I’ve just noticed that the Time-Tracker has been featured on Screeniac.com. The screencast is nicely done and thorough.

Screencast review is a great idea. There are so many new web apps these days, it’s nice to be able to sit back and watch the reviewer going through the main features of the application. It’s the perfect complement to sites like techcrunch.

One remark though, I’d like to see different file formats for the screencasts, or better, embedded flash video.

Yesterday I added the new export options to the Time-Tracker (in the account drop-down panel). You’ll find three different formats:

• xml - This is the most detailed export. Everything that is being recorded is exported here (sorry no DTD available).
• csv - This one is ideal for Excel and other spreadsheet softwares. It lists all the tasks and time-slices with date and duration. If you don’t get what you need with this export drop me a note, I’ll tweak it.
• opml - This is an outline of your tasks (name and duration). It could be useful if you want to display your daily activities on your blog (wordpress plug-in anyone ?).

If you’re using Excel, don’t forget about Bryce Shober’s Excel spreadsheet. It might just be what you need (more about it here).

As for a read-write API, it’s still on the drawing board…

Technorati Tags: Time-Tracker, Productivity, Ajax

Time-Tracker v2.0 is now live.

If you are not familiar with it, the Time-Tracker is a simple productivity tool that keeps track of the time you spend on any task. It is ideal for people who bill clients by the hour and for those who just want help with their time management.

The Time-Tracker takes the guess-work out of the equation. Use it when you’re ready to start a new task and when you switch tasks. It is designed to be as little intrusive as possible. You’re never more than a couple clicks away from keeping it up-to-date.

This new version includes drag & drop sorting, unlimited nesting of tasks, time-slice level comments, and more. It was tested with IE6(*), Firefox 1.5, Opera 8.5 and Safari 2.0.2.

I’m looking for developers to contribute 3rd party components (widgets, reporting tools…). If you’re interested, please get in touch with me .

Version 1.0 will be taken down around 10pm GMT-5. I expect the transition to go smoothly, but if you encounter any problem, please report it here in the comments or on the discussion board.

(*) If you use IE6 and experience any problem with the Time-Tracker, please drop me an email. If possible keep a note of any javascript error you get.

Technorati Tags: Productivity, Time Management, Time-Tracker, Ajax

It has been a busy holiday season and I’m running a bit behind schedule, but Time-Tracker 2.0 is almost ready. So, without any further introduction, check it out here:

http://www.formassembly.com/time-tracker2/

The application runs in ‘read-only’ mode, which means you can view your existing tasks and play with the new app safely, but changes are not recorded. This quarantine period will insure that everything run smoothly and that no data will get corrupted or lost in the upgrade. This also means registration doesn’t work. Go to Time-Tracker 1.0 if you want to register.

New Features in Time-Tracker 2.0

• Drag & Drop sorting.
• Sub-tasks - Tasks can be nested under each other.
• Safari & Opera support (tested with Safari 2.0 and Opera 8.5).
• Filters, to show duration for the day, week or month.
• Improved user interface.
• Runs on Freja- the new zero-latency Javascript Framework -

Upcoming features

• Task Reports
• Complete API
• Windows & Mac Widgets

If you’d like to contribute one of the feature above, email me. Any help is appreciated !

Technorati Tags: Productivity, Time Management, Ajax, Freja

I’m planning on a major overhaul of the Time-Tracker this month. There have been a lot of suggestions (and sometimes complaints) and there’s no shortage of ideas for this new version. I’ll post more details about it soon, but now I’d like to present the first user contributed extension to the Time-Tracker: Bryce Shober’s Excel spreadsheet.

This is particularly interesting because this gives a great tool to visualize your data and build your own reports. The spreadsheet is tied to your account (using the export key available in the ‘account panel’ on the Time-Tracker) and can be updated in a single click (see screenshot below).

Unfortunately it only works with the latest version of Excel, so couldn’t check it out yet, but here’s a couple screenshots for you.

If you have any question or comments, please post them below. Thanks.

Technorati Tags: Productivity, Time Management, Ajax, Freja

I rolled out a new update to the Time-Tracker tonight. The time-tracker is going through a steady growth of traffic and requests and bug reports were pilling up.

This minor update fixes a nasty bug which caused some of you to lose data. I use the Time-Tracker myself so I’m really committed to making it robust and reliable, but remember this is a beta and it is provided as-is (see the legal info).

The new feature is the export function. If you go to the account panel, you’ll see a ‘Export Key’ link. For now, the only format available is the raw XML used internally by the Time-Tracker. I’ll add soon a CSV (Excel) export format.

The (REST) web service that provide the data is available at this address:
http://www.formassembly.com/time-tracker/srvc-export.php?key=

You’ll have to add your key in the query string.

The deal is that if you write a script or a XSL template that make a good use of the XML data, I hope that you’ll share it with us.

Dec. 2nd Update: I added a stylesheet for print. Your task list should now look better once printed. More updates are on the way.. be patient !

Productivity, Time Management, Time Tracker

Updated Sept. 2nd 2005

The two updates are (1) a save status indicator and (2) an improved time-slices view.

The save operation in the Time-Tracker happens behind the scene and automatically. It is so transparent that even when to operation fails, you can keep working with the application without realizing it. This, of course, can cause the loss of information if you navigate away from the application before a successful save can occur.

The new indicator, in the top right corner, will help you feel reassured that your data are safe when its time to leave the application. If the icon shows a black floppy disk, you’re good. If the icon is animated, that means that the save operation is still in progress. You can still work with the application, but you shouldn’t close it. If the animation doesn’t stop, or if you get the red icon, then we have a problem. The server or the database maybe down and your last changes have not been recorded. In this case, you can keep the application open and try to force a save later (by creating or editing a task for instance).

The new time-slices view now shows the duration of each time-slice (an oversight obviously… thanks David). From the comments I’ve got, people are not crazy about the way the clock works. A simpler slider might be the way to go. On the other hand, I have finally tracked down and eradicated (I think) the bug I had with the Javascript / Flash integration, so I’ll give a second chance to the clock. Let me know if you like it or not.

Update - Sept. 2nd 2005 : I added a warning message if you try to leave the Time-Tracker while a save operation is still in progress. This should help with those who reported timers running all night.

Also, I had to work around a bug in IE6 /Windows XP. Basically, creating a date object, translating it into a textual representation in the local language and then converting it back to a date object usually works fine (at least with french and english date formats) but fails with russian regional settings, where it returns NaN (not a number) … go figure. Thanks to Andrey for pointing out this problem.

Update: Comments are now closed on this entry. The discussion continues here: Time Tracker v1.2.

Technorati Tags: Productivity, Time Management, Time Tracker

The version 1.1 beta is out. There are several interface changes, a few new functionalities, some bug fixes and of course some new bugs as well.

Thanks to Tom, David, Jay, Mari, Kaniz and the others for their feedback. Not everything has been taken into account yet, but here’s the short list of what made it into Time Tracker v1.1.

Improvements

• You can now adjust the time of the start/stop events.
• Most of the interface buttons are now regrouped in a contextual menu.
• You can set user preferences:
  • visual effects [on/off]
  • starting a task stops all other task [yes/no]
  • contextual menu behavior [click/hold down]

The visual effects are based on the script.aculo.us library, and to the credit of its author, Thomas Fuchs, it was a breeze to integrate.

The clock adjustment functionality relies on the Javascript / Flash integration kit. It is still buggy and you should use it with caution. Make sure it display the right time before you start dragging the clock’s hand around (you may have to wait a little bit after selecting a date).

As always, your feedback is appreciated.

Technorati Tags: Productivity, Time Management, Ajax

Genesis

I had a boss whom, when receiving my time estimate for a particular project, would always multiply my numbers by two. You would think that was his way to include overhead costs and still make profit, but no, he simply knew that despite my most honest and informed analysis, I always underestimated the task at hand.

This multiplication formula still applies today, so I decided to start gathering some reliable data about the time I spend on my freelance and personal projects. And that’s how the Time-Tracker was born.

The Time-Tracker Application

Time-Tracker is a very simple application that helps you keep track of the time you spend on any given task. It’s like having a timer at hand that you can start and stop in a couple of clicks (literally).

This is a beta version. It does the job well when it comes to recording the start & stop events and compounding the total time accumulated on a task. It still needs more advanced reporting statistics, like work distribution over time, average consecutive time spent on one task, etc.. but the first improvement coming will be the ability to adjust the timers (because you will forget to start or stop the timers at some point).

If you think of other stats or features that could be useful to the application, please share them in the comment form below.

Under the hood

On a technical note, Time-Tracker is a single-screen application relying extensively on Ajax technologies (DOM Scripting, XmlHttpRequest and client-side XML/XSLT).

It currently works with Gecko-based browsers (Firefox, Mozilla, Netscape, Camino), Internet Explorer (PC 5.5+) and Opera 8.01. I am still tinkering with the javascript for Safari, but hopefully it will be supported as well soon.

The developpement process was outlined in this series of articles:

• Ajax Makeover : Time Tracking Application (Introduction)
• Ajax Makeover: Adding a Smart Type Ahead
• Ajax Makeover: Type-Ahead Service
• Ajax Makeover : Client-side data management with XML (part 1)
• Ajax Makeover : Client-side data management with XML (part 2)
• Coming Article: Application interface using client-side XSL templates

Low level XML/XSL functions are provided by the Sarissa library.

Opera and Safari lack native support for XSLT, so the processor is emulated using Google’s brand new AjaXSLT open-source library. The downfall being that the application will feel a bit slow compared with Firefox/Internet Explorer.

Alright, you can check it out now: Time-Tracker - A Personal Time Management Solution

Technorati Tags: Productivity, Time Management, Ajax

UPDATE (7/5/05): The Time-Tracker application is now live: www.formassembly.com/time-tracker

Thanks to the readers who suggested ideas for the Ajax Makeover. I eventually chose to go for a simple Time Tracking tool, as you may find in any good project management application. This application will serve as a support for demonstrating and discussing good practices for web application development. I hope you will enjoy it.

The code of the time tracking application is (will be) provided for educational purpose. Unless otherwise specified, it cannot be reused or published without the author (that would be me) consent.

The specifications are as follow:

• Single-screen application,
• Input hours by task and project,
• Add, edit or delete entries,
• Type-Ahead feature on project and task input fields,
• Auto-save.

If you think of additional specifications that could be useful, leave a comment.

Ajax Makeover Roadmap

• Part 1 - Smart Type Ahead functionality : client-side
• Part 2 - Smart Type Ahead functionality : server component
• Part 3 - Client-side Data Management with XML
• Part 4 - Dynamic interface with XSL
• Part 5 - Wrapping up and possible enhancements

I’ll kick off on Wednesday with an ajax-driven type ahead functionality (a.k.a. auto-complete or auto-suggest).

Technorati Tags: Time Tracker, Ajax, XSLT