# Off Topic > Tips and Tutorials >  >  'Simple Gantt' - Small, feature rich gantt chart requiring minimal formatting - finally!

## mikeem

*Update 1:* Updated with new version. Some cool new tools. Added a key-features guide also. Both links attached. 

Hey all, 

My first post and contribution to the forum. 

*Mini background story:* Looking for an excel gantt chart that mimicked the best of MS project without the size, cost, lack of portability and bell and whistles I could do without led me to many solutions but none really made the cut. Some lacked basic features, other were too high maintenance, others just looked ugly -we're still talking about gantt charts here - So, I built one myself. 


*So what's it?:* 'Simple gantt'. A easy to use, feature rich gantt with some clever functionalities. Everything should work out of the box, so no messing with formulas and dates and all that stuff that makes some existing excel based gantt charts, frankly, really annoying. 

There's a how to guide/key features inside the tool, but I'll list my favourite here: 

 *The date bars update automatically.* THIS is what every excel based gantt should do. If I have to manually update the date bars everytime my date changes (In a big project, that could be a lot!) that would get ridiculous. Now you don't have to.
Choose the colours of the date bars from a drop down. The current options are blue, green and orange. - Again this is taking something manual and making it automatic. Get a *Task summary via comments anywhere along date bars*. Clicking on any bar in the barchart area creates a comment. In this comment you can see all the key information related to that particular task - including number of days since project began/until project starts. So even if you're scrolling across the barcharts, you have key information at a click. A very cool and quick way to get the key details for a task. Some clever conditional formatting to *highlight weekends, current day, the current task etc.*


That's a brief summary, open it up to see it in action and the rest of the features. It's set up with a dummy project to show how it looks. Make sure to read the how to below the gantt. 


Check it out (it's attached) and let me know what you think. And be kind on the code, I'm not an excel pro but i'd love ideas on how it can be approved. Cheers. 


Mike

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## mikeem

Updated with new features and key features guide

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## steve@stanley

I like what you've done here, particularly the way the dates across row 2 are automatically updated by the start / due dates in columns E & F.
Is there a way to do that without including weekend days?

I'm working on something similar and can adapt some of your stuff here into mine, but we don't tend to do a lot of weeekend work so if possible i'd like to leave those days out. What i'd done before was manually enter the dates then drag across and format to fill weekdays only.

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## Richardlevins

Thanks for update the new features .It is really useful

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## tholiver

Got to say... This is very useful solution, especially for me  :Smilie:  Many thanks for this! :Smilie:

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## Op_error

You have no idea how happy you've made me!!!!

Thanks a million!

Op :Smilie:

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