Custom Assignment View Column in Aspose.Tasks

Introduction

In this tutorial, we will explore how to add custom columns for assignment views using Aspose.Tasks for .NET. Custom columns provide flexibility and allow you to display additional information relevant to your project management needs.

Prerequisites

Before we begin, make sure you have the following:

1. Basic knowledge of C# programming language.
2. Aspose.Tasks for .NET library installed. If not, you can download it here.
3. An integrated development environment (IDE) such as Visual Studio.

Import Namespaces

First, let’s import the necessary namespaces to access the classes and methods required for creating custom assignment view columns:

using Aspose.Tasks;
using System;

using Aspose.Tasks.Saving;
using Aspose.Tasks.Visualization;

Step 1: Load the Project

To begin, load your project file using the Project class:

// The path to th documents directory.
String DataDir = "Your Document Directory";
var project = new Project(DataDir + "CreateProject2.mpp");

Step 2: Create Spreadsheet Save Options

Next, create an instance of Spreadsheet2003SaveOptions which allows us to customize the assignment view columns:

var options = new Spreadsheet2003SaveOptions();

Step 3: Define Custom Column

Now, define your custom column by creating an instance of AssignmentViewColumn. This class requires the column name, width, and a delegate function to convert assignment data into column text:

var column = new AssignmentViewColumn("Notes", 200, delegate(ResourceAssignment assignment) { return assignment.Get(Asn.NotesText); });

Step 4: Add Custom Column to Options

Add the custom column to the assignment view columns collection of the save options:

options.AssignmentView.Columns.Add(column);

Step 5: Iterate Through Assignments

Iterate through each resource assignment in the project and display the custom column text:

foreach (var assignment in project.ResourceAssignments)
{
    foreach (var col in options.AssignmentView.Columns)
    {
        var assnCol = (AssignmentViewColumn)col;
        Console.WriteLine("Column Field: " + assnCol.Field);
        Console.WriteLine("Column Text (converted): " + assnCol.GetColumnText(assignment));
        Console.WriteLine();
    }
}

Step 6: Save the Project with Custom Columns

Finally, save the project with the custom assignment view columns:

project.Save(OutDir + "UsingSpreadsheet2003SaveOptions_out.xml", options);

Conclusion

In this tutorial, we learned how to add custom assignment view columns using Aspose.Tasks for .NET. Custom columns offer flexibility in displaying additional information tailored to your project requirements, enhancing project management capabilities.

FAQ’s

Q1: Can I add multiple custom columns to the assignment view?

A1: Yes, you can add multiple custom columns by creating additional instances of AssignmentViewColumn and adding them to the Columns collection.

Q2: Are there predefined converters available for common assignment fields?

A2: Yes, Aspose.Tasks provides predefined converters for common assignment fields, making it easier to extract data for custom columns.

Q3: Can I customize the appearance of custom columns, such as formatting text or applying styles?

A3: Yes, you can customize the appearance of custom columns by modifying properties such as width, font, and alignment.

Q4: Is it possible to remove default columns from the assignment view?

A4: Yes, you can remove default columns by excluding them from the Columns collection or setting their width to zero.

Q5: Does Aspose.Tasks support exporting projects to other formats besides spreadsheets with custom columns?

A5: Yes, Aspose.Tasks supports exporting projects to various formats such as PDF, HTML, and XML, allowing for versatile project reporting options.