Open Planner Studio v2026.7.8

⚠️ Windows users: please download this version manually, once

A bug in the auto-updater of v2026.7.6 and v2026.7.7 on Windows prevented it from installing updates ("unsupported Zip archive"). That is fixed in this release — but the broken updater cannot install its own fix, so Windows users must download and install v2026.7.8 manually this one time. After that, automatic updates work again. macOS and Linux are unaffected and update automatically as usual.

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What's New in v2026.7.8

This release delivers phase 2.9: advanced CPM — the scheduling engine is now complete to the level of Primavera P6 and MS Project — plus a batch of workflow and calendar refinements.

Advanced scheduling (all off by default — existing projects are unchanged)

• All constraint types, including mandatory pins: alongside the soft constraints (start/finish no earlier/later than), you can now set a Mandatory pin that hard-fixes a task to a date even when it breaks the logic — the predecessor then shows negative float and a warning marker. Tasks can also carry a secondary constraint (e.g. start no earlier than X and finish no later than Y).
• Hammock tasks: a task whose duration is derived automatically, spanning between a start driver and a finish driver — ideal for overhead items (site hut, scaffolding) that stretch to follow the work.
• External (cross-project) dependencies: link a task to a task in another project file; the date is kept as an anchor you can refresh, and the external task shows as a grey ghost bar.
• Near-critical path: tasks with little float (default: 2 working days, adjustable per project) are highlighted amber — so you see which chains become critical after one setback. In the high-contrast theme they use a hatched pattern, not colour alone.
• Multiple critical paths: follow a separate critical path per open end or deadline, each with its own float-path number.
• Interfering float: a new float figure (total minus free) showing the slack you can use but that pushes your successors.
• Calculation settings per project: a new "Calculation" section for the critical-path definition (total float ≤ threshold, or longest path), the lag calendar, near-critical threshold, float-path method, and more.
• The four new fields (free float, interfering float, near-critical, float path) are now addable as table columns and usable in filters.

Interoperability

• Constraints now round-trip through Primavera P6 XML and MS Project (MSPDI) as well as IFC — including the soft/hard distinction (a soft "Start On" is safely mapped rather than silently becoming a hard constraint). Hammocks, external links and the calculation settings round-trip through IFC.

Workflow & calendar refinements

• Opening a project now fits the whole project to the window (like Ctrl+0) instead of jumping to today — so a project that starts in 2027 is immediately in view.
• Clicking a task scrolls its bar into view if it was off-screen in the timeline.
• Calendar work-times: every shift preset (2-shift, night shift, 24/7 — not just Day shift) now shows its editable per-weekday times immediately, and "Save as preset" explains what it does (save the current work-times as your own reusable preset on this device).
• The Calculation section, like every other field in the project dialog, now respects Cancel.

Fixed

• Windows auto-updater could not unpack the update package (see the notice above).

Quality

• Scheduling regression suite grown to 369 hand-computed cases plus five dedicated check batteries (date/time, hour calendars, adapters, holidays, advanced CPM — 449 checks), all green, with the 23 example files verified byte-identical. All new UI text translated in 14 languages.

Downloads

• Windows: Download the .exe setup file
• macOS: Download the .dmg file (universal - supports Intel and Apple Silicon)
• Linux: Download the .deb package, .AppImage or .snap