Copyright: ® Alan Macy, 1993 All Rights Reserved


Help Contents
Contents

Getting Started

What is Time Logger?

How Does Time Logger Work?

A Step-by-Step Tutorial

Customizing Time Logger

Using Time Logger

Keeping Track of Your Time

Adding Tasks "After the Fact"

Working with the Task Database

Printing Reports

Working with Multiple Users or Resources

Sharing Data with Other Programs

Troubleshooting

Reference

File Menu

Edit Menu

Task Menu

View Menu

Filter Menu

Options Menu

Help Menu

Toolbar

Status Bar

Miscellaneous Features


What is Time Logger?

Time Logger is a Windows application that keeps track of your time.  With minimal effort on your part, it can compile detailed records of your activities.

Here are some of the ways it can help you.

•	If you bill your time on an hourly basis, Time Logger will automatically provide you with time reports that may be included with your invoices.

•	When performing contract work on a fixed cost basis, it will help you assess whether your fee was adequate for the hours you put in.

•	If you need to track the work of an office-full of workers, Time Logger can help reduce the drudgery of preparing time reports.

•	After estimating the time required for projects, you can use Time Logger to get feedback on the accuracy of your assessments, thereby improving them in the future.

•	You can let the program record usage of certain resources, such as a computer, company automobile, or conference room.

•	Time Logger can present a breakdown detailing the time spent on individual components of  your work.  For example, a contract programmer could find out how much time was spent on design versus coding versus debugging versus documentation.


How Does Time Logger Work?

In short, whenever you start a task, you push a button to let Time Logger know that you have started.

When you're done with the task, you push another button to let Time Logger know you're finished, and you also give it some information about what you just did.

If the computer was unavailable when you performed your work, you can manually type in the information for each task.

Later on, you can have Time Logger prepare reports analyzing how much time you spent on the different tasks.

Related Topics:

An Example of How Time Logger Might be Used


An Example of How Time Logger Might be Used

 Let's say you're a tax accountant, and you're about to work on the itemized deductions portion of John Smith's taxes.  You start up Time Logger, bring up a dialog called the Current Task dialog, and choose the button labeled "Start Task".

When you're done working on the tax form,  you give Time Logger some information about what you just did, and choose the End Task button.

The information entered into the Task Descriptor combo boxes  (in this case, they are labelled Client, Project, Subproject, Activity, and Hourly Rate) is used to categorize each task.  You don't need to fill in all of these fields, only those that you are interested in.

Also, the names of the Task Descriptors may be changed to something more appropriate to your occupation (see Customizing the Task Descriptor Names).

 Information about when the task started and ended is, of course, entered automatically by Time Logger.

Note also that Time Logger does not have to be running while you're working on the tasks.

At any point you may prepare a report that tells how much time you worked on different tasks.  You could use this report for billing a client, determining what percentage of your time you spent calculating itemized deductions, or deciding whether you should be spending more time on marketing.

A simple report might look like this:

You could also have designed a report that included more information, such as the actual start and stop times for each task, or the client or project name.

This quick example demonstrates one way in which Time Logger may be used.  A more detailed example appears in the tutorial.


A Step-by-Step Tutorial

In this tutorial,  you will use Time Logger to start a new Task Database, keep track of the time you spend on a task or two, then print a report that describes how you spent your time.

Note that you may use the >> button from the row of help buttons above to step through the tutorial.

Related Topics:

Step 1: Starting a New Database

Step 2: Starting a Task

Step 2a: What Happened When You Started a Task

Step 3: Ending a Task

Step 4: Printing a Report

Conclusion


Step 1: Starting a New Database

To start a Task Database to use for this tutorial, choose New from the File menu.  This will bring up a dialog that lets you choose a name for your new database.  Type the word "tutorial" in the File Name box and press <Enter>.

You are now ready to keep track of your time.  Time Logger will store the information about how you spend your time in the TUTORIAL.TSK Task Database.

Note that unlike a word processor or spreadsheet program there is no need to save the current Task Database when you exit.  The task data is always saved to disk as soon as it is entered.  That's why there are no Save or Save as... options on the File menu.


Step 2: Starting a Task

The three most important pieces of information concerning a task are the start time, the end time, and a description of what was done.

First we will want to tell Time Logger that we have started a new task.  Select Edit Current Task from the Task menu to bring up the Current Task Dialog.

Since there is currently no task in progress, the push button at the top right corner of the is titled "Start Task".   (If the button does not say Start Task, choose the Cancel Task button, and choose Yes when you are asked to confirm.)

You haven't started the task yet, so the Start box, which displays the time at which the task was begun, is empty, and the Duration box reads "?????."  The Now box displays the current time.  Here is what the current task dialog looks like at this point:

Don't concern yourself with the combo boxes in the dialog; we'll be dealing with those when we end the task (see Ending a Task).

When you're ready to start your task, choose the Start Task button.

To try this now, minimize this help window first, try it out, and restore the help window when you're done.


Step 2a: What Happened When You Started a Task

When you chose Start Task, the appearance of the current task dialog changed, reflecting the Current Task's transition from "Inactive" to "In Progress".  The Start box was filled in with the current time, and the Duration box immediately registered a time of zero.  The push button that had been labelled "Start Task" was changed to read "End Task."  This is illustrated in the figure Step 3: Ending a Task.

At this point, while you are working on your task, you can ignore Time Logger.  You won't need it again until you come to the end of your task.  Time Logger doesn't even need to be running at this point.  It will use the start and end times of the task to determine its duration, so you can even exit Windows and turn off your computer and Time Logger can still keep track of your time.

If you are working along with the tutorial, sit there and twiddle your thumbs for a minute or so, or browse through the on-line help.  Note that the shortest task duration that Time Logger will allow is one minute, so be certain to wait until the time displayed in the Now box is later than that displayed in the Start box before going on to the next step.


Step 3: Ending a Task

When you finish a task there are two things you need to do.  First, you must give Time Logger some information about what you did during the task, and second, you need to choose the End Task button to signal that the task has ended.

Giving Time Logger information about what you did consists of filling in the combo boxes and Description box.

Unless you have already customized Time Logger, the combo boxes are  labeled "Client," "Project," "Subproject," "Activity," and "Hourly Rate."  These fields, called Task Descriptors, are used to describe each task so that it may be categorized when analyzing your time.  You do not need to fill in all of the descriptors, only those you feel you might need in a report.

If you want to try this right now, type "Learning Time Logger" in the Activity combo box, and "Worked on the tutorial.  Tried starting and ending a task." in the Description box.  At this point the dialog should look something like this:

When you've finished describing the task, choose the End Task button.  As mentioned, the shortest task duration that is allowed is one minute, so if you try to end a task with a duration less than that, you'll get a warning message.

When you choose End Task, the task is entered into the Task Database, and you should see it appear in the Task List behind the Current Task dialog.  You'll also note that the Current Task dialog has changed, ready for you to start another task.

To see the main window better, close the Current Task dialog by choosing the Close button.

If you are working along with this tutorial, you may wish to time a few more tasks.  To convince yourself that Time Logger does not need to be running to time your activities, you might try starting a task, exiting Time Logger, and then restarting the program to end the task.

Important:  The Current Task dialog is a "modeless" dialog.  That is, you can still access menus and other features of Time Logger while the dialog is visible.  Many users find it convenient to leave the dialog up at all times.  If the dialog is visible when you exit Time Logger, it will automatically be opened when you restart the program.


Step 4: Printing a Report

To print a report showing the tasks you've completed, choose Print from the File menu (Alt, F, P -- or choose the [image] icon in the Toolbar).  When the Print dialog appears, select OK to print the report.

Depending on the options selected in the Report Setup dialog box, the report will list the tasks you've timed as well as a brief summary (total number of tasks, total task duration, etc.) and a description of which tasks were printed.  See Printing Reports for information on how to modify the appearance and components of a report.


Conclusion

This concludes the simple tutorial.  In it, you've learned how to open a new database, time some activities using the Current Task dialog, and print a Time Report.


Customizing Time Logger

Although Time Logger may be used right out of the box, there are a few things you may wish to modify to make it fit your particular situation, and make it more convenient to use.

You can make these changes at any time, but it's best to set things up before you start timing real tasks.

Following the instructions for performing the customization are some examples of how the product might be customized for different professions.  These are suggestions only, meant to stimulate your imagination.

Related Topics:

Describing the Person or Thing Being Timed

Renaming the Task Database

Customizing the Task Descriptor Names

Customizing Time Logger for a Programming Consultant

Customizing Time Logger for a Middle Manager

Customizing Time Logger for a Lawyer

Customizing Time Logger for a Software Project Manager

Customizing Time Logger for an Accountant

Customizing Time Logger for a Computer Repair Service

Customizing Time Logger for a Real Estate Agency

Customizing Time Logger for Shared Business Equipment


Describing the Person or Thing Being Timed

Time Logger may be used to track the activities of one or more resources.  In most cases the resources are persons.  For example, if you use Time Logger to record the fact that Bob Haskell worked on debugging the installation program from 4:30 PM to 6:22 PM, then he is the resource whose activities you are tracking.

You may wish to refer to a resource with a more specific term such as "Programmer," "Lawyer," or "Employee."  You may even be using Time Logger to track the time during which objects such as computers, conference rooms, or company cars are used.  In these cases, the resources might be referred to with the terms "Computer," "Room," and "Automobile," respectively.

Time Logger is shipped with the resource name set to "Person."  If you would like to change this, bring up the Task Display dialog box from the Options menu (Alt, O, T), type your term into the Resource Text box, and press <Enter>.


Renaming the Task Database

The first time you run Time Logger, it will open a Task Database with the name "UNTITLED."  One of the first things you should do is rename the database to something more meaningful (e.g., MYHOURS, CONSULT, or LEGAL1).  Select Rename from the File menu, and type a new name in the File Name Selection dialog box that will appear.

Note that Time Logger is different than word processor or spreadsheet applications, which load documents from disk into memory, allow you to modify them, then save them back to disk at the end of the session.  Time Logger modifies the Task Database directly on the disk, saving all changes as you make them.  Because of this you never need to save your work (that's why there are no Save or Save As options on the File menu).

You can rename the database at any time, even after you have added tasks.


Customizing the Task Descriptor Names

A powerful feature of Time Logger is its ability to classify each task by up to six independent categories or "Task Descriptors."    For example, a task completed by a consultant might be classified as:

Descriptor	Value
Programmer:	Steve Wilson
Client:	Reliable Software
Project:	EasyDraw Program
Subproject:	File Loading
Activity:	Designing
Hourly Rate:	80.00
(For a discussion of how this feature can help you obtain valuable information about how you spend your time, see Working with Subtotals).

These task descriptors may not be appropriate for you.  You may wish, for example, to classify your tasks by "Region," "Account," "Case," "Detail," and "Activity."  Time Logger allows you to customize these categories to fit your own particular situation.

Note that the first category ("Programmer" in the above example) has special significance.  It always refers to the resource whose activities are being timed.  To change it, see Describing the Person or Thing Being Timed.

Similarly, the Hourly Rate category is a special case, and its name may not be changed (although you can change the way it is referred to in reports -- see Column Layout Dialog Box).

To change the names of the four remaining categories, bring up the Task Display dialog from the Options menu (Alt, O, T), and enter the new names into the four boxes in the section of the dialog labeled Task Descriptor Text.  The more general terms are usually placed above more specific categories (e.g., Project above Subproject), but any organization is acceptable.

You may wish to learn more about how these descriptors are used in Working with Subtotals before choosing names for the task descriptors.


Customizing Time Logger for a Programming Consultant

Resource: Programmer

Task Descriptors: Client, Program, Program Area, Activity Type

Although Client, Program and Program Area are hierarchical, Activity Type (Debugging, Coding, Research) categorizes the data in an orthogonal way, giving valuable feedback on how each consultant's time is spent.

For keeping track of changes made to program files, a finer-grained approach might be used:

Resource Name: Programmer

Task Descriptors:  Program, Program Area, File, Function (or Subroutine)

However, this set of descriptors would make Time Logger more cumbersome, since the programmer would need to end a task each time he or she started working on a different function.


Customizing Time Logger for a Middle Manager

Resource Name: Employee

Task Descriptors: Region, Account, Project, Activity


Customizing Time Logger for a Lawyer

Resource Name: Attorney

Task Descriptors: Client, Case, Department, Activity


Customizing Time Logger for a Software Project Manager

Resource Name: Programmer

Task Descriptors: Product Line, Platform, Application, Activity


Customizing Time Logger for an Accountant

Resource Name: Accountant

Task Descriptors: Account, Project, Subproject, Activity

or, for an accountant in a large firm

Resource Name: Accountant

Task Descriptors: Department, Code, Project, Activity


Customizing Time Logger for a Computer Repair Service

Resource Name:  Technician

Task Descriptors: Customer, Business Type, System, Repair Type


Customizing Time Logger for a Real Estate Agency

Resource Name:  Agent

Task Descriptors: Location, Location, Location

No, seriously:

Task Descriptors: Customer, Region, Price Range, Activity


Customizing Time Logger for Shared Business Equipment

Resource Name: Machine

Task Descriptors: None, Department, Billing Code, User


Keeping Track of Your Time

In the tutorial you learned the basics of starting and ending a task.  In this section you will learn the finer points of keeping track of your time with Time Logger.

Related Topics:

Starting the Task

Describing the Task

When to Describe the Task

Editing the Start Time

Pausing the Task

Editing the Pause Duration

Pause Handling

Ending the Task

Chaining Tasks (End/Start New)

Starting, Ending, and Pausing Tasks via the Toolbar

Resuming a Task


Starting the Task

There are four ways to start a task:

1.	Select Start Current Task from the Task menu (Alt, T, T).

2.	Press F9 (the accelerator key for Start Current Task).

3.	Click on the [image] icon in the Toolbar.

4.	Choose the Start Task button in the Current Task dialog box.

Note that none of these is available if the task is already in progress.


Describing the Task

Besides telling Time Logger when a task started and ended, you should describe and categorize what you did.  Typically this involves filling in or selecting a text description, an hourly rate, and one or more task descriptors.

For example, let's say you write departmental newsletters for large companies.  A task that you worked on might be categorized and described as follows:

Descriptor:	Value
Company:	Smith & Gamble
Department:	Sales
Newsletter:	January
Activity:	Formatting
Hourly Rate:	80.00
Description:	Designed new format for title page.
If you provide this type of information for all of the tasks you work on, you can use Time Logger to answer questions like these:

•	Have I gotten faster at producing newsletters (how much time did it take to produce the February newsletters compared with the January newsletters)?

•	Am I spending too much time on formatting as opposed to actual writing (compare time spent on formatting versus writing)?

•	Which newsletter formats are requiring the most time (compare formatting time for different companies' newsletters)?

•	How much time am I spending per day on newsletters?

•	How much do I charge Smith & Gamble for January?

In addition, you can provide the companies you invoice with concise descriptions of what you did and how long it took.

To categorize and describe a task, simply fill in the combo boxes and description edit box in the current task dialog.  You are limited to 20 characters for each task descriptor, and 400 characters for the description.

Time Logger keeps a list of all the task descriptors you have entered for easy access via the combo boxes.  For example, if you have entered hourly rates of 30, 40, and 50, then opening the Hourly Rate combo box will display those three rates.  You can simply choose the rate you wish to use.

If there is a rate (or other descriptor) which you expect you will no longer need, open the combo box, select that rate, and choose the Remove button.  The Remove button will appear when you first access a combo box, and will sit next to the most recently opened box.

Many users find that a task description written in the past tense yields the most readable reports.  That is, "Worked on the initialization code." is preferable to "Working on the initialization code.", since Time Reports are usually used to describe what you did.  For example

7/6/93   10:00  10:45   Worked on the initialization code.

describes what you did between 10:00 and 10:45.


When to Describe the Task

You may enter the task descriptors and the description text at any time prior to choosing the End Task button.  You may even describe the task before you start it.  However, once you end it, the task is entered into the Task Database along with its description.

Actually, if you wish, you may end the task without filling in the descriptors, and later edit it (see Edit Selected Task).

However, the recommended time to describe the task is just before you choose the End Task button.  Most users find that if they describe the task before they are done, they later need to change the description, since they ended up doing something slightly different from what they had planned.

If you try to go back and describe the tasks after they have been completed, you run the risk of forgetting exactly what you did.

Note that if you checked the Require a Description for Each Task box in the Miscellaneous Options dialog box, Time Logger will not permit you to end a task without entering text into the Description edit box.


Editing the Start Time

Sometimes you will start work without remembering to start a Time Logger task.  You may wish that you could go back in time to choose the Start Task button at the appropriate time.

Time Logger accommodates this by allowing you to edit the start time of the current task even while it is in progress.  That is, you can choose Start Task even though the task already started, then set the start time equal to the time at which you estimate that the task really started.

See Current Task Dialog Box for more information.


Pausing the Task

You may be in the middle of a task when your mother telephones to say hello.  Since you don't want to charge your client your normal exorbitant rate for talking to Mom, you'll want to pause or suspend the task.

When you start talking with Mom, simply choose the Pause button on the Current Task dialog.  The text on the Pause button changes to End Pause.  When you are done talking and resume working, choose End Pause.

The pause duration is always displayed in Hour/Minute format, regardless of the currently selected duration format. You may not edit the pause duration box while the current task is paused.


Editing the Pause Duration

It is not always possible or convenient to press the Pause button when you are interrupted.  You may have rushed outside to see the big helicopter that flew over, and ended up talking to all the other employees who did the same.

In this case you'll want to estimate how long your current task was interrupted, and enter that duration into the Pause Duration box.  For example, after you finish talking about big helicopters with your fellow employees, and return to your computer, you could type "19 min" into the Pause Duration edit box.


Using Time Logger - Keeping Track of Your Time - Pause Handling
Pause Handling

The duration of a task is its total elapsed time minus the pause duration.  However, you may find that it is too complicated to have start time, end time, and pause duration in your reports.  It can be confusing to see a start time of 10:00, end time of 10:30 and a duration of only 7 minutes.

An alternative to preserving the pause duration is to automatically add it to the start time or subtract it from the end time of a task.  You may choose among these three alternatives via the Pause Handling dialog box (see Pause Handling Dialog Box).

For example, if you choose to have pause times added to the start time, then whenever you end a task, Time Logger will automatically increment the start time by the duration of the pause.


Ending the Task

There are four ways to end a task:

1.	Select End Current Task from the Task menu (Alt, T, N).

2.	Press F10 (the accelerator key for End Current Task).

3.	Click on the [image] icon in the Toolbar.

4.	Choose the End Task button in the Current Task dialog box.

Note that none of these is available if the task is not in progress.


Chaining Tasks (End/Start New)

Often, unless you are stopping work for lunch or some other task that you don't wish to time, you will want to start a new task immediately after ending another.  As a convenience, Time Logger allows you to accomplish this by pressing a single button, the End/Start New button.

When the Current Task dialog is visible, choose the End/Start New button.  This has exactly the same effect as choosing the End Task button and then the Start Task button.


Starting, Ending, and Pausing Tasks via the Toolbar

The Current Task dialog box does not have to be visible to start, end, or pause a task.  You can also use the [image], [image], and [image] buttons on the Toolbar.  For more information on this, see Toolbar.


Resuming a Task

Many users find that they frequently work on one project, get interrupted by another, then resume work on the original project.  Time Logger makes it easy to keep track of this kind of activity with the "Resume" Selected Task option.

When you resume work on a task that has already been ended, simply double click with the right mouse button on the task you are going to "resume."  This will start a new task, and fill in all of the task descriptor and description fields with those of the original task.

The reason the word "resume" is in quotation marks, is that you are not really resuming the task.  You are actually starting a new task, with the same characteristics as one which is already in the database.  The difference is partly a semantic one, since we have defined "Task" as a single period of activity with one start time and one end time.

Nonetheless, the distinction is important.  If Time Logger were to simply increase the duration of an earlier task rather than adding a new one, information would be lost.  By preserving the start and end times of each task, rather than just accumulating total durations, Time Logger maintains information not only about what you did, but exactly when you did it.

If you use this feature a lot, you may wish to organize the column layout so that many of the most recent tasks are displayed (e.g., set Lines/Task to 1 in the Column Layout dialog box).  That way you will not need to scroll the Task List in order to find the task that you wish to resume.

Another way to resume a task is to select it and then choose "Resume" Selected Task from the Task menu.

Note that if you resume a task when the current task is "In Progress," the Current Task will be ended before the selected task is resumed.


Adding Tasks "After the Fact"

Using the Current Task dialog to time your tasks is fine if you are running Windows while performing your work.  There are several situations, however, in which you will want to add tasks to the Task Database after they have been completed.

For example, you may be entering the job durations of a whole department of field technicians based on the time sheets they provide you.  Or you may wish to record the time you spent at the Client's offices discussing the current project.

New tasks may be added to the database via the Edit Task dialog box, which is opened when you select Create New Task from the Task menu (Alt, T, C).

Related Topics:

Creating New Tasks


Creating New Tasks

Select Create New Task from the Task menu (Alt, T, C) to bring up the Edit Task dialog box:

This dialog differs from the Current Task dialog box in that instead of buttons for starting, stopping, and pausing the task, it simply has OK, Cancel, and OK & Repeat buttons.

Another important difference is the presence of a combo box for specifying the resource whose activities are being timed (in the above illustration, the name for the resource is "Person").  When you are adding tasks to the database, you may specify a resource for each task (To understand the significance of this difference, see Bypassing the Resource-Selection Dialog).

Finally, the Edit Task dialog has Start and End boxes instead of Start and Now edit boxes.

To create the new task, simply fill in the start and end times, the task descriptors, and the description, then choose OK.

Remember that Time Logger will not allow two tasks with the same resource to overlap.  This restriction is based on the assumption that a single person or resource cannot be doing two things at the same time.


Working with the Task Database

Backing up the Task Database

Changing the Appearance of the Task List

Sorting the Task Database

Filtering the Task Database

Searching the Task Database

Editing Tasks in the Task Database

Deleting Tasks from the Task Database

The Task Summary

Working with Subtotals


Backing up the Task Database

As with any database application, it is vitally important that you back up your Task Database frequently and regularly.  Simply choose Backup from the File menu (Alt, F, B), select a filename for the backup from the File Name Selection dialog box, and choose OK.

Since this is so important, Time Logger has been designed so that it is exceptionally easy to backup the database.  The program will automatically fill in the File Name with the name of the file you backed up to last time you ran a backup, so after you've backed up once, you can always get a backup started simply by typing Ctrl-B, <Enter>.


Changing the Appearance of the Task List

Time Logger allows you to change the appearance and format of the Task List so that it best displays the information you are interested in.

By moving columns around, changing their widths, and deciding which fields to display, you can organize the Time Logger main window so that it presents only the data you need to see.

To change the format of displayed dates, times, and currency (e.g., 7/9/93 versus 07/09/1993, 2:00 PM versus 14:00,  etc. ) run the Windows Control Panel, and choose the International icon.

Although the mouse is the preferred way of modifying column layout, all of the features can be modified using the keyboard alone.

Related Topics:

Using the Mouse to Change a Column's Width

Using the Mouse to Reposition a Column

Using the Mouse to Insert a Column

Using the Keyboard to Change the Column Layout

Other Column Layout Features

Changing the Font Used for the Task List


Using the Mouse to Change a Column's Width

To change the width of a column, move the mouse cursor until it is in the Task List Heading Bar, and is just to the left of one of the column headings.

At this point, the mouse cursor will look like this:

If it doesn't, move the mouse left or right until it changes to that shape.

You can now use the mouse to adjust the width of the column that is to the left of the mouse cursor.  In the illustration above, the mouse would be used to change the width of the "Subproject" heading.  Hold down the mouse's left button and drag the right border of the column until it has the width you want.

To adjust the width of the last (rightmost) column, move the mouse cursor in the Task List Header Bar to the point at which the column ends.  Use the shape of the cursor to tell you when you've reached that spot.

Note that when the Task Description is on the separate line, you may not adjust its width with this method.  Instead, see Column Layout Dialog Box.


Using the Mouse to Reposition a Column

You can also use the mouse to pick up a column and move it to another location.  Simply click on the column heading of the column you wish to move, and drag it to a new location between two other headings, or to the beginning or end of all the columns.

When the mouse cursor is over a column heading that may be picked up, it will look like this: .  While dragging the column, the cursor will look like this [image] if it is over a valid "drop-off" location.  If it is not over a valid drop-off location it will look like this [image].

To move a column to the right of all the other columns, use the cursor shape to locate the drop-off point on the right border of the rightmost column (that is, move it horizontally until it changes to the [image] shape).

If the column you wish to move and the drop-off point are not both visible at the same time, you may have to move the column to an intermediate location, scroll the window, then pick it up and move it again.


Using the Mouse to Insert a Column

To insert a new column (one that isn't already visible), click on the column heading of the column that will be to the right of the inserted column.  In other words, you will be inserting the new column to the left of the selected column.

For example, if you want to insert a column to the left of all of the other columns, click on the column that is currently leftmost.

Next, choose Insert New Column from the Edit menu (Alt, E, I), or click on the [image] toolbar icon.  This will bring up the Insert New Column dialog box, and allow you to choose the name of the column you wish to insert.


Using the Keyboard to Change the Column Layout

You may prefer to modify the column layout via the Column Layout dialog box.  This dialog is accessed by choosing the Column Layout option of the Options dialog (Alt, O, C).

For each of the columns that could appear in the Task List, you may specify:

•	Whether to display it

•	The text that will appear above the column in the Task List Heading Bar (this is known as the Column Heading)

•	The order of the column (that is, its position with regard to the other columns)

•	The width of the column, expressed in characters

As an example, consider the Start Date column:

Since the check box is checked, this column will appear in the Task List.  The text in the heading will be "Date," and the order of this column will be "10" relative to the other columns.  That is, the column will appear to the right of any columns with an order of less than 10, and to the left of any with a higher order.

Because of this interpretation of the order field, you may, for example, number your columns 10, 20, 30, 40, and so on, giving yourself the opportunity to insert a new column (at, say, order 35) later on.

Finally, the Width field specifies the width of the column as expressed in characters.  Note that when using a proportionally spaced font (in which some characters are wider than others) the actual number of characters that fit in the column may be somewhat smaller or larger than this value.


Other Column Layout Features

There are a few other important aspects of the appearance of the Task List that may be specified in the Column Layout dialog box.

Highlight Group

If, for example, the Task List contains several tasks in a row with the same start date, you may wish to display that start date only for the first task.  For example:

With Group Highlighting:

Date	From	To	Description
04/01/93	10:30	11:15	Worked on Johnson's brief
	11:15	12:25	Continued on brief
	13:40	15:19	Finished Johnson's brief
04/02/93	09:03	10:52	Met with Johnson
Without Group Highlighting:

Date	From	To	Description
04/01/93	10:30	11:15	Worked on Johnson's brief
04/01/93	11:15	12:25	Continued on brief
04/01/93	13:40	15:19	Finished Johnson's brief
04/02/93	09:03	10:52	Met with Johnson
Group highlighting always refers to the leftmost column in the report.  For example, if you make Hourly Rate the leftmost column, then this field will receive the group highlighting treatment.

Lines Per Task

Use this edit box to set the number of lines each task will occupy in the Task List display (see also Report Setup Dialog Box).  If this value is less than the number of lines required to display the entire task description, it will be truncated in the Task List.  That is, the text that does not fit will not be displayed.

Inches Between Columns

To place some extra space between the columns, enter a value greater than zero in the Inches Between Columns edit box.

Description on Separate Line

You may wish to display the description for a given task on a different line than the start time, end time, etc.  For example, you may choose a layout like this:

03/22/93	10:15	12:22	EasyWrite	Debugging
Continued trying to fix the rounding bug in the main
program.  Determined the location of the problem,
started on a fix for it.

03/23/93	10:01	10:30	EasyWrite	Debugging
Finally solved the rounding bug!

You'll find that this layout gives you room for more columns, yet still allows you to display a detailed description of the task.  You may wish to select values for the indentation and width of the description field that will cause it to line up with one of the columns above it.

Note that with this option, the indentation and width of the description field may not be modified with the mouse.

Load and Save

Once you have created a column layout you like,  you may save it to disk by choosing the Save button in this dialog.  Column layouts are saved in files with an extension of ".lyt" and may loaded later by choosing the Load button.  The Save and Load buttons both bring up the File Selection dialog box, which allows you to specify the name of the layout file.


Changing the Font Used for the Task List

Select the Font option from the Options dialog to bring up the Font Selection dialog box and choose a font for the tasks in the Task List.  This same font will also be used when printing the tasks in a report.


Sorting the Task Database

The Task List may be sorted on up to four different fields, and for each of those, the tasks may be sorted in ascending or descending order.

For example, if the list is sorted on the Start Time field, then the tasks in the Task List will appear in chronological order.  If descending order is selected for that field, the latest task will appear as the first task in the list.

As another example, if the primary sort field is Person, and the secondary sort field is Start Time, Descending, then the tasks will be listed alphabetically by the person they refer to.   Within the tasks for each person, the most recent tasks will appear first.

When you define a sort order that is different from the default, it's a good idea to place the column that corresponds to the primary sort field to the left of all the other columns (that is, make it the first column).  Otherwise you could forget that you've modified the sort order, and you may be confused when tasks are not listed in chronological order.

Choose Sort Order from the Options menu (Alt, O, S) to display the Sort Order dialog box and specify the way in which the Task List will be sorted.

The primary sort field has special significance when displaying subtotals (see Working with Subtotals).

To return the sort order to the default (Primary Sort Field: Start Time, ascending, Secondary Sort Field: Resource) choose Default in this dialog.


Filtering the Task Database

You will frequently want to display only a subset of the tasks in the database.  For example, you may wish to look only at July's tasks, or only the tasks for which "Client" is equal to "Smith & Co."  This is accomplished by setting a "Filter."  A filter "filters out" all of the tasks that do not meet your criteria.

In the Task Filter dialog box (Select Edit Task Filter from the Filter menu),  you may specify up to seven criteria that, taken together, define which tasks will be displayed.  For example, your filter might be:

You may note that the start time value of "August" was used in place of the more cumbersome "8/1/93 00:00".  This is an example of one of the shortcuts which may be used anywhere in Time Logger to specify a time (see Shortcuts for Specifying Time).

Once you have specified a filter, it will remain active until you either disable it or change it.  The filter endures even if you exit Time Logger and start it up again.

To disable the filter (and display all of the tasks) simply uncheck the Enable Filter check box in this dialog.

A short cut for disabling the filter is to select Clear Filter from the Filter menu (or press the [image]  icon on the toolbar).

Choosing the Reset button in the Task Filter dialog is a quick way of clearing out all the filter information in preparation for defining a new filter.


Searching the Task Database

If you want to quickly find a task that contains a given string of characters in any of its fields, select Quick Search from the Filter menu.

This will display the Quick Search dialog box, which looks like this:

Type in the text for which you wish to search and press <Enter>.  The Task List will then display all of the tasks that contain that text.

Quick Search is actually just another way of setting the task filter.  If you do a quick search for the text "debug," for example, then examine the Task Filter, you'll see that it is set to:

Task contains debug or
Subproject contains  debug or
Project contains debug or
Client contains debug or
Person contains debug or
Description contains debug end

You may also enable or disable the filter from within the Quick Search dialog box (simply check or uncheck the Enable Filter box).


Editing Tasks in the Task Database

You may edit any of the tasks in the Task Database.  Simply select the task and choose Edit Selected Task from the Task menu to bring up the Edit Task dialog box.

The Edit Task dialog box is somewhat different than the Current Task dialog box.  There are no buttons for starting, ending, or pausing a task, for example.

When you're done editing the fields in the dialog box, choose OK to enter your changes into the Task Database.

Note that if you make any changes to the Start or End edit boxes, the Edited field for that task will be set to "Yes."  This field is automatically maintained (it appears in no dialog box; you cannot edit it), and gives you an indication of whether the field times have been modified since they were initially recorded.

Related Topics:

Selecting a Task with the Mouse

Selecting a Task with the Keyboard


Selecting a Task with the Mouse

To select a task with the mouse, simply click on it in the Task List.  If the task you want to select is not visible, scroll the Task List until it is.

When a task is selected, you can choose to edit it (Edit Selected Task from the Edit menu), "resume" it ("Resume" Selected Task from the Edit menu) or delete it (Delete Task from the Edit menu).

To unselect a task, press the <Esc> key, or choose Unselect from the Edit menu.


Selecting a Task with the Keyboard

To select a task with the keyboard, press the <Enter> key when the Task List is visible.  This action selects (and highlights) the task at the top of the window.  Use the up and down arrows or the PgUp and PgDn keys to move the selection to the task you are interested in.

When a task is selected, you can choose to edit it (Edit Selected Task from the Edit menu), "resume" it ("Resume" Selected Task from the Edit menu) or delete it (Delete Task from the Edit menu).

To unselect a task, press the <Esc> key, or choose Unselect from the Edit menu.


Deleting Tasks from the Task Database

You may delete a single task from the Task Database, or an entire subset of the tasks.

Related Topics:

Deleting a Single Task

Deleting Multiple Tasks


Deleting a Single Task

To delete a single task, select the task  and press the <Delete> key.  If you have checked the Give Warning Before Deleting Individual Task check box in the Miscellaneous Options dialog box, Time Logger will require that you confirm the deletion.


Deleting Multiple Tasks

To delete a number of tasks at once, set the Task Filter such that only the tasks you wish to delete are shown, then select Delete All Tasks from the Edit menu (Alt, E, E).  For example, if you wanted to delete all the tasks prior to April, you would set the task filter to

Start Time 	<	April	End

before deleting all tasks.

You will always be required to confirm the deletion of multiple tasks.

Since Delete All Tasks is a potentially dangerous operation, you can choose to disable it.  To do so, uncheck the Enable Delete All Tasks in the Miscellaneous Options dialog box.

Thus, if the Delete All Tasks option in the Edit menu is grayed out when you want to use it, open the Miscellaneous Options dialog box and reenable the option.

If there is no filter set when you select Delete All Tasks,  or if the filter is disabled, all the tasks in the database will be deleted!


The Task Summary

Information such as total number of tasks, total duration, and total fee may be obtained via the Task Summary.

Choose Summary from the Task menu to display the Task Summary dialog box.  This dialog contains information for the tasks that satisfy the current filter.  If there is no filter enabled, the summary data will relate to all of the tasks in the database.

Here is an example of a Task Summary:

The information in the Task Summary dialog may be copied to the Clipboard by choosing the Copy button.   For more information on this, see The Copy Dialog Box.


Working with Subtotals

One of the most valuable features of Time Logger is the ability to obtain subtotal information about the tasks in the database.  For example, it can give you a breakdown of the time you've spent on different activities (say, research, writing, editing, proofreading), or allow you to compare your incomes from different clients.

To get subtotals for a given field, simply choose that field as the primary sort field.  Thus, if you wanted to see a breakdown of hours worked at different hourly rates, you would choose Hourly Rate as the primary sort field.

One special case is the Start Time field.  If you choose this field as the primary sort field, Time Logger will present a subtotal for each day that you worked (that is, how many hours on 6/12/93 how many hours on 6/13/93, etc.).

To view the subtotals, select Subtotals from the Task menu.  This will display the Subtotals dialog box, which looks like this:

In this case the subtotals show the breakdown of time spent on different programming activities.


Printing Reports

One way to get your Timer Logger data on paper is to print a report.  The most common use of  a Time Logger report is to include it along with an invoice sent to a client that you bill on an hourly basis.

A report may include any or all of the following list of components:

Component	What it Displays
Tasks	The individual tasks -- similar to the Task List
Summary	The summary information (total duration, total fee, etc.) concerning all the tasks that match the current task filter
Selection Criteria	The Task Filter you set to determine which tasks would appear in the Task List and in the Report
Subtotals	Subtotal information for the primary sort field
Related Topics:

Selecting the Report Components

Setting the Report Title Font

Previewing the Report

Actual Printing


Selecting the Report Components

To select which report components will be included in your report, bring up the Report Setup dialog box,

and simply check the boxes corresponding to the components you want.


Setting the Report Title Font

The Report Setup dialog box is also the place to select a font for the title of the report.  Selecting the Title Font button will bring up a Font Selection dialog box, and allow you to select the title font's name, style (bold, italic, etc.) and size.


Previewing the Report

Print Preview is a standard Windows feature that allows you to display a Time Report on the screen as it would appear when printed.  You will commonly use this feature to make sure that your report fits within the margins.  That is, if you have too many columns, or they are too wide, you'll find that your tasks are truncated at the right margin of the page.  By previewing the report, you will be able to determine whether you need to choose another font or delete some columns to make the information fit.

Choose Print Preview from the File menu (Alt, F, V) to preview your report.  For more information, see Print Preview.

Print Preview gives you an accurate representation of what your Time Report will look like, except when it must use very small fonts to simulate the output.  In this case, differences in font dimensions can cause more or less space to appear at the end of the page than will actually occur on paper.  To get the most accurate representation of the final page, select the Zoom In button until the largest possible font is used.


Actual Printing

When you are ready to print your report, select Print from the File menu (Alt, F, P).  This will bring up the Print dialog box, allowing you to select which pages to print, how many copies you want, etc.  When you are ready, choose OK in the Print dialog box.


Working with Multiple Users or Resources

Time Logger may be used to time the activities of many resources or persons at the same time.  It does this in such a way that each user has the impression that he has the program all to himself.

Related Topics:

Timing the Activities of Multiple Resources

Entering Task Data for Multiple Resources

Bypassing the Resource-Selection Dialog


Timing the Activities of Multiple Resources

As mentioned, Time Logger may be used to time the activities of many resources or persons simultaneously.  It does this by having each user launch his or her own instance of the application.

That is, even if Time Logger is already running, you can double click on its icon in the Program Manager to start another instance of Time Logger.  Time Logger only asks that no two instances using the same database be assigned to the same resource.

To illustrate this, here is a screen shot that shows two instances of Time Logger running simultaneously:

One instance is being run for Alan Macy, and the other for Lena Bergstrom.  Both are sharing the same database.

When Lena starts a task, she will be starting a task for the resource "Lena Bergstrom."  When Alan starts a task, it will be started for the resource "Alan Macy."  Thus neither of them has to think about whose task they are starting or ending.  As long as they both use their own instance of the program, they can each act as if no one else is running Time Logger.

When either user ends his or her current task, both users will see it appear in their task lists.

The two instances of Time Logger could be running on two different computers, accessing the same database on a network drive.

To review: if you want to time the activities of several resources at the same time, simply launch one instance of the application for each resource.

Related Topics:

Doesn't it Waste Memory to Run Several Instances?


Doesn't it Waste Memory to Run Several Instances?

No, it doesn't.  Windows is designed such that multiple instances of the same application can share memory that is common to them.


Entering Task Data for Multiple Resources

Important Note: It is only necessary to launch more than one instance of Time Logger if you will actually be timing the activities of multiple resources.  If you are creating new tasks via the Edit Task dialog box, or editing tasks in the Task Database, you can enter data for multiple users from a single instance of the application.

For example, if you are entering task data for the entire company based on time sheets that they've given you, you need only launch one instance of the program.


Bypassing the Resource-Selection Dialog

Time Logger can be used to track the activities of many resources (usually persons) at the same time (see Timing the Activities of Multiple Resources).  Each instance of the Time Logger application, however, is restricted to modifying the Current Task data for a single resource.

Thus, whenever an instance of Time Logger is launched, the program must be told the name of the resource whose activities will be timed.  This may be done by specifying the resource in a dialog which appears when the application is launched, or, more conveniently, on the command line.

When you installed Time Logger, the installation program asked you for the name of the person or resource whose activities would be timed.  It used that information to create a program item in the Time Logger program group that could be used to launch Time Logger for that particular resource.

To create a program item that will launch Time Logger for a different resource, make Program Manager the active application, and activate the Time Logger program group (or any other group in which you'd like to place the new program item).  Next, choose New from the Program Manager's File menu.  The following dialog box will appear.

Select "Program Item" and choose OK.  This will bring up the Program Item Properties dialog box.

In this illustration, the program item has been set to run an instance of Time Logger for the resource named "Gary Stone."  Instead of "Gary Stone" enter the name of the person or resource for whom that instance of Time Logger will be run.

When you choose OK, a new program item will be added to your program group.  It should look something like this:

When you double click on that item, Time Logger will be launched for the resource "Gary Stone," and you will not need to select a resource via the Resource Selection dialog box.


Sharing Data with Other Programs

Although you use Time Logger to time and record your work, you may wish to use another application to analyze the data or print reports.

Also, you may want to share data between different instances of Time Logger.  For example, if you routinely work on two different machines, you'll need to merge the tasks that were timed on the two different systems.

There are three ways in which Time Logger can share its data with other applications.

•	Via the Clipboard

•	Via Import/Export

•	Via Printing to a File

Related Topics:

Sharing Data Via the Clipboard

Sharing Data Via Import/Export

Sharing Data by Printing to a File


Sharing Data Via the Clipboard

Any data that Time Logger displays can be copied to the Clipboard.  Once it is in the Clipboard, you may paste the data into another Windows (or even DOS) application.

The data is copied in a tab-delimited format (that is, columns are separated by tabs) that is appropriate for pasting into either text documents or spreadsheets.  For example, if you use Copy All Tasks to copy the Task List to the clipboard, then paste the data into Microsoft Excel, you'll find that each field has been neatly placed into its own column.

Related Topics:

Copying All Tasks to the Clipboard

Copying a Single Task to the Clipboard

Copying Summary Information to the Clipboard

Copying Subtotals Information to the Clipboard


Copying All Tasks to the Clipboard

When you copy all tasks to the Clipboard, you are actually copying the current Task List to the Clipboard.  Only those fields that appear in the Task List will be copied.

If you want to copy only a few tasks (or only one), set the task filter to filter out all the tasks you want excluded.

Choose Copy All Tasks from the Edit menu (Alt, E, O).  This will bring up the Copy dialog box; its edit box will contain the text of all of the tasks that match the current filter, and all of the text will be selected.  At this point, the text has already been copied to the Clipboard, but you may decide to copy only a portion of it.

If you are happy with having the entire text copied to the Clipboard, choose Close.

If not, you may select the text you wish to copy onto the Clipboard, and then choose the Copy button.  You may even edit the text that is there or add new text before performing the copy.

The Copy dialog box works the same way as the dialog of the same name in the Windows help system.  Note that to insert a carriage return into the text in the edit box, you must press Ctrl-<Enter> rather than just <Enter>.  The dialog was designed this way so that it would exactly match the operating characteristics of the Copy dialog in the Windows help system.


Copying a Single Task to the Clipboard

The Copy Task option of the Edit menu does not copy data from a single task to the Clipboard.  Instead it allows you to make a duplicate copy of a task already in the database, and enter that copy into the database.

To copy the data from a single task, set the task filter to exclude all tasks but the one you are interested in, and select Copy All Tasks from the Edit menu (Alt, E, O).  For more information, see Copying All Tasks to the Clipboard.


Copying Summary Information to the Clipboard

Choosing Copy from the Summary dialog box, will bring up the Copy dialog with the Summary information selected in its edit box.  Choose Copy to have all the data copied to the Clipboard, or select or edit the text you wish to copy before choosing Copy.


Copying Subtotals Information to the Clipboard

Choosing Copy from the Subtotals dialog box, will bring up the Copy dialog with the Subtotals information selected in its edit box.  Choose Copy to have all the data copied to the Clipboard, or select or edit the text you wish to copy before choosing Copy.


Sharing Data Via Import/Export

Importing and Exporting represent the second method of sharing Time Logger data with other applications.  When you export tasks, they are written to an ASCII file with fields delimited by quotation marks and records delimited by newline (carriage return) characters.

If  you use Time Logger to keep track of your time on two or more computers, you will want to use the Import/Export feature to move task data from one to the other (see Sharing Task Data When Running Time Logger on Several Machines).

Related Topics:

Exporting Tasks from the Task Database

Importing Tasks to the Task Database

Sharing Task Data When Running Time Logger on Several Machines


Exporting Tasks from the Task Database

You may choose to export all the tasks in the database, or only those which match the current filter.  Select either Export:All Records or Export:Filtered Records, respectively, from the File menu.

Time Logger will present you with a Filename Selection dialog box to allow you to choose a name for the file to which you will export the records.

While exporting is taking place, Time Logger will keep you informed of the progress of the operation with a Status dialog box.

Here is an example of what two records in an export file look like (each record occupies one line of the export file):

"Coding","Theshold Save/Load","EasyWrite","QuickSoft","60","Karl Krona","04/01/93      12:27 ","04/01/93      14:46 "," 0.00 Hours","Y","Continued on the saving/loading of threshold.  Discussed some issues with Norman, created dialogs, looked at threshold bit-array code."

"Coding","Theshold Save/Load","EasyWrite","QuickSoft","60","Karl Krona","04/02/93      13:21 ","04/02/93      17:23 "," 0.00 Hours","Y","Finished the threshold save for both mono and color images."

The fields within a record appear in the following order

1.	Activity

2.	Subproject

3.	Project

4.	Client

5.	Hourly Rate

6.	Resource

7.	Start Time

8.	End Time

9.	Pause Duration

10.	Edited

11.	Description


Importing Tasks to the Task Database

To import tasks, you simply select a file that contains the quote-delimited records, and Time Logger will bring them in to the database.

To create an importable file with another application, make sure that the format of the file matches that described in Exporting Tasks from the Task Database.

Select Import from the File menu to get things started (Alt, F, I), and choose the import file from the Filename dialog box that appears.

Any tasks in the import file which overlap a task with the same resource that is already in the Task Database cannot be imported.  If such a task is encountered, Time Logger will ask you whether you want to skip that task but continue with other tasks in the file, or whether you'd like to halt the importing altogether.


Sharing Task Data When Running Time Logger on Several Machines

Let's say you work two days per week on your own computer and three days per week on a client's machine.  If the two systems are not connected to a common network, you need a way to merge the tasks timed on the two different systems.  This may be accomplished using the import/export feature to transfer tasks from one machine to the other.  Here's how to do it:

1.	Be sure to use the same names for the task descriptors, and specify the same resource (in most cases, this is your name) on both systems.

2.	On the client's computer, periodically export the tasks that you've timed.  Set the filter to exclude tasks that you've already transferred to your own computer.  For example, if you perform the transfer weekly, filter out all tasks older than one week.  Export the tasks to a file on a removable diskette, and take the diskette to your own offices.

3.	Import the tasks into the Task Database that you maintain on your own system.  You don't need to worry that you will end up with duplicate tasks, since Time Logger will not allow two tasks to overlap (as long as the resources match).


Sharing Data by Printing to a File

A third way of sharing Time Logger data is to print a Time Logger report to a file instead of to a printer.  That is, send the output that would normally go to the printer to a file instead.  Another application may then read that file.

Printing to a file may also be useful for printing the report at a later time, at a different location or several times by copying repeatedly to a printer.

Instructions for printing to a file may be found in your Microsoft Windows User's Guide.  Briefly, you should

1.	Run the Control Panel and choose the Printers Icon.

2.	Select the Generic/Text Only printer (or the printer which will eventually receive the output)

3.	Choose Connect

4.	Select FILE in the Ports list box

5.	Return to Time Logger and choose Print from the File menu.

6.	If the name of the newly selected "printer" is not displayed at the top of the Print dialog box, choose Setup and select the desired "printer" from the Specific Printer combo box; choose OK

7.	Print as usual.  You will be prompted for a filename.


Troubleshooting

Here are some common problems that users report.  If you cannot find the solution to your problem here or elsewhere in your manual, please call our technical support department at the number listed in the front of this manual.

Related Topics:

The Scroll Bar Thumb is at the Top, but the Task Shown is not the Earliest Task

The Column I want to Insert is not Listed in the Insert New Column dialog box

I Can't Adjust the Width of the Description Column Using the Mouse

Scroll Bar Thumb Moves Inconsistently when Scrolling Through the Task List

How do I Copy a Single Task to the Clipboard?


The Scroll Bar Thumb is at the Top, but the Task Shown is not the Earliest Task

Check that the Sort Order is set such that the tasks are displayed chronologically.  If your primary sort field is something other than Start Time, the first task in the Task List may not be the earliest.  Also, check that the filter is off.


The Column I want to Insert is not Listed in the Insert New Column dialog box

Only those columns that are not already represented in the report are listed.  Scroll the Task List window horizontally to determine whether the column is already being displayed.


I Can't Adjust the Width of the Description Column Using the Mouse

If the description is on a separate line from the other fields, you can only adjust its indentation and width from the Column Layout dialog box.


Scroll Bar Thumb Moves Inconsistently when Scrolling Through the Task List

You may notice that when scrolling task by task through the Task List, the thumb or elevator on the scroll bar sometimes does not move at all, and sometimes makes large jumps.

This occurs because the thumb indicates not your absolute location within the Task List, but the position of the primary sort field of the topmost task relative to the other tasks in the Task List.

For example, if the tasks are sorted primarily on start time, and they range from January 1, 1994 00:00 to December 31, 1994 23:59, then the thumb will be in the middle of the scroll bar when the topmost task has a start time of June 30, 1994 11:59.

An advantage of this scheme is that if you know what the range of tasks is (it is displayed in the Summary dialog box), you can more easily use the thumb to find a task with a particular start time.

A disadvantage is that the thumb will seem to move inconsistently if there are a lot of tasks at one end of the range.


How do I Copy a Single Task to the Clipboard?

Set the Task Filter to exclude all tasks but the one you are interested in, then select Copy All Tasks from the Edit menu.


File Menu

New

Open

Rename

Delete File

Import

Export

Backup

Restore

Print

Report Setup

Print Preview

Print Setup

Exit


New

The New command allows you to access a new or existing Task Database.  A File Name Selection dialog box  will appear, and you will be asked to supply a new Task Database name, or choose from a list of existing databases.

Because Task Databases are always kept current on the disk (all tasks are saved to disk as they are entered or modified), the New and Open options on the File menu both bring up the same dialog.

If you provide a new name, an empty database with that name will be opened.

If you supply an existing name, the existing database with that name will be opened.

Note that when you open a new database, you do not have to explicitly save or close the current database.  All tasks are saved to disk as they are entered or modified.

The default extension for a Task Database is ".tsk".  Although you may use your own extension, it is strongly recommended that the .tsk extension be used.  If you specify a name with no extension, the .tsk extension will be added automatically.


Open

The Open command allows you to access an existing (or new) Task Database.  A File Name Selection dialog box will appear, and you will be asked to supply a Task Database name, or choose from a list of existing databases.

Because Task Databases are always kept current on the disk (all tasks are saved to disk as they are entered or modified), the New and Open options on the File menu both bring up the same dialog.

If you provide a new name, an empty database with that name will be opened.

If you supply an existing name, the existing database with that name will be opened.

Note that when you open a new database, you do not have to explicitly save or close the current database.  All tasks are saved to disk as they are entered or modified.

The default extension for a Task Database is ".tsk".  Although you may use your own extension, it is strongly recommended that the .tsk extension be used.  If you specify a name with no extension, the .tsk extension will be added automatically.


Rename

This command allows you to rename the current database.  For example, if the current database is called "untitled.tsk" you may wish to rename it to "consulting.tsk."  To do this, select "Rename..." from the File menu.

When this option is selected, A File Name Selection dialog box will appear that will allow you to choose a new name for your Task Database.

You should not use any other method of renaming Task Database files (such as a DOS or File Manager command), since there is more involved in a rename operation than simply renaming the task file.


Delete File

When working with several databases, or creating column layout files (.lyt files), you may sometimes end up with unwanted files on the disk.  The Delete command is provided as a convenient way to keep your task directory neat.  A File Name Selection dialog box will appear which will allow you to select files that you wish to delete.  Please use caution when deleting Task Databases.

Another reason that this option is provided is that each Task Database consists of a .tsk file and a supplemental file with the ".sup" extension.  When using Delete to delete a task file, the supplemental file is automatically deleted as well.

Time Logger will not allow you to delete the current Task Database.


Import

The import option allows Time Logger to load tasks that are stored in a quote-delimited ASCII file (that is, a text file).

The fields in each line of the file must be in the following order:

1.	Activity

2.	Subproject

3.	Project

4.	Client

5.	Hourly Rate

6.	Resource

7.	Start Time

8.	End Time

9.	Pause Duration

10.	Edited

11.	Description

and each record must be separated from the next with a newline character.

Here is an example of two lines in an importable file:

"Coding","Theshold Save/Load","EasyWrite","QuickSoft","60","Karl Krona","04/01/93      12:27 ","04/01/93      14:46 "," 0.00 Hours","Y","Continued on the saving/loading of threshold.  Discussed some issues with Norman, created dialogs, looked at threshold bit-array code."

"Coding","Theshold Save/Load","EasyWrite","QuickSoft","60","Karl Krona","04/02/93      13:21 ","04/02/93      17:23 "," 0.00 Hours","Y","Finished the threshold save for both mono and color images."

When you select Import from the File menu a File Name Selection dialog box will appear, and you may enter the name of the file containing the tasks.

Any tasks in the import file that overlap a task with the same resource that is already in the Task Database cannot be imported.  If such a task is encountered, Time Logger will ask you whether you want to (1) skip that task but continue with other tasks in the file, or (2) halt the importing altogether.

As tasks are imported, a Status dialog box will keep you informed as to the status of the operation.


Export

Choose the Export All Tasks or Export Filtered Tasks options from the File menu to export tasks in the Task Database to a quote-delimited text file.

Related Topics:

Exporting All Tasks

Exporting Filtered Tasks


Exporting All Tasks

Choosing this option from the File menu lets you export all of the Task Database to a quote-delimited text file.   The text file may be used for sharing data with other programs (see Sharing Data Via Import/Export) or for merging tasks that have been entered on different machines (see Sharing Task Data When Running Time Logger on Several Machines).

A File Name Selection dialog box will allow you specify the name of the file to which the tasks will be exported.  The progress of the operation will be reported by a Status dialog.

The fields within an exported record appear in the following order

1.	Activity

2.	Subproject

3.	Project

4.	Client

5.	Hourly Rate

6.	Resource

7.	Start Time

8.	End Time

9.	Pause Duration

10.	Edited

11.	Description

Here is an example of what two records in an export file look like (each record occupies one line of the export file):

"Coding","Theshold Save/Load","EasyWrite","QuickSoft","60","Karl Krona","04/01/93      12:27 ","04/01/93      14:46 "," 0.00 Hours","Y","Continued on the saving/loading of threshold.  Discussed some issues with Norman, created dialogs, looked at threshold bit-array code."

"Coding","Theshold Save/Load","EasyWrite","QuickSoft","60","Karl Krona","04/02/93      13:21 ","04/02/93      17:23 "," 0.00 Hours","Y","Finished the threshold save for both mono and color images."


Exporting Filtered Tasks

Choosing this option from the File menu lets you export only those tasks that match the current filter.   The text file may be used for sharing data with other programs (see Sharing Task Data When Running Time Logger on Several Machines).  For more information on exporting, see Exporting All Tasks.


Backup

As with any database application, it is vitally important that you back up your Task Database frequently and regularly.  Simply choose Backup from the File menu (Alt, F, B), select a filename for the backup from the File Name Selection dialog box, and choose OK.

Since this is so important, we've designed the program so that it is exceptionally easy to backup the database.  Time Logger will fill in the File Name with the name of the file you backed up to last time you ran a backup, so after you've backed up once, you can always get a backup started simply by typing Ctrl-B, <Enter>.

We recommend that you back up the database to a removable diskette.


Restore

The restore operation only works if you have backed up your Task Database.  Please remember to do this regularly.

If you accidentally delete some or all of the tasks in the database, or if the information is otherwise destroyed, choose Restore from the File menu to recover the tasks from the file that was created the last time you backed up the database.

Simply choose the name of the backup file via the File Name Selection dialog box that will appear, and choose OK.

Even if only some of the tasks in the database were lost, the same procedure may be used.  The restore process allows you to skip over any tasks that are already in the database.  In this case Time Logger will warn you that a record contains a task whose time period overlaps a task already in the database, and it will ask you whether you wish to continue getting records from the file.  Answer Yes.


Print

Use this command to print a document.   This command presents a Print dialog box, that you may use to specify the range of pages to be printed, the number of copies, the destination printer, and other printer setup options.

Related Topics:

Print Dialog Box

Print Progress Dialog Box


Print Dialog Box

The following options allow you to specify how the document should be printed:

Printer

This is the active printer and printer connection.  Choose the Setup option to change the printer and printer connection.

Setup

Displays a Print Setup dialog box, so  you can select a printer and printer connection.

Print Range

Specify the pages you want to print:

Choose	To
All	Print the entire document.
Selection	This option is not relevant for Time Logger, and is always disabled.
Pages	Print the range of pages you specify in the From and To boxes.
Copies

Specify the number of copies you want to print for the above page range.

Collate Copies

Check this box if you wish to print pages in page number order, instead of separated multiple copies of each page.  In most cases you will want to check this box.

Print Quality

Select the quality of the printing.  Generally, lower quality printing takes less time to produce.


Print Progress Dialog Box

The Printing dialog box is shown during the time that Time Logger is sending output to the printer.  The page number indicates the progress of the printing.

To abort printing, choose Cancel.


Report Setup

Choosing this command brings up a dialog that allows you to modify the general appearance of a time report.  You may enter a new Report Title, change the title font, specify additional data to be included in the report or set the margins.

Related Topics:

Report Setup Dialog Box


Report Setup Dialog Box

The Report Setup dialog box  (choose Report Setup from the File menu) looks like this:

Display Tasks Check Box

Check this box if you want the individual tasks to appear in the report.  In most cases, this will be checked.  However, sometimes you may just want to print a summary of the tasks, or just the subtotals.  In this case, uncheck this box.

Display Print Date

If this box is checked, the date and time that the report was printed will be displayed as part of the header on each page.

Display Summary

Check this box to have the Task Summary printed at the end of the report.  The summary includes such information as number of tasks, total duration, etc.  For an example of a report summary, see An Example of How Time Logger Might be Used.

Display Selection Criteria

If you want the report to include a description of how the tasks were selected (that is, how the filter was set), check this box.  This information can be very important if you have set a filter that excludes some tasks.  For more information on filters, see Filter Menu.

Display Subtotals

If this box is checked, Time Logger will compile and display subtotals for the primary sort field.  For example, if your primary sort field is Client, then the report will display the total duration and fee for each of the different clients represented in the Task Database.

Expand height of individual tasks so that entire description is always displayed

In the Column Layout Dialog, you specified the number of lines to be displayed for each task.  Sometimes the length of the description field for a task will prevent the task from being displayed in its entirety within those lines.

If you check the Expand height... button, the number of lines allotted to each task will be expanded or contracted on a task-by-task basis so that the entire description is always visible.

Title Font

Choose this button to select a title font for the report.  This font will be used for the Summary, Selection Criteria, and Subtotal headings as well as the title itself.

Preview

Choose this button to display the time report as it would appear when printed.  This is a shortcut for selecting Print Preview from the File menu.

Print

Use this button to bring up the print dialog box and start a print job.  It is simply a shortcut alternative to selecting Print from the File menu.

Margins

Type in the values, in inches, for the margins you wish to use for the report.


Print Preview

Use this command to display the time report as it would appear when printed.  When you choose this command, the main window will be replaced with a print preview window in which one or two pages will be displayed in their printed format.  The print preview toolbar offers you options to view either one or two pages at a time; move back and forth through the document; zoom in and out of pages; and initiate a print job.

Related Topics:

Print Preview Toolbar


Print Preview Toolbar

The print preview toolbar offers you the following options:

Print

Bring up the print dialog box, to start a print job.

Next Page

Preview the next printed page.

Prev Page

Preview the previous printed page.

One Page / Two Page

Preview one or two printed pages at a time.

Zoom In

Take a closer look at the printed page.

Zoom Out

Take a larger look at the printed page.

Close

Return from print preview to the editing window.


Print Setup

Use this command to select a printer and a printer connection.  This command presents a Print Setup dialog box, with which you may specify the printer and its connection.

Related Topics:

Print Setup Dialog Box


Print Setup Dialog Box

The following options allow you to select the destination printer and its connection.

Printer

Select the printer you want to use.  Choose the Default Printer; or choose the Specific Printer option and select one of the currently installed printers shown in the box.  You install printers and configure ports using the Windows Control Panel.

Orientation

Choose Portrait or Landscape.

Paper Size

Select the size of paper on which the document is to be printed.

Paper Source

Some printers offer multiple trays for different paper sources.  Specify the tray here.

Options

Displays a dialog box from which you can make additional choices about printing.

Network...

Choose this button to connect to a network location, assigning it a new drive letter.


Exit

Use this command to end your Time Logger session.  You can also use the Close command on the application Control menu.

If you have checked the Warn if Task is in Progress at Exit Time box in the Miscellaneous Options dialog box, and a task is currently in progress, you will be asked to confirm your desire to exit the application.

Shortcuts

Mouse:	Double-click on the application's Control menu button.

Keys:	ALT+F4


Edit Menu

Cut

Copy (Task)

Paste

Delete (Task)

Unselect

Insert New Column

Append New Column

Copy All Tasks

Delete All Tasks


Cut

Use this command to remove the currently selected text from an edit control and put it on the Clipboard.  This command is unavailable if there is no text currently selected.

Cutting data to the Clipboard replaces the contents previously stored there.

Shortcuts

Toolbar:

Keys:	CTRL+X


Copy (Task)

Use this command to copy selected text onto the Clipboard or to make a copy of the currently selected task.  This command is unavailable if there is no text or task currently selected.

Copying text to the Clipboard replaces the contents previously stored there.

If a task is currently selected, the text of this menu option will read "Copy Task...".   Choosing this option will bring up the Edit Task dialog box, and copy the contents of the currently selected task into it.  In this case, the clipboard is not used.

This option is useful if you wish to create a new task that is very similar to one that already exists in the database.  After you have edited the information in the Edit Task dialog box, choose OK to have it added to the database.

Note, however, that since Time Logger does not allow any two tasks for the same resource to overlap, you must change the start and end times or the resource for the task.


Paste

Use this command to insert a copy of the Clipboard contents at the insertion point.  This command is unavailable if the Clipboard is empty.

Shortcuts

Toolbar:

Keys:	CTRL+V


Delete (Task)

Use this command to delete the currently selected task or column.  If you have checked Give Warning Before Deleting Individual Task in the Miscellaneous Options dialog box, Time Logger will require that you confirm the deletion of a task.

Deleting a column only changes the column layout of the Task List.  No task data is destroyed.

Shortcuts

Toolbar:

Keys:	Delete


Unselect

If you have selected text in a control, a task, or a column, choosing this option will unselect it.

Shortcut Key:	Esc


Insert New Column

Choose this option to insert a new column into the Task List display.  The Insert New Column dialog box will appear to let you choose which column to insert.

The column will be inserted to the left of the currently selected column.

Note that this command is unavailable when a column is not highlighted.

Shortcuts

Toolbar:

Keys:	F2

Related Topics:

Insert New Column Dialog Box


Insert New Column Dialog Box

This dialog box allows you to select a column to be inserted into the Task List display.  It looks like this:

Select the name of the column you wish to insert, and choose OK.  To insert a column and then immediately repeat the operation, choose the OK & Repeat button.  Only those columns that are not already in the Task List display will appear in the list box of this dialog.

Note that as a shortcut, you can double click on the name of the column you wish to insert instead of choosing OK.


Append New Column

Choose this option to append a new column to the right of the columns displayed in the Task List.  The Append New Column dialog box will appear to let you choose which column to insert.

Shortcuts

Toolbar:

Keys:	F3

Related Topics:

Append New Column Dialog Box


Append New Column Dialog Box

This dialog box allows you to select a column to be appended to the Task List display.

Select the name of the column you wish to append, and choose OK.  To append a column and then immediately repeat the operation, choose the OK & Repeat button.  Only those columns that are not already in the Task List display will appear in the list box of this dialog.

Note that as a shortcut, you can double click on the name of the column you wish to append.


Copy All Tasks

Choose this option to copy the entire Task List to the Clipboard.

When it is selected, the Copy dialog box will appear, and its edit box will contain the text of all of the tasks that match the current filter.  Only those columns that are displayed in the Task List will be represented.

At this point, the text has already been copied to the Clipboard, but you may decide to copy only a portion of it.

If you are happy with having the entire text copied to the Clipboard, choose Close.

If not, you may select the text you wish to copy onto the Clipboard, and then choose the Copy button.  You may even edit the text that is there or add new text before performing the copy.


Delete All Tasks

This option is selected when you wish to delete a number of tasks at once.  Before selecting it, set the Task Filter such that only the tasks you wish to delete are shown.  For example, if you wanted to delete all the tasks prior to April, you would set the task filter to

Start Time 	<	April	End

before deleting all tasks.

Related Topics:

Delete All Tasks Dialog Box


Delete All Tasks Dialog Box

You will always be required to confirm the deletion of the tasks.

As tasks are being deleted, a Status dialog box will show you the status of the operation.  Choosing Cancel from this dialog will stop further deletions, but will not recover deletions that were already performed.

Since Delete All Tasks is a potentially dangerous operation, you can choose to disable it.  To do so, uncheck the Enable Delete All Tasks in the Miscellaneous Options dialog box.

Thus, if the Delete All Tasks option in the Edit menu is grayed out when you want to use it, open the Miscellaneous Options dialog box and reenable the option.

If there is no filter set when you select Delete All Tasks,  or if the filter is disabled, all the tasks in the database will be deleted!


Task Menu

Edit Current Task

Create New Task

Edit Selected Task

Start Current Task

End Current Task

Pause

"Resume" Selected Task

Summary

Subtotals

Current (Resource) Status


Edit Current Task

This option displays the Current Task dialog box, which allows you to view, start, end, pause, or edit the current task.

Related Topics:

Current Task Dialog Box


Current Task Dialog Box

The Current Task dialog box displays the status of the current task, and allows you to start, end, pause, or edit it.  The illustration above shows the dialog box when the current task is in progress.  When not in progress, the Pause, End Task, End/Start New, and Cancel Task buttons are replaced by a single Start Task button.

Important:  The Current Task dialog is a "modeless" dialog.  That is, you can still access menus and other features of Time Logger while the dialog is visible.  Many users find it convenient to leave the dialog up at all times.  If the dialog is visible when you exit Time Logger, it will automatically be opened when you restart the program.

Start

Shows the time at which the task was started.  When a task is in progress, you may edit this edit box.

Now

This box shows the current time.  You may not edit this field.

Duration

Displays the duration of the current task.  A display of "????" indicates that a proper duration cannot be calculated based on the contents of the Start, Now, and Pause Duration edit boxes.  Such a result will occur if the Start Time is later than the End Time.

This field can never be edited.

Pause Duration

Shows the duration of the pause or suspension period.  When the task is paused, this field will be incremented automatically as time elapses, and cannot be edited.  When the task is not paused, this field may be edited.

Start Task

Present only when the task is not in progress, choosing this button starts the current task.

Pause

Present only when the task is in progress and not paused, choosing this button will pause the task.

End Pause

Present only when the task is in progress and paused, choosing this button will end the pause or suspension of the current task.

Task Descriptor Combo Boxes

Enter or select the task descriptors for the task.  The contents of these fields are used for categorizing the task, and for sorting and filtering the Task Database.

Remove

Choose this button if you would like to remove the contents of the associated combo box.  This button will only appear after you have used a combo box, and will sit next to the last accessed box.

Description

Type in a complete description of what transpired or was completed during the time that the task was in progress.  Descriptions such as "Worked on the CAD drawings for the lower floor and stairwells" are appropriate here.


Create New Task

Choose the Create New Task option from the Task menu to add a new task to the Task Database.  This is the feature you will use if, for example, you are entering task data from time sheets, or if you were unable to use the task timing features of Time Logger.

Selecting this option will bring up the Edit Task dialog box.  After you have filled in the task data, choose OK or OK & Repeat.

Related Topics:

Edit Task Dialog Box


Edit Task Dialog Box

The Edit Task dialog box is used to fill in or edit task information for existing tasks or new tasks.  When you have finished editing the data, choose OK to have the task entered into the database, or Cancel to abandon your changes.  Here is a description of each of the fields:

Start

Enter the time at which the task started (See Shortcuts for Specifying Time).

End

Enter the time at which the task ended (See Shortcuts for Specifying Time).

Duration

The duration of the current task.  A display of "????" indicates that a proper duration cannot be calculated based on the contents of the Start, End, and Pause Duration edit boxes.  Such a result will occur if the Start Time is later than the End Time.

This field can never be edited.

Pause Duration

The duration of the pause or suspension period.  If the task had been interrupted for some period, you may enter the duration of the pause here.

Remove

Choose this button if you would like to remove the contents of the associated combo box.  This button will only appear after you have used a combo box, and will sit next to the last accessed box.

Task Descriptor Combo Boxes

Enter or select the task descriptors for the task.   In the above illustration, the combo boxes are labeled with Person, Client, Project, Subproject, Activity, and Hourly Rate.  However, your labels may be different if you have customized them (See Customizing the Task Descriptor Names).  The contents of these fields are used for categorizing the task, and sorting and filtering the Task Database.

Description

Type in a complete description of what transpired or was completed during the time that the task was in progress.  Descriptions such as "Compiled the weekly field report and faxed it to headquarters." are appropriate here.


Edit Selected Task

Choose this option when you wish to modify or just examine the contents of the currently selected task (for information on how to select a task, see Selecting a Task with the Mouse or Selecting a Task with the Keyboard).

The Edit Task dialog box will appear and allow you to modify the fields for that task.  Choose OK to enter the modifications into the database, or Cancel to abandon your changes.


Start Current Task

This option on the Task menu is available only when the current task is not in progress.  Choose it when you wish to start the current task.

There are three other ways to start a task:

1.	Press F9 (the accelerator key for Start Current Task).

2.	Click on the [image] icon in the Toolbar.

3.	Choose the Start Task button in the Current Task dialog box.


End Current Task

This option on the Task menu is available only when the current task is in progress.  Choose it when you wish to end the current task.

There are three other ways to end a task:

1.	Press F10 (the accelerator key for End Current Task).

2.	Click on the [image] icon in the Toolbar.

3.	Choose the End Task or button in the Current Task dialog box.

The third method is recommended, since the task descriptors and description will be visible, making it less likely that the task is entered into the database with incorrect data.


Pause

This option from the Task menu starts or ends a pause in the current task.  It is only available when the current task is in progress.  If the current task is paused, this item will be checked, and selecting it will end the pause.  If the current task is not paused, choosing this menu option will pause it.

The same result may be achieved by clicking on the [image] icon in the toolbar.


"Resume" Selected Task

Many users find that they frequently work on one project, get interrupted by another, then resume work on the original project.  The "Resume" Selected Task option makes it easy to keep track of this kind of activity.

To "resume" work on a task that has already been entered into the database, select the task and choose "Resume" Selected Task.  This will start a new task, and fill in all of the task descriptor and description fields with those of the selected task.

As a shortcut, mouse users may simply double click with the right mouse button on the task they wish to "resume."

The reason the word "resume" is in quotation marks, is that you are not really resuming the task.  You are actually starting a new task, with the same characteristics as one that is already in the database.  The difference is partly a semantic one, since we define "Task" as a single period of activity with one start time and one end time.

Nonetheless, the distinction is important.  If Time Logger were to simply increase the duration of an earlier task rather than adding a new one, information would be lost.  By preserving the start and end times of each task, rather than just accumulating total durations, the program maintains information not only about what you did, but exactly when you did it.

If you use this feature a lot, you may wish to organize the column layout so that many of the most recent tasks are displayed (e.g., set Lines/Task to 1 in the Column Layout dialog box).

Note that if you resume a task when the current task is "In Progress," the Current Task will be ended before the selected task is resumed.


Summary

Choose this option from the Task menu to display information such as total number of tasks, total duration, and total fee.  The information relates to those tasks that match the current filter, or, if no filter is enabled, to all the tasks in the Task Database.

Related Topics:

The Summary Dialog Box


The Summary Dialog Box

Here is an example of the Task Summary dialog box (to view it, choose Summary from the Task menu).

The information in the Task Summary dialog may be copied to the Clipboard by choosing the Copy button.   For more information on this, see The Copy Dialog Box.


Subtotals

To obtain subtotal information about the tasks in the database choose Subtotal from the Task menu.  The subtotal dialog box that will appear can give you, for example, a breakdown of the time you've spent on different activities (e.g., research, writing, editing, proofreading), or allow you to compare your incomes from different clients.

To get subtotals for a given field, choose that field as the primary sort field.  Thus, if you wanted to see a breakdown of hours worked at different hourly rates, you would choose Hourly Rate as the primary sort field.

One special case is the Start Time field.  If you choose this field as the primary sort field, Time Logger will present a subtotal for each day that you worked (that is, how many hours on 6/12/93, how many hours on 6/13/93, etc.).

Related Topics:

The Subtotals Dialog Box


The Subtotals Dialog Box

Here is an example of the Subtotals dialog box:

In this case the subtotals show the breakdown of time spent on different programming activities.  This dialog box is accessed via the Subtotal option in the Task menu.


Current (Resource) Status

Choosing this option will present you with information on who is using the current Task Database.  It brings up the Resource Status dialog box, which shows, for each resource, whether the current task for that resource is in progress, and whether that resource is currently running Time Logger.

This feature is useful primarily to network users.  Note that the text of the menu option depends on the name you have chosen for your resources.  For example, if your resources are called "Programmers," then the menu option will read "Current Programmer Status."

Related Topics:

The (Resource) Status Dialog Box


The (Resource) Status Dialog Box

This dialog box, launched from the Task menu, displays the status of the resources using the current database.  Note that the title of the dialog is based on the name you've chosen for your resources (For example, "Person," "Programmer," or "Lawyer," rather than "Resource.")

For each resource that has used the current database, this dialog box tells whether it currently has a task in progress (and if so, the start time for that task, or N/A -- "Not Applicable" if they don't), and whether that resource is currently running Time Logger.


View Menu

Toolbar

Status Bar


Reference - View Menu - Toolbar
Toolbar

Use this command to display and hide the Toolbar, which includes buttons for some of the most common commands in Time Logger, such as File Open.  A check mark appears next to the menu item when the Toolbar is displayed.

See Toolbar for help on using the tool bar.


Reference - View Menu - Status Bar
Status Bar

Use this command to display and hide the Status Bar, which describes the action to be executed by the selected menu item or depressed toolbar button.  A check mark appears next to the menu item when the Status Bar is displayed.


Filter Menu

Edit Task Filter

Quick Search

Clear Filter


Edit Task Filter

Choose this option if you wish to display only some of the tasks in the database.  The Task Filter dialog box will appear, prompting you for a set of up to seven criteria for selecting which tasks to display.

Shortcuts

Toolbar:

Keys:	F5

Related Topics:

Task Filter Dialog Box


Task Filter Dialog Box

In the Task Filter dialog box (Select Edit Task Filter from the Filter menu),  you may define a filter that will exclude or "filter out" any tasks that you are not currently interested in.  For example, your filter might be:

You may note that start time value of "August" was used in place of the more cumbersome "8/1/93 00:00".  This is an example of one of the shortcuts which may be used anywhere in Time Logger to specify a time (see Shortcuts for Specifying Time).

Once you have specified a filter, it will remain active until you either disable it or change it.  The filter endures even if you exit Time Logger and start it up again.

To disable the filter (and display all of the tasks) simply uncheck the Enable Filter check box in this dialog.

Choosing the Reset button in the Task Filter dialog is a quick way of clearing out all the filter information in preparation for defining a new filter.


Quick Search

If you want to quickly find a task that contains a given string of characters in any of its fields, select this option from the Filter menu.  This will display the Quick Search dialog box.

Related Topics:

Quick Search Dialog Box


Quick Search Dialog Box

The Quick Search dialog box looks like this:

Type in the text for which you wish to search and press <Enter>, and the Task List will display all of the tasks that contain that text.

Quick Search is actually just another way of setting the task filter.  If you do a quick search for the text "debug," for example, then examine the Task Filter, you'll see that it is set to:

Activity	contains	debug	or
Subproject	contains	debug	or
Project	contains	debug	or
Client	contains	debug	or
Person	contains	debug	or
Description	contains	debug	end

You may also enable or disable the filter from within the Quick Search dialog box.

Shortcuts

Toolbar:

Keys:	CTRL+Q


Clear Filter

Choose this option to disable the current task filter, thereby displaying all the tasks in the database.

Shortcuts

Toolbar:

Keys:	F6


Options Menu

Sort Order

Task Display

Font

Column Layout

Icon Display

Pause Handling

Miscellaneous


Sort Order

Select Sort Order when you want to change the order in which tasks are displayed in the Task List.  The Sort Order dialog box will appear, and allow you to select up to four fields on which the database will be sorted.

The sort order will remain in force even if you exit and restart Time Logger.

For more information, see Sorting the Task Database.

Related Topics:

Sort Order Dialog Box


Sort Order Dialog Box

Use this dialog (displayed when you choose Sort Order from the Options menu) to specify the order in which the tasks in the database should be sorted.

In the above example, the database would be sorted primarily by client.  Within each client, tasks would be sorted by project, and for each project, the most recent tasks would appear first (since Start Time is sorted on a descending basis).

Choose Default to return to the standard chronological sort order.


Task Display

Select this option to modify options related to the names of the resource and task descriptors, and the format of the display of durations.

To change the format of displayed dates, times, and currency (e.g., 7/9/93 versus 07/09/1993, 2:00 PM versus 14:00,  etc. ) run the Windows Control Panel, and choose the International icon.

Related Topics:

Task Display Dialog Box


Task Display Dialog Box

This dialog box (choose Task Display from the Options menu to display it) allows you to select names for the task descriptors and for the resource (for more information see Describing the Person or Thing Being Timed).

You may also select a desired format for the display of durations.  An example of each different format is displayed in parentheses.  If you are planning on sharing data with a spreadsheet program, select one of the two number-only formats ("Decimal Hour (3.22)" or "Decimal Hour (3.217)").


Font

Choosing this option allows you to select, via a Font Selection dialog box, the font that will be used for displaying the tasks in the Task List, and in reports.

Shortcuts

Toolbar:

Keys:	CTRL+F

Related Topics:

Font Selection Dialog Box


Font Selection Dialog Box

This dialog box is used to set the font used for the Task List (choose Font from the Options menu) or the report title (choose Title Font from the Report Setup dialog box to bring up this dialog for the title font).

Select the font, style, and size for the tasks or title, and choose OK.


Column Layout

Choose this option to change the column layout of the Task List via the Column Layout dialog box.  Note that many aspects of the column layout (such as column width and the order of the columns) may more conveniently be modified using the mouse (see Changing the Appearance of the Task List).

Related Topics:

Column Layout Dialog Box


Column Layout Dialog Box

This dialog is accessed by choosing the Column Layout option of the Options dialog (Alt, O, C).

For each of the potential fields in the Task List there is a check box and three edit boxes, as in this example for Start Date:

Column

If you wish to have the field represented in the Task List and in a printed report, check the box next to the name of the field.  In the above example, Start Date will be displayed.

Column Heading

Type in the text that you'd like displayed at the top of the column.  In this example, "Date" will appear at the top of the Start Date column.

Order

Enter the order of the column relative to other columns.

In the above example, the order of the Start Date field is "10."  This means that the column will appear to the right of any columns with an order of less than 10, and to the left of any with a higher order.

Because of this interpretation of the order field, you may, for example, number your columns 10, 20, 30, 40, and so on, giving yourself the opportunity to insert a new column (at, say, order 35) later on.

Width

Enter the desired width of the field expressed in characters.   In the above example, a width of 13 leaves plenty of room for a date (such as "10/04/1993").   Note that when using a proportionally spaced font the actual number of characters that fit in the column may be somewhat smaller or larger than this value.

Highlight Group

If, for example, the Task List contains several tasks in a row with the same start date, you may wish to display that start date only for the first task.  For example:

With Group Highlighting:

Date	From	To	Description
04/01/93	10:30	11:15	Worked on Johnson's brief
	11:15	12:25	Continued on brief
	13:40	15:19	Finished Johnson's brief
04/02/93	09:03	10:52	Met with Johnson
Without Group Highlighting:

Date	From	To	Description
04/01/93	10:30	11:15	Worked on Johnson's brief
04/01/93	11:15	12:25	Continued on brief
04/01/93	13:40	15:19	Finished Johnson's brief
04/02/93	09:03	10:52	Met with Johnson
Group highlighting always refers to the leftmost column in the report.  For example, if you make Hourly Rate the leftmost column, then this field will receive the group highlighting treatment.

Lines Per Task

Use this edit box to set the number of lines each task will occupy in the Task List display (see also Report Setup Dialog Box).  If this value is less than the number of lines required to display the entire task description, it will be truncated in the Task List.  That is, the text that does not fit will not be displayed.

Inches Between Columns

To place some extra space between the columns, enter a value greater than zero in this edit box.

Description on Separate Line

You may wish to display the description for a given task on a different line than the start time, end time, etc.  For example, you may choose a layout like this:

03/22/93	10:15	12:22	EasyWrite	Debugging
Continued trying to fix the rounding bug in the main
program.  Determined the location of the problem,
started on a fix for it.

03/23/93	10:01	10:30	EasyWrite	Debugging
Finally solved the rounding bug!

You'll find that this layout gives you room for more columns, yet still allows you to display a detailed description of the task.  You may wish to select values for the indentation and width of the description field which will cause it to line up with one of the columns above it.

Note that with this option, the indentation and width the description field may not be modified with the mouse.

Load and Save

Once you have created a column layout you like,  you may save it to disk by choosing the Save button in this dialog.  Column layouts are saved in files with an extension of ".lyt" and may be loaded later by choosing the Load button.  The Save and Load buttons both bring up the File Selection dialog box, which allows you to specify the name of the layout file.


Icon Display

You will probably end up having Time Logger running all the time, iconized while you are using other applications.  For this reason, we have designed it so the icon can display information such as current time, hours worked today, etc.  (Even more information is provided within the system menu, see System Menu Information.)

Which information is displayed in the icon is set via the Icon Display dialog box.

Related Topics:

Icon Display Dialog Box


Icon Display Dialog Box

This dialog, accessed via the Icon Display option of the Options menu, controls the information displayed when Time Logger is iconized, and when its system menu is displayed.

Display its Icon

Select this radio button if you want Time Logger to simply display its icon when minimized (that is, the picture of a stopwatch).

Display the Time

If you select this option, the current time will be displayed when iconized.  At 7:16 AM, the icon will look something like this:

Display the Day's Hours

Choose this to have the icon show how many hours you've worked today.

Display the Goal Completion Time

One problem with consulting, especially if you work at home, is that you might always feel that you should be working.  That is, in the absence of a clearly defined 9 to 5 workday, it's not clear when you are working and when you are "free."

Some consultants handle this by deciding on a certain number of hours that they will work each day.  Once they've reached that goal, they are guilt-free.

If you tell Time Logger your Daily Goal, it will tell you the time at which that goal will be reached.   For example, if you start work at 8:00 AM, and your daily goal is 8.00 hours, the Goal Completion Time will be 16:00 or 4:00 PM.  If you pause a task for 10 minutes, the Goal Completion Time will slip to 4:10 PM.  Half an hour break for lunch, and it slips to 4:40 PM.

Select the Display the Goal Completion Time radio button to have Time Logger's icon display the time at which your goal will be reached.

Daily Goal

Enter your daily goal here.  If your goal is to work 9 hours, for example, enter "9", "9.00", or "9 h 0 min".

Time Period Start

Some clients may request that you work a certain number of hours per month.  Some retainer agreements require that a consultant work so many hours during a particular period.

Under these circumstances, you may wish to have Time Logger display the number of hours you've worked since a particular date or time.  Note that this figure will not be displayed in the program's icon.  It is displayed in the system menu (for more information, see System Menu Information).

Enter the start of the time period in the Time Period Start edit box.


Reference - Options Menu - Pause Handling
Pause Handling

You've learned that tasks can be paused or suspended when your work is interrupted (see Pausing the Task).

There are different methods for handling the pause information

Related Topics:

Pause Handling Dialog Box


Pause Handling Dialog Box

This dialog is accessed via the Pause Handling item on the Options dialog.

The duration of a task is its total elapsed time minus the pause duration.  However, you may find that it is too complicated to have start time, end time, and pause duration in your reports.  It can be confusing to see a start time of 10:00 end time of 10:30 and a total duration of only 7 minutes.

The Pause Handling dialog box allows you to choose among different ways of handling pauses.

These alternatives to retaining the pause duration are (1) to automatically add it to the start time or (2) to subtract it from the end time of a task.

For example, if you choose to have pause times added to the start time, then whenever you end a task, Time Logger will automatically increment the start time by the duration of the pause.  For example, if you worked from 10:00 to 10:30 with a pause duration of 23 minutes, the task would be adjusted to a start time of 10:23, end time of 10:30 and pause duration of 0.

Choose Add Pause Duration to Start Time, Subtract Pause Duration from End Time, or Retain Pause Information based on your personal preference.


Miscellaneous

Several preference odds and ends are handled in the Miscellaneous Options dialog box.

Related Topics:

Miscellaneous Options Dialog Box


Miscellaneous Options Dialog Box

This dialog box appears when you choose Miscellaneous from the Options menu.

Dialog Color

Select Gray Background if you wish to have dialog boxes displayed with a gray background.  Choose Default Background if you want the background of the dialogs to match the window background color set in the Windows Control Panel.

Window Background

Select Gray Background if you wish to have Task List displayed with a gray background.  Choose Default Background if you want the background to match the window background color set in the Windows Control Panel.

Enable "Delete All Tasks"

The ability to delete all tasks is a powerful yet dangerous feature.  If you want to make sure that you don't select it by accident, uncheck this option.

Give Warning Before Deleting Individual Task

If you wish Time Logger to confirm deletions of individual tasks, check this option.

Require a Description for Each Task

If this box is checked, Time Logger will not allow you to end a task (thus entering it into the Task Database), without filling in the description field.  Unless the nature of  your tasks can be described fully by the task descriptors, it is recommended that you check this box.

Warn if a Task is In Progress at Exit Time

If this box is checked, Time Logger will warn you if you exit either the application or Windows while the current task is in progress.

A potential problem when using Time Logger is forgetting to end a task when you are done with your work.  Checking this option can cut down on this frequency of this problem, since you will be reminded of any In Progress tasks if you exit Windows.

However, if you commonly start a task, exit the application, then restart Time Logger later to end the task, you may wish to leave this option unchecked.

Round Prior to Multiplying when Calculating Fee

This option takes a little explaining.  When displaying durations in decimal hours, the results must be rounded to 2 or 3 decimal places (depending on the format you have chosen).  Let's say you worked 31 minutes, and you've chosen to display durations with 2 decimal places of precision.

The duration of your work is 0.516666... hours, and this displays as 0.52 hours.  If you charge $100 per hour, then your Task Summary will show:

Field	Value
Total Duration:	0.52 hours
Average Rate:	$100.00
Total Fee:	$51.67
The problem is, that although this is correct, you may not wish to send invoices to your clients that read:

0.52 hours @ $100.00 per hour = $51.67

since it looks like you made a math error.

You may avoid this problem by checking the Round Prior to Multiplying when Calculating Fee box.  If this is checked, the total duration and average rate values will be rounded before being multiplied, and the results will agree.  In this case, the above summary would instead contain:

Field	Value
Total Duration:	0.52 hours
Average Rate:	$100.00
Total Fee:	$52.00
This rounding only affects the display of fees in Subtotal and Summaries.  In the above example, the rounding option caused the Total Fee to be slightly higher than it would have otherwise.  In other cases it will be slightly lower.

Open Current Task Dialog on Task Start

Check this option if you want the Current Task dialog box to appear whenever you start a task from the menu, the toolbar or the keyboard.


Help Menu

Index

Using Help

About


Index

Use this command to display the opening screen of Time Logger's On-line Help.  From the opening screen, you can jump to step-by-step instructions for using Time Logger and to various other types of reference information.

Once you open Help, you can choose the Contents button at the top of the help window whenever you want to return to the opening screen.


Using Help

Use this command for instructions on using Help.


About

Use this command to display the copyright notice and version number of your copy of Time Logger.


Reference - Toolbar
Toolbar

The toolbar is displayed across the top of the application window, below the menu bar.  The it provides quick mouse access to many tools used in Time Logger.

To hide or display the Toolbar, choose Toolbar from the View menu (ALT, V, T).

The following table summarizes the actions of the toolbar buttons

Click	To
	Open a new Task Database
	Open an existing Task Database
	Remove the currently selected text from an edit control and put it on the Clipboard
	Copy selected text onto the Clipboard or make a copy of the currently selected task
	Insert a copy of the Clipboard contents at the insertion point
	Delete the currently selected task or column
	Insert a new column to the left of the selected column
	Append a new column to the right of all the other columns
	End the current task
	Pause the current task
	Start the current task
	Bring up the Current Task dialog box
	Bring up the Quick Search dialog box
	Bring up the Filter dialog box
	Disable the current filter
	Bring up the Sort Order dialog box
	Bring up the Font Selection dialog box
	Bring up the Print dialog box
	Display the opening screen of Time Logger's On-line Help.
	Turn on Context Sensitive Help mode.


Reference - Status Bar
Status Bar

The status bar is displayed at the bottom of the Time Logger window.  To display or hide the status bar, choose the Status Bar command in the View menu.

The left area of the status bar describes the action of the currently highlighted menu item or currently depressed toolbar button .

The right areas of the status bar indicate which of the following keys are latched down:

Indicator	Description
CAP	The Caps Lock key is latched down.
NUM	The Num Lock key is latched down.
SCRL	The Scroll Lock key is latched down.


Miscellaneous Features

Here are some features that are not specifically tied to menu options.

Related Topics:

The Title Bar

The Task List and Task List Heading

Scroll Bars

Size Command (System Menu)

Move Command (System Menu)

Minimize Command (System Menu)

Maximize Command (System Menu)

Close Command (System Menu)

Restore Command (System Menu)

Switch to Command (System Menu)

Context Help Command

The File Name Selection Dialog Box

The Copy Dialog Box

The Status Dialog Box

System Menu Information

Shortcuts for Specifying Time

The Time Logger Command Line

The Resource Selection Dialog Box

Access Denied Dialog Box

Double Clicking


The Title Bar

The title bar is located along the top of a window.  This illustration shows the title bars of the main window and the current task dialog.

The text in the title bar of Time Logger's main window includes the name of the application, Time Logger, the currently open task file (consult.tsk in the above example), and the name of the resource who is running the current instance of Time Logger.

The text in the title bar of the Current Task dialog box includes the name of the resource and the state of the Current Task.

To move the window, drag the title bar.

It also may contain the following elements:

•	System Menu button

•	Maximize button

•	Minimize button

•	Restore button (when maximized or minimized)


The Task List and Task List Heading

Time Logger's main window contains a raised gray bar called the Task List Heading, and the visible portion of the Task List.

The Task List may be thought of as a large list box that displays all of the tasks that match the current task filter.  Use the scroll bars to move to any portion of the list that is not visible.

You may select a column that's represented in the Task List (in the above example, the columns Date, From, To, Activity, and Duration are shown) by clicking on it (in the Task List Heading) with the mouse.


Scroll Bars

Scroll bars are found at the right and bottom edges of the Task List display window.  The scroll boxes or "thumbs" inside the scroll bars indicate your vertical and horizontal location in the Task List.  You can use them with the mouse to scroll to other parts of the list.

When you click on the up or down arrows, you will move a task at a time.


Size Command (System Menu)

Use this command from the system menu to display a four-headed arrow that will allow you to size the active window with the arrow keys.

After the pointer changes to the four-headed arrow:

1.	Press one of the DIRECTION keys (left, right, up, or down arrow key) to move the pointer to the border you want to move.

2.	Press a DIRECTION key to move the border.

3.	Press <Enter> when the window is the size you want.

Note:  This command is unavailable if you maximize the window.

Shortcut

Mouse:	Drag the size bars at the corners or edges of the window.


Move Command (System Menu)

Use this command to display a four-headed arrow that will allow you to move the active window or dialog box with the arrow keys.

Note:  This command is unavailable if you maximize the window.


Minimize Command (System Menu)

Use this command to reduce Time Logger to an icon.


Maximize Command (System Menu)

Use this command to enlarge the Time Logger window to fill the entire screen.


Close Command (System Menu)

Use this command to close Time Logger.


Restore Command (System Menu)

Use this command to return Time Logger to the position it occupied before you chose the Maximize or Minimize command.


Switch to Command (System Menu)

Use this command to display a list of all open applications.  Use this "Application List" to switch to or close an application on the list.

Shortcut

Keys:	CTRL+ESC

Dialog Box Options

When you choose the Switch To command, you will be presented with a dialog box with the following options:

Switch To

Makes the selected application active.

End Task

Closes the selected application.

Cancel

Closes the dialog box.

Cascade

Arranges open applications so they overlap and you can see each title bar.  This option does not affect applications reduced to icons.

Tile

Arranges open applications into windows that do not overlap.  This option does not affect applications reduced to icons.

Arrange Icons

Arranges the icons of all minimized applications across the bottom of the screen.


Context Help Command

Use the Context Help command to obtain help on some portion of Time Logger.  Choose the Toolbar's [image] button, and the mouse pointer will change to an arrow and question mark.  Then click somewhere in the Time Logger window, such as on another Toolbar button.  The Help topic will be shown for the item you clicked.


The File Name Selection Dialog Box

In a number of places in Time Logger you will need to choose a file name for opening, renaming, loading, or saving information.  For example, when opening a new Task Database, you need to specify the name of the file in which the tasks are stored.

Here is an example of a File Name Selection dialog box (this one is used for choosing a file that contains column layout information):

The following options allow you to specify the name of the file you are interested in:

File Name

Type or select the filename you want to use.  This box lists files with the extension you select in the List Files of Type box.  If the name you enter here contains a wild card character ("*" or "?"), all the files that match that file specification will be listed.

Choose OK after you have entered or selected the file name.

List Files of Type

Select the type of file you are interested in.

Drives

Select the drive with which you wish to work.

Directories

Select the directory in which the file will be found or will be placed.

Network...

Choose this button to connect to a network location, assigning it a new drive letter.


The Copy Dialog Box

The copy dialog box is part of Time Logger's interface with other applications, and works the same way as the dialog of the same name in the Windows help system.

It appears when you select Copy All Tasks from the Task menu, or when you choose the Copy button in the Summary or Subtotals dialog boxes.

When it appears, its edit box will contain the information to be copied, and all of the text will be selected.  At this point, the text has already been copied to the Clipboard, but you may decide to copy only a portion of it.

If what you wanted copied was the entire text, simply choose Close.

If not, you may select the text you wish to copy onto the Clipboard, and then choose the Copy button.  You may even edit the text that is there or add new text before performing the copy.  Note that to insert a carriage return into the text in the edit box, you must press Ctrl-<Enter> rather than just <Enter>.  The dialog was designed this way so that it would exactly match the operating characteristics of the Copy dialog in the Windows help system.


The Status Dialog Box

The Status dialog box keeps you informed as to the status of Import, Export, Delete, Backup, and Restore operations.  Here is an example:

If you wish to cancel the operation, choose the Cancel button.


System Menu Information

To make it quick and easy to access data that Time Logger maintains, several informational options have been added to the top of the system menu:

Thus, when the application is minimized, you may simply click on its icon to obtain the current time, day's hours, etc.

Here are the four menu options that have been added:

Current Time

This option displays the current time.

Today's Hours

This entry shows the number of hours that have been worked today.  This duration does not include time at which the current task was not in progress or was paused.

Completion At

This displays the time at which the Daily Goal will be reached.  For more information on this and on setting the Daily Goal, see Icon Display Dialog Box.

Period Hours

This option shows the number of hours in the current period, that is, the number of hours of timed activity since the Goal Period Start Time set in the Icon Display dialog box.


Shortcuts for Specifying Time

To make it easier to specify times, Time Logger allows a number of shortcuts (such as typing "May" instead of "5/1/93 00:00").

Here are examples of the short cut strings allowed, with a description of how each is interpreted.

Example	Interpretation
Now	Current year, month, day, and time
4:00	Current year, month, and day assumed
4	4:00, current year, month, and day assumed
Today	0:00, current year, month, and day assumed.  For example, if today were 2/3/94, then Today would be equivalent to 2/3/94 0:00
Yesterday	0:00 yesterday.  For example, if today were 2/3/94, then Yesterday would be equivalent to 2/2/94 0:00
1/3/93	1/3/93 0:00
4/5	4/5/xx 0:00, where xx is the current year.
4/5 4:00	Current year assumed
4:00 PM	Current year, month, and day assumed
1 PM	1:00 PM, current year, month, and day assumed
this week	0:00 on Sunday of the current week
this month	0:00 on the first day of the current month
this year	1/1/xx 0:00 where xx is the current year
last week	0:00 on Sunday of the preceding week
last month	0:00 on the first day of the preceding month
last year	1/1/xx 0:00 where xx is the previous year
September	1/1/xx 0:00 where xx is the current year, unless the time would be in the future, in which case xx represents the previous year.  That is, on Feb. 5, 1993, if you enter "December" it will be interpreted as "12/1/92 0:00"
Important Note

When using these strings in the task filter dialog, remember that all strings are interpreted as a single point in time.  Although "September" might sound like it means all of the month of September, it in fact refers to 9/1 0:00.  If you set your task filter to "Start Time = September" there will likely be no tasks that match the filter (that is, no tasks are likely to start at exactly 9/1 0:00).


The Time Logger Command Line

The Time Logger command line may be used to specify a resource and/or a Task Database.

When changing the properties of a Time Logger program item in the Windows Program Manager, one of the edit boxes in the Properties dialog box is used to specify the command line (see the Program Manager's documentation if you need more information on this).

At a minimum, this command line must contain the text "TIMELOG", the name of the executable file (an extension of .exe is assumed).

If Time Logger is run with this  minimal command line, it will reopen the last Task Database that it worked with (or "UNTITLED.TSK" if none has been accessed), and it will ask you to specify a resource.

However, you may specify two additional pieces of information on the command line: a Task Database, and/or a resource.

There are only three rules for the format of the command line:

1.	The application's executable file name TIMELOG must come first.

2.	The resource must be enclosed in single or double quotation marks (see examples below).

3.	The name of the Task Database file must not be enclosed in quotes and the file must exist.

Here are some examples of valid command lines:

timelog

Timelog

TIMELOG

TIMELOG.EXE

TIMELOG FULLTIME.TSK "Bob Wilson"

timelog.exe "Tom Clinton" newtasks

TIMELOG "Tom Clinton"

TIMELOG.EXE newtasks

For information on creating a new program item and entering its command line, see Bypassing the Resource-Selection Dialog.


The Resource Selection Dialog Box

The Resource Selection dialog box appears when Time Logger is launched.  It appears only if a resource name was not provided on the command line.  Note that the exact title depends on the term you use to describe your resources (see Describing the Person or Thing Being Timed).  In the dialog box above, the resource is described with the term "Person."

Time Logger can be used to track the activities of many resources (usually persons) at the same time (see Timing the Activities of Multiple Resources).  Each instance of the Time Logger application, however, is restricted to modifying the Current Task data for a single resource.

Thus, whenever an instance of Time Logger is launched, the program must be told the name of the resource whose activities will be timed.  This may be done by specifying the resource in the Resource Selection dialog.

To choose a resource, simply type it in, or select it from the list of resources, then choose OK.  Since a resource name is required for every instance of Time Logger, choosing Cancel will automatically exit the application.

Alternatively, the Resource Selection dialog box may be bypassed if you provide the name of the resource on the command line.

Providing the Resource Name on the Command Line

When you installed Time Logger, the installation program asked you for the name of the person or resource whose activities would be timed.  It used that information to create a program item in the Time Logger program group that could be used to launch Time Logger for that particular resource.

To create a program item that will launch Time Logger for a different resource, make Program Manager the active application, and activate the Time Logger program group (or any other group in which you'd like to place the new program item).  Next, choose New from the Program Manager's File menu.  The following dialog box will appear.

Select "Program Item" and choose OK.  This will bring up the Program Item Properties dialog box.

In this illustration, the program item has been set to run an instance of Time Logger for the resource named "Gary Stone."  Instead of "Gary Stone" enter the name of the person or resource for whom that instance of Time Logger will be run.

When you choose OK, a new program item will be added to your program group.  It should look something like this:

When you double click on that item, Time Logger will be launched for the resource "Gary Stone," and you will not need to select a resource via the Resource Selection dialog box.


Access Denied Dialog Box

This dialog box will appear when you launch Time Logger if any of the following is true:

1.	The resource that is named in the first paragraph of the dialog is already using the Task Database you wish to access

2.	The system or Time Logger crashed

3.	You turned off the computer without exiting Time Logger or Windows

If situation 1 is true, you should not override the access denial.  You should either choose another resource, or select Cancel (in this situation, choosing Cancel will exit the application).

If situation 2 or 3 is true, you should choose Yes, Override and gain access to the database.

The dialog will also appear if you try to open a database which is already being used by the current resource.


Double Clicking

Double clicking on a task with the left mouse button brings up the Edit Task dialog box, and allows you to modify the information for that task.

Double clicking on a task with the right mouse button "resumes" that task.  That is, it starts a new task with the same description and task descriptors as the task you double clicked on.  For more information on this, see "Resume" Selected Task.


Glossary of Terms

Case Insensitive

Column

Column Heading

Column Layout

Control Panel

Current Task

Currently Selected Column

Currently Selected Task

Daily Goal

Duration

End Task Button

End Time

Filter

Goal Completion Time

In Progress

Instance

Launch

Overlap

Pause

Pause Duration

Paused

Primary Sort Field

Resource

Start Time

Task

Task Database

Task Descriptor

Task Descriptors

Task List

Task List Display

Task List Heading Bar

Toolbar


Case Insensitive

Characters are matched without regard to whether they are lowercase or uppercase.  For example, "ABC" matches "Abc" matches "abc"


Column

A column in the Task List is similar to a column in a spreadsheet or table, and displays one field of a task (such as Start Time, Hourly Rate, or Description).


Column Heading

The text that appears above a column in the Task List.  For example, "Description" might be the column heading for the Description field.


Column Layout

Refers to the positions and widths of the columns of information in the Task List.  The column layout may be modified with the mouse, or through the Column Layout dialog box.


Control Panel

The Control Panel is a Windows application used to control color, printers, fonts, and other aspects of the Windows environment. To run it, open the "Control Panel" icon in the Main program group of the program manager.


Current Task

The Current Task is a special task used to time your activities.  There is only one current task for each resource, and it can be in any of three states: Inactive, In Progress, or Paused.


Currently Selected Column

The highlighted column in the Task List display heading.  To highlight a column, click on it (in the heading) with the mouse.  There is no way to highlight a column using the keyboard.


Currently Selected Task

The task in the Task Database that is highlighted.  You may highlight (that is, select) a task by clicking on it with the mouse, or by pressing the <Enter> key when viewing the Task Database.


Daily Goal

The number of hours of work you would like to accomplish in a single day.  This value is set from the Icon Display Options dialog.


Duration

The total duration of the task.  It is the end time minus the start time minus the pause duration.


End Task Button

The button in the Current Task dialog which is used to end a task.  Note that this button is visible only when a task is In Progress.


End Time

The time at which a task ended.


Filter

Setting a Task Filter is a way of choosing to display only some of the tasks in the Task Database.  It "filters out" all the tasks you are not interested in.


Goal Completion Time

The time at which you will have worked the number of hours specified in your Daily Goal.


In Progress

A task is "In Progress," if it has been started, but has not yet been ended.


Instance

One occurrence of a running Windows application.  For example, if you double click on a program's icon in the program manager, then double click on that same icon again, you will be running two instances of the same application.


Launch

To start a Windows application.  An application may be launched by double clicking on its icon, or by typing its name in the File/Run dialog box of the Program Manager.


Overlap

Two tasks overlap if the end time of the earlier task is later than the start time of the later task.  Overlapping tasks for the same resource are not allowed.


Pause

A timed suspension of the current task.  The pause time is subtracted from the total task duration.


Pause Duration

The total duration of the time that the task was paused.


Paused

The current task is said to be "paused" or "suspended" if it is in progress and the Pause button has been clicked.  In this state, time that is elapsing does not contribute to the duration of the task.


Primary Sort Field

The Task Database may be sorted by up to four different fields.  The Primary Sort Field is the most important of these.


Resource

A resource is a person or object whose activities will be timed.  It could be a programmer, a salesperson, an accountant, or a computer.


Start Time

The time at which a task started.


Task

 In Time Logger, a task is a single activity with an exact starting and ending time.  Let's say that today you worked on the weekly status report from 9:32 to 10:15.  That would represent a single task, even if you didn't finish the status report.


Task Database

A Task Database is a collection of tasks.


Task Descriptor

A Task Descriptor is one of six fields used to categorize a task.  The default names for these descriptors are: Person, Client, Project, Subproject, Activity, and Hourly Rate.


Task Descriptors

The six fields used to categorize a task.  The default names for these descriptors are Person, Client, Project, Subproject, Activity, and Hourly Rate.


Task List

The Task List is the display, in Time Logger's main window, of all the tasks that match the current task filter.  It may be thought of as a very large list box.


Task List Display

The displayed list of the tasks that match the current filter.  The list is displayed in Time Logger's main window.


Task List Heading Bar

The Task List Heading Bar is the gray bar that appears just below the toolbar and/or menu.  It contains the headings for the columns in the Task List.


Toolbar

The toolbar is a row of buttons that appears right below the menu in Time Logger's main window.  The buttons give you quick access to the application's most commonly used features.


The End Task button appears in the Current Task Dialog once the task has been started.


You can even exit Windows and turn off your computer while you're working -- Time Logger will remember the time at which you started each task.


You can in fact use the >> and << buttons throughout the online help system to move through topics in a logical order.


"TSK" is the default extension for Task Databases.  It is added if you do not specify a filename extension.


You may also bring up the Current Task dialog by clicking on the [image] icon on the toolbar.


The longest allowable task duration is about 68 years!


To keep things simple, we will assume that the resource whose time we are tracking is you.


To remind yourself to start a new task when you return to your computer, try leaving the Time Logger window on top of all the others with the Current Task dialog open.


You can also pause the task by clicking on the [image] icon in the toolbar.


If you feel you really can do two things at once, you can get around this restriction by breaking yourself into two or more resources.


Ctrl-B is the accelerator key for Backup.


It is far easier to change the layout with the mouse than via the keyboard.


If you ever find that tasks that you entered are missing from the database, check that the filter is not excluding them.


The text search is always case insensitive.


You may also edit a task by double clicking on it.


Alternatively you may click on [image]  icon in the toolbar.


This is a dangerous operation.  You should backup your database before trying it.


The other way is to share the Time Logger information with other programs, and use their printing functions (see Sharing Data with Other Programs).


If you will be using Time Logger to track the time of only one user, you can skip this section of the online help.


It is only necessary to launch more than one instance of Time Logger if you will actually be timing the activities of multiple resources.


If you need information on terms like "Program Item," open the on-line help for Program Manager.


Ctrl-B is the accelerator key for Backup.


This is a dangerous operation.  You should backup your database before trying it.


If you ever find that tasks that you entered are missing from the database, check that the filter is not excluding them.


The text search is always case insensitive.


A font is said to be "proportionally spaced" if some characters (such as "W") are wider than others (such as "i").


The Control Panel is a Windows application that lives in the Main program group of the Program Manager.


Don't worry too much, you will always be required to confirm a deletion of all tasks.


Remember, you should always exit Windows before turning off your computer!


These options are for information only.  Although they are on a menu, they are not menu commands in the usual sense.


You may also choose a resource by double clicking on it.


If you need information on terms such as "Program Item," open the on-line help for Program Manager.