Re: A first impressions with using MrProject

tor 2003-01-16 klockan 18.06 skrev Aivo Kalu:
> Hi,
> 
> I found that MrProject is a not too bad replacement (almost usable) to MS
> Project, which I didn't got running under Wine, but I thought about sharing
> some thoughts to discuss how MrProject could perhaps be made better. 

Thanks!

> 1. The graphical representation of the task in Gantt graph should be
> highlighted as well. You could easily loose track of the order when the task
> doesn't start right from the start of the project. 

Yep, good idea.

> 2. It could be fine, if you could manipulate the task from graph as well.
> For example rightclick on it with mouse, etc. 

I've thought about this too, and started implementing it a while ago but
never got the time to finish it.

> 3. Perhaps should there be a quicker way to assign a ressource to the task ?
> Not via task properties, but instead right from the pup-up menu ? 

A toolbar button and menu item that brings up the task dialog with the
resource page active could make it easier. Having a list of resources in
a popup menu would not be feasible though, considering that the list
could be huge.

> 4. You cannot set task to start from random moment in time. It would be
> great, if one could move the task with mouse (perhaps with middle button ?)
> in time to start earlier or later. At the moment I would need to put
> addtional task in front of it and sent the task to depend on it and set a
> lag between end and start. Not a very good way. 

You can do it, using constraints, which you can set in the task view. I
agree that we need a better UI for it though. It has been planned for a
while.

> 5. If you have a big task and many subtasks under it and if you have some
> external task, which depend for one of the subtask to finish to start, and
> when you collapse the main task, so that you do not see subtasks anymore,
> the dependency link is not no longer displayed in Gantt graph. 
>
> Would it be possible to still display the link in some form to indicate that
> the other task depends on the big task ?

Good idea, we need to come up with how to visualize it. Any ideas?

> 6. When it comes to actually showing the project to others, I currently have
> only option to hook up projector to my laptop and actually show the running
> program, or to make screenshot of it and print it out. I know you are
> planning the printing functionality before 1.0, but perhaps it would be
> simpler to have some sort of HTML export possibility and then printing from
> the browser instead ? In HTML you could have some JavaScript pop-up windows
> also, so that when people look at the project with their browsers they could
> get additional information from tasks (perhaps the notes section ?) and from
> ressources. 

We are making good progress on printing, so you won't have to wait too
long. A release with printing is scheduled for early February.

Also we have a read-only web front-end scheduled for mid-March.

I would very much appreciate if you could file those suggestions at our
bugzilla at http://bugzilla.codefactory.se/.

Regards,
Richard

-- 
Richard Hult                    [email protected]
CodeFactory AB                  http://www.codefactory.se/