In this How-to section,different subjects are grouped together by the section of TimeCache (e.g. the Daily Log or Job Sheet section) where you would perform that function. To get help on specific menu commands, look at the “Menu” Help section.
Introduction to TimeCache
TimeCache lets you easily keep track of time and billing on projects. There are four basic parts to TimeCache:
1) A data entry screen, called the Daily Log
2) A database of information on projects you work on, comprised of Job Sheets for each project
3) Timesheets for printing reports on each day’s activities and
4) An Archive for storing data on inactive projects.
How to navigate in TimeCache
TimeCache has different sections, but you always see the different sections through the same window. You can quickly go from one section to any other by using the TimeCache Navigator palette, or commands in TimeCache’s “Go” menu or their command-key equivalents.
To go to another section, you can:
1) Click on the name of that section in the TimeCache Navigator palette,
2) Choose the name of that section from the “Go” menu, or
3) Use the Command-key combination for that section:
To browse Job Sheets, Timesheets or Archived jobs, use the right or left arrows arrows on your keyboard or on the TimeCache Navigator palette. The left arrow goes to the previous card in the section you’re browsing. The right arrow goes to the next card. The up and down arrow keys go to the first and last cards, respectively, of each section.
How to show or hide the TimeCache Navigator palette
You can make TimeCache Navigator palette go away by clicking the close box in its top left corner, or by choosing the “Hide Navigator” command in the Go menu. If you would like to bring it back on-screen, choose the “Show Navigator” command in the Go menu.
The Daily Log
TimeCache’s Daily Log is where you enter your time each day. It has fields for client, project, activity and time. Each line stores one entry for each category. In addition, there is a rectangle at the end of each line that lets you store a note for eachentry. When you enter a note, the rectangle changes to a filled circle.
How to create Client, Project and Activity listings
1) If you want to create a listing for a client not already entered on your client list, choose the “New Client” command from the Daily Log’s TimeCache menu. If you want to select a client from your Client List, choose the “Client List” command. You can also use the “Project List...” command or click on an empty Client or Project line to bring up the Project List dialog, then click “New”.
2) Depending on which command you started with, either enter a new client name, or select a client name from your client list.
3) A dialog appears, prompting you for a new project name. Enter a name and click “OK”.
4) When prompted, select an activity from your Activity List, or click “New” to create a new Activity listing. Enter an hourly billing rate when prompted.
5) When the Hours dialog appear, enter the hours you’ve spent on this project. Or have TimeCache time your work. See the section “How to Time Your Work”, below.
6) When the Note dialog appears, you can enter a description that provides additional details.
As you complete each of the steps above, TimeCache enters the information for this project on the next empty line of your Daily Log screen. If you cancel at any point, you can complete the line by clicking one-by-one on the empty fields.
When you create a new project listing, TimeCache also creates a Job Sheet for that project. This is where data for each project is stored after you use the TimeCache menu’s “Transfer Data” command at the end of the day.
How to select a Project from your list
After you’ve created a project listing, you can enter that project again on the Daily Log by simply selecting it from the Project List dialog. To bring up the dialog, click on an empty Client or Project line on the Daily Log screen, or choose the “Project List...” command in the Daily Log’s TimeCache menu. When the dialog box appears, double-click on the project you want to select, or click on an entry once, then click “Select”.
How to delete Daily Log Entries
To clear the information on any single line, click on the line number at the left end of the line. To clear the entire Daily Log screen, use the “Clear Daily Log” command in the TimeCache menu.
How to change Daily Log entries
To change the client and project information on any line, click on the appropriate field for that line. To change a note, or to enter a note for a line where there isn’t one already, click the rectangle or circle symbol at the right end of the line.
How to remove Client or Activity listings
You can delete listings from your Client or Activity lists with the “Client List...” and “Activity List...” commands. Select the appropriate command, click once on the listing you want to remove so that it is highlighted, and then click “Remove”. TimeCache asks you to confirm your action. Click “Yes” to confirm, or “Cancel” to leave your list intact.
How to remove Project listings
You can delete job listings from Project list by archiving or deleting the Job Sheet for that project. See the descriptions for these actions in the Job Sheet section of this manual.
How to change billing rates
TimeCache asks you for a billing rate for each activity listing you create. TimeCache uses this billing rate to calculate charges for each entry of each Job Sheet. To change the billing rate for any activity in your Activity list, choose the “Change Hourly Rate...” command from the Daily Log’s TimeCache menu. The new rate for that activity will go into effect on all subsequent entries for that activity. To update entries that have already been transferred to active Job Sheets, choose the “Apply Current Rates” command from the Daily Log’s TimeCache menu.
How to time your work
You can have TimeCache automatically track how much time you spend on a project. To initiate timing:
1) Enter the client, project and activity on the Daily Log as you normally do.
2) When the Hours dialog appears, click “Timer” or type Command-T. A “T” will appear in the hours line for that entry to remind you that you’re timing that line.
3) If you want to stop timing, click on the “T”. A dialog will appear. Click “Stop” and TimeCache enters the accumulated time. If you had a time entry in that field previously, it will include the previously logged amount and the time you’ve just added. If you click “Cancel” in the dialog, TimeCache continues timing that line.
4) If you are already timing a line when you start timing on another line, TimeCache tells you which line you are timing and asks if you want to stop timing that line. Click “OK” to start timing the new line, or “Cancel” to leave things as they were.
You can add time to a project you have previously entered time for in the Daily Log. Just click on the Hours entry for that line and start timing. Any new time you log will be added to the time you had previously entered.
TimeCache continues timing a project until you stop it. Neither switching to another program, nor even quitting TimeCache and shutting down your Mac, will stop timing.
How to transfer Daily Log data to Job Sheets
After you’ve filled out a day’s worth of time entries, you need to transfer them to their respective Job Sheets with the “Transfer Data” command in the Daily Log’s “TimeCache” menu. TimeCache warns you if you try to transfer data for a line with no Activity entry, or if you try to transfer while you’re still timing a line.
After your entries are transferred, TimeCache asks if you want to change the date. If you do, TimeCache clears the Daily Log’s entries.
You can set TimeCache to warn you before transfering if you’ve entered less than a specified number of hours. You can also set TimeCache to automatically create a timesheet each day, immediately after transferring data to Job Sheets. See the description of the “File” menu’s “Settings” submenu commands below.
WARNING: Transferring data more than once for any date adds that data to Job Sheets. It does not replace data previously entered for that date.
How to enter more than 15 lines for a date
The Daily Log has 15 lines for data entry. If you need more than that to cover everything you do in one day, transfer your first 15 lines, then click “Cancel” when TimeCache asks if you want to set up for a new date. Choose the “Clear Daily Log” command in the Daily Log’s “TimeCache” menu to erase the Daily Log, and continue entering data. When you choose the “Transfer Data” command again for that date, TimeCache will warn you that you’ve already entered that date’s data. Click “OK”.
How to create a timesheet
Use the “Create Timesheet...” command in the Daily Log’s “TimeCache” menu to create a daily timesheet report. Enter the date for which you want to create a timesheet. TimeCache tells you if there were no entries for the date you requested. Otherwise, it enters the data for that date in a new page of the Timesheets section and switches to the Timesheets section.
How to go to a Project’s Job Sheet
To examine a Job Sheet for a particular project, bring up the Project List dialog, select the project you want to view, and click “Go To”.
How to search for other data
You can search for information by date, client name, project name, job number, client number, even by description, using the “Go” menu’s “Find...” and “Find Again” commands.
To use the Find command, enter a date, number or text you want to find, then click “OK”. TimeCache beeps if it can’t find the entry you’re looking for. If the entry you’re seeking isn’t on the card TimeCache takes you to, choose the Find... command again, or choose the Find Again command. Both these commands resume their search on the next card. TimeCache first searches the Archive section, the Job Sheets section, then the Timesheets section.
How to speed up TimeCache
After you’ve created a number of Job Sheets and entered many days’ worth of data, you may notice that TimeCache takes longer to transfer data from the Daily Log to Job Sheets, and to create Timesheets. You can regain some speed by archiving Job Sheets for inactive projects in TimeCache’s Archive section. To do this: select the “Project List” command from the Daily Log’s TimeCache menu, select the job you want to archive and click “Archive”. You can also go to the Job Sheet for that project (see above) and use the “Send To Archive” command from the Job Sheet screen’s TimeCache menu.
Another strategy that helps speed up TimeCache is to divide up projects. If you have a long-term project with many entries, you can speed up TimeCache by archiving the Job Sheet for that project and creating a new project listing (and therefore a new Job Sheet).
How to secure your TimeCache data
TimeCache is like any other file on your hard disk. If your hard disk crashes, or the file becomes corrupted, you can lose all your TimeCache data. To prevent that loss from affecting you, it is crucial to keep a backup copy of your TimeCache file. Copy TimeCache to a floppy disk or other backup medium every day. It’s worth the little bit of extra time it takes to preserve your data.
File size can also eventually be a problem. You should try to keep the size of your TimeCache file to no more than one megabyte. If you get beyond that size, it is a good idea to archive your current TimeCache file and start a new one. You can use the “TC Merger” stack that comes on the TimeCache disk (for registered users) to easily transfer data from an old file to a new one.
Limits on data length
TimeCache only allows you to store up to 30,000 characters in each field of any one Job Sheet. For most people this will never be a problem. But if you have a project that goes on for an extremely long time, or if you enter a large number of very long descriptions on a Job Sheet, you could run up against this limitation.
If you approach the limit, TimeCache prevents you from transfering more data to that Job Sheet, and tells you to archive the Job Sheet and start a new one for that project. If you need to, you can use the “Move A Line...” command in the Job Sheet section’s TimeCache menu (see below for a description of this command) to easily move some of your data from the old Job Sheet to the new one.
All of TimeCache’s data is kept in these 30,000 character-limited fields, so you could also conceivably run into this limit when trying to add a new Client, Project or Activity entry to your lists. If you do, it’s a sign that it’s time to simplify things.
The Job Sheets Section
The Job Sheet section is where TimeCache stores the time and billing information on your current projects. There is one Job Sheet for each project listing you create. The Job Sheet shows client name, client number, project name, job number, and, optionally, a custom field of your own creation. (See the description of the File menu’s Settings/Custom Job Field command.) And of course there are entries for date, activity, note, hours and billings for each job, one per line. There are also totals for hours and billings.
How to print a Job Sheet report
You can print Job Sheet data using the File menu’s “Print Report” command. TimeCache first prompts you for the dates you want to print. If you want to print all the entries on the Job Sheet (or Archive), just click “OK”. Otherwise, enter the first and last dates of the range you want to print.
How to export a Job Sheet report
You can export a formatted text file report of any Job Sheet. Depending on the format you choose, you can open these files with a spreadsheet or word processing application, or import them into the “Time Report” FileMaker file that comes with TimeCache. First select the format (FileMaker or Spreadsheet/Word Processor) with the “Export Job Format” subcommand from the File menu’s “Settings” command.
After you select a format, another dialog appears, prompting you to locate the application to open reports in the format you selected. You can skip this if want. This second dialog also has a checkbox marked “Prompt to open app after exporting”. It tells TimeCache whether or not to open the appropriate application (after confirming that you want to) when you export a report. Check this box in the dialog if you want to open reports after you export them.
Each time you use the “Export Report” command, TimeCache prompts you for the dates you want to report. If you want to report all the entries on the Job Sheet (or Archive), just click “OK”. Otherwise, enter the first and last dates of the range you want to export.
Then TimeCache builds the report and prompts you for a location to store the export file. This can be any hard drive or server volume currently available in the Save File dialog.
How to create a Summary Report
TimeCache can quickly summarize all the entries on a Job Sheet into a summary report showing your subtotal for each activity. To create a Summary Report, choose the “Summary Report” command in the Job Sheets section’s TimeCache menu. TimeCache creates enters the data into a summary report screen, where you can print the report or export the report data to disk. Use on-screen buttons for these actions. You can also print the report using the File menu’s “Print Report” command. You can export the report using the TimeCache menu’s “Export Report” command. TimeCache exports the report in the format you have selected with the “Export Job Format” setting.
How to find a Job Sheet
To go to a Job Sheet for a particular project, use the “Search Job Sheets...” command in the “TimeCache” menu. In the list that appears, highlight the project you want to go to, then click “Find”.
How to change a Job Sheet entry
If you need to edit a Job Sheet field, option-click (hold down the Option key while clicking) on the line you want to change.
How to move a line of data to another Job Sheet
You can move Job Sheet entry from one project to another with the “Move A Line...” command in the “TimeCache” menu. After you select the command, directions appear on screen. To summarize: click on the date field (furthest left column) of the line you want to move. Then navigate to the Job Sheet you want the line moved to and click “OK”.
How to archive a Job Sheet
You can move a Job Sheet to TimeCache’s Archive section with the “Send To Archive” command in the Job Sheet section’s “TimeCache” menu.
How to delete a line
If you want to delete a line on a Job Sheet, option-click on the line’s Hours entry, enter a 0 (zero), and click “OK” when TimeCache asks if you want to delete that line.
How to delete a Job Sheet
If you want to delete a Job Sheet, use the “Delete Project” command in the Job Sheet’s “TimeCache” menu. Once you delete a Job Sheet, you cannot recover the data for that project.
The Timesheets Section
When you use the Daily Log’s “Create Timesheet” command, TimeCache creates a timesheet report in the Timesheets section. This section is a collection of all your saved timesheets. You can print a hard copy of any timesheet report.
Before printing timesheets
Before you print timesheets, be sure to click on the field marked “Click here to change name”, and enter your name. If you haven’t already selected a printing font, select the “Report Printing Font” subcommand from the File menu’s Settings command.
Timesheet printing options
You can have TimeCache include charges and your custom job field data on printed daily timesheet reports. To include either item, choose the “Print Settings...” command from the Timesheets section’s TimeCache menu, and check either option. Then click “OK.”
How to print a single timesheet
To print a copy of the current timesheet report on your screen, use the File menu’s “Print Report” command, or click the printer icon in the Timesheets screen’s upper right corner.
How to print several timesheets at once
You can print a batch of timesheet reports with the File menu’s “Print Batch...” command. After you select the “Print Batch” command, the batch printing palette appears on-screen. Mark each report you want to print by clicking “Mark” in the batch printing palette. The “Marked” checkbox on that card will be checked. If you change your mind about printing a report, click “Mark” again to uncheck it. Go to other reports you want to print by clicking the arrows in the batch printing palette. After you’ve selected all the reports you want to print, click “Print”. If you decide that you don’t want to print after all, click “Cancel” in the batch printing palette. If you need help using the batch printing palette, click “Help”.
After you’ve printed a report, the “Printed” checkbox will be checked as a reminder.
If your reports come out with all the data scrunched up and printed in Portrait (tall) orientation, select the “Page Setup” command in the File menu and change to Landscape orientaton. It should print correctly from then on.
The Archive Section
The Archive section is where you store Job Sheets for projects that have been completed. Removing Job Sheets from the Job Sheets section speeds up some of TimeCache’s functions. Archived projects look just like Job Sheets, but you cannot edit them. You can print, search, export and delete archived projects using the same commands for those functions as in the Job Sheets section.
How to re-activate an archived project
To make an archived project an active Job Sheet again, choose the “Activate Project” command in the Archive section’s TimeCache menu.
