Fix Project Online Truncates Notes When Importing MPP Files
Question details
The user needs a way to prevent task notes from being truncated or replaced by an ellipsis when importing an MPP project file into Project Online.
- Product
- Microsoft Project
- Device & OS
- not provided
- Scenario
- Importing an MPP file that contains detailed task notes with line breaks and more than 400 characters into Project Online.
- Observed behavior
- Task notes that contain line breaks and exceed 400 characters are truncated or replaced with an ellipsis during the import process.
Before modifying your task notes, create a secure backup copy of your original MPP file so you can restore the formatting and line breaks for desktop use later.
Use a VBA Macro to Replace Line Breaks with Spaces
Removing carriage returns from your notes before importing prevents Project Online from truncating the text.
Project Online struggles to parse line breaks during the MPP import process, often resulting in data truncation. By running a quick VBA script, you can replace all line breaks with standard spaces to ensure the full note is imported.
Open your MPP file in Project desktop and press ALT + F11 to launch the Visual Basic for Applications (VBA) editor.
Insert a new module and write a script that loops through your project tasks. Use the function Replace(t.Notes, vbCr, " ") to strip out the line breaks.
Execute the macro to update all task notes. Save this modified version of your MPP file.
Proceed to import the newly saved MPP file into Project Online. The notes should now appear without truncation.
Manually Copy and Paste Notes via Task Information
Bypass the import limitation by manually transferring the notes after the project has been imported.
Discover WPS Office for Your Daily Document Needs
While Microsoft Project is required for specialized project management tasks, WPS Office provides a free, lightweight, and highly compatible alternative for all your standard documentation, spreadsheets, and presentations.
Frequently Asked Questions
Why does Project Online truncate my task notes during import?
Project Online often truncates task notes during MPP imports if they contain carriage returns (line breaks) or exceed 400 characters, due to parsing differences between the desktop application and the web-based database.
Will I permanently lose my original note formatting?
If you apply a VBA macro to remove line breaks and save over the original file, the line break formatting will be lost. You should always work on a duplicate copy of your MPP file before modifying notes for import.
Are there other fields affected during MPP import?
While notes are the most commonly affected field due to character limits and line breaks, highly customized fields or table data pasted directly into views might also experience formatting loss when migrating to Project Online.
