SG Project Sketcher User Guide

SG Project
Sketcher
User Guide
Simple Genius Software
December 2012
Document Version 1.0.0
SG Project Sketcher User Guide
Table of Contents
Overview.....................................................................................................................3
Introduction....................................................................................................................................3
Data Management...........................................................................................................................3
Key Concepts..................................................................................................................................3
Projects ................................................................................................................................................ 3
Elements............................................................................................................................................... 3
Meet SG Project Sketcher ...........................................................................................4
Outline View ...................................................................................................................................4
Chart View......................................................................................................................................5
Projects.......................................................................................................................6
Creating a Project ...........................................................................................................................6
Editing a Project .............................................................................................................................6
Deleting a Project ...........................................................................................................................6
Duplicating a Project .......................................................................................................................6
Importing a Project .........................................................................................................................6
Organizing Your Projects .................................................................................................................7
Elements .....................................................................................................................7
Creating an Element........................................................................................................................7
Element Types ................................................................................................................................8
Leaf Elements.......................................................................................................................................... 8
Parent Elements ...................................................................................................................................... 8
Editing an Element in the Outline View .............................................................................................8
Reordering Elements .......................................................................................................................9
Copying/Pasting Elements ...............................................................................................................9
Gear Button ....................................................................................................................................9
Editing an Element in the Chart View ...............................................................................................9
Reordering Elements .....................................................................................................................10
Copying/Pasting Elements .............................................................................................................10
Sharing..................................................................................................................... 10
Options ........................................................................................................................................10
Preview ........................................................................................................................................10
Email............................................................................................................................................11
Specifying the Email List................................................................................................................11
Export ..........................................................................................................................................11
Dropbox .......................................................................................................................................11
File Sharing in iTunes® ..................................................................................................................12
.xml, .csv, .sgp, and .pdf Files................................................................................................................. 12
Inbox: The Email Inbox Folder ................................................................................................................ 12
Project.pdf: The Temp Project File .......................................................................................................... 12
Projects.sqlite: Backing up the SG Project Sketcher Database .................................................................... 12
Product Support....................................................................................................... 13
Facebook & Twitter .......................................................................................................................13
Email............................................................................................................................................13
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SG Project Sketcher User Guide
Overview
Introduction
This guide outlines the feature set of SG Project Sketcher for iPad and provides hints
and tips for effective use of the app.
Data Management
You may notice that there is no Save button in SG Project Sketcher. The app saves all
changes as you perform them, so that you can exit and re-enter
the app at any time without losing work. Also there is no
concept of files or documents for saving your projects. This is
because SG Project Sketcher stores all data in a local database.
Sharing data is supported through creation of PDF, XML, SGP, or CSV files and the
ability to email those directly from within the app, save them for access through
iTunes® File Sharing, or upload them to Dropbox.
Tap the Share button, then tap the Dropbox tab and you will see a button for backing
up the full database to Dropbox. If you ever need to restore the database from that
backup, you will need to connect the iPad to a computer running iTunes, then use
iTunes File Sharing to replace the Projects.sqlite file on your iPad with the one saved on
Dropbox.
Key Concepts
Projects
SG Project Sketcher helps you outline projects. You can create any number of
projects. Projects have elements that describe the content of the project. Typically the
project data is entered directly into SG Project Sketcher. It can also be imported from a
file in a specific XML format, from any other SG Project app. SG Project Sketcher
provides two PDF formats that can be exported, emailed, or saved to Dropbox directly
from within the app.
Elements
Projects in SG Project Sketcher use elements to describe the content. A project can
have any number of elements and they can be indented to form a parent hierarchy, like
a book outline or table of contents. Elements do not have people assigned to them, and
do not have start dates, end dates, or percent complete. However they do have costs,
making SG Project Sketcher ideal for creating project quotes.
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SG Project Sketcher User Guide
Meet SG Project Sketcher
SG Project Sketcher has two main views: Outline and Chart. Both views show all the
elements for the current project and you can switch back and forth.
Outline View
The outline view of elements is easily understandable. The following diagram points out
some of the key features of the app header and table view.
About Button reveals
the current version, a
link to the User Guide
& a way to submit
comments.
Project Button for
creating, importing,
selecting, & editing
Projects.
Table edit button
supports deleting and
re-ordering the tasks.
Buttons to toggle
between the Outline
and Chart views.
Share Button for
saving or emailing
the current project in
PDF, CSV, XML, or
SGP format.
New Element Button
at the bottom of the
list (not visible here)
adds a new element.
WBS Number, which
is auto-created by the
app based on the
indenting/parenting of
elements.
The Gear Button
opens a menu of
actions such moving
or adding new
elements.
Arrow Splitter Button
for revealing or hiding
the project costs.
Each leaf element of
the element hierarchy
can have a labor and
material cost. The
app sums the costs.
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SG Project Sketcher User Guide
Chart View
The Chart View shows project elements graphically in a style that is often used for
creating Work Breakdown Structures. You can use it to build a formal WBS, or just as a
graphical view for any type of project breakdown.
Each element is
shown as a box with
the WBS number and
element name visible.
Elements are
connected with lines
that show the
parenting hierarchy.
The root of the chart
represents the whole
project.
Tap on an element to
select it, and you will
see buttons appear
for adding new child
elements.
Tap Share to export
or email the project
including an option
for a nicely formatted
PDF.
The corner toolbar
can be hidden or
shown and has
formatting options.
Tap on an element to
select it, and then tap
in the upper left of the
element to set its
color.
The chart can be
oriented vertically or
horizontally. Here it is
show vertically.
The chart view can
be zoomed using
pinch in and pinch
out gestures.
The yellow icon
shown here indicates
that the element has
notes associated with
it. Tap to edit notes.
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SG Project Sketcher User Guide
Projects
Tapping the Project Button opens the project popover that supports creating, editing,
organizing, and deleting projects.
Creating a Project
Tap New Project to begin creating a new project. This slides the Create New Project
view into the popover, where you can enter a Name and other information for the
project to be created. Tap Done to create the new project, which instantly becomes the
current project and the popover disappears. You can then start adding elements.
Editing a Project
To edit the name or other information for a project, tap the blue arrow icon next to the
project name. This slides the Edit Project view into the popover.
Deleting a Project
To delete a project, use a swipe gesture over the project name to reveal the Delete
button, and tap it. Since deleting a project is a big step, SG Project Sketcher then asks
one more time if you are sure you want to delete the project and all its elements.
Duplicating a Project
SG Project Sketcher supports duplicating an entire project. If you need to manage a
series of similar projects, creating a template project and duplicating it for each
instance can save significant time. To duplicate an existing project, tap Project, then tap
the blue arrow to the right of the name to edit the project. Tap the Duplicate button to
create the duplicate, which will have “(copy)” appended to the end of its name.
Importing a Project
SG Project Sketcher can import project data in specific XML file format, CSV format, or
SGP format. Generally the file must have been created by exporting from an SG Project
app in XML or SGP format or by exporting data from Microsoft® Project in XML format.
The file must be located in the SG Project Documents folder on your iPad. Files can be
moved in and out of this folder using iTunes® File Sharing. See File Sharing in ITunes®
for more information on file management.
To import a file tap Import on the project popover, tap a file from the list to select it,
and then tap Import. If a project with the same project name already exists, SG Project
Sketcher will ask whether you want to replace the existing project or make a copy. After
importing, the newly imported project will automatically become the current project.
To import a file from Dropbox, tap the Share button and select the Dropbox tab. Select
the desired XML, CSV, or SGP file and a Download button will appear. Tap the
Download button and when prompted, select the option to import the project.
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SG Project Sketcher User Guide
Organizing Your Projects
Group your projects using Categories for additional organization. This is a little tricky
but worth the effort if you have more than a few projects.
Open the Project Category Manager by first editing a project, tapping on the Grouping
tab, and then tapping Configure Categories.
Categories are shown on the left and you can select one at a time. The list on the
right shows the Values for the currently-selected Category. The app is seeded with
some sample Categories and Values to help you get started. Tap twice on a Category or
Value name to edit it. Add, Delete, and change the Categories and Values to your liking.
Most commonly you will only need one Category to organize your project list, but you
can use multiple Categories if you want to view your project list in multiple ways. Tap
Done when you are happy with your lists.
Now that your Categories and Values are set up, you must set those values for each
project. While editing a project, on the Grouping tab, tap a Category to select it, then
tap the appropriate value for that project. If you have multiple Categories, select each
Category in turn, setting the appropriate Value for each Category. Tap Done and then
repeat for each Project.
Now that your values are set, you can display your projects in a grouped list. Tap the
Project button to show the list, then tap the arrow in the upper left corner of the
popover. You will see some options for organizing the list. Tap on Group By and then
tap to select a Category. Tap that arrow in the upper left again to exit. You will now see
your list organized by Value within the selected Category.
Note that you can also enter tags for each project on the Grouping tab, and use those
tags to exclude projects from the Project List. Tags are single words and can be any
words you want. For example you can type "pointless" into the tags field for some of
your projects and then use the options to filter out "pointless" projects.
Also note the option to Include Archived Projects. This is the way to view your archived
projects, as they are typically filtered out of the Project List.
Elements
Creating an Element
Tapping the New Element button on the Outline view will add a new element to the end
of your project. To insert an element between two existing elements, tap the Gear
Button on an element and then tap the add element button on the mini menu that
appears. If you are on the Chart view, tap an element to highlight it, then tap the Add
Element button to add a child element.
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SG Project Sketcher User Guide
Element Types
There are 2 types of elements: leaf and parent.
Leaf Elements
A leaf element is an element with no child elements beneath it. Leaf elements can have
labor and/or material costs.
Parent Elements
A parent element is any element that has children. When you tap the Gear Button and
then Indent, the indentation level of the element is increased. Likewise tapping the
Gear Button and then Outdent decreases the indentation level. When the indentation
level of an element becomes greater than the element directly above it, the element
becomes a child of the element directly above, and the element directly above
becomes its parent.
The costs for a parent element can’t be set directly. The costs are determined by the
costs of its children. Whenever the costs of a child element are edited, its parent’s costs
are recalculated. A parent element may have a mix of parent and leaf elements as
children, creating a hierarchy of parent/child relationships.
A parent element becomes a leaf element when it no longer has children, for example
when its last child is either deleted our outdented.
Editing an Element in the Outline View
To edit the name of an element, tap the name and the keyboard will appear. Dismiss
the keyboard with the button on the lower right or by tapping elsewhere on an element
row.
To change the color of an element tap quickly on the WBS number and select a color
from the palette. The element will display its color in the WBS number field. Setting the
color of a parent element automatically sets the color of its descendents.
To edit the Element Notes for an element tap and hold for a moment on the WBS
number. A note popover will appear. Edit the notes and tap outside the popover to
dismiss it.
To edit the costs for a leaf element, tap the arrow along the bottom of the Outline view
to reveal the costs columns, if necessary. Edit the labor and materials costs. Costs are
entered in whole increments of the currency specified by the iPad’s locale. For example
in the US locale, whole dollars can be entered. The app will add them and show the
total cost for the element, plus update the element’s parent costs, if it has a parent.
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SG Project Sketcher User Guide
Reordering Elements
Elements may be re-ordered within a project. Tap the edit button to enter table Edit
mode (the edit button has 3 horizontal stripes and is near the top of the screen) and
then use the standard row move icons along the right side of the table to touch and
slide rows vertically. Tap the edit button again to exit table Edit mode.
Moving an element can impact its parenting. For example if an element is moved above
its parent, then it will no longer be a child of that parent and will assume a parent/child
relationship based on the element directly above its new position. If a parent element is
moved to a new row position its children (in fact all descendents) are moved with it.
You can also move an element up or down one row by tapping its gear icon and
tapping the Move Up or Move Down button.
Copying/Pasting Elements
An element or a whole subtree of elements may be copied and pasted to another
location in the project, or even to a different project. Tap on an element row to
highlight it, tap Edit, and tap Copy Element or Copy Subtree. Then tap to select another
element row to specify where you want to paste the copied element(s). Tap Edit and
then Paste Element Before or Paste Element Under to insert the element(s) at that
location. You can always use Edit/Undo if you are not happy with the results.
Gear Button
Tapping the gear button for an element reveals a mini menu of actions: Add (insert)
element, Outdent, Indent, Move Up, Move Down, and Delete.
Editing an Element in the Chart View
To edit the name of an element in the Chart view, first tap the element once to select it
(the element will then display a yellow halo). Then tap the name and the keyboard will
appear. Dismiss the keyboard with the button on the lower right or the Done button.
To change the color of an element from the Chart view, tap to select the element and
then tap the small circle in the upper left of the element. Select a color from the
palette. The element will display its color in the WBS header field. Setting the color of a
parent element automatically sets the color of its descendents.
To edit the Element Notes for an element from the Chart view, tap to select the
element and tap the page icon in the upper right of the element. A note popover will
appear. Edit the notes and tap outside the popover to dismiss it.
The costs for an element are not editable from the Chart view.
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SG Project Sketcher User Guide
Reordering Elements
In the Chart view, elements can only be reordered by using Copy/Paste and then
Delete.
Copying/Pasting Elements
An element or a whole subtree of elements may be copied and pasted to another
location in the project, or even to a different project. Tap on an element to select it, tap
Edit, and tap Copy Element or Copy Subtree. Then tap to select another element to
specify where you want to paste the copied element(s). Tap Edit and then Paste
Element Before or Paste Element Under to insert the element(s) at that location. You
can always use Edit/Undo if you are not happy with the results.
Sharing
SG Project supports sharing project data in PDF, CSV, XML, or SGP format with the
project team or anyone else by emailing, saving via iTunes® File Sharing, and Dropbox.
Tapping the Share button reveals the Share Popover which supports Previewing,
Emailing, Exporting, and Dropbox integration.
Note: When exporting from SG Project Sketcher in XML or SGP format, the Elements
are stored as “Tasks” in the file, which means that they will be imported as Tasks when
the file is imported into another SG Project app, or Microsoft® Project.
Options
Tap the Options button of the Share Popover to set formatting options for the PDF. The
options are different depending on the view from which Share was tapped.
Preview
Tap the Preview button of the Share Popover to preview a PDF version of the project.
The PDF format depends on the view from which Share was tapped, and the Options
that are selected. Use the arrow buttons along the bottom of the view to page up and
down.
Tip: the PDF format is also affected by which parent elements are expanded or
collapsed in the view, and the horizontal/vertical orientation in the Chart view.
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SG Project Sketcher User Guide
Email
Tap the Email button of the Share Popover for email options. You must specify a file
name for the email attachment and select either PDF, CSV, XML, or SGP format. PDF is
a read-only format that most computers can display. CSV can be imported by many
other applications including Microsoft® Excel. XML is a data format and the XML files
created by the SG Project apps can be viewed on another iPad or iPhone that has one
of those apps installed, or another computer that has Microsoft® Project installed. SGP
is an extended data format that includes all data used by the SG app suite. SGP can
only be imported by SG apps but is the best way to share or back up the full contents
of a project.
Specifying the Email List
Enter a list of email addresses separated by commas into the Email To: field, or you can
set the To: field after the email app is launched.
Tap the Send Email button to open a draft email message with the PDF, CSV, XML, or
SGP file attached. Edit the Subject and Body as desired then tap Send.
Note: Emailing from SG Project Sketcher is disabled if there is no default email account
set up on the iPad. If the Send button is not responding this is the most likely cause.
Export
Tap the Export button of the Share Popover for export options. You must specify a file
name for the file and select either PDF, CSV, XML, or SGP format.
Tap the Save Project button to save the file. The file will be saved to the SG Project
Documents folder on the iPad.
Dropbox
The Dropbox tab of the Share popover supports integration with Dropbox. To learn
more about the Dropbox service please visit www.dropbox.com. Using Dropbox in SG
requires that you first establish an account with Dropbox.
Using Dropbox requires that your device have network access, so if you don’t at the
moment, the Dropbox tab in the Share popover will indicate this.
When you first access the Dropbox tab you will need to perform a one-time function to
link SG to your Dropbox account. Click the Link Account button and enter your Dropbox
account information to establish the link.
Once your Dropbox account is linked, whenever you access the Dropbox tab SG Project
Sketcher will download the contents of your Dropbox. The SG interface to Dropbox
allows you to upload a version of your current project in PDF, CSV, XML, or SGP,
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SG Project Sketcher User Guide
download and open an XML, CSV, or SGP file, or perform a Full Backup of your SG
Project data. You can also create new folders and navigate into and out of them. If you
need to perform additional organization of your files on Dropbox you can use the
Dropbox service directly through interfaces and apps available from Dropbox.
SG Project Sketcher will not automatically sync your data to Dropbox. You must upload
and download each file as needed. You may share a Dropbox account with others on
your team and use that as a way to share the latest version of a project.
File Sharing in iTunes®
SG Project Sketcher supports File Sharing through iTunes®. Here is how it works.
Connect your iPad to a computer running iTunes®. Select your iPad under Devices and
click on the Apps tab. Below the first section you will find a section called File Sharing.
Select SG Project Sketcher from the Apps list. A list of documents appears to the right.
The next sections explain those files.
.xml, .csv, .sgp, and .pdf Files
Files that have been Exported from SG Project in XML, CSV, SGP, or PDF format will
show in File Sharing. You can drag these files from the File Sharing view out to your
desktop for use on your computer. Saving a periodic copy of your project in SGP format
is a handy way to back up a single project or take snapshots for later reference. SGP is
the most complete data format but can only be opened with SG Project apps.
Inbox: The Email Inbox Folder
This folder appears after you have received an email on your iPad with an XML
attachment and tapped it to launch SG Project Sketcher. The folder contains copies of
all XML attachments you have opened.
Project.pdf: The Temp Project File
When you tap the Share button SG Project Sketcher creates a temporary PDF file of the
current project to support Preview. The PDF file is stored as Project.pdf. It is stored on
your iPad in the SG Project Sketcher Documents folder and visible in iTunes® File
Sharing. The file always contains the most recent project that was Shared. Typically you
can ignore this file.
Projects.sqlite: Backing up the SG Project Sketcher Database
SG Project Sketcher stores the data for all projects in a local database on the iPad. That
database is a single file called Projects.sqlite, which is also visible in iTunes® File
Sharing. You can use iTunes® to save a copy of that file to another location on your
computer. The file is not readable by any other app or tool besides SG Project Sketcher
but it is exposed so you can make backup copies of your data. Making periodic backups
is encouraged. The more important your project data is, the more important it is to
maintain backups.
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SG Project Sketcher User Guide
Product Support
If you need help using SG Project Sketcher here are some sources:
Facebook & Twitter
Simple Genius Apps has a Facebook page. Sign up as a fan to get notified when new
information is posted or post your own feedback or questions.
http://www.facebook.com/simplegeniusapps
Simple Genius Apps is on Twitter: “follow simplegeniusapp”.
Email
We always welcome questions or comments sent to [email protected].
Simple Genius Apps, SG Project Sketcher, SG Project, SG Project Pro, SG Project Go, SG Project OnePage, SG Action Log, and SG
Risk Log are Copyright © 2012 Simple Genius Software, LLC. Apple, iTunes, and iPad are registered trademarks of Apple Inc. in
the U.S. and/or other countries.
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