Applicable to:
Express   ✔ Planning   ✔ Professional   ✔


Overview of calendars


In CS Project, a calendar is used to specify working and non-working time, so that working durations can be translated into start and finish dates.


Calendars can be assigned to activities, link delays and resources. It is also possible to assign a calendar to a project, which can be used as the default calendar for activities and links.

CS Project has two built-in calendars which cannot be modified by the user:


  • Default 24hr-7dy - working 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.
  • Default 8hr-5dy - working from 8am to 1pm, and 2pm to 5pm, Monday to Friday.


You can add on your own user-defined calendars to the list.

An activity can be scheduled according to:

  • Default 24hr-7dy
  • Default 8hr-5dy
  • Project - the default calendar for the project as specified in the Project Details
  • Resource Assigned - the calendar used by the first resource assigned to the task. If no resources are assigned the project calendar will be used.
  • User-defined calendar.

A link delay can be scheduled according to:

  • Default 24hr-7dy
  • Default 8hr-5dy
  • Project - the default calendar for the project as specified in the Project Details.
  • Predecessor - the calendar by which the predecessor activity is scheduled.
  • Successor - the calendar by which the successor activity is scheduled.
  • User-defined calendar.

A project or labour/other resource can be assigned any of:

  • Default 24hr-7dy
  • Default 8hr-5dy
  • User-defined calendar

When a resource has a different calendar to the task that it is assigned to, the assignments can be scheduled either according to:

  • the resource calendar - the assignment and the activity will have different working durations, although they work between the same start and finish dates

Or...

  • the activity calendar - the extra time worked on the task will be treated as overtime


Set the working time for a project


To set the correct working time for a project, you will need either create a new User-defined calendar or select an existing one from the Template in use.

  • Choose the Calendars option from the Start menu to access the current list of calendars.
  • Use the New or Modify options to create/edit a calendar.
  • Select the Project Details option from the Start menu to display the Project Details dialog box.
  • Change the entry in the calendar list to the correct value.

Or…

  • Move the mouse onto the date bar of the bar chart of the project.
  • Click the right mouse button, and select Set Calendar from the pop-up menu.
  • Select the correct entry from the drop-down list.
  • Use New to create a new calendar if necessary.
  • Use Modify to change the working time of the selected calendar if necessary


Set a holiday period on a calendar


  • Select the calendar that you wish to change.
  • On the Calendar Grid in the Calendar dialog, set the current month and year to the desired value by using the scroll bar below the grid, or by pressing the Page Up or Page Down keys on the keyboard.
  • Select the dates that you want to set as holidays by moving the mouse cursor onto the first date and then press the left button down. Drag the mouse cursor until the range is blocked, and then release the mouse button.
  • Select the Non-work button below the grid.


Set the standard working days on a calendar


  • Select the calendar that you wish to change.
  • On the Calendar Grid in the Calendar dialog, select the days of the week (first row) that you wish to change.
  • Move the mouse cursor onto the first day in the range and then press the left button down. Drag the mouse cursor until the range is blocked, and then release the mouse button.
  • Select the Work or Non-work buttons below the grid to change the status of the selected days.


Set the standard work hours on a calendar


  • Select the calendar that you wish to change.
  • On the Calendar Grid in the Calendar dialog, select the days of the week (first row) that you want to change.
  • Move the mouse cursor onto the first day in the range and then press the left button down. Drag the mouse cursor until the range is blocked, and then release the mouse button.
  • Type the number of hours worked on each day (e.g. 8) on the keyboard, and press ENTER when done.

Or...

  •  Use the TAB key or the mouse to move to the Work Hours fields in the dialog, and fill in the exact shifts worked on each day (e.g. 8am - 1pm, 2pm - 5pm).