To call attention to task bars on a Gantt view, such as a milestone or summary task, you can change their color, shape, or pattern to separate them from other bars of a particular type.
- Apply a Gantt view.
- On the Format menu, click Bar Styles.
You can also double-click within the chart portion of a Gantt view, but not on individual bars.
- In the Name field, click the type of Gantt bar (such as Task or Progress) that you want to format, and then click the Bars tab.
If the Gantt bar type doesn't appear in the table, you can create a new Gantt bar for the task type you want.
- Under Start, Middle, and End, click the shapes, types or pattern, and colors for the bar.
Some categories have only a start shape (such as milestone), while others have a start shape, middle bar, and end shape (such as summary tasks).
You can also change the color, shape, or pattern of an individual Gantt bar, rather than a type of bar, if you want to highlight a specific task in your plan.
- Apply a Gantt view.
- In the Task Name field, select the task whose Gantt bar you want to change.
You can also double-click an individual bar within the right side of a Gantt view, but not in the space between the bars.
- On the Format menu, click Bar, and then click the Bar Shape tab.
- Under Start, Middle, and End, select shapes, types or pattern, and colors for the bar.
Double-click the other bars to format them, being careful to point to the bars and not to the space surrounding them. If more than one bar is displayed for each task, only the topmost bar can be formatted by clicking Bar on the Format menu.