TimeTracker/docs/GETTING_STARTED.md

Getting Started with TimeTracker

A complete guide to get you up and running with TimeTracker in minutes.

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📋 Table of Contents

1. Installation
2. First Login
3. Initial Setup
4. Core Workflows
5. Next Steps

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🚀 Installation

Option 1: Docker (Recommended)

The fastest way to get TimeTracker running:

# 1. Clone the repository
git clone https://github.com/drytrix/TimeTracker.git
cd TimeTracker

# 2. Set a strong SECRET_KEY (required for sessions & CSRF)
# Linux/macOS:
export SECRET_KEY=$(python -c "import secrets; print(secrets.token_hex(32))")
# Windows PowerShell:
$env:SECRET_KEY = python -c "import secrets; print(secrets.token_hex(32))"

# 3. (Optional) Set admin usernames
# Linux/macOS:
export ADMIN_USERNAMES=admin,manager
# Windows PowerShell:
$env:ADMIN_USERNAMES = "admin,manager"

# 4. Start TimeTracker
docker-compose up -d

# 5. Access the application
# Open your browser to: https://localhost
# (Self‑signed certificate; your browser will show a warning the first time.)

# Prefer plain HTTP on port 8080 instead?
# Use the example compose that publishes the app directly:
# docker-compose -f docker-compose.example.yml up -d
# Then open: http://localhost:8080

# Note: Login with the username you set in ADMIN_USERNAMES (default: admin) to get admin access

That's it! TimeTracker is now running with PostgreSQL.

Important: The default docker-compose.yml expects SECRET_KEY to be set. You can also edit the file and replace SECRET_KEY=your-secret-key-here with a securely generated value. Never use weak or guessable keys.

Option 2: Quick Test (SQLite)

Want to try it without setting up a database?

# Start with SQLite (no database setup needed)
docker-compose -f docker-compose.local-test.yml up --build

# Access at: http://localhost:8080

Perfect for testing and development!

Option 3: Manual Installation

For advanced users who prefer manual setup:

# 1. Install dependencies
pip install -r requirements.txt

# 2. Configure environment
cp env.example .env
# Edit .env with your settings

# 3. Initialize database
python -c "from app import create_app; app = create_app(); app.app_context().push(); app.initialize_database()"

# 4. Run the application
python app.py

📖 See Requirements for detailed system requirements

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🔑 First Login

1. Open TimeTracker in your browser: http://localhost:8080

2. Enter your credentials (depends on authentication method configured)

   • Default (AUTH_METHOD=local): Enter username and password
   • No authentication (AUTH_METHOD=none): Enter username only (no password)
   • OIDC (AUTH_METHOD=oidc): Click "Sign in with SSO" button
   • Both (AUTH_METHOD=both): Choose either SSO or local username/password

3. Admin users are configured in the environment

   • Set via ADMIN_USERNAMES environment variable (default: admin)
   • When you login with a username matching the list, you get admin role
   • Example: If ADMIN_USERNAMES=admin,manager, logging in as "admin" or "manager" gives admin access
   • Important: Only the first username in the list is automatically created during database initialization. Additional admin usernames must either self-register (if ALLOW_SELF_REGISTER=true) or be created manually by an existing admin user.

4. You're in! Welcome to your dashboard

Note

: Authentication method is configured via the AUTH_METHOD environment variable:

• none: Username only (for trusted internal networks)
• local: Username + password (default, recommended)
• oidc: Single Sign-On only
• both: Both OIDC and local password authentication

See OIDC Setup Guide for detailed explanations of all authentication modes.

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⚙️ Initial Setup

Step 1: Configure System Settings

Important

: You need admin access for this step. Login with a username from ADMIN_USERNAMES (default: admin).

1. Go to Admin → Settings (in the left sidebar menu, expand "Admin", then click "Settings")

The Admin Settings page has multiple sections. Configure what you need:

General Settings

• Timezone: Your local timezone (e.g., America/New_York, Europe/Rome)
• Currency: Your preferred currency (e.g., USD, EUR, GBP)

Timer Settings

• Rounding (Minutes): Round to nearest 1/5/15 minutes
• Idle Timeout (Minutes): Auto-pause after idle (default: 30)
• Single Active Timer: Allow only one running timer per user

User Management

• Allow Self-Registration: ☑ Enable this to let users create accounts by entering any username on the login page
• Note: Admin users are set via ADMIN_USERNAMES environment variable, not in this UI

Company Branding

• Company Name: Your company or business name
• Company Email: Contact email for invoices
• Company Phone: Contact phone number
• Company Website: Your website URL
• Company Address: Your billing address (multi-line)
• Tax ID: Optional tax identification number
• Bank Information: Optional bank account details for invoices
• Company Logo: Upload your logo (PNG, JPG, GIF, SVG, WEBP)

Invoice Defaults

• Invoice Prefix: Prefix for invoice numbers (e.g., INV)
• Invoice Start Number: Starting number for invoices (e.g., 1000)
• Default Payment Terms: Terms text (e.g., "Payment due within 30 days")
• Default Invoice Notes: Footer notes (e.g., "Thank you for your business!")

Additional Settings

• Backup Settings: Retention days and backup time
• Export Settings: CSV delimiter preference
• Privacy & Analytics: Allow analytics to help improve the application

2. Click "Save Settings" at the bottom to apply all changes

💡 Tip: Don't confuse this with the Settings option in your account dropdown (top right) - that's for personal/user preferences. System-wide settings are in Admin → Settings in the left sidebar.

Step 2: Add Your First Client

1. Navigate to Clients → Create Client

2. Enter client information:

   • Name: Client or company name (required)
   • Contact Person: Primary contact
   • Email: Client email address
   • Phone: Contact number
   • Address: Billing address

3. Set billing defaults:

   • Default Hourly Rate: Your rate for this client (e.g., 100.00)
   • This will auto-populate when creating projects

4. Click Create to save the client

Step 3: Create Your First Project

1. Go to Projects → Create Project

2. Basic information:

   • Name: Project name (required)
   • Client: Select from dropdown (auto-filled with client info)
   • Description: Brief project description

3. Billing information:

   • Billable: Toggle on if you'll invoice this project
   • Hourly Rate: Auto-filled from client (can override)
   • Estimated Hours: Optional project estimate

4. Advanced settings (optional):

   • Status: Active/Archived
   • Start/End Dates: Project timeline
   • Budget Alert Threshold: Get notified at X% budget used

5. Click Create to save the project

Step 4: Create Tasks (Optional)

Break your project into manageable tasks:

1. Go to Tasks → Create Task

2. Task details:

   • Project: Select your project
   • Name: Task name (e.g., "Design homepage")
   • Description: What needs to be done
   • Priority: Low/Medium/High/Urgent

3. Planning:

   • Estimated Hours: Time estimate for this task
   • Due Date: When it should be completed
   • Assign To: Team member responsible

4. Click Create to save the task

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🎯 Core Workflows

Workflow 1: Track Time with Timer

Quick time tracking for active work:

1. On the Dashboard, find the timer section
2. Select a project (and optionally a task)
3. Click Start — the timer begins
4. Work on your task — timer continues even if you close the browser
5. Click Stop when finished — time entry is saved automatically

💡 Tip: The timer runs on the server, so it keeps going even if you:

• Close your browser
• Switch devices
• Lose internet connection temporarily

Workflow 2: Manual Time Entry

Add historical or bulk time entries:

1. Go to Timer → Log Time

2. Choose entry type:

   • Single entry
   • Bulk entry (multiple entries at once)
   • Calendar view (visual entry)

3. Fill in details:

   • Project: Required
   • Task: Optional
   • Start Time: When you started
   • End Time: When you finished
   • Notes: What you worked on
   • Tags: Categorize your work (e.g., design, meeting, bugfix)

4. Click Save to record the entry

Workflow 3: Generate an Invoice

Turn tracked time into a professional invoice:

1. Go to Invoices → Create Invoice

2. Select project and fill in client details

   • Client info auto-populated from project

3. Set invoice details:

   • Issue Date: Today (default)
   • Due Date: Payment deadline (e.g., 30 days)
   • Tax Rate: Your tax rate (e.g., 21.00 for 21%)

4. Click "Generate from Time Entries":

   • Select time entries to bill
   • Choose grouping (by task or project)
   • Preview the total

5. Review and customize:

   • Edit descriptions
   • Add manual line items
   • Adjust quantities or rates

6. Save and send:

   • Status: Draft → Sent → Paid
   • Export as CSV
   • (PDF export coming soon!)

Workflow 4: View Reports

Analyze your time and productivity:

1. Go to Reports

2. Choose report type:

   • Project Report: Time breakdown by project
   • User Report: Individual productivity
   • Summary Report: Overall statistics

3. Set filters:

   • Date Range: Today/This Week/This Month/Custom
   • Project: Specific project or all
   • User: Specific user or all
   • Billable: Billable only/Non-billable only/Both

4. View insights:

   • Total hours worked
   • Billable vs non-billable
   • Time distribution
   • Estimated costs

5. Export data:

   • Click Export CSV for spreadsheet analysis
   • Choose delimiter (comma, semicolon, tab)

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🎓 Next Steps

Learn Advanced Features

• Task Management — Master task boards and workflows
• Calendar View — Visual time entry and planning
• Command Palette — Keyboard shortcuts for power users
• Bulk Operations — Batch time entry creation

Customize Your Experience

• Company branding: Upload your logo and set company info in Admin → Settings
• Configure notifications for task due dates
• Set up recurring time blocks for regular tasks
• Create saved filters for common report views
• Add custom tags for better categorization

Team Setup

If you're setting up for a team:

1. Add team members:

   • Self-registration (recommended): Enable in Admin → Settings → "Allow Self-Registration"
   • Admin creates users: Go to Admin → Users → Create User
   • Admin roles: Set via ADMIN_USERNAMES environment variable (comma-separated list)
   • Regular users can be assigned Manager or User roles via Admin → Users → Edit

2. Assign projects:

   • Projects are visible to all users
   • Use permissions to control access (coming soon)

3. Assign tasks:

   • Create tasks and assign to team members
   • Set priorities and due dates
   • Track progress in task board

4. Review reports:

   • See team productivity
   • Identify bottlenecks
   • Optimize resource allocation

Production Deployment

Ready to deploy for real use?

1. Use PostgreSQL instead of SQLite:

   # Edit .env file
   DATABASE_URL=postgresql://user:pass@localhost:5432/timetracker
   

2. Set a secure secret key and admin users:

   # Generate a random key
   SECRET_KEY=$(python -c 'import secrets; print(secrets.token_hex(32))')
   
   # Set admin usernames (comma-separated)
   ADMIN_USERNAMES=admin,yourusername
   

3. Configure for production:

   FLASK_ENV=production
   FLASK_DEBUG=false
   SESSION_COOKIE_SECURE=true
   REMEMBER_COOKIE_SECURE=true
   

4. Set up backups:

   • Configure automatic database backups
   • Store backups off-site
   • Test restore procedures

5. Optional: Add reverse proxy:

   • Use Caddy or nginx for HTTPS
   • Add authentication layer if needed
   • Configure firewall rules

📖 See Docker Public Setup for production deployment

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💡 Tips & Tricks

Keyboard Shortcuts

Press Ctrl+K (or Cmd+K on Mac) to open the command palette:

• Quickly start/stop timers
• Navigate to any page
• Search projects and tasks
• Log time entries

Mobile Access

TimeTracker is fully responsive:

• Access from any device
• Mobile-optimized interface
• Touch-friendly controls
• Works in any browser

Time Entry Best Practices

1. Add descriptive notes — Future you will thank you
2. Use consistent tags — Makes reporting easier
3. Track regularly — Don't let entries pile up
4. Review weekly — Catch missing time or errors
5. Categorize accurately — Billable vs non-billable matters

Project Management Tips

1. Set realistic estimates — Helps with planning
2. Break into tasks — Makes tracking easier
3. Use task priorities — Focus on what matters
4. Review progress regularly — Stay on track
5. Archive completed projects — Keep your list clean

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❓ Common Questions

How do I reset my database?

# ⚠️ This deletes all data
docker-compose down -v
docker-compose up -d

How do I add more users?

• Enable self-registration: In Admin → Settings, enable "Allow Self-Registration" - then anyone can create an account by entering a username on the login page
• Admin creates users: In Admin → Users → Create User (requires admin access)
• Users in ADMIN_USERNAMES: Any username listed in the ADMIN_USERNAMES environment variable will automatically get admin role when they login

Can I export my data?

Yes! Multiple export options:

• CSV export from reports
• Database backup via scripts
• API access for custom integrations (coming soon)

How do I upgrade TimeTracker?

# Pull latest changes
git pull origin main

# Rebuild and restart
docker-compose up -d --build

# Migrations run automatically

Is there a mobile app?

TimeTracker is a web application that works great on mobile browsers. A Progressive Web App (PWA) version with offline support is planned.

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🆘 Need Help?

• Documentation — Complete documentation index
• Troubleshooting — Fix common issues
• GitHub Issues — Report bugs or request features
• Contributing — Help improve TimeTracker

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Ready to track your time like a pro? 🚀

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