Grid & App Features

Applies to: Free · Pro · Enterprise Last updated: 08-Jun-2026

Overview

The AI Copilot can manage the Activities grid layout on your behalf using 12 app feature tools. Ask in plain English to add columns, apply presets, group and sort data, filter activities, export files, and switch the application theme. These tools execute immediately without confirmation because they don't modify schedule data.

Column Management

list_available_columns

List all 150+ available grid columns with their visibility status. Filter by category or search term.

Parameter	Required	Description
category	No	Filter by category: general, dates, durations, percent_complete, units, costs, earned_value, activity_codes, lists, predecessors_successors, number_of_activities, user_defined, enhanced_metrics, multiple_float_path
search	No	Search term to filter by name, ID, or description

Example prompts:

• "List all available date columns"
• "What earned value columns can I add?"
• "Search for baseline columns"

add_columns_to_grid

Add columns to the grid by name. Uses fuzzy matching to resolve human-friendly names to column IDs.

Parameter	Required	Description
columns	Yes	Column names or IDs to add

Example prompts:

• "Add early start, early finish, and total float to the grid"
• "Show the BL start and BL finish columns"
• "Add non labour percent to grid"

remove_columns_from_grid

Remove columns from the grid by name. Uses the same fuzzy matching as add.

Parameter	Required	Description
columns	Yes	Column names or IDs to remove

Example prompts:

• "Remove the cost columns from the grid"
• "Hide the resource columns"

set_column_visibility

Show or hide specific columns. Accepts column IDs or human-friendly names (fuzzy-matched).

Parameter	Required	Description
columns	Yes	Array of { id, visible } objects

Example prompts:

• "Show total float and hide free float"
• "Make the earned value columns visible"

Smart Column Matching

The Copilot uses a 7-tier fuzzy matching system to understand column requests in natural language:

1. Exact ID match — total_float_hr_cnt
2. Exact name match — "Total Float" (case-insensitive)
3. P6 column name match — P6-native column identifiers
4. Normalised token match — "non labour percent" → "Nonlabor Units % Complete"
5. Substring match — "float" finds "Total Float Hr Count"
6. Normalised substring — handles spelling differences
7. Reverse match — column name appears inside your input

The normalisation engine handles:

• British/American spelling — "labour" ↔ "labor", "colour" ↔ "color", "programme" ↔ "program"
• Abbreviations — OD = original duration, BL = baseline, TF = total float, FF = free float, ES = early start, EF = early finish, LS = late start, LF = late finish, PCT = percent, RD = remaining duration
• Separator normalisation — hyphens, underscores, and dots are treated as spaces

Column Presets

list_column_presets

List all available column presets with descriptions and column counts.

No parameters required.

apply_column_preset

Apply a named preset to replace the current grid columns.

Parameter	Required	Description
preset	Yes	Preset name or ID

Available presets:

Preset	Columns	Description
Default	Activity ID, Name, OD, RD, Status, Calendar, Start, Finish, TF, % Complete	Standard view
Baseline	BL Project Start/Finish, BL Start, BL Finish, BL Duration, Activity ID, Name, OD, Start, Finish, TF, Status	DGDA Baseline Programme
Progress	Activity ID, Name, Status, OD, % Complete, Actual Start, Actual Finish, RD, Start, Finish, TF	DGDA Progress view
Updated Programme	Activity ID, Name, Status, OD, BL Start, BL Finish, Start, Finish, TF, BL Duration, Variance	DGDA Updated Programme
Earned Value	Activity ID, Name, BAC, BCWP, BCWS, ACWP, SPI, CPI, SV, CV, EAC, ETC, VAC, TCPI, % Complete	Full EVM view
Dates Detail	Activity ID, Name, ES, EF, LS, LF, Actual Start, Actual Finish, BL Start, BL Finish, Constraint	All date fields
Float Analysis	Activity ID, Name, TF, FF, BL TF, Start, Finish, Status, Calendar	Float-focused
Resources	Activity ID, Name, Resources, Budget/Actual/Remaining Units and Costs	Resource view

Example prompts:

• "Apply the earned value preset"
• "Switch to the baseline column preset"
• "Show me the progress columns"
• "Reset the grid to the default preset"

Grouping

set_grouping

Group the activity grid by WBS, status, calendar, activity code, or any column field.

Parameter	Required	Description
mode	Yes	wbs, status, calendar, activity_code, none / clear, or a column field name
field	No	For activity_code mode: the code type name. Otherwise: a column field name

Example prompts:

• "Group the grid by WBS"
• "Group activities by status"
• "Group by activity code Discipline"
• "Clear the grouping"

expand_collapse_groups

Expand or collapse all groups at once.

Parameter	Required	Description
action	Yes	expand or collapse

Example prompts:

• "Collapse all groups"
• "Expand all groups"

Sorting

sort_grid

Sort the activity grid by any column. Set clearExisting to false to add a secondary sort.

Parameter	Required	Description
field	Yes	Column name or ID (fuzzy-matched)
direction	No	asc (default) or desc
clearExisting	No	true (default) clears existing sort; false adds as secondary

Example prompts:

• "Sort the grid by total float ascending"
• "Sort by early start date"
• "Add a secondary sort by activity name"

clear_sort

Remove all sorting from the grid.

No parameters required.

Example prompts:

• "Clear the sort"
• "Remove sorting from the grid"

Grid Filtering

filter_activities_in_grid

Apply a filter to the Activities grid and switch to the Activities tab. Use for ad-hoc filtering by any field.

Parameter	Required	Description
field	Yes	Column/field to filter on
operator	No	equals, not_equals, contains, greater_than, less_than, between, in
value	No	Filter value (string, number, boolean, or array for in)
filterName	No	Display name for the filter

filter_quality_issues_in_grid

Filter the grid to show only activities flagged by a specific quality check.

Parameter	Required	Description
checkId	Yes	Quality check ID (e.g., "missing-logic", "negative-float")

filter_comparison_in_grid

Filter the grid by comparison changes (added, deleted, or changed activities).

Parameter	Required	Description
changeType	No	added, deleted, or changed
impactLevel	No	critical, high, medium, or low

clear_grid_filter

Remove any active filter from the Activities grid.

No parameters required.

navigate_to_tab

Switch to a specific tab in the application.

Parameter	Required	Description
tab	Yes	projects, activities, comparison, or quality

Example prompts:

• "Show only critical activities in the grid"
• "Filter to activities with float greater than 20 days"
• "Filter the grid to missing successors"
• "Show comparison changes with critical impact"
• "Clear the filter"
• "Go to the Quality tab"

Export

export_data

Export schedule data in various formats. Triggers a file download.

Parameter	Required	Description
format	Yes	xer (P6), xml (PMXML), mpp (MS Project), excel (grid to Excel), csv (grid to CSV)

Risk: Medium (requires confirmation)

Example prompts:

• "Export the schedule as XER"
• "Download the grid as Excel"
• "Export to Microsoft Project format"

Theme

set_theme

Switch the application theme between light, dark, and auto (system preference).

Parameter	Required	Description
theme	Yes	light, dark, or auto

Example prompts:

• "Switch to dark mode"
• "Set the theme to light"
• "Use the system theme"

Tips & Best Practices

• Use natural language for columns — say "add non labour percent" and the fuzzy matcher handles spelling and abbreviation differences.
• Apply presets first, then customise — start with "apply the earned value preset" then "add total float" for a tailored view.
• Combine filter + sort — "filter to active activities and sort by early start" sets up a focused working view.
• Use grouping for structure — group by WBS before reviewing a specific area of the schedule.
• Export after filtering — the Excel and CSV exports use the current grid view, so filter and sort first.

Related Documentation

• AI Copilot Overview
• Asking Questions
• Activities Grid
• Column Chooser
• Grouping
• Filtering