How to: Solution Starters for better PDP inputs

Now we have the solutions starters for Project Server 2010 which translated means that we have several new web parts for the Project Web Access portal. I have looked into some of the basic ones that perhaps will solve some of your problems with the demand management and “Project Detail Pages”. I will refer to Project Detail Pages as PDPs and Enterprise Project Types as EPT´s.

Problem: How do I make some custom fields required only on specific PDP´s and not for all EPT´s?

Answer: Download and install the Solution Starter named “PDP Customizations – http://code.msdn.microsoft.com/P2010SolutionStarter/Release/ProjectReleases.aspx?ReleaseId=4456“. Once installed this will give you access to two new webparts one of them named “PDPLevelRequiredCustomFields”. Insert this “hidden” webpart to your specific PDP´s and use the configuration to select which Custom Fields should be required. This will only have impact on the Custom Field within the PDP and not in relations to other PDP´s.

Problem: How do I get access to custom fields with user information (e.g. Project Managers, Resource Managers etc.)?

Answer: Download and install the Solution Starter named “PDP Customizations – http://code.msdn.microsoft.com/P2010SolutionStarter/Release/ProjectReleases.aspx?ReleaseId=4456“. Once installed this will give you access to two new webparts one of them named “AutocompleteWebPart”. First of all you should create the custom field (text) you need in you PDP – for instance “Choose a Project Manager”. You then add the custom field to your PDP and also add the new “hidden” webpart to the PDP as well. From the new webpart you can then select which Project Server User Groups the custom field should get its lookup table from. Close the page and test it out!