2. The Project Window

Below the ribbon, most of the Project window is taken up with a view like the Gantt Chart, the Timeline, or the Resource Sheet. Some views, like the Resource Sheet, are like a giant table, but most views have a left and right side. For views like the Gantt Chart and Task Usage, the left side of the view is a table with field values in the columns, as shown in Figure 2. The rows show tasks, resources, or assignments. The right side is called the timescale and shows values by time period. In a Gantt Chart view, task bars in the timescale show when tasks begin and end. The Task Usage view uses a time-phased table instead, in which the columns represent time periods.

Figure 2. The Quick Access toolbar is always visible, so it’s a handy place for your favorite commands. The Status Bar at bottom-right shows information about your project, like the task mode (page 116) you’ve selected. On the right side of the Status Bar, you can click icons for Project views or drag the Zoom Slider to change the timescale in the current view.

If you look closely at Figure 2, you’ll notice another pane at the bottom of the window, which is called the Details pane. In Project, combination views actually contain two single-pane views: one on top and one in the Details pane. For example, the Task Entry view displays the Tracking Gantt view on top and the Task Form on the bottom.

In many cases, the view is fine, but you want to see a different table. You can quickly apply another table using the All Cells box (to the left of the table’s column headings and immediately above the first ID cell). If you click the All Cells box, Project selects all the cells in the table (hence the cell’s name). However, if you right-click it, you can choose a table from the shortcut menu that appears. If the table you want isn’t on the menu, choose More Tables. Then, in the More Tables dialog box, double-click the table.