How do I build a time tracking module?

In this episode of Build it with Tim, we will guide you through the process of building a time tracking module for your app. The module will allow users to track time for different projects or jobs. We will be using the list component action links and display rules to achieve this functionality.

Before we begin, let's provide an overview of what the finished app will look like. The app will feature a list of jobs, a form to add new jobs, and buttons to start, stop, and complete the time tracking for each job. Additionally, users will be able to view details such as the time spent on the job, who completed it, when it was completed, and the total time spent.

To start building the module, we'll need to create a table to track jobs. Each job will have a name, description, and status. The status can be "started," "stopped," or "complete." We'll also include a field to store the completion date.

In the page builder, we'll create a page for displaying the list of jobs. We'll use the list component and configure it to show the job name, description, status, and completion date. We'll customize the layout to split each list row into two columns: one for job information and the other for action buttons.

The action buttons will include options to start, stop, and complete the time tracking for each job. We'll set up action rules to update the job status based on the button clicked. Additionally, we'll create display rules to show or hide buttons based on the current job status. For example, the "start" button will only be visible when the job status is "to do," and the "stop" button will only be visible when the job status is "started."

To enhance the module further, we'll add functionality to track who completed the job and the time spent on each job. We'll create a connection between the jobs table and the user table to store the user who completed the job. We'll also create a separate table called "time tracking" to store the start and end timestamps for each time tracking session. This approach allows us to maintain a history of time tracking sessions for each job.

Finally, we'll modify the display rules to show the completion date and calculate the total time spent on each job by summing the time tracking sessions.

By following these steps, you'll be able to build a comprehensive time tracking module for your app. It will provide users with the ability to track time for different projects or jobs, view job details, and track the progress of their work.