Insert Column does nothing - it was working last week

Question

In some of my Project files, right-clicking a table and choosing Insert Column does nothing. In other Project files, it displays the drop-down list of fields the way it should. I tried deleting an unused custom field as someone suggested in another post, and then saved the file (PRoject 2010 version) and that did not help.

I also tried clicking Insert Column on the ribbon and that did not work. I checked that the Display Add New Column checkmark is on.

Any other ways to get insert column to start working again?

Bonnie

Answer 1

Did you try deleting an unused Task text custom field?

Answer 2

Yes, I did.

Answer 3

Hmm, I'm not sure then. Can you send me the file? If you go to http://blogs.msdn.com/project/ and click the email link, I can contact you back with info on where to send the file.

Thanks.

Answer 4

We discovered what the issue was. Deleting the text custom fields through the Custom Field dialog wasn't marking them as not in use. To get around this issue, you need to:

1. Go to the "Add New Column" which is the far right column in the grid. If you don't see this column, you can display it by going to the Format tab, Columns group, Column Settings dropdown and selecting Display Add New Column.

2. Click in the "Add New Column" column header and type a custom value. Ex. Hello

3. This will bring up the Delete Custom Fields dialog where you will be able to delete text custom fields that you aren't actually using.

Once you do this, you will be able to insert columns again.

Answer 5

Thanks Heather. I had ot delete more than one but it did finally let me insert columns again.

Bonnie

Answer 6

Strange . . . this problem just started happening to me as well.  If I right click "Insert Column", the list displays, but clicking on any item does nothing.  Typing a value and pressing Enter does nothing.  

I'm not able to access the "Delete Custom Fields" dialog by typing an custom value in the "Add New Column" popup.  

Heather, is there a fix for this yet?

/Brian

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Steelray Software, maker of the leading Microsoft Project Viewer

Answer 7

No fix yet. You may need to add some more custom fields before the "Delete Custom Fields" dialog gets triggered. To do this:

1. Go to the add new column and type a letter in one of the cells.

2. Keep doing this in the add new column until you get the Delete Custom fields dialog. There are 30 text custom fields so you may need to do this a lot before the dialog is triggered.

 

Once you get the dialog, go through and delete all custom fields that aren't currently being used. Then you should be able to insert a column again.

Thanks,

Heather

Answer 8

Hi

I've tried this multiple times ensuring that I go all the way to 30 custom text columns until it pops up with the Delete Column form. I even went through on a copy of my plan to delete ALL the custom text fields but to no avail.

What I don't understand is that even with a new project plan file it behaves the same way. Surely it should have all its columns set to "Not in use".

Do you think there is something to do with the template and it having custom columns marked as "In use"?

Is it possible to write a macro that sets this value to "in use"?

My only option at the moment is installing 2007 to continue working.

Is there another way around this?

Cheers

Jim

Answer 9

I have the same issue as Jim, I think. 

I cannot add a new column in any existing or new project.  I can hide columns.

I am using project 2010 Pro. 

In additon to not being able to add colunmn, I cannot change a resource type.  For example, when I add a resource using the resource sheet, all resources are added as Work.  If I access the dropdown and select cost, nothing happens.  Seems like these two things are related.

Think about wiping my entire computer to get back to the default settings.

 

Tim

 

Answer 10

Hi,

 

I have the same problems as Tim, adding columns and changing resource type also. I tried to re-install but it did not fix the problems. I also noticed that I often have to type the first letter twice otherwise it disappears. Very strange.

Help !

 

Diane

Answer 11

For those of you having issues adding a column, is this happening only for a certain project or for all files? If the former, can you send me the files so I can take a look. To contact me, go to http://blogs.msdn.com/project and select to Email Blog Author. I'll then contact you so you can send me the file.

 

Thanks,

Heather

Answer 12

For those of you hitting this issue, make sure you have the option for editing directly in cells turned on. If this isn't turned on, you can't insert columns.

You can turn this setting on by going to File - Options - Advanced - Edit section and checking "Edit directly in cell".

Thanks,

Heather

Answer 13

Thanks, Heather.  I knew it was some setting that was causing the problem, but I couldn't pinpoint it.  I just verified that it was responsible for the behavior I observed.  Thank whoever found it; it drove me crazy for a few months, and then I fixed it without knowing what I did, and that drove me crazy too. :) 

Brian

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Brian Leach, Steelray Software

Answer 14

This is the answer to all your above problems, thnxs Heather!!

Answer 15

For those of you hitting this issue, make sure you have the option for editing directly in cells turned on. If this isn't turned on, you can't insert columns.

You can turn this setting on by going to File - Options - Advanced - Edit section and checking "Edit directly in cell".

Thanks,

Heather

This is what did it for us, thanks!

Answer 16

Thanks, this fixed my issue as well, but I have to protest, why oh why does the option exist to hide scroll bars and not "edit directly in cell"?  Where else would one do the editing?  Also, it seems the setting can update its self, as it updated without me touching it...

In Project 2012, can they remove those options, or at least add a warning popup if someone is going to change it?

Answer 17

Thanks so much this helped for me! However, the overall reason i keep getting this error is because my settings in the file keep getting wiped out. I am the only one using the file. I re-set my settings, then every now and again they disappear (scroll bars disappear, entry bar disappears, my date formats change, and the edit cell checkbox becomes uncheked).

Any idea what is going on?

Answer 18

Thanks so much this helped for me! However, the overall reason i keep getting this error is because my settings in the file keep getting wiped out. I am the only one using the file. I re-set my settings, then every now and again they disappear (scroll bars disappear, entry bar disappears, my date formats change, and the edit cell checkbox becomes uncheked).

Any idea what is going on?

Hello Natasha,

I would kindly suggest you start a new thread for your issue. This topic has already been closed. What do you mean by "this error" ? Pls make it clear in your new post.

Regards.

Answer 19

Thanks a lot this solved my problem :)

Answer 20

Hi,

I have this problem now in MS Project 2010. The turning on of the “Edit directly in cell” did not help (in fact it has always been tuned on). Any other ideas?

Answer 21

Is Service Pack 1 installed to Project 2010?

Any cumulative updates installed?

Did you try Heather's suggestions in her first post - namely

We discovered what the issue was. Deleting the text custom fields through the Custom Field dialog wasn't marking them as not in use. To get around this issue, you need to:

1. Go to the "Add New Column" which is the far right column in the grid. If you don't see this column, you can display it by going to the Format tab, Columns group, Column Settings dropdown and selecting Display Add New Column.

2. Click in the "Add New Column" column header and type a custom value. Ex. Hello

3. This will bring up the Delete Custom Fields dialog where you will be able to delete text custom fields that you aren't actually using.

Once you do this, you will be able to insert columns again.

Answer 22

I just got a User that was complaining of this problem.  His "Edit directly in cell" was checked, so that was not the problem.  Also, any attempt to bring in valid tables from other files was not solving the problem.  Heather's suggestion lead me to my User's problem: he had a number of generic columns that were pointing to blank lookup tables.  For example, Date1 thru Date10 were pointing to blank lookup tables.  Ditto that for Duration1 thru 10, Outline Code 1 thru 10, Cost1 thru 10.  What was weird was that for the Text1 thru 30 fields, Text1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 7, 8, and 10 were unaffected. Finish2, 3, and 5 were unaffected, and Start2, 3, and 5 were unaffected.  I don't know how he got himself into this mess, though we just finished migrating our Server to v2010.  Just correcting the Text fields was enough to allow Insert Column to start working normally again.

This one is going into my "Weird Stuff" file.

Answer 23

Thank U SO MUCH.

:D

Answer 24

Thank you!

Answer 25

Thank you so much... I've not been able to add a column for ages, and it was doing my head in...

"File - Options - Advanced - Edit section and checking "Edit directly in cell"." Perfect.

Thanks