions about OmniPlan, or if you'd just like to share some feedback with us, we'd love to hear from you. The best way to contact us is by using the Send Feedback... item in the Help menu within OmniPlan.

Otherwise, you can send email to OmniPlan@omnigroup.com. We'll do our best to get back to you as soon as possible.