# The Information You Want to Display: Views

Because projects can become so complex, and because the information to be tracked can vary so widely, Microsoft Project provides a way to display your information through the use of views. There are several types of views: sheets, charts, graphs, and forms. You can even put two views together to form a combination view. This gives you the benefit of seeing a broad range of information about tasks or resources on a single screen.

Whenever you’re using Microsoft Project, you’re looking at a view. To display exactly the information you want, you can switch from one view to another. You can modify the information in views using tables and filters. You can also tailor the look of views to meet your needs; for instance, you can highlight important information and change the color of critical task bars.

The predefined views in Microsoft Project include formats traditionally used by project management professionals, such as Gantt and PERT charts, as well as specialized formats designed for project data entry and display. You can work with the predefined views or create your own special-purpose views. By using the view that best meets your immediate needs, you can perform many project management tasks more efficiently. For example, you can:

- Enter and edit task and resource information as a list, in a form, or graphically.
- Fine-tune your schedule using visual representations of tasks and resource assignments.
- Track your project using specialized views.
- Display and print exactly the information you want to review.
- Produce presentation-quality charts, graphs, and tables to convey specific project information.

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