Writing Metadata to MPP

Aspose.Tasks for Java provides a facility for writing metadata to MPP files for calendars, tasks, task links, resources and resource assignments.

Writing Metadata to Microsoft Project Files

The following metadata is used in this example:

• Calendar
  • CalendarName
• Task
  • Contact
  • IsMarked
  • IgnoreWarnings
• TaskLink
  • LagFormat
  • LinkLag
• Resource
  • Type
• Initials
  • MaxUnits
  • Code
  • Group
  • EmailAddress
  • NTAccount
  • IsGeneric
  • AccrueAt
  • TeamAssignmentPool
• CostCenter
• ResourceAssignment
  • Uid
  • Work
  • RemainingWork
  • RegularWork
  • Start
  • Finish

Here IsMarked and IgnoreWarnings are newly added fields for a task. Similarly for resources, the TeamAssignmentPool and CostCenter properties are provided.

The following steps are followed in the sample code to demonstrate how to write metadata to MPPs:

1. Open a new, blank MPP file.
2. Add working times on Monday of the project calendar and change the project calendar name.
3. Add three tasks with task links and lags.
4. Add two resources, one budget work and one budget cost resource (four in total).
5. Assign budget resources to the project root task (the project summary task).
6. Assign another two resources to the first and second tasks.
7. Set the project baseline.
8. Add a new task extended attribute.
9. Save changes as an MPP file.

Writing Metadata

// The path to the documents directory.
String dataDir = Utils.getDataDir(WriteMetadata.class);

long OneSec = 10000000;
long OneMin = 60 * OneSec;
long OneHour = 60 * OneMin;
long OneDayEightHour = 8 * OneHour;
long OneDayTwentyFourHour = 24 * OneHour;

Project project = new Project(dataDir + "New project 2010.mpp");
java.util.Calendar calendar = java.util.Calendar.getInstance(TimeZone.getTimeZone("GMT"));
calendar.set(2012, java.util.Calendar.DECEMBER, 7, 0, 0, 0);
Date startDate = calendar.getTime();
calendar.set(2013, java.util.Calendar.DECEMBER, 7, 0, 0, 0);
Date toDate = calendar.getTime();

WorkingTime wt = new WorkingTime();
wt.setFromTime(startDate);
wt.setToTime(toDate);

WeekDay day = project.get(Prj.CALENDAR).getWeekDays().toList().get(1);
day.getWorkingTimes().add(wt);

project.get(Prj.CALENDAR).setName("CHANGED NAME!");

Task task = project.getRootTask().getChildren().add("Task 1");
task.set(Tsk.DURATION_FORMAT, TimeUnitType.Day);
task.set(Tsk.DURATION, project.getDuration(3));
task.set(Tsk.CONTACT, "Rsc 1");
// new fields
task.set(Tsk.IS_MARKED, true);
task.set(Tsk.IGNORE_WARNINGS, true);

Task task2 = project.getRootTask().getChildren().add("Task 2");
task2.set(Tsk.DURATION_FORMAT, TimeUnitType.Day);
task2.set(Tsk.CONTACT, "Rsc 2");

project.getTaskLinks().add(task, task2, TaskLinkType.FinishToStart, project.getDuration(-1, TimeUnitType.Day));

calendar.set(2013, java.util.Calendar.DECEMBER, 13, 9, 0, 0);
startDate = calendar.getTime();
project.set(Prj.START_DATE, startDate);

Resource rsc = project.getResources().add("Rsc 1");
rsc.set(Rsc.TYPE, ResourceType.Work);
rsc.set(Rsc.INITIALS, "WR");
rsc.set(Rsc.ACCRUE_AT, CostAccrualType.Prorated);
rsc.set(Rsc.MAX_UNITS, 1d);
rsc.set(Rsc.CODE, "Code 1");
rsc.set(Rsc.GROUP, "Workers");
rsc.set(Rsc.E_MAIL_ADDRESS, "[e-mail]");
rsc.set(Rsc.WINDOWS_USER_ACCOUNT, "user_acc1");
rsc.set(Rsc.IS_GENERIC, new NullableBool(true));
rsc.set(Rsc.ACCRUE_AT, CostAccrualType.End);
rsc.set(Rsc.STANDARD_RATE, BigDecimal.valueOf(10));
rsc.set(Rsc.STANDARD_RATE_FORMAT, RateFormatType.Day);
rsc.set(Rsc.OVERTIME_RATE, BigDecimal.valueOf(15));
rsc.set(Rsc.OVERTIME_RATE_FORMAT, RateFormatType.Hour);

rsc.set(Rsc.IS_TEAM_ASSIGNMENT_POOL, true);
rsc.set(Rsc.COST_CENTER, "Cost Center 1");

ResourceAssignment assn = project.getResourceAssignments().add(task, rsc);
assn.set(Asn.UID, 1);
assn.set(Asn.WORK, task.get(Tsk.DURATION));
assn.set(Asn.REMAINING_WORK, assn.get(Asn.WORK));
assn.set(Asn.REGULAR_WORK, assn.get(Asn.WORK));
task.set(Tsk.WORK, assn.get(Asn.WORK));

rsc.set(Rsc.WORK, task.get(Tsk.WORK));
assn.set(Asn.START, task.get(Tsk.START));
assn.set(Asn.FINISH, task.get(Tsk.FINISH));

// Add extended attribute for project and task
ExtendedAttributeDefinition attr = ExtendedAttributeDefinition.createTaskDefinition(CustomFieldType.Flag,
        ExtendedAttributeTask.Flag1, "My Flag Field");
project.getExtendedAttributes().add(attr);

ExtendedAttribute taskAttr = attr.createExtendedAttribute();
taskAttr.setFlagValue(true);
task2.getExtendedAttributes().add(taskAttr);

project.save(dataDir + "updated.mpp", SaveFileFormat.MPP);