Overview

Tab bar icons

The tab bar icons provide access to generic TimeTrackEssentials facilities and appear on every screen with consistent meanings according to context. The app will open by default the first time on the Activities screen, otherwise it will open on the screen you last left.

Activities

The Activities screen displays the prevailing scope, defined by a period falling between two inclusive dates and a scrolling list of corresponding activities.

Settings

Presents a context sensitive app settings screen to enable you to adjust a variety of customisable application settings including the presentation pf the Help, Contact and Log tabs below.

Logs

When you click on the diagnostics icon, the system displays the Log screen which displays any logged application log messages. This provides general information messages such as version numbers, warnings such as fully recoverable errors and faults where unexpected conditions have occurred. These messages can be especially helpful in tracking down and resolving problems should they happen. Visibility of this icon is controlled through Settings.

Help

When you click on the Book icon, the system opens a web page providing access to the documentation supporting the app. This includes an overview, screen summaries plus video guides, data privacy policy and a glossary. Visibility of this icon is controlled through Settings.

Contact

Presents a contact form to the Developer of TimeTrackEssentials (MathsTutor UK, a trading name of Jan 59 Limited) into which you can write any queries, copy and paste any data or provide feedback of any kind as required.  Visibility of this icon is controlled through Settings.

Activities

The Activities screen displays the prevailing scope, defined by a period falling between two inclusive dates and a scrolling list of corresponding activities.

Navigation bar

Long tap any navigation bar icon to display a context sensitive tooltip describing its purpose.

Add activity

 

 

 

 

Tap to add a new activity using the Activity screen.

Update scope

Tap to change the scope using the Scope screen

Extract to .csv

Tap to extract all the data that falls within the prevailing scope to a .csv file for sharing using the standard iOS share screens.

Show inactive/active

Tap to toggle the display between showing active and inactive activities. An active activity has activation and closing dates that overlap the prevailing scope. An inactive activity has activation and closing dates that both fall outside the prevailing scope.

Scope section

Period:

Describes the standard scope currently applied. These are automatically maintained as time passes. See the Scope screen for a list of the pre-defined options.

From:

The earliest date within the scope for a custom scope. A custom scope will not change as time passes.

To:

The latest date within the scope for a custom scope.

Activities section

<Activity>

Each activity presents the following summary information:

• The name of the activity.
• The actual amount of time spent so far on this activity within the prevailing scope.
• If the activity has an associated target
  • The planned time that should be spent over the prevailing scope.
  • the percentage completed against plan for the prevailing scope.
  • The amount of time over or behind plan for the prevailing scope.
• If you are currently engaged on a task associated with this activity:
  • The name of the task
  • The date/time you started working on that task.

Gestures

• Tap on the activity to maintain the activity details on the Activity screen

Swipe left on the activity to expose a delete icon. Tap the delete icon to delete the activity.

Scope

The scope screen enables you to specify the date range applied to all calculations. In addition to specifying a custom range by entering a start and end date explicitly you can select from some dynamically defined ranges.

Scope options

A Picker wheel presenting different scope options.

• All activity to date
• Today
• This week
• This month
• This year
• This week to date
• This month to date
• This year to date
• This activity month
• This activity year
• This activity month to date
• This activity year to date
• Custom

 

Custom allows you to specify fixed start and end dates for the prevailing scope.

An activity period calculates everything with respect the start date of the activity. For example if the activity has a start date of 4^th of the month then the tasks falling within the previous 4^th of the month and the next 4^th of the month will be included in the prevailing scope for “This activity month”.  On the other hand a non activity period (eg “This month”) calculates everything with respect to the calendar month (from the 1^st of the current month to the start of the next calendar month). This distinction is helpful when periodic billing falls in line with different contracted start dates.

Calendar specifics (eg start of the week) respect the localised settings on your device.

Activity

The Activity screen enables you to display and maintain all the activity details.

Navigation bar

Long tap any navigation bar icon to display a context sensitive tooltip describing its purpose.

Activate/Deactivate

Tap to re-activate a de-activated activity or to de-activate an active activity. This option is not displayed while an activity is actually tracking a task.

Tasks

Tap to display all the tracked tasks recorded in line with the prevailing scope.

Tracking task section

Start/Stop Tracking button

Tap to toggle task tracking on and off

Tracking task title

If this task is tracking this presents its title. It will default if not specified to the same name as the default task description which in turn defaults to the most recently tracked task description for this activity or if this is the first task, it defaults to the name of the activity. It can be updated at will.

Activity details section

Name

Title for the overall activity. If the name of activity is blanked, it will not be persisted unless there are tasks associated with it.

Description

Expanded description of the activity as required.

Default task description

A pick list of previously entered task descriptions in alphabetical order. Defaults to the most recent task description used.

Target time

Enter the amount of time you expect, plan or are contracted to do as a total for the selected target time basis.

Target time basis

Select from Daily, Weekly, Monthly, Quarterly or Yearly

The default is Monthly

Registration

Activated on

The start date of the activity. If the defined scope ends before this date the activity will not appear. Title for the overall activity.

De-activated on

The date the activity was closed (de-activated).

Activity annual calendar

Runs from:

The contracted start date of the activity. Defines the billing period for an Activity month or year.

Tasks

The Tasks screen enables you to display and maintain all the tracked tasks recorded against an activity.

Navigation bar

Long tap any navigation bar icon to display a context sensitive tooltip describing its purpose.

Add task

Tap to add a task manually. The task will be created with the default description and with the current date and time as both the start and end time.

Tasks

Each task presents the following summary information:

• The task title.
• The time recorded for this work unit in hours and minutes.
• The start time recorded against the task. If the time recorded against this task has been manually defined, then just the start date is presented.
• The end time recorded against the task. If the time recorded against this task has been manually defined, then just an end date is presented indicting the period over which the manually entered time was spent if later than the start date.
• If the task has been manually generated or edited, then a note confirming this fact is displayed.

Gestures

• Tap on the task to maintain the task details on the task screen
• Swipe left on the task to expose a delete icon. Tap the delete icon to delete the task

Task

The Task screen enables you to display and maintain all the task details.

Navigation bar

Long tap any navigation bar icon to display a context sensitive tooltip describing its purpose.

Derive/Manual duration

Toggles between “Derive duration” and “Manual duration”.

Tap “Derive duration” for the system from the start and end times presented.

Tap “Manual duration” to enter the duration explicitly.

Title

Task title. Tap onto the field to update it.

Description section

Expanded task description as required. Tap onto the field to update it.

Tracked times section

From:

Start tracked date and time for this task. Tap the date and time pickers as required to adjust. For manually entered durations, just the from date is presented.

To:

End tracked date and time for this task. Tap the date and time pickers as required to adjust. For manually entered durations, just the to date is presented.

Manual edit advice

Presented If the task ‘from’ or ‘to ‘dates have been manually adjusted or if a manual duration has been entered.

Settings

The Settings screen allows the operator to configure the application specific settings, access to the general settings screen and access a range of data management Utilities

Navigation bar

Long tap any navigation bar icon to display a context sensitive tooltip describing its purpose.

App specific settings

There are no application specific settings in this release.

General settings

UI tab preferences and utilities

Presents the General settings screen where you can configure the visibility of the Logs, Help and Contact tabs.

Utilities

Import and append data

Access Import and append data utility

• Append database: Appends the database by importing and appending a set of JSON files available in your files (eg a compatible database shared with you by someone else).

Data backup

Access data backup and restore utilities

• Backup database: Takes a full backup of the database by exporting it in JSON format to externally accessible files.
• Restore database: Restores the database by importing a set of JSON files previously created by a Backup

Cloud tools

Access data management tools

• Data Integrity check: Runs through the database and checks that all references are valid, and that there are no orphans. All results are reported in the application log which can be inspected on the Logs screen.
• Upload database: Uploads your database to the developers website for analysis if required to deliver support commitments.

Logs

The Logs screen enables you to display diagnostic messages recorded about the system as it runs.

Each log presents the following summary information:

• A colour coded classification
  • Green: Information
  • Orange: Warning
  • Red: Fault
• The time stamp when the diagnostic message was written.
• The diagnostic message itself.

 

Gestures

• Tap on the log to inspect the log details on the log screen
• Swipe left on the log to expose a delete icon. Tap the delete icon to delete the log.

Log detail

The Log detail screen enables you to display and inspect all the logged details.

Summary

Type

A colour coded classification

• Green: Information
• Orange: Warning
• Red: Fault

Class

The name of the class or struct where the need for the message was identified and written.

Method

The named block of programming code where the need for the message was identified and written.

Detail

Message

The diagnostic message written to the log.

Context data

Additional information expanding on the context that caused the diagnostic log message to be written if provided.

General settings

The General settings screen allows the operator to configure the visibility of the Logs, Help and Contact tabs.

Navigation bar

Utilities

When you press the Utilities button, the system displays a drop down menu of utilities.

Share application logs: Shares the application logs with the developer if required.

Tab visibility section

Show logs

If switched on displays the System Logs tab useful in diagnosing system issues.

Show help

If switched on displays the Help tab to access this documentation and presents a webpage which enables navigation through this documentation.

Show contact

If switched on displays the Contact tab which enables the operator to contact the developer if required and presents a contact form accordingly.