Copyright: © 1996 Fingertips, Keynsham, 0117 9089389


Contents

Time Log Ver 1.00    © 1996 Fingertips, Keynsham

Please click on a topic below:

Installation

Introduction (Please read first)

Using Time Log

Copyright and Licence Notice

Registering

Release Notes


Introduction

Time Log is a very flexible utility, designed to help you track all forms of time-related charging and billing.  Any activity where a bill is proportional to the time spent can be easily monitored by Time Log, particularly in the fields of Telecommunications, Internet activity, Accountancy, Legal services, bespoke software development and all forms of professional consultancy.

Whether you are a web addict, a newsgroup junkie, a stockbroker or a chartered accountant, the only limits to its uses are your imagination.

In essence, Time Log allows you to set up an unlimited number of separate Timers, with an associated charge for each.  The Timers can represent anything you like.  They might be client names for instance, or activities like accounts preparation, or online usage, or anything else that suits you.  They could represent a combination of a given activity for a particular client.

For every Timer, you also have the option of associating either a fixed charge, or a charge which is variable and dependent on the time of day or the accrued monthly total.

The framework of Time Log has been designed to be as open as possible to allow the maximum versatility and variety in it use.

Fully context-sensitive help is available throughout the program by pressing the F1 function key.

Back to  Contents


Fingertips

Fingertips is an independent developer of bespoke PC applications specifically aimed at providing cost effective solutions to a wide range of everyday business problems.  The majority of our work is in database design and information management.

Practically any form of work which needs information to be held in an easy to access form will benefit from thoughtful data control.  Recent examples have included:

•	Ordering and Invoicing systems for manufacturers of decorative furniture.

•	Quality assurance document control systems (BS5750/ISO9000).

•	Complete Office Management system for electronics company.

•	Systems to store and access personnel training records and give automatic notice of training due, with costing analysis etc.

•	Technical specifications systems.

•	Systems to calculate and advise on pallet storage and utilisation.

•	Hazard analysis systems (HACCPs).

If you would like further information on the range of services we can provide please do not hesitate to contact us.

Direct all enquiries to:-

T.J.Down

FINGERTIPS

172 Park Road

Keynsham

Bristol

Avon

BS18 1AY

Tel:	0117 - 9089389

Fax:	(as above)

eMail:	100705.1546@compuserve.com

WWW	http://ourworld.compuserve.com/homepages/Tim_Down

Contents


Copyright and Licence Notice

Time Log is Copyright © 1996 Fingertips.  All rights reserved.

The following contains important terms and conditions which apply to the use of this program. You indicate your acceptance of this license agreement by using the software.

License Agreement

Time Log is Shareware. You are hereby licensed to use this software for the purpose of evaluation without any charge for a period of up to 30 days. If you wish to use this software beyond the 30 day evaluation period you are required to pay a registration fee for each copy that you use. In the case of non-networked PCs this means the registration fee is payable for each PC on which the software is physically installed and executed. On a server based network, the fee is payable for each PC which has access to the server and can download or run the software. Refer to the topic Registering for details on how to pay. Unregistered use of the software after the 30-day evaluation period is in violation of international copyright laws.

Warranty Disclaimer

This software and the accompanying files are sold "AS IS" and without any warranties as to performance, or merchantability or any other warranties whether expressed or implied. Under no circumstance shall Fingertips be liable for any damages whatsoever, including but not limited to consequential or incidental damages due to loss of business, loss of time, loss of information, loss of profit or loss of opportunities, arising in whole or part out of or related to the use of the software, even if Fingertips has been informed of such danger or should have been informed or is in possession of knowledge of such danger or implications.

Distribution Rights

You are hereby permitted and encouraged to make as many copies of this software and related documentation as you wish. You may also distribute exact copies of the software and its related documentation by any means, including electronic. You are not permitted to distribute this software for profit and no charge may be made for its distribution other than a reasonable fee to cover the distribution cost.  You may not modify, decompile, reverse engineer or otherwise alter the software or its documentation in any way.

See also: Registering


Registering

(See also Shareware)

If you wish to continue to use Time Log beyond the 30 day evaluation period you are requested and required to pay a registration fee.  In return you will be sent a registration number which will remove the unregistered messages from the software. In addition you will also be entitled to discounted upgrades as they become available, given priority when responding to technical enquiries and also help the further development of this and other software.

The easiest and fastest way to register the software is through the CompuServe shareware registration scheme. To do this go to the SWREG forum (GO SWREG) and use the registration ID of 13298 for Time Log.  Using SWREG, you will normally receive your confirmation of registration and the registration code within 24 hours.

Alternatively, payments may be made by postal mail.

Pricing and Order options:

•	E-mail registration via SWREG:...	$15.00

•	Postal Registration:...

UK Orders:

By cheque, drawn on a UK bank for £10.00 (inc postage/packing)

International Orders:

By International Money order, in US dollars, for $17.00 (inc postage/packing)

 All postal payments should be made to:

 FINGERTIPS,  172 Park Road,  Keynsham,  Bristol,  England,  BS18 1AY.

If you do not wish to pay for Time Log and will therefore discontinue using the software, we thank you for having evaluated it. Any feedback you may have is very welcome.

Enquiries and Technical Support

For all enquiries including technical support and bug reports you can send E-mail to the following addresses:

Compuserve:	100705,1546

Internet:	100705.1546@compuserve.com

Normally, all enquiries will be answered within 24 to 48 hours with priority given to those who have registered their copy of Time Log.

See also:

Copyright and Licence Notice

Fingertips


Shareware

Shareware is not free software, but describes a unique marketing method for releasing commercial programs.

Unlike most high street retailed software programs, the concept of Shareware means you get to fully evaluate a new application without having to part with any cash up front.  Shareware effectively means "try before you buy".  You will be offered a "reasonable" period (usually about 21-30 days) to completely examine and test a program before you are requested to pay for it (a process known as registering).  A Shareware program will usually display some sort of message telling you that it is unregistered and reminding you that payment is required if you continue to use it beyond the trial period.  The frequency of these "Nag" screens varies from program to program.  You register a program by sending a payment to the author who will then either send you updated disk(s), or a registration code which will update the copy of the program that you already have.

Because Shareware is often produced by dedicated individuals rather than corporate organisations, and because overheads are very low, Shareware applications tend to be very much lower priced than standard retail software.  This is by no means to say that the actual programs are in any way inferior, and often they will actually be of a higher quality or more suitable for a particular niche market purpose.  Shareware programs exist covering a huge range of subjects that mainstream software publishers, with large manufacturing and development overheads, cannot hope to compete with.  A decent Shareware program is often the best and most economical way of obtaining good software.

You are actively encouraged to make copies of the unregistered versions of Shareware programs in order to pass them to friends and colleagues and you may also usually upload them to BBS services and other online libraries, all of which helps to advertise the program and promote the concept of Shareware in general.

Hard-bound printed manuals may or may not be provided with registration, but all quality Shareware titles will include complete documentation, either in text files, or hypertext help (like this file) and often both.

Remember:  You must pay for shareware if you keep using it after the agreed period.  If you no longer wish to use it you need only delete the files from your computer.


Installation

Shipped Archive Files:

Assuming you have obtained Time Log in the form of a zipped archive you need to first unzip it using either PKUNZIP or another suitable extraction program such as WinZip.

After unzipping the archive to a suitable directory, you should have the following files:

•	TIMELOG.EXE	The executable program

•	TIMELOG.HLP	Fully context-sensitive help file

•	TIMELOG.TPS	Sample data (see note below)

•	README.WRI	Brief explanatory notes

Note:

The sample data file contains example Timers and Log entries to give you an idea of Time Log's main functions.  You may safely delete or move this file when you are sure you have finished with it.  Time Log will then create a new, empty, data file for you to begin entering your own information (see below).

Please do not delete this file until you are sure that you have finished with it!

Installation and Setup:

The good news!

We at FINGERTIPS don't believe in making loose with your hard disk or system files.  We know that its often difficult to find legacy files and cryptically named .DLLs in your Windows directory so we've made the Time Log installation as neat as possible.

All required functions and libraries are contained within the single executable file "TIMELOG.EXE".  This file can reside in any directory you wish.

The only other files used by Time Log are the TIMELOG.HLP file and the TIMELOG.TPS data file, both of which must be placed into the same directory as the executable.

If the data file does not already exist in its home directory, Time Log will create a file called TIMELOG.TPS the first time it is run.  It will also create a single small TIMELOG.INI file in your Windows directory.

Although we obviously believe that you will find Time Log a very useful tool and will want to register it, if you should decide that it is no longer required you need only delete the files above to painlessly and completely remove it from your system.

System Requirements:

Time Log is a 16 bit application, designed to run under Windows 3.1x.  Ideally you should have a SVGA monitor and video card running at a screen resolution of 800x600 pixels or better.  A mouse is required for certain functions.

Registering:

Time Log is Shareware and use of the program beyond a 30 day evaluation period requires a small payment to the author.  Please see the topic Registering for full details.


Release Notes

Time Log version and release history.

October 1996

Version: 1.00	Initial shareware release.

Version: 0.5	Beta test

September 1996

Version: 0.4	Beta test


Using Time Log

When the application is loaded the following small window appears.  All of Time Log's functions are accessed from this screen.

To use a previously defined Timer, simply select its description from the dropdown list and then click the OK button.

This will display the Clock allowing you to begin timing at the charge rate you have set up for the selected Timer.

If you have not already set up any Timers you need to do this first, from the Timer List.

Menu Commands

Exit

View

Options

Help


Clock

The clock displays details of the currently logged time and the elapsed charge.

When opened, the clock is always initially stopped.  It is started by clicking the green button on the right which will then turn red.

If you minimise the clock while it is running, the icon text updates continuously to show the current elapsed charge.

Clicking the red button immediately stops the clock, and according to your defined preferences, then returns you either to the main window or to another editing window which allows you to record details about the activity being timed.  (see User Options).


Activity Notes window

This window appears immediately after you click to stop the Clock.

It is shown only if you have specified that the option Auto-display Activity notes window is turned on in your user preferences (see User Options) and allows you to record details about the activity being timed.


Exit

Quits Time Log and returns to Windows.


View

Log File

Timers


Log File

Accesses The Log Window to show your logged history.


The Log Window

The Log window forms the core of the Time Log program and gives you full details of every timed session you have made, and complete control over the way the information is displayed.  You have the option of viewing any range of dates, for any or all Timers, sorted either by date and time, or alphabetically by the Timer descriptions.

Click with the right button of the mouse to display a popup menu which allows you to edit or delete the selected Log entry. (see the topic Editing an existing Log record)

Status panels

The black status panels immediately below the Log table shows the following:

The number of entries in the file that are currently tagged

The number of entries currently displayed, and the total entries in the Log file,

The total duration of the displayed entries only (in HH:MM:SS)

The total charge for the displayed entries only (in your currency units)

The currency units throughout Time Log default to Pounds Sterling but can be set to any other user-defined local currency.  See User Options

Menu Commands

File

Tag

Help

Display date range

Hides all entries outside the date range you select.  If you select "Custom range" you will be prompted to enter the dates of the first and last entries you wish to be included.  The title bar at the top of the window shows the currently selected range of dates.

Sort entries

Display the entries in a particular order.  You may choose either "By date" or "By description.  If you have already filtered the Log to show a limited date range, this option is useful to group particular Timers together in order to Tag them prior t o subsequent processing.

Display only entries for a particular Timer

Checking  this box will prompt you for the description of a single Timer which you can select from the dropdown list which appears.

This filter enables you to quickly see all existing entries for any given Timer only.  It works in addition to the date range filter.


File

The File menu on the Log window accesses the following commands.

Export tagged entries to ASCII file

Delete tagged entries

Print tagged entries

Title Setup

Print Setup

Close Log


Export tagged entries to ASCII file

(This menu option is available only if you have tagged one or more entries in The Log Window)

Selecting this command causes Time Log to convert the currently tagged Log entries into plain ASCII text and copy them to the file LOG.TXT which it will create in the current directory.

If LOG.TXT already exists, Time Log will ask you if you wish to overwrite the file.

Choose "Yes" to replace the file on disk.  If you choose "No" , Time Log will then ask if you wish to append the new entries onto the end of your existing LOG.TXT file.

Exporting Log entries as ASCII text can be very useful if you want to use Time Log's data in other programs, since almost all spreadsheets and word processors can read this format.

Please note:

If you are intending to use the exported data for analysis in a spreadsheet application you will probably be primarily interested in the times and charges rather than any extended notes you may have made about the activities being timed.

Since carriage returns in the notes fields will make the text file more difficult to read, it is suggested that you do not include these notes in an ASCII export unless you actually need them.

By default, Time Log will ask you whether to include the notes or not each time you perform an export.  If you wish, you can prevent this message from appearing by specifying a preferred default behaviour in User Options.


Delete tagged entries

(This menu option is available only if you have tagged one or more entries in The Log Window)

This command permanently erases all the currently tagged entries from the Log file.  Time Log will always display a warning before doing this and will notify you of the number of entries that will be deleted if you proceed.


Print tagged entries

(This menu option is available only if you have tagged one or more entries in The Log Window)

Selecting this command will display the Log Print Options window, from where you can decide the format of report that you wish to print.

Tagged Log entries always print in the same order as they are currently displayed in the Log.


Log Print Options

Choose the report style that you require.

If you wish the printout  to include the notes that you have made for each timed session you must use the Landscape orientation.

You may also access the Title Setup and Print Setup dialogs from here if you have not already set these options.

Select "OK" when ready to print or "Cancel" to abandon.


Title Setup

The Page Titles window allows you to specify a main title and subtitle for each page of your printed output and to select a suitable font style and colour for each.  You can select any fonts that are available on your system, in any of the 16 standard Windows colours.


Print Setup

Opens a standard windows Print Setup dialog allowing you to choose the printer name and various other options.  The exact options available through this dialog will vary according to the printer you have installed.


Close Log

Closes the Log window and returns to the startup screen


Tag

The Tag menu on the Log window is used to select particular entries for processing by the various File menu commands.  As each record is tagged or untagged a small "x" to the left of its entry in the table indicates it's status.

Use the spacebar to quickly tag/untag separate records.  If the entry is tagged the spacebar turns it off, if it is aleady untagged the spacebar tags it.

The other options on the Tag menu allow you to perform tagging on multiple records as a group.

All

Tags all the entries currently displayed

Clear

Untags all entries currently displayed

Flip

Reverses theTag status of all displayed entries.  Those that were tagged are now cleared and vice versa.

Wipe All Tags

Has a different action to "Clear" in that it unconditionally untags all the records in the Log file, whether they are currently displayed or not.

If you change the display filter ranges after tagging a number of Log entries it is possible for items to be tagged which are no longer visible on your screen.  As a safeguard against unexpected deletions, Time Log can be configured to automatically clear all tags whenever the display set changes, or the Log is closed.  See the topic User Options for more information.


Editing an existing Log record

Double-clicking or right-clicking on an entry in The Log Window opens an edit window where you can change any of the details of an existing logged entry.

This facillity allows for corrections or adjustments to times, dates or charges in any way that you choose.

The date fields have access to a popup Calendar and you may also call a built in Calculator if required.

The Activities text field is provided so that you can make notes concerning the particular entry, which can then be printed or exported if desired.


Calculator

The Calculator recognises the following key combinations.

•	Copy display to Windows clipboard	Ctrl+C

•	Paste from clipboard	Ctrl+V

•	Store displayed number	M

•	Retrieve number from store	R

•	Square root of displayed number	S

•	Percent	%

•	Clear last digit 	Backspace or Delete key

•	Clear all	Esc key

•	Close calculator	Spacebar

Range:	0.000000000000001 to 9,999,999,999,999,999

Display:	Floating decimal with a maximum of 25 significant digits.

Nb.

If you would prefer to use the standard Windows calculator, you may specify this in the User Options section.


Calendar

The Calendar enables you to quickly search for and select a date, for entry into the Log.

Click on the buttons to move the calendar forward or backward, or use the arrow keys on your keyboard.  Select a date by clicking on it with the left mouse button.

The escape key or the right mouse button closes the calendar without updating the Log entry.


Timers

Opens the Timer List, where you can create or modify your Timers and settings.


Timer List

Shows a list of all your existing Timers with the corresponding charge rate for each.  Click with the right button of the mouse to display a popup menu which allows you to add, edit or delete Timers from the list.

If you choose to add a new Timer or edit an existing one, Time Log will display the Timer Properties window which allows you to define all aspects of the Timer's behaviour.

If you select to delete a Timer, any existing Log entries associated with it will also be deleted.  A warning message will remind you of this.

Note:

When accessing the Timer List window, if no previous Timers have already been set up, an extra Add button will appear to enable the first Timer to be defined.

Also, the list can be colour coded with any combination of foreground or background colours, to help you identify particular Timers, or groups of related Timers (see Additional Timer Properties).

For information on enabling or disabling colour coding see the topic User Options.


Timer Properties

Each of the Timers you define has a variety of properties associated with it, which are set using the Timer Properties window.

There are two basic types of Timer - Fixed Rate and Variable, which are set by marking a check box on the Primary Properties tab.

Fixed and Variable Rate Timers

The properties of the current Timer are grouped onto several tabs as follows:

Primary Properties

Timer Alerts

Additional Timer Properties

Timer History


Fixed and Variable Rate Timers

Fixed Rate Timers:

A fixed rate Timer logs a standard defined charge for every minute that the Timer runs.  You might for instance use a fixed rate Timer called "Typing Charges" to log secretarial charges to be billed to a client.  If you carry out a variety of different activities but always charge a particular client at an agreed fixed hourly rate you might instead set up a Timer for that client such as "Hawley's Motors".  Naturally, you might want to do both, resulting in Timer names like "Hawley's-Typing" or "Hawley's-General" for instance.

Most of your Timers are likely to be of the Fixed Rate variety.

Variable Rate Timers:

The charges logged by a Variable Timer depend on the time of day that theTimer is run, and can also optionally take account of the previous usage of theTimer during that month.  This kind of Timer is ideally suited to tracking details of your costs when involved in telephone based or online activities where the charge depends greatly on both the time of day and the usage history.  Because the rate can automatically adjust itself, even whilst a Timer is running, a variable Timer can be extremely useful for monitoring those unexpected Internet bills!


Primary Properties

(see also Timer Properties)

The following fields appear on the primary properties tab.  Note that when setting up or changing Timer properties, certain fields will only appear if a Variable timer is being set up.

Description (Required)

A unique name or description to identify the Timer to you.  This can be any combination of letters and numbers, and may include special characters and embedded spaces if you like.

Variable/Telephone Timer

This checkbox determines whether the Timer is Fixed or Variable Rate in its operation (see Fixed and Variable Rate Timers).

Rate/Min (Fixed rate timers only)

Allows you to enter a fixed rate at which Time Log will charge each minute of elapsed time.

Apply standard minimum charge

Many situations require a minimum charge to be logged irrespective of the actual duration of the activity, particularly where telephone calls are concerned.  To use this facillity, mark the checkbox and then enter the default minimum charge that you wish to use.  If any session for this Timer totals less than this amount the default charge will be used instead.

The remaining fields on this tab are visible only if the Timer is marked as Variable Rate

Telephone Rates

Most European telephony operators charge different rates during peak and off-peak times with a special cheap rate applicable at weekends.  The fields in this section are used to enter details of the times of day that these rate changes occur, and the rate per minute that Time Log should charge during each period.

Service Providers Rates

Charges for connection to the Internet using Online Service Providers (such as CompuServe) often take the form of a fixed monthly fee which includes a limited amount of "free time".  If this free time is exceeded in any one month the Service Provider will levy surcharges at a fixed rate for any additional time used.

You can specify in these fields how much free time you are given, and at what rate you are surcharged thereafter.  Time Log will correctly monitor the accumulated monthly usage of this Timer and will add the appropriate surcharge to the telephone charge for each session.

Telephone rates and monthly usage are continuously checked by Time Log, so that if the rate changes whilst a Timer is running, each second of the session will be correctly charged and added up.


Timer Alerts

(see also Timer Properties)

You use this tab to set  various optional alerts from Time Log in response to the occurrence of certain events.

For each event you have the option of having Time Log do one of three things:-

1.	Do nothing.

2.	Sound a beep only.

3.	Sound a beep and pop up a message of your choice.

The message can be any text up to a maximum of 255 characters.

When a timed session reaches a particular charge amount

Enter the charge amount that you want to be notified of and then select the action to be taken.  If you select "Beep and display message" you will be prompted for the message text to display.

The following fields are visible only if the Timer has been marked as Variable Rate on the Primary Properties tab.

If the rate per minute changes

Whilst using a variable Timer, the rate being charged each minute may change.  Select the action, if any, that Time Log should take when this happens.  If you select "Beep and display message" you will be prompted for the message text to display.

When the online free time expires

Time Log can warn you when further online time will be surcharged.  Select the action that Time Log should take in this event.  If you select "Beep and display message" you will be prompted for the message text to display.


Additional Timer Properties

(see also Timer Properties)

Colour Scheme

If you have a number of Timers which are related in some way (for example similar activities for different clients) you may wish to group them by a colour code so that the entries in the Log are easy to identify.

Clicking the "Text" or "Background" buttons on this tab displays a 16 colour chart where you can select a combination of colours to represent the Timer.  The colours chosen appear in the Sample Text panel to allow you to see the effect of colour changes immediately.

Note that Time Log will only actually use the colours you select here if you have specified that you want to use your own colour schemes on the User Options screen.

Notes/Extended Description

The short description that you give your Timer on the Primary Properties tab can only be a maximum of 25 characters long.  You can use this notes field to enter any other details or relevant information about the Timer and its use.


Timer History

(see also Timer Properties)

This tab just shows all the existing Log entries for the current Timer with a summary panel beneath.  As you scroll up or down the list you can view the notes you have made concerning each individual session in the box on the right.

The logged entries can only be edited or removed from The Log Window.


Options

Allows you set your own User Options controlling how Time Log behaves.


User Options

Time Log can be customised in a number of ways to suit your preferred way of using it.  The options are grouped as follows.

Clock Tab

Tagging Tab

Export Tab

Miscellaneous Tab


Clock Tab

Minimise the clock when running

If this box is checked, the clock window will be automatically shrunk to an icon and placed at the bottom of your screen as soon as you click the start button on the clock.  The icon text will update to show the current elapsed charge as long as the clock runs.

Clock is always "on top"

Can often be useful for keeping an eye on the current elapsed time and charge.  The "on top" option works whether the clock is iconised or not.

Auto-display Activity notes window

If checked, this option pops up a window immediately after the clock is stopped to allow you to enter descriptive details of the activity being timed, which are then saved as part of the Log record.


Tagging Tab

If the displayed set of entries in The Log Window changes, Time Log uses these preferences to determine whether any currently tagged records should be cleared or not.

Note:   Although it is sometimes useful to be able to hide some of the tagged records whilst working on others, you should be aware that there is then the danger of inadvertently deleting tagged records that you intended to keep.

Time Log can be set to always leave your tagged entries alone, always wipe the tags , or ask you what you wish to do each time this occurs.


Export Tab

If you are intending to use the exported data for analysis in a spreadsheet application you will probably be primarily interested in the times and charges rather than any extended notes you may have made about the activities being timed.

Since carriage returns in the notes fields will make the text file more difficult to read, it is suggested that you do not include these notes in an ASCII export unless you actually need them.

The choices here dictate whether Time Log always exports your notes with each logged entry, never exports notes, or asks you for confirmation whenever you perform an export.


Miscellaneous Tab

Show user colour schemes for each Timer

If this box is checked, Time Log will use the colours that you have defined for each Timer (see Additional Timer Properties) in many of the screens.  This can be useful for easily identifying related groups of Timers and Log entries.

Highlight split charge rates when editing

If checked, Time Log will display a message before editing any entries that have been timed over a period covering more than one charge rate.

Currency Symbol

By default Time Log uses the Pound Sterling symbol (£) throughout.  If you wish to use a different local currency, enter its symbol here - maximum of 2 characters.

All headings, field captions etc, throughout the program will use the symbol you define here.

Use Windows calculator

When you click on the calculator icon in the Editing an existing Log record window, Time Log displays a popup calculator to assist you.  By default, this is a built-in calculator that ships as part of the Time Log executable.

Check this box if you would prefer to use the standard Microsoft calculator that ships with Windows.


Help

Calls this help file and displays author and copyright info (see Fingertips).