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WBS Schedule Pro Changelog

What's new in WBS Schedule Pro 5.1.0025

Jan 23, 2020
  • This version greatly improves the appearance of WBS, Network and Gantt Charts in WBS Schedule Pro
  • Here is what we have improved or added to improve the appearance of charts:
  • Better rounded corners - We've incorporated "anti-aliasing" which is a Windows feature that smooths out rounded corners so they not only display nicer on the screen but print even smoother
  • Gradient Fills - You can now select that a Box or Cell color have a Gradient Fill which means the color will fade from dark to light or from light to dark for added affect
  • Improved Callouts (Text Boxes) - The Text Boxes used to annotate your charts are now called Callouts and have an improved look In addition, Callouts can now be added to Gantt Charts
  • Images! - You can now add graphic images to the Headers and Footers for printing You can also add images to any chart by pasting an image from the Clipboard This is great for adding Corporate Logos or any type of picture that you might need to illustrate an idea
  • Indicators in WBS and Network Charts - WBS and Network Charts can now display a little icon next to a box to indicate when a Task has a Note, a Constraint or when the Task is 100% Complete Hover over the indicator in the chart to display information about that topic Toggle these On/Off in the Indicators group under the Format tab
  • New Views - Where appropriate we have added the improved look to each WBS, Network or Gantt View Many of the WBS and Network Views now use rounded corner boxes, gradient fills and other features to make them appear sharper and more visually appealing These new Views are automatically installed on new installations of WBS Schedule Pro If you are updating an older version with this version you can manually install these new Views by following the instructions here: Updating Views
  • Other improvements include:
  • Instant WBS Codes - We have added an option to quickly display the WBS or Outline Code next to the Task Name in all charts Choose the Format Tab in any View and select WBS Codes to place this code before the Name of the task For example, "Task Name" becomes "122 Task Name" when selected
  • Organizer - There is now an Organizer to make it easier to manage default and custom Views, Page Layouts and Calendars The Organizer is accessed from the File menu, from the Project tab or from the Views Pane by selecting the Organizer icon
  • Copy Picture/Save As Picture in Gantt Charts - The Copy Picture command and File-Save As Picture command are now enabled in Gantt Charts
  • Row and Date Selection when using Copy Picture and Save As Picture in Gantt Charts - When using the Copy Picture or Save As Picture command in a Gantt Chart you now have the option to copy the selected Rows and/or select a Date Range to copy
  • Fixed Overlapping Lines and Boxes in WBS Charts - There were instances where lines, boxes and/or shadows would overlap in a WBS Chart This was especially prevalent when using the Adjust for Page Breaks feature Now fixed
  • Simplified Line Widths - Instead of the many, and sometimes confusing, number of line width options, we now offer thin, medium and thick line widths only These are available for Box Borders, Callout Borders, Connector Lines in WBS Charts and Dependency Lines in Network Charts Dotted, Dashed and Dot-Dash lines are still available
  • In a WBS Chart, holding the Shift key down and dragging with your mouse will now create a New Task This is similar to a feature we had in our old WBS Chart Pro software
  • Fixed several instances where if you created a Task by entering Duration/Rem Dur/Act Dur/% Comp, etc it wouldn’t trigger the various other fields to be calculated correctly Now it does
  • In a WBS Chart if you had selected a Summary Task and selected the "List All" command to display its subordinates vertically, adding new tasks or making various other changes would not add these new tasks with the same arrangement Now fixed so it consistently lists Tasks under their respective Summary Task correctly
  • On certain machines running Windows 10, with WBS Schedule Pro closed, doubleclicking a wbs file would open the program but not open the file This has been fixed

New in WBS Schedule Pro 5.1.0024 (Jan 22, 2018)

  • Fixes and enhancements since Version 5.1.0023:
  • When displaying a color or shape picker from a dialog box and then switching away from the program using Alt-Tab, returning would not clear this form. Now fixed so that it closes the form when you Alt-Tab away.
  • We accidently added an icon to the MS Project ribbon that was for a feature in progress but not ready for release. Clicking the icon did nothing. This version removes the icon if you repeat the MS Project Setup (click the Microsoft Project drop down arrow in WBS Schedule Pro and select Setup Microsoft Project).

New in WBS Schedule Pro 5.1.0023 (Jan 4, 2018)

  • Fixes and enhancements since Version 5.1.0022:
  • When Unlinking from a MS Project the Notes field remained in Read-Only mode. Now, when Unlinking a WBS Schedule Pro plan from MS Project the Notes field is switched to Read-Write.
  • Several issues with Drop Down lists have been fixed including having nothing selected and pressing Enter, or having nothing selected and switching away from the program using Alt-Tab.
  • Several issues with opening XML files produced in other programs have been fixed. This allows WBS Schedule Pro to open more XML files produced by other project management software applications than it could before.
  • In a Network Chart, displaying the Timescale by Day or Hours on a multi-year project would hit the width limits of the chart and would not display. These limits have now been increased to accommodate any size chart.
  • If you had Text boxes anywhere in a WBS Chart and did a click and drag motion on the Project Summary Task it would display “Encountered an improper argument”. Now fixed.

New in WBS Schedule Pro 5.1.0022 (May 17, 2017)

  • Fixes and enhancements since Version 5.1.0021:
  • In a project with greater than 450 tasks if you selected a task in a Gantt Chart or Task Sheet with an ID greater than 450 and then switched to the Gantt Chart with Baseline View it would freeze the program. Now fixed.
  • Creating a chart in WBS Schedule Pro from a MS Project plan with a large number of Calendar Exceptions would affect the performance of WBS Schedule Pro. Now fixed.

New in WBS Schedule Pro 5.1.0021 (May 11, 2017)

  • Fixes and enhancements since Version 5.1.0020:
  • Having a large amount of text in a Task Name could somtimes cause the program to close unexpectedly when hovering over a task and displaying the Hover Tooltips. Now fixed!
  • New Extended Headers feature - Added an option to Gantt Charts and Task Sheets that extend the left edges of Summary Task/Group Headers down the page. To turn this on, select the Format tab in a Gantt Chart or Task Sheet and select the Extended Headers option. This is best used with a Fill color for each Level. To select Fill Colors, go to Format-Text, select Fill then Level and choose a Fill color for each Summary Level.
  • New Timescale Gridlines - Added Gridlines to the Gantt Chart Timescale to display vertical lines for the Upper Timescale and/or Bottom Timescale. To configure these, right-click on the Gantt Chart area and select Gridlines… or click the Format Tab and select Gridlines.
  • Sometimes the wrong Default Calendar was being used for displaying Non-Working time. Now fixed.
  • The short date format dd/mm was incorrectly displaying dates. Now fixed.
  • Added the Insert Blank Rows command to the menu that appears when right-clicking the grid in Gantt Charts and Task Sheets.
  • When using WBS Schedule Pro with the French version of MS Project, the Start and Finish dates are now displayed correctly.

New in WBS Schedule Pro 5.1.0019 (Jun 22, 2016)

  • Fixes and enhancements since Version 5.1.0018:
  • Fixed an issue with the UnRegistration feature.

New in WBS Schedule Pro 5.1.0018 (May 25, 2016)

  • FIXED AND ENHANCED:
  • Fixed issue in Gantt Charts where it would display the “Encountered Improper Argument when creating a Gantt Chart from MS Project or switching from another view to the Gantt when the Gantt contained many blank lines.
  • When displaying a Gantt Chart from a Master MS Project plan it no longer displays blank lines for the gaps in the ID's created by MS Project's Master/Subproject feature.
  • Fixed the issue where clicking the X to close a Gantt Chart and then saving without overwriting an existing file would save and then close the program unexpectedly. It now closes the file properly and leaves the program running.
  • The way Views and Templates are loaded at startup has changed. If WBS Schedule Pro is started and there are no Views in the current user's Views and Templates folder (C:\Users\USER\Documents\WBS Schedule Pro\Views and Templates) then WBS Schedule Pro copies the Views that exist in the program folder (C:\Program Files (x86)\WBS Schedule Pro\Views and Templates or wherever you installed WBS Schedule Pro). This allows the current user to have Read-Write access to their Views. The old approach used the Views in the program folder when the current user's Views and Templates folder was empty but since this is usually a Read-Only folder, a user could not update the Views.

New in WBS Schedule Pro 5.1.0017 (Apr 12, 2016)

  • The WBS Schedule Pro setup files are now signed with a new Digital Signature to allow for successful downloads from Internet Explorer 11 and Edge in Windows 10.
  • When creating charts in WBS Schedule Pro with certain Microsoft Project plans it would stop in WBS Schedule Pro and display the message "Microsoft Project is exporting additional data" in the lower left corner of the screen. Now fixed. WBS Schedule Pro now defaults to NOT exporting this additional data which allows these MS Project plans to be displayed. See Help in File-Options-Advanced for a detailed explanation.
  • Added compatibility for the Simplified Chinese version of Microsoft Project. Before this, only the Traditional Chinese version of MS Project was supported.
  • Added compatibility for the Portuguese (Portugal) version of Microsoft Project. Before this, only the Portuguese (Brazil) version of MS Project was supported.
  • Added an Advanced tab in File-Options for various program settings. See Help within the Advanced tab for an explanation of these settings.
  • Now includes an AutoRecovery feature. This automatically saves current open projects to temporary files in the event WBS Schedule Pro shuts down unexpectedly. When this happens, WBS Schedule Pro will restart and display the last autosaved versions. This is not an AutoSave feature where the files are automatically saved to their given filenames but an AutoRecovery system to restore files that were present when the program shut down. Set the time between AutoRecovery saves in File-Options-Advanced.
  • You can now turn off the Tooltips that are displayed when you hover over a Task or Link. This option is in File-Options-Advanced.
  • When importing a file from Excel to WBS Schedule Pro or from a Text file into WBS Schedule Pro, a blank line would be turned into a Task. Now blank lines are ignored.
  • Fixed all instances where pressing F1 would display a “Failed to Launch Help message and then still display Help. This message no longer appears.
  • In Page Headers and Footers, if you highlighted all text in the Left or Right Header or Footer and pressed the Delete key it would put the text into the Center. Now fixed.
  • Fixed several instances where lines were not appearing when printing a Gantt Chart.
  • Added the ability to display Column Headers on each page of the Gantt Chart when selecting the "Header/Footer/Legend on Every Page" option in File-Page Setup-Chart.
  • From within WBS Schedule Pro, clicking Excel Setup adds the WBS Schedule Pro installation folder to the list of Trusted Locations to allow the Excel Wizard to work with Windows 10 without additional user intervention.
  • When printing a single digit page number in a Header or Footer it would print every other page number. Now fixed.

New in WBS Schedule Pro 5.1.0016 (Apr 12, 2016)

  • When going from Microsoft Project to WBS Schedule Pro we fixed several instances where the message "Encountered Improper Argument" was displayed and no chart appeared. This was a major inconvenience that is now fixed! This issue was difficult to pinpoint but we are happy to report it is finally fixed. Sorry to those affected.
  • If a project is Grouped by something other than Outline, you can now rearrange Group Headers in the Network Chart by right-clicking on a Group Header and selecting Move Group Up or Move Group Down. This works great when Grouped by the Text fields or Resource Names in a Network Chart and you need to rearrange the order of these Groups.
  • The Goto Task feature (the Goto button or Ctrl-G) would not select the correct task if you were Grouped by something other than Outline or if you were displaying a chart from MS Project that included hidden tasks. Goto now selects the proper task under all circumstances.
  • The Print Layout option is now enabled in Network Charts. This had been disabled while we worked on a fix.
  • Trace is no longer saved On in the Network Chart View. This avoids the situation where Trace is applied when opening a New project. Trace is also removed and all Tasks are shown if the Traced Tasks are deleted or become hidden. Traced Tasks are also updated better when links have been modified in MS Project and you return to a Traced Network Chart.
  • With no Printer installed on the computer where WBS Schedule Pro is running, any attempt to Print, use Print Preview, open the Page Layout dialog or switch to Print Layout mode would cause problems. Although rare to have no printer installed, this issue is now fixed.
  • Under certain conditions, WBS Schedule Pro wrongly displayed the message "Microsoft Project has not been configured to enable WBS Schedule Pro to seamlessly exchange information. Would you like to Configure MS Project?". We now display the correct error message depending on the situation.
  • Notes can no longer be entered into Text Boxes. The Text Boxes used to annotate WBS and Network Charts are not Tasks and cannot store Notes data. Before this fix, Notes were being stored in the Project Summary Task (Task 0) which will now stop happening.
  • Fixed compatibility issues with Project 98, 2000, 2002, 2003 and 2007. WBS Schedule Pro now works better with these versions of Microsoft Project.

New in WBS Schedule Pro 5.1.0015 (Jan 26, 2016)

  • FIXES AND ENHANCEMENTS:
  • Added a new Task Popup form to WBS, Network and Gantt Charts to display Task information when hovering over a Task, Milestone or Summary Task.
  • new Link Popup form to Network and Gantt Charts to display Link Information when hovering over a Dependency Link.
  • The background color for a selected cell in a Task Sheet is now white to appear more consistent with other Windows applications.
  • In a Network Chart, the Dependency Links dialog would not show renamed fields in the "Show Fields" drop down list and would affect saving a file. This is fixed to show renamed fields and now saves properly.
  • Using Project 2013 or greater and transferring a WBS Schedule Pro plan to Microsoft Project that has not been configured for WBS Schedule Pro would display the incorrect message "Unable to Communicate with Microsoft Project. This might be because Microsoft Project has a Report or Graph selected." This has now been fixed to show the correct messsage that Microsoft Project needs to be configured.
  • Selecting multiple cells in a Sheet or Grid now keeps the selected cell focused when scrolling. This is now consistent with Excel and other sheet views.
  • In a Task Sheet or Gantt Chart, setting a Fill color based on something other than Critical Path would reset to "Fill Based On Critical Path" if you changed something in the Text tab and clicked OK. Setting Fill colors is now remembered as changes are made to this form.

New in WBS Schedule Pro 5.1.0014 (Nov 2, 2015)

  • Fixes and enhancements from Version 5.1.0011:
  • When using the Demo version and creating a chart from MS Project the WBS Schedule Pro software no longer displays a message that you are in the Demo version.
  • When using the Focus feature, performing certain operations would remove the Focus. Now fixed so Focus remains.
  • Printing a Gantt Chart would sometimes print phantom lines. Now fixed.
  • Additional issues with pasting Non-ASCII Characters into WBS Schedule Pro have been fixed.

New in WBS Schedule Pro 5.1.0011 (Oct 21, 2015)

  • WBS Schedule Pro could sometimes incorrectly detect that an English version of MS Project was the Spanish version and not work properly. This is now fixed.
  • Pasting Non-ASCII Characters into WBS Schedule Pro could cause problems when opening the file. Now fixed.

New in WBS Schedule Pro 5.1.0010 (Oct 10, 2015)

  • Microsoft Project 2016 Support - WBS Schedule Pro now supports and fully integrates with Project 2016.
  • Performing a Trace in the Network Chart is significantly faster under certain circumstances.
  • If you were in Project 2013 or Project 2016 and had the “Report” or "Graph" selected it would fail to create a chart in WBS Schedule Pro and give you an erroneous message. Now WBS Schedule Pro gives a proper message that it can’t communicate with MS Project if you have the Report or Graph selected and you need to select a View in Project (like a Gantt) and try again.
  • When using the Spanish version of Project 2010 it would sometimes display Start and Finish using the Schedule Start and Schedule Finish dates. Now fixed to correctly display Start and Finish.
  • When using Microsoft Project 2013 or 2016, if you were Grouped you couldn't display charts in WBS Schedule Pro. Now fixed.
  • Fixed several issues relating to using Microsoft Project, SharePoint and WBS Schedule Pro. Note: if you are using Microsoft Project, SharePoint and WBS Schedule Pro make sure you have the latest Microsoft Project updates! Microsoft fixed an issue they had when you opened projects stored on SharePoint in MS Project and then created charts using WBS Schedule Pro.
  • Grouping by Outline Codes and WBS Codes has been improved and can produce much nicer charts from the data provided in these fields.
  • Numerous speed improvements and optimizations were made, especially when linked to MS Project plans.
  • Fixed several issues when working with Microsoft Project plans that had Lookup Tables.
  • We now digitally sign the .exe files used for the "Check for Update" feature to avoid being detected by some anti-virus programs as potentially dangerous.
  • Improved error message when typing into the Resource Names field in the Task Sheet or Gantt Chart.
  • When creating a Value List in WBS Schedule Pro, leaving a space after the text would display an error when selecting it from drop down list. Now fixed.

New in WBS Schedule Pro 5.1.0000 (Jun 24, 2015)

  • Fixes and enhancements:
  • Gantt Charts! - The most significant new feature of WBS Schedule Pro 5.1 is the addition of Gantt Charts.
  • Important Note: Gantt Charts are not included in WBS Schedule Pro (WBS Version) and WBS Schedule Pro (PERT Version) but do contain the remaining fixed and enhancements listed below.
  • There is now a "Check for Updates" feature in the program that can check for updates to the program and install them automatically without the need to download the full software, Uninstall and then Reinstall.
  • There is now a Save and Update Baseline feature (select the Project Tab and then Baseline). This makes it easier to record and update the Baseline data in a project.
  • You can now have Curved and Diagonal connector lines in WBS Charts. Until now, only right-angle lines could be displayed. In a WBS Chart, select Format-Lines and choose the new Right Angle, Diagonal or Curve option in the Corners drop down list.
  • Support for all Polish versions of Microsoft Project has been added.
  • Added a Display Language option in File-Options-Settings. This determines the display language of certain fields in WBS Schedule Pro such as Duration/Work Units and Constraint Type. If set to Automatic it uses the Windows settings to determine the language to use if standalone OR the Microsoft Project language if linked to a MS Project plan. Setting this to English will display in English in a standalone chart AND in English when linked to Project even if MS Project is in another language.
  • The File-Open dialog now remembers the last folder used. This is until the program is closed at which time it reverts to using the default folder. This is now consistent with other Office applications.
  • Outdenting Tasks in the Task Sheet no longer removes dependencies between Tasks being outdented.
  • Various issues with displaying mutiple lines of Notes have been fixed. This includes importing & exporting multiple lines of Notes using the Excel Wizard.
  • The Excel Wizard now works with Excel 2013 if you have an open workbook.
  • When using Project 2013 with WBS Schedule Pro, doing certain operations would activate and switch to MS Project. This has been fixed so that it stays in WBS Schedule Pro when working with Project 2013 unless you tell it to switch.
  • Custom box colors, positions and arrangements are no longer reset when you run the Excel or Word export.
  • You can now change colors on a Dual Monitor system.
  • The Excel Wizard no longer displays an error message if you attempt to save a Map to a different folder than the default.
  • The Notes field was sometimes truncating when transferring a standalone WBS file to MS Project. Now fixed.
  • Fixed various issues with the opening of .TXT files.
  • Fixed various issues with manually entered WBS Codes.
  • Fixed various issues with opening .XML files. This feature is now much more robust and can handle XML files produced by many more applications.
  • In Format-Fields for WBS and Network Charts if you right-clicked on the sample box, WBS Schedule Pro would stop working. This is now fixed.
  • The WBS Schedule Pro Buttons within Project 2010 and Project 2013 now support Roaming Profiles.
  • When working with a Spanish version of MS Project it now correctly displays the Week Duration unit.
  • When using the Spanish version of Project 2013 it now correctly displays the Start and Finish dates.
  • Selecting the WBS column in a Task Sheet and selecting Clear from the Project tab or Right-Clicking and selecting Clear Column would sometimes blank out the WBS column. Now it correctly resets the WBS Codes to their proper values.
  • There was an issue with creating a project with greater than 20 WBS Levels. This is now fixed.
  • Large Lookup Tables in a Microsoft Project plan made it extremely slow to display charts using WBS Schedule Pro. This is now fixed.
  • Click and Drag Group Headers in a Task Sheet now correctly moves the Group instead of placing all Tasks from that Group into current Group.
  • Custom Colors, Box Positions and Arrangements in WBS Charts and Custom Colors in Network Charts are no longer removed when doing certain operations. This was more prevalent when linked to MS Project. Colors and positions are now remembered properly.
  • Zoom factors now stay set when switching between Views.
  • Task Sheet now updates better to resize cells when data changes.
  • Fixed several Date and Duration related issues when using the Excel Wizard. Specifically when exporting data from Excel and importing into WBS Schedule Pro.
  • Improved the integration between WBS Schedule Pro and the Portuguese version of Microsoft Project.
  • Fixed "Bad Outline Level" error when creating charts from MS Project.
  • Fixed "Encountered an Improper Argument" error when Indenting or Outdenting tasks in the Task Sheet.
  • Improved performance when working with large projects especially when working in the Task Sheet.

New in WBS Schedule Pro 5.0.0724 (Jul 29, 2014)

  • Combined WBS Chart Pro and PERT Chart EXPERT:
  • All features* from WBS Chart Pro and PERT Chart EXPERT have been combined into the new WBS Schedule Pro software. In many cases your favorite features of the old software are now quicker to find and use. We have enhanced many of the standard features and added many new features which are described below.
  • *The exception to this is the "Show Milestones in Separate Group" feature of PERT Chart EXPERT. This does not exist in WBS Schedule Pro.
  • *Headers and Footers are done differently (better) in WBS Schedule Pro so the WBS Chart Pro and PERT Chart EXPERT Page Layouts are not transferred but can be easily re-created in WBS Schedule Pro.
  • Task Sheets:
  • You can now Create, Edit and Manage your project data in a spreadsheet-style view called a Task Sheet.
  • New User Interface, Menus, Panes and Right Click Features:
  • WBS Schedule Pro contains an all new user interface complete with dockable Panes, a new Ribbon instead of a Toolbar and many Right-Click options for quick access to features.
  • Text Boxes:
  • Annotate your WBS and Network Charts with Free-Form Text Boxes that you can place anywhere in the Chart. Add a Text Box to a specific location on the chart, Link it to a Task so it moves with that Task or use the Text Box to surround a set of Tasks to visually "group" them.
  • Notes:
  • The Notes field is now supported. Create extensive Notes for a Task using the convenient Notes Pane. You can also display the Notes from your Microsoft Project plans and print them in ways that are not available when printing Notes from Microsoft Project. Hint: Multile Lines of Notes are supported when displaying and when printing.
  • WBS Dictionary:
  • WBS Schedule Pro contains a WBS Dictionary Export to Microsoft Word. Use one of the pre-defined templates, modify one of these or create your own tempalte to export exactly what you need to see in your WBS Dictionary Document.
  • Multiple Hierarchies:
  • The new "Grouping" feature allows you to create a different breakdown or alternate hierarchy of your project data. Create a breakdown by Resources, Custom WBS codes and even Text Fields to create a breakdown of anything you want.
  • Linking Tasks:
  • Linking Tasks (creating dependencies) can be done in a WBS Chart, Network Chart or Task Sheet. New buttons on the Ribbon have been added to simplify this process. A unique way to Link tasks is now included which allows you to select multiple tasks and have all selected tasks link to a single task or have a single task link to mutiple selected tasks.
  • Multiple Task Editing:
  • You can now select multiple tasks and edit all tasks at once. The Task Information form converts into a Multiple Task Edit form when many tasks are selected allowing you to change a common field for all.
  • Combine Border Styles:
  • You can now select to have different box styles based on more than one criteria. For example, you may want to display Critical and Non-Critical Tasks with red and blue shadows but Fill the interior of the Task Boxes with colors based on a Flag Field or the Progress of a task.
  • XML File Format Support:
  • Exhange data with other Project Management applications using the popular Microsoft Project-based XML File Format. Save WBS Schedule Pro plans and open these in your favorite Project Management Software or Open projects you've created in another system in WBS Schedule Pro.
  • Headers and Footers:
  • A new, easier way to create Headers and Footers in WBS and Network Charts has been added. Other Printing improvements have been added such as a new Print Preview page that shows all pages plus additional Chart, Legend and Printing options to make your printouts better than ever.
  • Copy Picture:
  • The New Copy Picture command saves images to a higher quality, scalable image that is better suited to pasting into other applications than if you saved the image to a .jpg or .png file. You can also save your charts to a similar quality image using the Save As Picture - *.emf file.
  • New Editing Features:
  • WBS Schedule Pro contains many new editing features that make creating and managing projects a more productive experience. We've added Drop-Down Date Pickers, Unlimited Color Pickers, Value Lists for selected fields, A Spell Checker, Customizable Fields and Right-Click options for popular operations to name a few...