Unlimited structure of projects

Chrono Tracker allows you to organize your projects into a hierarchical structure which resembles layout of folders on a disk. You can add, delete, and sort projects so that they best represent your business activity.

Every single piece of time you spent working on a project (called here a task) is registered and saved in relation to that project. Usually tasks are registered while you are working, but you can also add them later.

Chrono Tracker does not limit how many projects or tasks you can create. The application is designed to handle smoothly hundreds of projects and thousands of tasks.

Advanced control over structure of projects

In Chrono Tracker you can always rearrange existing structure of projects with the following operations:

  • project reparenting (including drag & drop),
  • project hiding,
  • recursive project sorting,
  • duplication of project structure.

Project reparenting

This feature allows you to point out a new parent for the selected project. In other words, you can move tasks all around the hierarchy and effectively reorganize your projects' structure completely.

Project hiding

Project hiding is the ability to mark selected projects (and automatically all their descendants) hidden. Such projects are not deleted from the database but are not shown in your project hierarchy. This allows you to keep the hierarchy clear.

Structure duplication

This feature allows you to copy-paste whole branches of project hierarchy (only projects without attached tasks are copied). It makes a good starting point for a new project or customer - always when your project structure has repeatable fragments.

Rich configuration capabilities

Chrono Tracker has more than 60 configuration settings which allows you to adjust its look and behavior to your needs.

Some selected settings include:

  • formatting of numbers and dates,
  • which operations must be confirmed,
  • configuration of notification area icon and notification balloons,
  • how application should react when you quit it while there is an active task,
  • and many more ...

Additionally, you can configure Chrono Tracker to save its status when you quit it so that it looks exactly as you might expect at next launch.

Notification area and balloons

Chrono Tracker makes a good use of the notification area of Windows.
You can configure the application to put there its icon which:

  • has a menu that can be used to start a new task,
  • indicates by its color whether there is any running task,
  • has a tooltip with information about open database and running task.

Additionally, Chrono Tracker can show notification balloons to remind you that:

  • you are working on a task longer then specified,
  • specified number of minutes passed since last notification,
  • it is late, and you should consider finishing your work.

Reliable database foundation

Chrono Tracker uses Microsoft SQL Compact Edition as its backing store. This database engine ensures that your data is safe, no matter how many records you collected.

Being transactional SQL CE gives the guarantee that you data is always intact, even if your computer or the application itself crashed.

Microsoft SQL CE is delivered as a part of the application. You do not need bother to install it separately.

Seamless updates

Chrono Tracker does not require administrative privileges for installation. All files constituting the application are copied to a user folder.

Another advantage are seamless updates. Whenever a new version of application is published it is automatically downloaded and prepared for launch. Thus, once installed Chrono Tracker is always up to date.

Support for invoicing

Many people keep track of their work because they need to invoice customers for their time spend on projects. Chrono Tracker can help you do that by allowing you to:

  • attach the pay rate to tasks and work items,
  • mark tasks invoiced.

In Chrono Tracker the default pay rate is attached to a project and it applies to all tasks of that project. It is also possible to override that default and specify pay rates for individual tasks.

How is this information used? In the Statistics window you can see:

  • information about tasks split into invoiced/non-invoiced part,
  • totals for tasks value (duration * pay rate).

Windows 7 Taskbar

Microsoft has introduced in Windows 7 new taskbar experience.
Chrono Tracker makes use of those facilities and offers:

  • overlay icon,
  • command buttons,
  • customized thumbnail view.

An overlay icon is a small icon shown on top of Chrono Tracker's icon to indicate that there is an active task.

Command buttons located in the taskbar thumbnail allow you to start and stop the currently selected task.

A customized thumbnail view allows Chrono Tracker to display:

  • task you have been working on,
  • how long you have been working,
  • what the value of your labor is.

This information is presented when your mouse hovers over the application icon in the taskbar.

Calculated totals

So, you have collected some amount of records. What now?
Chrono Tracker's Statistics page shows you totals.

You always know how long you worked:

  • on a particular project,
  • during a specified period of time,
  • on a particular project during a specified period of time.

Totals computed for a project are always presented in two versions: with and without its subprojects.

Bulk operations for tasks

Chrono Tracker gives you the ability to manage multiple tasks in one operation. Bulk operations include:

  • deleting,
  • assigning to another task,
  • changing description and pay rate,
  • marking invoiced or non-invoiced.

Data export

Do you need some more sophisticated data analysis than provided by Chrono Tracker?

The export feature of Chrono Tracker allows you to save all or part of collected tasks to a CSV file. Such a file then can be easily opened by a spreadsheet of your choice and given some more in-depth analysis.

Another function related to data export is available in task registry. You can copy current selection of tasks to the system clipboard and paste it later wherever you want to.

Data Backup

Although Chrono Tracker uses a reliable database engine it is a good practice to make a backup copy of your database, periodically. Chrono Tracker has a built-in feature to save all your data to an external XML file which can be stored in a safe place.

In case of any hard disk crash you can restore your database from that XML file.