Getting Started

This guide will walk you through the basic usage of Alt-Ctrl-Proj to parse, analyze, and manipulate Primavera P6 XER files.

Loading an XER File

The first step is to load an XER file using the Reader class:

from xer_parser.reader import Reader

# Load an XER file
xer = Reader("project.xer")

# Access basic project information
for project in xer.projects:
    print(f"Project: {project.proj_short_name}")
    print(f"Start Date: {project.start_date}")
    print(f"Finish Date: {project.finish_date}")

Accessing Tasks

You can access all tasks/activities in the project:

# Get all tasks
tasks = xer.activities

# Print task information
for task in tasks:
    print(f"Task: {task.task_name}")
    print(f"Duration: {task.duration}")
    print(f"Start: {task.early_start_date}")
    print(f"Finish: {task.early_end_date}")

# Filter tasks by specific criteria
critical_tasks = [task for task in tasks if task.total_float_hr_cnt <= 0]
print(f"Number of critical tasks: {len(critical_tasks)}")

Working with the WBS (Work Breakdown Structure)

You can access the Work Breakdown Structure elements:

# Get all WBS elements
wbs_elements = xer.wbss

# Print WBS hierarchy
for wbs in wbs_elements:
    print(f"WBS: {wbs.wbs_name}")
    print(f"Level: {wbs.wbs_level}")

    # Find tasks belonging to this WBS
    wbs_tasks = [task for task in xer.activities if task.wbs_id == wbs.wbs_id]
    print(f"Number of tasks: {len(wbs_tasks)}")

Analyzing Relationships

You can examine the relationships (dependencies) between tasks:

# Get all relationships
relationships = xer.relations

# Examine relationship types
fs_count = len(relationships.finish_to_start)
ss_count = len([r for r in relationships if r.pred_type == 'PR_SS'])
ff_count = len([r for r in relationships if r.pred_type == 'PR_FF'])
sf_count = len([r for r in relationships if r.pred_type == 'PR_SF'])

print(f"Finish-to-Start: {fs_count}")
print(f"Start-to-Start: {ss_count}")
print(f"Finish-to-Finish: {ff_count}")
print(f"Start-to-Finish: {sf_count}")

# Find tasks with no predecessors
tasks_without_predecessors = xer.activities.has_no_predecessor
print(f"Tasks with no predecessors: {len(tasks_without_predecessors)}")

DCMA 14-Point Schedule Analysis

Alt-Ctrl-Proj includes built-in support for the DCMA 14-point schedule assessment:

from xer_parser.dcma14.analysis import DCMA14

# Create a DCMA14 analyzer
analyzer = DCMA14(xer)

# Run the analysis
results = analyzer.analysis()

# Print analysis results
print(f"Missing logic - activities without successors: {results['analysis']['successors']['pct']:.2%}")
print(f"Missing logic - activities without predecessors: {results['analysis']['predecessors']['pct']:.2%}")
print(f"High float activities: {results['analysis']['totalfloat']['pct']:.2%}")
print(f"Negative float activities: {results['analysis']['negativefloat']['pct']:.2%}")
print(f"High duration activities: {results['analysis']['duration']['pct']:.2%}")

Modifying and Writing Back to XER

You can modify the project data and write it back to XER format:

# Get a specific task by ID
task = xer.activities.find_by_id(12345)

# Modify the task
task.task_name = "Updated Task Name"
task.duration = 10

# Write changes back to a new XER file
xer.write("modified_project.xer")

Next Steps

After mastering these basics, you can explore:

Working with resources and resource assignments
Manipulating calendars and non-work periods
Advanced filtering and reporting techniques
Integration with other Python libraries for analysis and visualization