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Thread ID: 57697 2005-05-10 04:16:00 Looking for good time management software iansmcdonald (6977) Press F1
Post ID Timestamp Content User
353918 2005-05-10 04:16:00 Can anyone recommend any good software that does the following:
(1) Logs which window is currently active (ie, the one you're working on)
(2) Times how long it's active (ie, how long you're working on the application in that window)
(3)...but also detects idle time and stops recording the time after a predetermined period of inactivity (eg when you forget to stop the timer while going for a leak, and then bill the customer for that productive time :-)
(4) Produces a report that summarises how much time was spent on what.

I googled for time management software, found oceans of stuff, but none did all of those things. (at least, none that I could find...)

Cheers
Ian.
iansmcdonald (6977)
353919 2005-05-10 05:26:00 Could get someone to stand behind the person using the app, with a whip and a stopwatch. pctek (84)
353920 2005-05-10 05:33:00 ...yes, would probably stop misuse and inappropriate downloading too. That could be a minus not a plus though... iansmcdonald (6977)
353921 2005-05-10 05:36:00 Sounds like you are looking for logging and surveillance/monitoring software, and not strictly management software. Is this right? Is this for a Windows machine(s)? vinref (6194)
353922 2005-05-10 06:26:00 Sounds like you are looking for logging and surveillance/monitoring software, and not strictly management software. Is this right? Is this for a Windows machine(s)?

Yeah I suppose it IS logging and surveillance/monitoring software that I'm after, though not for any sinister purposes.
My daily workflow means I do a lot of jobs on my PC every day, and every job has its own unique job number, and I *could* just make a note of the job number and set a timer going when I work on a job, and turn it off when I'm not. Experience is that it's real easy to remember to turn it on, but real easy to forget to turn it off. So a 2 minute job interrupted by a phone call shows up as a 2 hour job.
So I figured if I knew how much time each window was active (which contains the file name in the bar at the top, and the filename always relates to the unique job number) I could figure out how long I worked on each job. And, if it stopped logging after a minute or so of inactivity, (eg, I'm on the phone or at the door - or just staring blankly at the screen seeking inspiration) that would cater for phonecalls etc.

I suspect it's a technically really simple sort of program - but well beyond my BASIC learnt in the 80s. So I figure there must be SOMETHING out there...

Ian.
iansmcdonald (6977)
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