Mark Nemtsas: February 2012 Archives

When you purchase Timesheets Lite you'll get an email from us containing your registration details. These details can be entered on the Help->Registration screen of Timesheets Lite. Your registration email will look something like the image below.

Timesheets Lite Registration Email

The basic process for registering the software is as follows:

1. Start up Timesheets Lite and go to the Help->Registration screen.
2. Copy the Registration Name from the email and paste it to the Registration Name field in Timesheets Lite.
3. Copy the Registration Key from the email and paste it to the Registration Key field in Timesheets Lite.

Timesheets Lite Registration Email
4. Once you're happy with the details click the Unlock Software button. If you've entered the registration information correctly you'll get a registration successful message (see below).

Registration Successful!

Timesheets Lite also offers a quicker and easier way of registering the software. If you want to try this method here are the steps:

Timesheets Lite Registration Email

1. Copy the Registration License shortcut text from the registration email. This is highlighted in the email above. This text starts with **being cut here** and ends with the text **end cut here**.
2. Start up Timesheets Lite and go to the Help->Registration page. Timesheets Lite will detect the Timesheets Lite registration information in the Windows Clipboard and show you the prompt below.

Registration Details Detected
3. Click Yes and the Registration screen will be shown with the Registration Name and Registration Key fields already filled in for you!
4. Click the Unlock Software button you'll get a registration successful message.

TImesheets Lite can be installed on a single PC in your workplace or you can install it on more than one PC allowing you to collect your timesheet information from many different computers and share the data between those computers. This blog entry gives detailed instructions on how to setup Timesheets Lite to share data between computers when you're using the standard back-end database.

1. Decide on a location on your network where your Timesheets Lite database is going to reside. This location should ideally be a shared network drive. It must be accessible from every computer that will have Timesheets Lite installed on it and each of those computers must have full read/write/execute/delete permissions on the folder where the database is going to reside.
2. Install Timesheets Lite onto a single PC. Log into the software as a super user (you'll set one up the first time you run Timesheets Lite) and go to the Tools->Options->System Options screen.
3. Move the Timesheets Lite database to the location decided on in Point 1 above. Do this by clicking the Move Existing Database button and then click Yes to confirm that you want to move the database.
4. Using the directory navigator that appears navigate to the location decided on in Point 1 above and click OK to confirm the move.
5. If the move is successful you'll get a message telling you that you're connected to the database at the new location.
6. The next step is to install Timesheets Lite on the other computers in your work place and connect them to the database which we've moved in the preceding steps.
7. Download and install Timesheets Lite onto the other computers. The first time you run the software you'll be shown the "Welcome to Timesheets Lite" wizard. Choose the "Customize Settings" option on this wizard and then click the Next button.

8. On the next screen of the Wizard (see screenshot above) you'll be asked to choose a database type, choose "Access" and click Next.
9. On the next screen of the Wizard you'll be asked to choose a database location, click the Browse button and navigate to the database you moved in Point 4 above and click the Next button.
10. Click the Finish button to close the Wizard and Timesheets Lite will start up connected to your shared database.
11. Repeat the process from Step 6 onwards for all your other Timesheets Lite computers.

Note that if you've already installed Timesheets Lite on a computer and want to connect it to an existing database you can do so on the the Tools->Options->System Options by clicking the Connect to New Database button.

Timesheets Lite with Active Task Timer

We're happy to announce that Timesheets Lite Version 3 has been released. This version is a complete re-write of the program from the ground up which brings much better reliability and compatibility with different versions of Windows. It also brings an attractive new interface, a lot of useful new features, and a much improved set of documentation and help for new users. Key improvements in Timesheets Lite Version 3 include:

• A first run wizard for new users.
• An easy to use database connection wizard
• Completely re-written and re-structured help documentation which is also available online (see the Timesheets Lite Online Help).
• An all new reporting engine that produces much more attractive and flexible reports that are easily exported and emailed. See the Timesheets Lite Reporting Help Topic for more information.
• An all new timesheet interface with many improvements to time entry for employees. See the Timesheet Help Topic for more information.
• A completely new way of managing employees,projects, ,common activities and ,customers.
• Much better integration with SQL Server and for the first time integration with MySQL. You can now generate SQL Server or MySQL database creation scripts that take your data from the default Timesheets Lite database to either MySQL or SQL Server.
• SQL Server and MySQL integration is now included in the basic license fee rather than being an optional extra.

Over the coming weeks we'll be using this Blog to post up various how-to articles regarding this new version of Timesheets Lite. Stay tuned for more information.

Timesheets Lite Version 3

Timesheets Lite was originally conceived and developed in 2001-2002 using a development language which was fine for those times. However, with the imminent release of Windows 8 we decided several months ago that we'd re-write Timesheets Lite from the ground up in a completely new (and modern) development language to help future proof the product. That process is now complete. As a result, later today we'll be uploading what we're calling Timesheets Lite Version 3, but what is in reality, a completely new product.

We've made sure to add all of the critical features to this new version that our users require plus we've added a bunch of new stuff that we are sure you'll all appreciate, such as an entirely new (and powerful) reporting engine, much improved project and customer management, and an attractive new timesheet interface On the flip side of this some features haven't made the transition to the new version because we've decided they can be added later and in some cases they will not be added at all. The employee messaging system is the main feature that will not be seen in Timesheets Lite from this point forward.

In the last 10 years we've learned a lot and using what we learned we've completely re-designed the Timesheets Lite database for better data integrity and reliability. Because of this, Timesheets Lite V3 IS NOT data compatible with prior versions of the software. So, currently there's no upgrade path for existing users. We'll fix this in the coming months but right now we're focussing on getting the new software working as reliably as possible. That being said, Timesheets Lite V3 can be installed on the same computer as older versions of Timesheets Lite but they cannot use the same data.

That's all for now, we hope you'll download and trial Timesheets Lite V3, we're very happy with it and delighted how polished it looks and feels for what is essentially a new product. As always if you've got any questions please don't hesitate to Contact Us.