KB0244: Gantt charts are missing borders and fills

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Problem

When you insert a Gantt chart, you encounter the following formatting issues:

  • The calendar scale and the Activity, Responsible, and Remark columns are missing some borders.
  • You can't apply fills to the calendar scale.
  • The calendar scale text is left aligned, and you can't change the alignment.

When you copy a Gantt chart into another presentation, you encounter the following formatting issues:

  • Some borders disappear in the calendar scale and in the Activity, Responsible, and Remark columns.
  • The calendar scale has inconsistent borders.
  • The calendar scale text alignment changes from centered to left.

Cause

think-cell 14 has an updated default style file that contains the following changes to Gantt chart formatting:

  • Calendar scale: left and right borders removed, Fill menu removed from the mini toolbar, text alignment changed from center to left
  • Activity labels: left border removed
  • Responsible and Remarks columns: right border removed

If you create a Gantt chart in a presentation that uses the think-cell 14 style file, the chart will have the think-cell 14 formatting.

If you create a Gantt chart that uses the legacy style file from think-cell 13 and earlier, then copy the chart into a presentation that uses the think-cell 14 style file, the chart will partially adopt the think-cell 14 formatting.

Solution

If you want to use Gantt charts with the legacy formatting from think-cell 13 and earlier, apply the legacy style file to your PowerPoint presentations using one of the following solutions.

Apply the legacy style file to your current presentation

To apply the legacy style file to your current presentation, on the PowerPoint ribbon, select Insert > think-cell > Tools Tools Menu icon > Change Style > generic legacy style.xml.

Apply the legacy style file to new presentations

You can apply the legacy style file to new presentations using a PowerPoint template or the think-cell configuration parameters.

Apply the legacy style file to a PowerPoint template

To apply the legacy style file to new presentations using a PowerPoint template, follow these steps:

  1. Open your PowerPoint template. If you aren't using a PowerPoint template, create a template (see Microsoft Support).
  2. On the ribbon, select Views > Master Views > Slide Master.
  3. In the Slide Master view, select the master slide.
  4. On the ribbon, select Insert > think-cell > Tools Tools Menu icon > Change Style > generic legacy style.xml.
  5. Save the template.

To learn more about applying style files to PowerPoint templates, see Integrate style files into PowerPoint templates for your organization.

Add the legacy style to the configuration parameters

To apply the legacy style file to new presentations using the think-cell configuration parameters, specify generic legacy style.xml as the default style file (see Specify a default style file for your organization).

Contact support

If you have trouble applying one of these solutions, are not sure which solution best applies to your case, or experience the problem again after applying one of the solutions, please contact our support team.

Please send us the think-cell log files. To do so, on the PowerPoint or Excel ribbon, select Insert > think-cell > Tools Tools Menu icon > Help > Request Support. A new email will open with the log files automatically attached.

If Request Support works neither in PowerPoint nor in Excel, follow these steps: Read more

  1. Open a new File Explorer window.

  2. In the address field, enter %LOCALAPPDATA%\think-cell. Select Enter.

    Alternatively, you can open the think-cell folder by browsing the directory: Read more

    The full default filepath is C:\Users\USERNAME\AppData\Local\think-cell. Replace USERNAME with your username.

    If you can't find this folder, it's probably hidden. To show hidden items, in File Explorer, select one of the following:

    • Windows 7: Organize > Folder and search options > View > Show hidden files and folders
    • Windows 8, Windows 8.1, and Windows 10: View > Show/hide > Hidden Items
    • Windows 11: View > Show > Hidden Items

  3. Send all the files in the think-cell folder that end in log to our support team. These files may include any of the following:

    • EXCEL_log.log
    • POWERPNT_log.log
    • ppttc_log.log
    • setup_think-cell_VERSION_log.log
    • tcasr_log.log
    • tcindex_log.log
    • tcmail_log.log
    • tcrunxl_log.log
    • tcupdate_log.log

      • Additionally, if think-cell is active, please send us a screenshot of the About think-cell dialog. To open the About think-cell dialog, on the PowerPoint or Excel ribbon, select Insert > think-cell > Tools Tools Menu icon > Help > About.