Customizing Options Settings

  • Article
Archived content. No warranty is made as to technical accuracy. Content may contain URLs that were valid when originally published, but now link to sites or pages that no longer exist.
On This Page

Introduction
Customizing User Options
Deploying Enterprise Profiles
Setting Registry Entries
The Global File and the Enterprise Global Template
Adding Functionality to Microsoft Project

Introduction

Microsoft® Project is highly customizable. Users can change how Microsoft Project functions by setting options or adding custom templates or tools. Most user-defined settings are recorded as values in the Microsoft Windows® registry, and some user-defined options are stored in the Microsoft Project global file.

If you are an administrator in a large organization, you can customize user-defined settings and distribute a standard Microsoft Project configuration to all users. To do this, you first install Microsoft Project on a test computer and then customize toolbars, settings, templates, and any other options. Then you run the Profile Wizard to create a Microsoft Project profile settings file (OPS file) that captures all of these configuration options. If you add the OPS file to a transform (MST file), your customized settings are included when Microsoft Project is installed on client computers.

The Custom Installation Wizard also allows you to customize user-defined settings directly in the transform. You can set user options and add or modify registry entries. You can even add the Profile Wizard to a transform and run it separately to distribute new default settings. When Microsoft Project is installed, your customizations modify values in the Windows registry, and your settings appear as the defaults on users' computers.

Customizing User Options

When you install Microsoft Project on users' computers, you can use several methods to customize user options. You can use the Profile Wizard to preset Microsoft Project options, or you can customize specific registry settings on users' computers.

If you define duplicate options by using a combination of the following methods, the user's computer determines which settings to use according to where the method falls in the following order of precedence (a given method overrides any preceding methods):

  • Settings in an OPS file included in a transform
  • Registry values specified in a transform
  • Settings in an OPS file included in the Profile Wizard
  • Settings that migrate from a previous version of Microsoft Project
  • Settings modified through system policies

The method you choose to customize user-defined settings depends on the following:

  • How extensively you want to configure Microsoft Project.
  • How complex your deployment scenarios are.

You can distribute the same custom settings to all the users in your organization, or you can configure Microsoft Project differently to meet the needs of different groups of users.

  • Whether you want to enforce your custom settings.

Settings that you distribute through a transform or OPS file appear to users as the default settings—but users can choose different options for themselves. By contrast, using Microsoft Project system policies ensures that your settings are always applied.

The following table lists typical scenarios for customizing user settings and the recommended methods and tools to use in each case.

Scenario

Method

Tool

Distribute a standard default Microsoft Project configuration.

Add an OPS file to a transform.

Profile Wizard and Custom Installation Wizard

Set just a few options or adjust your Microsoft Project configuration without recreating the OPS file.

Add user settings to a transform.

Custom Installation Wizard

Set default security levels and customize trusted sources list.

Specify security settings in a transform.

Custom Installation Wizard

Specify settings that are not captured in an OPS file.

Add registry values to a transform.

Custom Installation Wizard

Distribute a default Microsoft Project configuration but store one or more OPS files separately from the MST file.

Run the Profile Wizard during Setup.

Profile Wizard and Custom Installation Wizard

Preserve users' custom settings from a previous version instead of specifying new default settings.

Allow Setup to migrate settings from a previous version of Microsoft Project.

Default Setup behavior

Set unique options for Microsoft Project Multilanguage User Interface Packs or other chained packages.

Specify settings in the transform applied to the chained package.

Custom Installation Wizard and Setup INI Customization Wizard

Distribute a default Microsoft Project configuration that overrides individual users' settings.

Run the Profile Wizard as a stand-alone tool after Microsoft Project is installed.

Profile Wizard

Modify user settings after Microsoft Project is installed.

Distribute a configuration maintenance file (CMW file) after Microsoft Project is installed.

Custom Maintenance Wizard

Prevent users from modifying the options you set.

Set system policies.

System Policy Editor or Windows 2000 Group Policy snap-in

Specify Settings in an OPS File Using the Profile Wizard

The Profile Wizard saves and restores user-defined settings in Microsoft Project. You can use it to customize user options and save your settings in an OPS file. Using the Custom Installation Wizard, you can include the OPS file in the Windows Installer transform (MST file). The OPS file contains registry values corresponding to option settings in Microsoft Project; these registry values are set on users' computers by Setup during installation.

Add an OPS file to a transform

Adding an OPS file to a transform is a convenient way to deploy a collection of custom settings throughout your organization. Settings contained in the OPS file are implemented when users install Microsoft Project, and those settings apply to every user who logs on using that computer. However, any other method of customizing user options—including specifying user settings elsewhere in the transform or choosing to migrate settings from a previous version of Microsoft Project—overwrites default settings in the OPS file.

To customize default options for users in this way, follow these general steps
  1. Use the Profile Wizard to create an OPS file that contains your default settings for Microsoft Project options.
  1. Use the Custom Installation Wizard to create a transform (MST file) that contains the OPS file.
Create an OPS file

Before you create an OPS file, you must start Microsoft Project on a test computer and set all the options you want for your users. You can set most options by using the Options dialog box (Tools menu). To customize toolbars and menus, use the Customize command (Tools menu). After you have customized Microsoft Project, run the Profile Wizard to save the settings to an OPS file.

To save settings to an OPS file
  1. Run the Profile Wizard.
  1. On the Save or Restore Settings page, select Save the settings from this machine, and enter the name and path for the OPS file.
  1. Select the check boxes next to the Microsoft Project components you want to include in your OPS file.
  1. Click Finish.
Create a transform that contains the OPS file

You can use the Custom Installation Wizard to create a transform that includes the OPS file.

To create a custom transform that contains the OPS file
  1. Start the Custom Installation Wizard.
  1. On the Customize Default Application Settings page, select Get values from an existing settings profile, and type the file name and path of the OPS file you created.
Allow Setup to migrate settings

By default, if a previous version of Microsoft Project is installed on a user's computer, the Windows Installer copies the previous application settings for that version to Microsoft Project. Migrated settings are applied the first time each user starts Microsoft Project, and the user's migrated settings overwrite any duplicate settings contained in an OPS file or added to the transform.

On the Customize Default Application Settings page of the Custom Installation Wizard, you can modify this Setup behavior. If you are not including an OPS file in the installation, the wizard selects the Migrate user settings check box by default. When users install Microsoft Project with your transform, Setup migrates relevant settings from a previous version. If you add an OPS file to the transform, the wizard clears the Migrate user settings check box and uses the values in your OPS file instead.

Run the Profile Wizard During Setup

Adding an OPS file to the MST file increases the size of the transform and also requires that you recreate the transform whenever you modify the OPS file. Alternatively, you can store the OPS file on a network server and direct Setup to run the Profile Wizard with your OPS file during Microsoft Project installation.

Running the Profile Wizard during Setup applies a standard default Microsoft Project configuration to users' computers. However, because the OPS file is stored separately, you can modify the configuration without changing the transform. You can also create different OPS files for different groups of users.

When you run the Profile Wizard separately, you can choose whether to apply the settings in the OPS file once per user (the recommended option) or once per computer. You can also specify whether user-defined options are returned to their original default settings before your customized settings are applied; this step ensures that all users begin with exactly the same Microsoft Project configuration.

When you add Proflwiz.exe to a transform, the Profile Wizard runs after Microsoft Project is installed, so settings from this OPS file overwrite any duplicate settings specified in the transform, including the following:

  • Settings specified in an OPS file added to a transform
  • Registry entries
Distribute a standard Microsoft Project user profile

When you add the Profile Wizard to a transform, it runs after Microsoft Project is installed and applies default settings from the OPS file that you specify.

To run the Profile Wizard during Setup
  1. Copy the Profile Wizard executable file (Proflwiz.exe) and your customized OPS file to the Microsoft Project administrative installation point. You can place the files in the same folder as Microsoft Project Setup.exe, or you can create a subfolder for them.
  1. Start the Custom Installation Wizard.
  1. On the Add Installations and Run Programs page, click Add.
  1. In the Target box, type the file name and path to Proflwiz.exe or click Browse to select the file.
  1. In the Arguments box, add command-line options directing the Profile Wizard to apply the OPS file to the user's computer, and then click OK.
  1. Do one of the following:
  • Choose Run this program once per machine to apply your default settings the first time a user logs on.
  • Choose Run this program once per user to apply your default settings to every user of the computer. Note that this option requires a connection to the network every time a new user logs on.

For example, to run the Profile Wizard from the Profile subfolder in the Microsoft Project administrative installation point, type the following in the Target box:

\\server\share\admin_install_point\profile\proflwiz.exe

Then add the following command-line options to the Arguments box:

profile\newprofile.ops /r /q

These arguments run the Profile Wizard quietly (/q), reset all options to their original default settings (/r), and apply settings from the file Newprofile.ops (profile\newprofile.ops).

Run the Profile Wizard After Microsoft Project Is Installed

You can run the Profile Wizard as a stand-alone tool after you deploy Microsoft Project. This method allows you to distribute a standard user profile that overwrites any other settings distributed through a transform, migrated by the Windows Installer, or set by users.

Running the Profile Wizard separately also allows you to customize the process more precisely. For example, you can include only the settings you want to manage. This approach is very helpful when you deploy Microsoft Project in stages and you want to customize each application separately at each stage of the process.

Customize the Profile Wizard

To customize the Profile Wizard, you edit the INI file. Using Notepad or another text editor, you can add or delete references to settings that you want to include or exclude. You can include or exclude registry settings, Application Data folders, or template files. You can also run the Profile Wizard from the command line without losing functionality. Every wizard option has a corresponding command-line switch.

For more information about customizing the Profile Wizard, editing the Profile Wizard INI file, or specifying command-line options for the Profile Wizard, see Profile Wizard in the Deployment and Administration Tools section of the resource kit toolbox.

Adding Registry Values to a Transform

Because most Microsoft Project options correspond to entries in the Windows registry, you can customize those options by adding or modifying registry values in the transform (MST file). Setup applies your new default options when users install Microsoft Project. Depending on which branch of the registry you customize, your settings are applied once per user (HKEY_CURRENT_USER) or once per computer (HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE).

After Microsoft Project Setup is completed, the Windows Installer copies the registry entries that you added to the transform to users' computers. Options that you set by adding or modifying registry entries override duplicate values that you set on other pages of the Custom Installation Wizard, including the following:

  • Settings specified in an OPS file added to a transform
  • Security settings

You can add or modify registry entries on the Add Registry Entries page of the Custom Installation Wizard. You will need to know the complete path for each registry entry, as well as the value name and data type for that entry.

Add registry entries to a transform
To add Windows registry entries to a transform
  1. Start the Custom Installation Wizard.
  1. On the Add Registry Entries page, click Add.
  1. In the Root box, select the portion of the registry you want to modify.
  1. In the Data type box, enter a data type for the new entry.
  1. In the remaining boxes, enter the full path for the registry entry you want to add, enter the value name and data, and click OK.
Import a registry file into a transform

To add multiple registry entries to a transform, you can create a registry (REG) file, and then use the Add Registry Entries page of the Custom Installation Wizard to import the registry file.

A registry file is a text file that contains a copy of a section of the Windows registry. If your computer already has the registry entries you want to copy to users' computers, creating a registry file is an efficient way of distributing those entries.

To create a registry file
  1. On the computer that has the registry entries you want to add to the installation, click Run on the Start menu, and then type regedit.
  1. In the Registry Editor, select the portion of the registry tree that you want to copy.
  1. On the Registry menu, click Export Registry File (on a computer running Windows XP, click Export on the File menu), and then follow the instructions to export the selected portion of the registry tree to a registry file.
To import a registry file to a transform
  1. Start the Custom Installation Wizard.
  1. On the Add/Remove page, click Import.
  1. Select the registry file you created, and click Open.

See Also

  • Using the Profile Wizard, you can create an OPS file that contains default Microsoft Project settings that you can use to configure your users' computers. For more information, see Profile Wizard in the Deployment and Administration Tools section of the resource kit toolbox.
  • Using the Custom Installation Wizard, you can create a transform that contains an OPS file, or you can create a transform that runs the Profile Wizard. For more information about how to create and use a transform, see the Customizing Setup resource kit article.
  • You can use the Custom Installation Wizard to customize many aspects of your Microsoft Project installation, including selecting which features are installed. For more information, see Custom Installation Wizard in the Deployment and Administration Tools section of the resource kit toolbox.

Presetting User Options in an OPS File

A Microsoft Project user can configure Microsoft Project by customizing a broad array of options. Users can select options such as toolbar settings, custom dictionaries, the location of templates, and the default format for saving files.

Using the Profile Wizard and the Custom Installation Wizard, you can change the default settings for these options and set new defaults on users' computers. Your changes are implemented when users install Microsoft Project on their computers.

To customize default options for users, follow these general steps
  1. Use the Profile Wizard to create an OPS file that contains your default settings for Microsoft Project options.
  1. Do one of the following:
  • Use the Custom Installation Wizard to create a Windows Installer transform (MST file) that contains your OPS file.
  • Run the Profile Wizard during Microsoft Project Setup to implement your default settings. You can create a transform that runs the Profile Wizard immediately after Microsoft Project is installed.

Create an OPS File that Contains Your Settings

Before you create your OPS file, you must start Microsoft Project and set all the options you want for your users, such as general or schedule options. You can set most options by using the Options dialog box (Tools menu). To customize toolbars and menus, use the Customize command (Tools menu).

After you have customized Microsoft Project, run the Profile Wizard to save the settings to an OPS file.

To save settings to an OPS file, run the Profile Wizard by using the following command line:

Proflwiz.exe [[/s] <settings filename>] [/i <INI filename>] [/q] [/p] [/e]

The option <settings filename> is the name of the OPS file you want to create to store your settings and <INI filename> is the name of the INI file you want to use.

You can use one of the following INI files with Microsoft Project (these can be downloaded from the Microsoft Project 2002 Resource Kit Toolbox):

  • P10ADM.ini   This file captures only Microsoft Project-specific settings (settings shared with Office XP, such as the Office Assistant settings, are not captured).
  • P+O10ADM.ini   This file captures Office as well as Microsoft Project settings (this is useful if you are deploying Microsoft Project and Office at the same time).
  • P10USR.ini This file captures Microsoft Project 2002 user-specific settings. Settings shared with Office XP, such as the Office Assistant settings, are not captured. This file should not be used for settings shared with other users (in this case, use P10ADM.ini, instead).
  • P+O10USR.ini This file captures Office and Microsoft Project 2002 settings, including personal user settings (this is useful when deploying Microsoft Project 2002 and Office at the same time). This file should not be used for settings shared with other users (in this case, use P+O10ADM.ini, instead).
  • RESETP10.ini This file resets settings specific to Microsoft Project 2002 to default values. To reset settings for Microsoft Project 2002 and Office XP, use RESETO10.ini, included in the Office XP Resource Kit.

Create a Transform that Contains Your OPS File

You use the Custom Installation Wizard to create an MST file that customizes the Microsoft Project installation process. By using the wizard, you can customize many aspects of the installation that affect your organization. On the Customize Default Applications Settings page of the wizard, you can add your OPS file to the transform.

To create a custom transform that contains the OPS file
  1. Run the Custom Installation Wizard.
  1. On the Customize Default Application Settings page, select Get values from an existing settings profile, and type the file name and path of the OPS file you created.
  1. On the same page, select the Migrate user settings check box if your users are upgrading from a previous version of Microsoft Project and you want to apply their former application settings to Microsoft Project.

The Custom Installation Wizard creates a transform that contains your OPS file and any other customizations you have made.

Run the Profile Wizard to Restore OPS File Settings

Instead of including an OPS file in the transform, you can run the Profile Wizard during Setup to restore the settings from the OPS file. This alternative gives you the flexibility to place the OPS file in a common location, such as a network server, so that the OPS file can be modified without having to update the transform.

To run the Profile Wizard during Setup, run the Custom Installation Wizard to add a command line for the Profile Wizard on the Add Installations and Run Programs page.

To run the Profile Wizard during Setup
  1. Copy the Profile Wizard executable file (Proflwiz.exe) and your customized OPS file to the Microsoft Project administrative installation point.
  1. Run the Custom Installation Wizard.
  1. On the Add Installations and Run Programs page, click Add.
  1. In the Command line box, type the file name and path to Proflwiz.exe, or click Browse to select the file.
  1. In the Command line box, add command-line options directing the Profile Wizard to restore the OPS file to the user's computer, and then click OK.
profile\proflwiz.exe /q /r profile\newprofile.ops

After Microsoft Project is installed, the Windows Installer starts all the applications you specify on the Add Installations and Run Programs page in the order that you specify them.

See Also

  • You can run the Profile Wizard interactively, or you can use command-line options to run it in quiet mode (without user interaction), to save or restore settings. For more information, see Profile Wizard in the Deployment and Administration Tools section of the resource kit toolbox.
  • Using the Custom Installation Wizard, you can create a Windows Installer transform that contains an OPS file or that runs the Profile Wizard during Setup. For more information about how to create and use a transform, see the Customizing Setup resource kit article.
  • You can use the Custom Installation Wizard to customize many aspects of your Microsoft Project installation, including selecting which features are installed and customizing installation options. For more information, see Custom Installation Wizard in the Deployment and Administration Tools section of the resource kit toolbox.

Deploying Enterprise Profiles

Storing the OPS file separately allows you to create unique configurations for different groups of Microsoft Project Professional users. You can target unique OPS files to different groups in one of two ways:

  • Create a standard user profile, create separate department profiles, and then substitute the department profiles for the standard profile during installation.
  • Create a standard user profile, allow department administrators to create separate department profiles, and then distribute both profiles during installation.

Distribute a Department-Specific User Profile

In this scenario, the corporate administrator first creates a default OPS file.

To create a standard corporate user profile
  1. Install and configure Microsoft Project on a test computer.
  1. Run the Profile Wizard to create the default OPS file.
  1. Start the Custom Installation Wizard and, on the Customize Default Application Settings page, add the default OPS file to the corporate transform.

Before Microsoft Project is installed, each department administrator creates a new OPS file based on the standard corporate configuration.

To create a department-specific user profile
  • Using the corporate transform, install Microsoft Project on a test computer.
  • Customize Microsoft Project to suit the department needs.
  • Run the Profile Wizard to create a new department-specific OPS file.
  • Start the Custom Installation Wizard and, on the Customize Default Application Settings page, add the new OPS file to the department transform.
  • Using the department transform, install Microsoft Project throughout the department.

Distribute Both Corporate and Department Settings

In this scenario, the corporate administrator customizes the Microsoft Project installation to point to the Profile Wizard and OPS file with a relative path. Using a relative path allows each department to add the Profile Wizard and a department-specific OPS file to its own administrative installation point.

To customize Microsoft Project installation for department-specific user profiles
  1. Install and configure Microsoft Project on a test computer.
  1. Run the Profile Wizard to create a default OPS file.
  1. Start the Custom Installation Wizard and, on the Customize Default Application Settings page, add the default OPS file to the corporate transform.
  1. On the Add Installations and Run Programs page, add the Profile Wizard as an application to be run at the end of the installation, and point to the Profile Wizard and OPS file with a relative path. Use the following syntax:
OPW\Proflwiz.exe /r Department.ops /q
  1. Create separate administrative installation points on the network for each department.
  1. Create an OPW folder at each administrative installation point, and copy the Profile Wizard to that folder.

When Microsoft Project is deployed, the individual department administrators update the Microsoft Project installation with their own customized versions.

To install a department-specific user profile
  1. Using the corporate transform, install Microsoft Project on a test computer.
  1. Customize Microsoft Project to suit the department needs.
  1. Run the Profile Wizard to create an OPS file based on the new settings, and name the file Department.ops.
  1. Copy the new Department.ops file to the OPW folder on the department administrative installation point.
  1. Install Microsoft Project on department computers.

When Microsoft Project is installed, the settings in the corporate OPS file are included. Immediately following the installation, the Profile Wizard runs and the corporate settings are updated with the department administrator's changes.

Setting Registry Entries

In Microsoft Project Setup, you can include custom applications that require custom Microsoft Windows registry settings. You can also customize certain Microsoft Project options by changing registry settings. In these situations, you can use the Custom Installation Wizard to define registry values that are set on users' computers during Microsoft Project installation.

To set registry values during Microsoft Project installation, you add individual registry entries to a Windows Installer transform (MST file). You can also import a registry file containing multiple registry entries.

Add Registry Entries to a Transform

By using the Custom Installation Wizard, you can customize many aspects of the Microsoft Project installation process that affect your organization. To add registry entries to a Windows Installer transform, you use the Add Registry Entries page of the wizard. You must know the complete path for each registry entry, as well as the value name and the data type for that entry.

To add Windows registry entries to a transform
  1. Run the Custom Installation Wizard.
  1. On the Add Registry Entries page, click Add.
  1. Enter the full path for the registry entry you want to add, enter the value name and data, and then click OK.

Import a Registry File into a Transform

To add multiple registry entries to a Windows Installer transform, first you create a registry (REG) file, and then you use the Add Registry Entries page of the Custom Installation Wizard to import the registry file.

A registry file is a text file that contains a copy of a section of the Windows registry. If your computer already has the registry entries you want to copy to users' computers, creating a registry file is an efficient way of copying those entries.

To create a registry file
  1. On the computer that has the registry entries you want to add to the installation, click Run on the Start menu, and then type regedit.
  1. In the registry editor, select the portion of the registry tree that you want to copy.
  1. On the Registry menu, click Export Registry File (on a computer running Windows XP, click Export on the File menu), and follow the instructions to export the selected portion of the registry tree to a registry file.
To import a registry file to a transform
  1. Run the Custom Installation Wizard.
  1. On the Add Registry Entries page, click Import.
  1. Select the registry file you created, and click Open.

After Microsoft Project Setup is completed, the Windows Installer copies the registry entries that you added to the transform to users' computers.

Modifying Settings Using System Policies

After installation is complete, you can modify registry values by using Windows system policies. System policy settings take effect when the user logs on to the network, and they override any duplicate values you set during installation.

Unlike default application settings set by means of an OPS file, system policies are not optional; if a user changes a setting set by policy, Windows reinstates your setting the next time the user logs on.

Microsoft Project profiles and multiple languages

Microsoft Project user profiles generated by the Profile Wizard are independent of the operating system—including operating systems in other languages. For example, an OPS file created under Microsoft Windows 98 (U.S. English version) can be restored to a computer running Windows 2000 (Japanese version).

However, Microsoft Project user profiles are specific to a particular Microsoft Project language version. For example, if you create an OPS file in the U.S. English version of Microsoft Project, it cannot be restored to a computer with the German version of Microsoft Project installed. There is some overlap between language families. For example, you can restore a U.S. English Office profile to an English or Australian version of Microsoft Project.

This Microsoft Project language limitation exists because the different Microsoft Project versions include localized folder names for the folders that contain the Microsoft Project user profile information.

The Global File and the Enterprise Global Template

The Global File

The global file (Global.mpt) is used as a master template file for any new project that is created in Microsoft Project. By default, it contains all built-in views, calendars, forms, reports, tables, toolbars, menu bars, and import-export maps. You can customize these items or add new items in the global file.

The global file can also store customized features and settings, including macros and custom fields. Storing custom items in the global file makes them available to all other projects. Customized features and settings in different global files can also be shared by merging global files.

Tasks, resources, and assignments can't be stored in the global file. Most options within the Options dialog box of Microsoft Project are also not stored in the global file.

How Microsoft Project locates a global file

When Microsoft Project 2002 is opened, it first tries to locate a global file using the Root Key policy registry key:

HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Policies\Microsoft\Office\

FakePre-81adb52c6f4a4f7bad7beac78c4f9873-5b533e6df3dc4484ab010806de1ead19 FakePre-507a1cc367994528b13e3ca1ea944d03-84c98af1368b47a6b748bd0363465604 FakePre-d5f66bb5abf04032ab024c22f4f0d326-99cec8124f0e43fc84156cafa62a5c35 FakePre-99c1c7dc5df24635a242065938883feb-2ced2971a8574aedbec9dbd414d23b5a

The Administrator can set this key to point to a particular location for Global.mpt

If Microsoft Project finds that this registry key is set and it finds a Global.mpt at the location it points to, it boots using that Global.mpt.

The Enterprise Global Template

For standardization purposes, Microsoft Project Professional can use a global template that has been saved to the Microsoft Project Server 2002 database. This global template is referred to as the enterprise global template. The enterprise global template contains, by default, the Enterprise Gantt Chart view, the All Tasks, Enterprise Resources, and Project Team Members filters, and the No Group group. The enterprise global template is useful for organizations that wish to standardize any of the global items across projects. The enterprise global template contains several unique features:

  • Fields can be required
  • Outline codes can share look-up tables
  • Selection of outline code values can be restricted to only leaf nodes
  • Outline codes can be specified as being used for resource substitution

The Microsoft Project Server 2002 setup program installs the enterprise global template. Users can then use Microsoft Project Professional to open and edit the enterprise global template by checking it out from Microsoft Project Server. While users can temporarily edit items in their in-memory global template that originated from the enterprise global template, these changes are not saved to the Microsoft Project Server database unless the enterprise global template is checked out and the user has the correct permissions for editing it. It is recommended that permissions to edit the enterprise global template be limited to a small number of administrators.

Microsoft Project Professional uses both the local global file and the enterprise global template, and combines items from both into the in-memory version of the global file. With the exception of toolbars and menu bars, items from the enterprise global template overwrite items from the global file when the items have the same name.

The Global File on a Shared Server

If Microsoft Project is run from a network server in your organization, Microsoft Project first looks for the global file in the working directory on the local computer. If the local global file is missing from this directory, Microsoft Project uses the global file on the network server.

Users with read/write permissions on the network server can modify the original global file. Subsequent installations of Microsoft Project that run from the network server then use this modified global file rather than the original global file. To ensure that the global file cannot be modified on the network server, users should have read-only permissions on the network server. Changes made to the global file on a read-only server cannot be saved. When users exit Microsoft Project, however, they can save a copy of the changed global file in a different location.

Sharing Custom Elements Stored in the Global File

After customizing Microsoft Project to better reflect the needs of your organization, the policy registry keys can be used to specify that individual installations of Microsoft Project 2002 always open the customized global file saved on the network. Also, users can share additional customizations using the Organizer, including those described below.

Using the Organizer to share custom elements

Using the Organizer, users can share additional customizations for items listed and described below:

  • Customized views    Information in a view or report can be customized by applying different tables and filters, and the appearance of printed reports or views can be customized by adding notes, gridlines, borders, and column totals.
  • Customized toolbars    Built-in toolbars and buttons can be customized, or new custom toolbars and buttons can be created. A toolbar is a set of buttons and list boxes that provide command shortcuts for working with Microsoft Project. Clicking a toolbar button is usually quicker than clicking a command on a menu. By default, the Standard and Formatting toolbars are displayed below the menu bar at the top of the screen. Any built-in or custom toolbar can also be hidden, modified, or moved to another location. Once a custom toolbar is created, it is automatically saved in the global file.
  • Customized filters    If none of the Microsoft Project built-in filters meet the needs of your organization, a filter can be modified or a new filter created. When a project is saved, the new or modified filter is saved only with the project file, but it can be copied to the global file using the Organizer.
  • Customized Visual Basic modules    If a macro is saved initially in a global file, it is available for any other project file on a computer. Whether a macro is saved in an active project file or in the global file, it can be made available to other users in your organization by using the Organizer.
Using templates to share custom elements

You can save time in planning new projects by using templates. A template should not be confused with the global file. A template is merely a Microsoft Project file saved with the file name extension .mpt. Using a template allows you to reuse existing schedules as the starting point for creating new schedules. Task and resource information, formatting, macros, and project-specific settings can all become part of a template. Any information in a Microsoft Project file (MPP) can become part of a planning template, including:

  • Task and resource information
  • View and text formatting
  • Macros
  • File-specific settings

You can ensure that these types of information are set up uniformly across projects by distributing templates that project teams can use when new projects begin.

Typically, any changes to views, tables, filters, calendars, reports, and forms are local; that is, they take place only in the active project file. However, any changes to toolbars, menus, and import/export maps are global; that is, the changes are made to the global file and apply to all project files on a computer. Then, when a new project file is opened, it reflects your customized toolbars and menus. When format settings (such as bold, italic, color, or bar shape) are changed, those settings apply only to the active project file and not to other project files on your computer. Changes to Visual Basic modules can be either global or local, according to your preference. You can customize views, tables, filters, calendars, reports, and forms, and share them with other users by saving your project file as a template. When the template is opened and saved as a project file, this new project file contains the original Microsoft Project defaults (from the global file), as well as the customized elements from the template.

Using the Global File to Distribute Customizations to Your Organization

Depending on how users in an organization are set up to work on project files, you can roll out customizations in one of several ways:

  • Administrators can roll out the enterprise global template simply by editing it and saving it to Microsoft Project Server. Users of Microsoft Project Professional will automatically access the revised enterprise global template when they next connect to the server.
  • Administrators can modify the policy registry key to specify that individual installations of Microsoft Project Standard always open the customized global file saved on the network.
  • If users have Microsoft Project installed on local computers (or if they run Microsoft Project from a network server but keep files in a working directory on their local computers), they can use the customized global file simply by replacing their global file with the customized global file, or by using the Organizer to copy customizations from the customized global file to their own global file.
  • If users run Microsoft Project Standard from a network server, and open files from there as well, they will automatically get customization updates as the administrator updates the global file on the network server.

See Also

For more information about locating and upgrading global files, see the Before You Upgrade resource kit article.

Adding Functionality to Microsoft Project

You can include in your deployment a separate project file that contains macros your users can then use on their project files. You can also develop and distribute a Component Object Model (COM) add-in that contains new functionality for Microsoft Project.

Using a Project File to Distribute New Functionality

You can add macros to project files (MPP files) and to project template files (.MPT files) in the same way you add them to the global file. You can then distribute these files when you deploy Microsoft Project. When users open these files, they will have access to these macros.

There are typically two ways to distribute these new files throughout your organization:

  • Use the Add Files to the Installation page of the Custom Installation Wizard to add these new files to your deployment.
  • Send the files as e-mail attachments after you deploy Microsoft Project.

You can also create an AutoRun macro that runs when users open the project file. The AutoRun macro could then copy other macro code to the Global template so that the macros are available for all projects.

Using COM Add-ins to Distribute New Functionality

The Component Object Model (COM) allows software components to communicate with each other. It's an interface that allows any two components to communicate regardless of the computer they're running on (as long as the computers are connected), the operating system the computer is running (as long as it supports COM), and the language the components are written in.

A COM add-in extends an application by adding functionality that is not in the core product. For example, an add-in might add new menu commands or toolbar buttons that display custom forms to add new features to an application.

Visual Basic for Applications (VBA) developers can create COM add-ins by using Office 2000 Developer. COM add-ins can also be created by developers who are using one of the following programming languages:

  • Microsoft Visual Basic versions 5.0 or later
  • Microsoft Visual C++
  • Microsoft Visual J++
  • Any language that can create COM components

The only requirement to connect COM add-ins to Microsoft Project is that the add-in must implement the IDExtensibility2 interface. 

COM add-ins can be loaded when the host application starts, or they can be loaded on demand. Support has also been added to allow the OnAction property of a custom command bar button to load a COM add-in.

Microsoft Project provides the following add-ins:

  • PERT Analysis
  • Analyze Timescaled Data
  • Adjust Dates

The following COM add-ins for Microsoft Project are available at the Microsoft Download Center:

See Also

To learn more about working COM add-ins, see the Microsoft COM Web site and the Microsoft Office Object Model on MSDN.