MS Project import – User defined fields
Vicky Stamatopoulou on 12. March 2010
If you have MS Projects containing user defined columns and need to edit them in Merlin, simply save those files in the MS Project XML exchange format. Open the XML file later on in Merlin, click any activity in your project and check the ‘User Defined Fields’ tab. You will find them all listed there displaying their contents.
Please note:
MS Project will not save the custom titles into the XML file, so Merlin displays their column identifier.
Tip:
- If you have only one user defined field simply edit its title in the ‘User Defined Fields’ tab
- If you have imported various user defined fields at once, you may want to display first the columns on the outline to know which column title fits which content.
Isn’t great? Not only seamless import of MS Project files but also to such a deep extent. Merlin never ceases to amaze me 
Tags: MS Project, User defined fields, XML
Merlin Projects on iPhone
Vicky Stamatopoulou on 11. March 2010
We have submitted the next update for Merlin on the iPhone to the App Store and wait for its approval.
It will carry the version number 1.0.4 and includes the following issue fixes:
- The iPhone app has now a new icon and a new title. Its former title “Merlin” is now part of the icon and the application itself is called “Projects”; so it reads “Merlin Projects”.
- The navigation view is now properly positioned even after cancelling the image picker in the file elements view.
- Under some circumstances it was not possible to enter the completion percentage.
- Added a workaround for a bug in the 3.2 beta version of the iPhone SDK.
- The Gantt view wasn’t refreshed after a sync operation.
- Under some circumstances Merlin iPhone did crash on start.
- The stability in general is improved.
We hope Apple approves the new update of Merlin iPhone quickly, and it is soon available in the App Store for download.
Update: The update 1.0.4 is now available in the App Store and recommended for all Merlin iPhone 1.0.3 users.
How to access Merlin projects from dynamic-IP driven locations
John Kranz on 9. March 2010
If you are publishing Merlin projects from a computer that has a dynamically generated IP address, this can cause problems for your users already having received the project URLs and use in the meanwhile obsolete IPs to access the projects. This situation easily occurs, as the IP address of your router changes upon re-connecting to your internet provider.
In this case the actual project URLs will fall out of sync with the URL and IP address that Merlin has originally published. Fortunately, there is a solution readily at hand thanks to the free service provided by DynDNS.org that allows you to create a static host name that can be used instead.
Tags: DynDNS, Merlin 101, Merlin Web
Merlin at the CeBit: An interview with Frank Blome, ProjectWizards’ CEO
Vicky Stamatopoulou on 9. March 2010
Frank Blome, our CEO, was interviewed by Richard Joerges at the CeBit, on the second day of the trade show.
He was asked for a resumé to the CeBIT so far and whether he sees any current trends in the Project Management.
Frank talks about Windows based PMs thinking about switching to the Mac platform, traditional project management, Agile and Scrum. Enjoy the interview
Tags: Agile, CeBit, Scrum, Traditional Project Management
Merlin on a web browser
Vicky Stamatopoulou on 5. March 2010
The other day we received the following question in support:
We are testing Merlin for project management on the Mac and are very interested to use your solution but there is one functionality which seems to be not covered in the web access; we are not able to add elements (risk, issue, or files)
That’s correct. Merlin in the web module allows users working on other platforms to collaborate on Merlin files using a web browser*. It is not just another implementation of the Merlin Mac OS X application for the web.
While behaving similarly to the native Merlin application, its functionality and graphical user interface is deliberately minimalized** to insure better usability from web users not having deeper Merlin knowledge.
_
*) Supported web browser: IE7, IE8 in compatibility mode, Safari 4, Firefox 3
**) All differences between Merlin on Mac OS X and in the Web module: here
Tags: Elements, Merlin, Merlin Web
CeBit 2010
Vicky Stamatopoulou on 2. March 2010
Merlin and ProjectWizards are this year as intended at the CeBit 2010 in the OS X Business Park. According to the organisators, CeBit is
… the world’s foremost tradeshow for the digital industry in Hannover – Germany
If you prefer some independent information about Cebit 2010 
you may want to check this one.
OS X Business Park: 25 companies with business solutions for Macs and iPhones. A fitting place for your favourite wizard.
Our CEO, Frank Blome presenting Project Managent on the Mac OS X with Merlin.
Tags: Business solutions, CeBit, Germany, Hannover, Mac OS X, Merlin
Merlin import of EXCEL files
Vicky Stamatopoulou on 2. March 2010
Merlin can import seamlessly lots of file formats, here a list of the currently supported formats:
- MS Project (.mpx, .mpp, .xml)
- OmniOutliner (.ooutline, .oo3)
- OmniPlan (.omniplan)
- NovaMind (.nmind)
- MindManager (.mmap)
- Merlin 1 (.merlin)
- Merlin 2 (.xml)
- Text files (.txt, .csv, .tsv)
- OPML files (.opal)
So you look on the list above, have project WBS saved in MS EXCEL and don’t know how to proceed?
Tags: Excel, Import, Integration, Merlin, Merlin 101
Applescript: Shifting activity starting dates at once
Vicky Stamatopoulou on 26. February 2010
From time to time we get asked in support, how to shift all given planned starting dates at once in Merlin projects to a new date while maintaining the slacks.
If the activities are linked together, the user may use the dynamic shifting project setting, and define a new planned starting date for the first activity. The linkages between activities will shift the successor activities as needed.
If the activities are set to specific starting dates, and you want to shift them all by the same amount of time, you may consider writing an AppleScript to read the given planned earliest start dates of the activities, apply the desired time offset, and write the new date back onto the activities of the project.
But why bothering writing a new Applescript from the scratch, when there is already one which we have just written doing so? Spend your time on managing your projects, not on scripting. Be lazy and productive. Just click here to download it
Tags: Applescript, Merlin, Merlin 101
Merlin: CSV duration units
Vicky Stamatopoulou on 22. February 2010
There is a new feature in Merlin 2.7.6 and its CSV reading & writting possibilities.
You can now define the unit for the durations and choose one of the following: Seconds, Minutes, Hours, Days, Weeks, Calendarweeks, Months and Years.
This is very practical in case you want to import project information in spreadsheets of MS Excel, Numbers, etc and need further calculations referencing duration data.
In this case simply choose the appropriate unit when exporting. Merlin will recalculate project durations if necessary in the output.
Merlin 2.7.6 is available
Frank Blome on 19. February 2010
Today we published another maintenance update for Merlin and Merlin Server.
New features in Merlin
- When exporting in CSV, you can now define in which time unit the duration fields will be exported. Available options are: Seconds, Minutes, Hours, Days, Weeks, Calendarweeks, Months and Years. They can be defined in the export dialogue. The same behavior is possible for the import.
Tags: Merlin, Merlin Server, Merlin Web, Release notes, Update
PMOT, AGILE Tweets
- RT: @AgilistaPM: Top 10 Skills in Demand in 2010 (PM is #1) http://bit.ly/d28leW #pmp #pmot #agile bono2k (Ahmed AbuElNour)
- Top 10 Skills in Demand in 2010 (PM is #1) http://bit.ly/d28leW #pmp #pmot #agile AgilistaPM (Donna Reed)
- Great series by @rayposch on the common barriers to project success. Many apply to #agile projects too! http://bit.ly/awoEyQ #pmot AgileForAll (Bob Hartman)
- RT @albertcmz: @LaetyDeCo Presentación del PMI de Barcelona "La alternativa ágil" http://ow.ly/1kbIo Es abierto, gratuito y online. #pmi #pmp #pmot #agile LaetyDeCo (Laety De Coene)
- RT @albertcmz: Jueves con el PMI de Barcelona "La alternativa ágil" (18/3 -19h) http://ow.ly/1knUu Es abierto, gratuito y online. #pmi #pmp #pmot #agile fredyfl (Alfredo Fernández)