Vicky Stamatopoulou on 24. August 2010
A question we receive eventually in support is the following:
We have seen Merlin running on mac and are pretty sure it covers our needs for project management. Where do we find download files for Windows or Linux? We have no Macs in our company.
Our answer:
Merlin is a native Mac OS X application and Merlin Server is implemented as a MAC OS X system preference pane. Following system requirements apply:
There is no Windows or Linux version available, sorry.
(In case you’ve missed the “Get a Mac” ads series of 2008 here is a link on YouTube ;-))
Tags: Linux, Merlin, System requirements, Windows
Vicky Stamatopoulou on 13. July 2010
It’s been a long time ago, we’ve posted an applescript sample. The script for todays’ post was initiated by a user support request. The user knows that Merlin can export or sync project and resource calendars to iCal and already uses these options, however he sometimes need to export only some selected structures to iCal and was wondering how to do so.
One possible approach would be, to right click the specific project structures, call “Save selection” out of the contextual menu, open the newly created project and export to iCal.
Another approach may also be to write a script, similar to the ones we’ve written in the past for TimeLine 3D, Things or others, transferring just this selection.
Are you interested in the script solution? Great, here you are. Enjoy the script.
To find out how to place it into your File > Send To menu, please read here more
Tags: Applescript, Export, iCal, Sync
Vicky Stamatopoulou on 19. May 2010
Merlin is delivered in 3 localizations: English, German and French and is compatible with the Mac OS X system preferences. This means, is your Finder running in French it will also run in French. Is your Finder running in Dutch and German is listed after it but before English, it will run in German.
To change the preferred system language in French for example, just call the ‘System Preferences’ and the ‘Language & Text’ pane.
Switch to the ‘Language’ tab. Select the language you want to have as your standard language, drag&drop it before the top most entry.
If you now start Merlin, you will see it run in French. Your Finder is by the way not yet French, but it will be the next time you restart it.
We sometimes get asked, how to define the language of Merlin in English when having a French system.
Tags: Applescript, Language, Localization, Merlin
Vicky Stamatopoulou on 18. May 2010
Do you want to enable project, web or iPhone sharing on your Merlin and get an error message, that the ports are already used?

Could it be that you are trying to enable project sharing on top of a running Merlin Server? In this case, simply copy the project file in the shared folder of Merlin Server for it it be shared.
Tags: Merlin 101, Merlin Server, Merlin Sharing, Merlin Web, Preferenes, TCP port
Vicky Stamatopoulou on 5. May 2010
One of the main responsibilities of a PM is to report regularly project relevant information. This could be the project’s current state, cost forecasts, current balance between budget and actual costs to name just a few. When you use Merlin for project management on Mac OS X, there are various ways to create these reports out of your Merlin projects:
Just another possibility you might not know by now, is…
Tags: Export, Merlin, Merlin 101, Pages, Reports
Vicky Stamatopoulou on 29. April 2010
Now and then we get asked in support, how to plan weekly recurring activities. The user planned its first occurrence on a specific day (on a Tuesday for example) and simply wants to know, how to bring Merlin to repeat the activity on the next 12 Tuesdays in a row.
Well, there is no such setting in Merlin currently. We would recommend you either copy and paste as often as needed, or drag&drop the planned activity into your library to have it on the long run. You can then modify the earliest planned start date of the inserted copies, one by another and place them there where you want to have them. Meaning; on the appropriate dates.
Another approach would be to write an AppleScript taking over the manual parts of your copy and paste actions.
What a great idea you think, but I don’t want to write an Applescript only because I would like to plan a recurring activity once in my life in Merlin.
That’s fine with us. We have posted such a “Send To”-Applescript in the German Merlin user forum by Google* as a similar question** was posted.
The Script reacts on the selection. It replicates the current selection as often you wish by the offset (in days) you define. So if wanting to accomplish the requirement mentioned in the begging of this post, you start the script and enter 12 (for repeat 12 times) and then 7 (to have them a week from Tuesday)
Easy, isn’t? Have fun and be productive
_
*) You’ll find the Merlin Google forum for English speaking Merlin users here
**) If you have difficulty locating the mentioned script, simply dowload a copy from our server.
Tags: Applescript, Merlin, Recurring Activities
Vicky Stamatopoulou on 22. April 2010
Marketcrircle released yesterday a new update for Daylite. Version 3.10 includes various significant changes listed here
The feature we like the most is working offline with the Daylite database
I am very happy with the version 3.10, because I can now completely ignore the fact whether I am working online or offline before I start a business trip. Now I am always working offline and have the latest data anyway. Good Job, Marketcircle! – Frank Blome, CEO of ProjectWizards
For more details you can read the full release notes posted at marketcircle
To connect Merlin to Daylite and exchange activities between Merlin projects and the Daylite database you can use MerlinDayliteLink.
Tags: Daylite, Merlin, MerlinDayliteLink, Update
Vicky Stamatopoulou on 7. April 2010
In the Merlin German user forum in Google groups* a user asked, how to define WBS codes for all activities like 1.1.1… but have milestones coded by a leading M (so for example M.1.1.1)
Well, Merlin users know how to define WBS coding schemes. They simply call File >WBS Code Definition… and define a prefix or counters as desired. But such an action would apply the same numbering scheme for all activities and milestones. So how to proceed in meeting the requirements of this specific user? The answer can be, either renagotiate the WBS coding or try an AppleScript approach..
If you can spare one of the three columns (Subtitle, Additional tittle or Notes) just use the following Applescript writing in one of these columns the WBS code of the tasks in the desired manner. So…
tell application “Merlin”
(more...)
Tags: Applescript, Milestone, WBS, WBS Coding Scheme
Vicky Stamatopoulou on 22. March 2010
Many Merlin users praise the software among other reasons for its excellent integration with Mac OS X and other Mac applications. In Merlin’s product page one can find a list of possible connections and supported technologies. Just as we finalized our list, we found a new application on the Internet that supports Merlin, called GrandTotal.
It is an invoicing application for Mac OS X with wysiwycg (what you see is what your client gets) features and a layout editor. The software is localized in more than 10 languages.
Read more about GrandTotal here
So how does GrandTotal and Merlin integrate? Simple. By the use of a “Send To” AppleScript provided by GrandTotal, you can let GrandTotal create an Estimate or Invoice from the selected Merlin project structures.
Enjoy Merlin’s flexibility.
Tags: Applescript, GrandTotal, Integration
Vicky Stamatopoulou on 17. March 2010
Merlin’s compatibility to Windows and mainly MS Project is very important not only to us but also to our users. What if you have lots of existing projects and want to use them on your Mac? What it you have to forward a project to a Windows user needing to edit it further in MS Project? That’s fine. With Merlin you can handle both situations just as well.
Merlin opens MS Project .mpx, .mpp, .xml file formats and exports in .xml, .mpx.
Are you wandering which file format should be preferred? The answer is easy:
We recommend XML.
Only when trying to exchange files with MS Project users of older versions than MS Project 2000, you would need to choose a legacy format like mpx.
Simple, isn’t?
Tags: Merlin, Merlin 101, MPP, MPX, MS Project, XML
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