In addition to the new connections to Smartsheet and Primavera P6 that we’ve covered over the last few weeks, there are a number of other exciting new updates in OnePager 7.1 that work with all editions and all data sources.
The first of these upgrades is the ability to add hash fill patterns to any chart:
Hash fills enable you to apply a repeating pattern to the foreground color of your tasks and milestones, and have that pattern appear on top of a separate background color of your choosing. In the example above, all three shapes have a white background, but have varied foreground colors and hash fill patterns.
Hash fill patterns not only look nice, but in cases where a member of your audience is visually impaired, they can be the difference between a chart that’s readable and one that’s not. Specifically, those who experience color blindness will often have difficulty distinguishing red from green. If your OnePager chart color codes by status where late tasks are red and completed tasks are green, a hash fill pattern is a great way to add a secondary status indicator.
Like all other formatting settings in OnePager, you can apply hash fill patterns across the board (i.e. all tasks have the same pattern), or you can apply them selectively to different groups of tasks and milestones. The most accurate and most efficient way to apply hash fill patterns to your chart is to use conditional formatting. From Chart Properties, go to Task Bars > Manage Rules to launch the conditional formatting engine.
Instead of only assigning a color to each status, you can also assign a corresponding Fill Pattern. When you click on the Fill Pattern cell, a window will pop up that lets you choose between traditional Gradients and the new Hash Patterns.
Once your conditional formatting rules have been applied, you’ll see that each task in the chart receives not only a distinct color, but a fill pattern as well. The legend will also help your audience understanding the meaning of each hash fill pattern:
Excited to have hash fill patterns available for your OnePager charts? Drop a comment below and let us know how you plan to use them.