Posts Tagged ‘Interface’

Don’t Stand Still

Wednesday, March 31st, 2010

Too often developers allow their applications to remain stagnant after launch. This is not something I want to happen with TimeTable. A couple days ago I pushed a small update which gave immediate access to a simple API allowing developers to get data into TimeTable. The biggest request I’ve heard from people is that they want to be able to use a timer outside of TimeTable. This is now being opened up with the announcement of the first companion TimeTable application, the TimeTable Work Timer.

Because TimeTable is written using the Cappuccino web framework and Objective-J it closely resembles the native programing environment on Mac OS X (Cocoa). This makes it extremely easy to port software from one platform to another. As a result I ported the work timer from TimeTable to Cocoa. The result gives you a simple, stand alone, work timer which integrates seamlessly with TimeTable.

The timer itself looks like this:
TimeTable Work Timer

Once you close the timer you will be prompted if you want to send the data to TimeTable. If you click yes TimeTable will load up and you will be prompted to select the project you wish to add the timed work to.

TimeTable Once you select the project the you can add the work time just like you would any other work time in TimeTable.

Remember, this is the first version of this timer, I will continue to work on it adding more functionality. Since I’m opening the TimeTable API I hope other developer will also build TimeTable integration into their products. If you have a favorite timer application you use for your work, let them know you want TimeTable integration.

If you’re a developer you can read more about the TimeTable API at http://timetableapp.com/developers.html

This API will continue to grow with time, so more features will be added and better integration will be supported. If there is something specific you would like to see also feel free to email support!

The new TimeTable downloads page is located here, or you can download the new TimeTable Work Timer directly.

Update: added support for Mac OS X 10.5

Shipping RC2

Tuesday, December 29th, 2009

After several weeks of development I’m happy to say that the second TimeTable release candidate is out the door. This release is feature complete meaning no new features will be added between now and ship time! With this release I’ve added a number of new features, as well as more bug fixes, and a slightly cleaner interface. I’ve also take then time to redesign the website a little and update the much neglected content. With this release I have discontinued the beta program for new members. If you’re already a member of the program I urge you to try out RC2 and submit your bug reports as this is your last chance to receive a discount on the final product for feedback. Even though I won’t be adding new features I am still open to feature requests for future updates.

Here is a list of some of the new features and enhancements added to TimeTable:

  • Faster Syncing
    • Automatic syncing is now turned on by default
    • An additional sync time of 10 seconds has been added for faster syncing
  • Currency
    • You can now set your currency to Dollars, Euros, or Pounds. More currencies may be added upon request.
  • Gmail
    • You can now set a preference in TimeTable so that all new email compose windows open in Gmail instead of your desktop mail client.
  • Skype and Google Voice
    • Skype support is now built in for client calling. If you have Skype out credits you can enable this feature adding a Skype button next to your clients phone number which will automatically call your client’s phone number via Skype.
    • If you would rather use Google Voice instead of Skype that is built in now too!
  • 16 bit PNG support for logos
    • If your logo is a 16 bit PNG the invoice generator will no longer fail when you try to generate an invoice. I must say though, the quality of pngs are not a good as jpgs and gifs so I would recommend using those instead.
  • Driving directions
    • You can now get Google Maps driving directions in TimeTable. On top of this TimeTable has added support for using your current location as your starting location. If your browser is not geolocation aware TimeTable will look at your IP address. If you would rather just use your personal address you may set that in your preferences.
  • Double clicking
    • Double clicking clients names in the “All Clients” window when choosing a client for a project will now automatically select that client.
    • Double clicking expense items and work data items will bring up the edit window.
    • Double clicking on the project listing of each client switches to the project view and automatically selects that project.
  • More robust company clients
    • You can now select whether a client is a company at the time you create the client.
    • Companies in your clients list now display a building instead of a head.
    • Name orders have been fixed for companies when editing/adding the name or changing the client’s company status.
  • Clearing deadlines
    • Projects are no longer required to have a deadline. You can also clear a deadline that you once set.

Many UI improvements have also been included with this release including HUD style scroll bars which were beautifully designed by Sofa, and several new additions to the tables and source list. Most of these improvements have been contributed back to Cappuccino. I’ve also eliminated text clipping on some of the textfields which occurred on windows.

The next release will be the Gold Master. Upon shipment of the GM I will release pricing information and begin working on the payment system. TimeTable will of course be free until that time. The GM will focus on fixing the few bugs that remain.

I want to thank everyone again for their support in getting this product out the door. I couldn’t have done it without you all!

Thanks,
Randy Luecke

Finalizing the 1.0 UI

Tuesday, August 4th, 2009

A few weeks ago I came up with the finalized version of the UI for version 1 of TimeTable. I’m very VERY happy with how it will look. It’s certainly much nicer looking that the original version of TimeTable which I scrapped in May.

For those of you who don’t remember the first version it looked similar to this:
http://timetableapp.com/PR/TimeTableBeta9.png

The inconsistent UI was unpleasant to the eye, and the code which supported it was even more unpleasant to my eyes!

With the new rewrite I’m taking advantage of the new Cappuccino frameworks which provides a beautiful theme called Aristo developed by Sofa. The Aristo theme is not complete yet, but it is entirely open source. I took some of my own interface elements from the original version of TimeTable, and combined it with Aristo, then sometimes filled in the gaps with completely new interface elements.

So without further ado… This is the new UI for TimeTable.

Remember that this UI is subject to change. I haven’t yet put together smaller details, but I have got many ideas and it’s very exciting. I hope you like this new UI and I’ll be posting more in the coming weeks!

Until then please sign up for the testing program “Login | Register” tab at the top of every page.