Overview
If you wish to update the data on an existing timeline, you don't have to go back to the Data View every time you want to make a small adjustment to a text or add a new task, for instance. Any changes you can make in the data list can also be done directly from the graphic, in the Timeline View. Below we'll show you exactly how.
Read the full guide or click on the following shortcuts to jump directly to the chapter you're interested in:
A) Edit any text (task title, % complete, dates, etc.)
B) Add more items to the timeline
C) Remove items from the timeline
A) Edit any text
Office Timeline Online lets you quickly update any text directly from your timeline – be it a task or milestone title, % complete, date, or task duration. To do so:
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Double-click the desired element.
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Type in new data
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Press Enter and you're done. It's that easy!
Quick tip: When editing a date, % complete or task duration, related objects on the timeline will instantly update to reflect those changes. For instance, on our graphic, here's how the task bar and dates changed only by editing the task duration from "6 days" to "3 days":
B) Add more items to the timeline
There are two ways you can add more tasks or milestones in the Timeline View, and both of them are just as simple:
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Click on the +Task or +Milestone buttons on the top bar.
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Right-click on the slide or on a timeline object to open the shortcut menu. There, click on Add either Milestone or Task.
In both cases, depending on what you choose, a new task or milestone will appear on your graphic, which you can then edit and customize as you wish right from the Timeline View.
Note: If you have a milestone or task selected when clicking Add, the new item added will be placed on the timeline after the selected object. If nothing is selected, the new item will be placed at the end, after the last task or milestone.
Pro tip: You can even create new Swimlanes straight from the timeline view - to do so, either click the +Swimlane button on the top or right-click on the slide, just as you would with tasks and milestones.
C) Remove items from the timeline
The Timeline View gives you two options to remove milestones, tasks or Swimlanes from your graphic. You can either hide them, which means they won't be visible on the graphic but their details will still be available in Data View for your reference, or you can delete them altogether, which means they'll be removed from your data list as well.
Here's how to hide or delete tasks and milestones directly from your timeline slide:
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Select the task, milestone or Swimlane you don't want to show on your timeline anymore.
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Right-click and select either Delete or Hide, depending on what you want to do.
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The selected item will instantly disappear from your timeline and, if you chose to delete it, its details will be removed from the Data tab as well.
Note: Whatever task or milestone element you have selected, when clicking Delete or Hide item, all related objects will be removed from the timeline as well. For instance, if you have a task date selected and choose Hide item from the shortcut (right-click) menu, the whole task will be hidden from view, not just its date.
Similarly, if you choose to delete or hide a Swimlane, all tasks and milestones inside it will be deleted or hidden as well.
- Pro tip:
The Timeline View also lets you delete or hide multiple tasks and milestones simultaneously. Simply use Shift (Cmd) + Click to select the items you want to remove, and then choose what you'd like to do from the menu you'll see popping up above your timeline:
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