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Set up the timeline, weekends and holidays

The timeline settings decide how the chart’s time axis looks and which days count as working days. Most of them are on the Timeline tab of the editor (click Edit); the common ones are also in the Format panel.

The Timeline tab of the chart editor with Scale, Week starts on, Show ISO week numbers, Date format, fiscal year and weekend days

Scale and zoom #

  • Fit to width (the default) fits the whole plan to the frame width while keeping labels readable. On the toolbar’s Zoom menu it is called Auto.
  • Fixed scales: Hours, Days, Weeks, Months, Quarters or Years. Use Zoom on the toolbar to switch quickly, or Scale on the Timeline tab to save the choice with the chart.
  • The header has two tiers, for example months over weeks, or days over hours for a plan of a few hours.
  • Fit to width on the toolbar fits the plan into the frame again, Go to today scrolls to today.
The Zoom menu of the chart toolbar with Auto, Hours, Days, Weeks, Months, Quarters and Years

Weeks, years and dates #

  • Week starts on: Automatic (Excel’s language), Monday, Sunday or Saturday.
  • Show ISO week numbers adds the week numbers to the header.
  • Fiscal year starts in: the month your fiscal year starts in (for example April). Quarters are then labelled by fiscal year, such as Q1 FY2027. Fiscal year named by chooses whether a fiscal year is named after the year it ends (the default) or the year it starts.
  • Date format for labels and tooltips: Automatic (Excel’s language), or one of the listed languages, each shown with a sample date.

Working days and weekends #

Weekend days are Saturday and Sunday by default; tick other days, for example Friday and Saturday. With Count durations in working days on (the default), a duration skips weekend days: a 5-day task starting on Monday ends on Friday. Turn it off to count calendar days. Shade weekends and holidays shows them as gray columns in the chart.

Holidays (Pro) #

Holidays are shaded like weekends and skipped when durations and calculated dates are counted. Add them in either of two ways, both on the Timeline tab:

  • Holiday dates: type a date and click Add. Remove all clears the list.
  • Also use a table or sheet named Holidays: SimpleGantt reads the dates in the first date column of an Excel table named Holidays, or else of a sheet named Holidays. It reads them together with the plan, so a change to the holidays shows the next time the plan changes or the workbook opens.

Today line and data date #

Show the today line is on by default; the line is labelled Today. Set a Data date when your progress figures refer to another day, for example last Friday’s status: the line then shows that date, labelled Data date, and late tasks are judged by it. Use today goes back to today.