Freeform text

Each freeform text block can be formatted to display a solid or two-color background fill color, a border, and a shadow. A selected freeform text block can appear on all schedule pages.

Tutorial Lesson 3 - Work with text

Contents

Add freeform text
Change the appearance of freeform text
Move, copy, or delete freeform text
Substitutable freeform text:
Manage freeform text:
Freeform text sampler
Add an embedded bitmap symbol to a freeform text block

Add freeform text

Click (the toolbox Text tool.)
Click a location inside or outside the schedule. The cursor should now flash.
- If an area which will display specialized text, such as a symbol or column cell is clicked, then a dialog box will appear. This would not be a freeform text entry.
Start typing.

Change the appearance of freeform text

With the tool, click once on the Freeform text block. The toolbar displays the options for Freeform Text:

	Update text in this box. Press the keyboard Enter key between lines. Press the Update Text button when done.
	Add a shadow and change the shadow color.
	Change the fill color and effectseffects. Choose to have extra space around the text:
	Choose to show the text on all pages or only one page.
	Set the text color, alignment, text properties and angle:
	Add a border:
	Make the text part of a group. See groups.

Set Line by line color for freeform text
It's possible to color individual lines of freeform text. Here is an example

Enter this:

<rgb:57,60,99>Freeform text
<rgb:255,128,0>line
<rgb:162,169,196>by
<rgb:0,128,0>line
<rgb:255,0,0>color

Individual lines are colored:

Move, copy, or delete freeform text

Move freeform text

Click (the toolbox Arrow tool.)
Click and hold the freeform text.
Move the cursor (and thus the text) to the new location.

Delete freeform text

Click (the toolbox Arrow tool.)
Click once on the freeform text.
Press the Delete key on the keyboard.

Copy freeform text

Click (the toolbox Arrow tool.)
Right-click the freeform text.
Choose Copy.
Make sure the schedule in which the freeform text will be pasted is open within the same instance of Milestones .

Note: Each time an independent Milestones window is opened, it is called an "instance." Users can have multiple instances of Milestones open at a time. See how many instances of Milestones are currently open by viewing the Windows Taskbar.
Within the schedule in which the text will be pasted, choose Edit | Paste | Freeform Text Block.

Note: This operation will copy the entire freeform text block, including background colors, text, and other attributes.

Substitutable freeform text:

Certain strings, preceded by an ampersand “&”, will be filled with actual values when displayed.

For example, for the current schedule date to appear in a string, enter &date as freeform text. This will cause the current date to display and print. The following substitutable strings are supported:

Freeform text...	...displays
&date	current schedule date
&systime	computer system time
&sysdate	computer system date
&curpage	current page number
&maxpage	maximum page number
&filename	filename of schedule

When editing a freeform text block with the text tool, the &date, &sysdate, etc. strings are visible. After the text is entered the &text is replaced with the values.

Example 1:

To print the filename and date that a schedule was printed, type the following string as a freeform text block:

&filename

printed on &sysdate

&filename

printed on &sysdate

When displayed, it will appear similar to the following:

To display the file name without the path in &filename substitutable strings, choose Tools | Program Options | Edit and check Leave out path when displaying & filename substitutable strings. To display the years as four digits, choose Tools | Program Options | Dates and check Use 4 Digits When Displaying Years.

Example 2:

To display the current page number and total number of pages anywhere on the schedule, type the following string as a freeform text block:

This is page &curpage

of a total of

&maxpage pages

When displayed, it will appear similar to the following:

To display the file name without the path in &filename substitutable strings, choose Tools | Program Options | Edit and check Leave out path when displaying & filename substitutable strings.

Manage freeform text:

Tools | Other Tools | Manage: Symbols, Pictures, Freeform Text, .....
Click Manage Freeform Text.
Choose one of the schedule's freeform text objects from the list.
By default, text is shown on the page on which it was added. To move it to a different page, enter the page number.
Show on all pages to show the text on all pages.

Freeform text sampler

This example shows the many possibilities for freeform text.

If you need text to "stick" to a symbol or task, try symbol text or symbol notes.

Add an embedded bitmap symbol to a freeform text block

The purpose of doing this is to allow pictures added to the schedule to be transparent on screen and/or clipped when sent to PowerPoint. Previously, embedded pictures would often show undesirable white space.

Add an embedded bitmap symbol to the toolbox. Add a clipping symbol as needed.
Double-click the symbol in the toolbox.
Click Create/Update &symbol(..) command. Once clicked a command will be generated in the text block below:
Copy the text that is generated. (Highlight and choose CTRL-C)
Using the , click anywhere on the schedule.
Paste the text generated in steps 3-5 above. To increase the size, change the second parameter to a number between 1 and 25. example: &symbol(25,25.00,14,18,L-9868950). Parameters:
1. Symbol number in the toolbox
2. Size (1-25)
3. Clipping symbol index
4. tbd (ignore for this type of use)
5. Combined color index (ignore for this purpose)