You can add menu items for other applications to the Tools menu in P6 Professional.
To add an external application to the Tools menu in P6 Professional:
- Navigate to
%APPDATA%\Oracle\Primavera P6\P6 Professional\<VERSION>and make a backup copy of the Primavera.Config.xml file. - Using an XML editor, or any program that can save files as XML files edit the Primavera.Config.xml file to specify the external applications to show on the Tools menu.
If you are using a PPM database, add the node to the <External_Applications> node inside the <P6Professional> node. If you are using an EPPM database, add the node to the <External_Applications> node inside the <P6EPPM> node.
The following is a sample node that adds an entry to the tools menu which will open a Calculator application:
<Calculator><Menu_Name>Calculator</Menu_Name><APIApplication>N</APIApplication><Application>C:\windows\system32\calc.exe</Application><EnableIfNoProjects>Y</EnableIfNoProjects><Parameters>/username="$USER" /password=$AESPASSWORD</Parameters><VisibleInMenu>Y</VisibleInMenu><Working_Dir>C:\windows\system32</Working_Dir></Calculator> - Save the file and close the XML editor.
You can specify more than one external application by creating multiple nodes within the <External_Applications> node. Each node must have a unique name. For example:
<Exteral_Applications><Calculator><Menu_Name>Calculator</Menu_Name><APIApplication>N</APIApplication><Application>C:\windows\system32\calc.exe</Application><EnableIfNoProjects>Y</EnableIfNoProjects><Parameters>/username="$USER" /password=$AESPASSWORD</Parameters><VisibleInMenu>Y</VisibleInMenu><Working_Dir>C:\windows\system32</Working_Dir></Calculator><Notepad><Menu_Name>Notepad</Menu_Name><APIApplication>N</APIApplication><Application>C:\windows\system32\notepad.exe</Application><EnableIfNoProjects>Y</EnableIfNoProjects><VisibleInMenu>Y</VisibleInMenu><Working_Dir>C:\windows\system32</Working_Dir></Notepad></Exteral_Applications>Note: Do not remove any of the existing nodes in the <External_Applications> section of the Primavera.Config.xml file
Parameters
You can pass any of the following parameters when the user opens the external application by including them inside the <Parameters> tags.
Tag | Description |
|---|---|
<Menu_Name> | Required. The text to be shown in the Tools menu. |
<APIApplication> | Required. Specifies whether to invoke the P6 Integration API when opening the application. Possible values are Y and N. |
<Application> | Required. The path and name of the .exe file to be opened. |
<EnableIfNoProjects> | Required. Specifies whether the application should show in the tools menu even if there are no projects open. |
<Parameters> | Optional. Specifies any parameters to be passed to the application. You can pass any of the following parameters:
If you specify the $PROJECT_CODES or $PROJECT_IDS parameters, the menu item will be disabled on the Tools menu when you do not have any projects open. |
<VisibleInMenu> | Required. Specifies whether the menu item should be visible in the Tools menu. Possible values are Y and N. |
<Working_Dir> | Required. The working directory of the application to be called. This is usually the installation directory for the application. |
Notes
- If using multiple parameters, you must use a semicolon as the separator.
- The Default string value is automatically added when you add a new key.
- If you use $PROJECT_CODES or $PROJECT_IDS and you do not have a project open in P6 Professional, your applications will be disabled on the Tools menu.