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User Guide

This page will have more information on how to use the application.

It currently follows what I consider normal practice for desktop GUI applications.

Basic operations

  1. Create tasks: Click and drag on the task grid to create new tasks
  2. Move tasks: Click and drag existing tasks to reposition them
  3. Resize tasks duration: Click and drag the left or right edge of a task
  4. Add dependencies: Click the connector circle on the right edge of a task and drag to another task
  5. Edit task details: Right-click on a task and select from the context menu
  6. Zoom in and out: See details and overview with Ctrl+Scroll-wheel to zoom in and out
  7. Export your data: Use the File menu to export your data in various formats

Export files

File → Export... → CSV writes three files (columns aligned with the ccpm-scheduler vocabulary):

  • ..._tasks.csv — id, name, project, chain, row, start_day, start_date, end_date, duration, realistic_duration, optimal_duration, predecessor_ids, resource_ids, tags, colour, url. start_day is the absolute timeline day (day 0 = timeline start). resource_ids uses id:allocation tokens: 5:2;7 means 2 units of resource 5 and 1 unit (the default) of resource 7. predecessor_ids uses the same link notation as the app's dialogs (3;5:SS+2).
  • ..._resources.csv — id, name, capacity, tags (capacity = the resource's usual per-day value).
  • ..._resource_loading.csv — per-day loading, capacity, and utilization for each resource.

File → Export CCPM Network... writes the ccpm-scheduler input files (tasks.csv, resources.csv, calendar.csv) plus optional tags/colour columns; any export notes go to a notes.txt alongside them. File → Import CCPM Schedule... reads those tags/colours back if the schedule.csv carries them, and tags every imported row ccpm.

CCPM buffer sizing method

Each project has a CCPM Method (Projects → Manage Projects...) that selects how the scheduler sizes its project and feeding buffers: cap (Cut & Paste — buffer = the safety removed from the chain; the default and the most explainable), hchain (50% of chain length), or rsem (root-squared error). Both Schedule with CCPM... and the Export CCPM Network... command hint use the project's method. Buffers can always be resized by hand before the project enters execution mode. Formulas and trade-offs are documented in the ccpm-scheduler package's docs/buffer-sizing.md.

Keyboard shortcuts

  • Ctrl+A: Select all visible tasks
  • Escape: Clear the current selection
  • Delete: Delete the selected task(s), after confirmation — also available as Tasks → Delete Selected
  • Alt+F / Alt+E / Alt+I / Alt+T: Open the File, Edit, Filter and Tasks menus
  • Arrow keys: Scroll the task grid
  • Ctrl+Plus / Ctrl+Minus / Ctrl+0: Zoom in, zoom out, reset zoom
  • Ctrl+E: Open the export dialog