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FAQ: tls_time_tracker

FAQ: tls_time_tracker

Searchable Q&A - Common questions for discoverability

General Questions

What is TLS Time Tracker?

A comprehensive time tracking module for manufacturing projects that tracks employee hours by activity, calculates labor costs, and provides project-level summaries.

What does TLS stand for?

Total Lifting Solutions - the manufacturing company this module was developed for.

What's the difference between tls.time.tracker and tls.job.tracker?

  • tls.time.tracker - Original model with manufacturing-specific activity fields
  • tls.job.tracker - Newer model that links to project.activities for better organization

Which model should I use?

Use tls.job.tracker for new time entries. It has better integration with activities and projects.

Time Entry Questions

How do I log time?

  1. Go to Time Tracker menu
  2. Create new Job Tracker entry
  3. Select employee, project, activity
  4. Enter hours and date
  5. Save - pay week calculates automatically

How is the pay week calculated?

The formula is: ISO week number of (date minus 3 days). This shifts the week boundary to align with payroll periods.

Example: If you enter January 5th, the system subtracts 3 days (January 2nd) and gets that week number.

What activities can I track?

Manufacturing-specific activities including:
- GL work: Structure, Platform, Electrics, Doors, Installation
- Crane work: Posts, Arm, Runways, Assembly, Installation
- Support: Travel, Clean Up, Maintenance, Courier, Lunch

Can I track multiple projects in one day?

Yes, create separate time entries for each project/activity combination.

Labor Cost Questions

How are labor costs calculated?

Cost = Hours × Labor Rate

Default labor rate is $80/hour.

Where do I configure the labor rate?

Go to Account > Labor Cost. Create or edit the account.labor record to set your hourly rate.

Can I have different rates for different employees?

The current implementation uses a single global rate. Different employee rates would require customization.

Where do I see total project costs?

Open any project and view the "Total Labor Cost" field. This sums all time entries linked to that project.

Project Integration Questions

How do I see time entries on a project?

Open the project form. The project_time_job_lines One2many field shows all related time entries.

What does "Load Time From View" do?

The action_load_time_form_view() button searches for all job tracker entries for this project and creates project.job.time.line records from them.

What is the Activity Time Lines section?

A summary view showing total hours and costs grouped by activity type for that project.

How do I print a time tracker report?

On the project form, click the "Print TLS Tracker" button. This generates a PDF report.

Pay Week Questions

What is tls.pay.week used for?

Defines pay week periods with start and end dates. Useful for payroll reference.

Can I customize pay week dates?

Yes, create records in tls.pay.week with custom start_date and end_date for each week number.

Why does my pay week show "ABS"?

ABS appears when no date is entered. It means the pay week couldn't be calculated.

Employee Questions

What does status_emp (Current/Past) do?

Tracks whether an employee is currently active or has left. Useful for filtering in reports.

What are payroleweek, start_date, end_date on employees?

These are synced from time entries when using the onchange_teammember_field method. They track the employee's current pay period context.

Troubleshooting

Time entries not showing on project

  1. Ensure the project_field is correctly set on the time entry
  2. Run "Load Time From View" to sync entries
  3. Check that project.job.time.line records were created

Labor cost showing 0

  1. Check that hours are entered
  2. Verify labor_cost rate is set (should default to 80.0)
  3. Check account.labor has a record with cost value

Pay week calculation seems wrong

Remember the calculation uses date - 3 days. If your payroll week starts on a different day, the calculation may need adjustment.

Report not printing

  1. Ensure the report template exists (tls_time_tracker.time_tracker_report)
  2. Check for JavaScript console errors
  3. Verify wkhtmltopdf is installed

Integration Questions

Does this work with Odoo timesheets?

This is a parallel system to Odoo's hr_timesheet. It adds manufacturing-specific tracking on top.

Is there a website portal?

Yes, see the tls_time_tracker_website module for employee self-service time entry.

Can I export time data?

Use Odoo's standard export functionality or create custom reports/exports.

Search Keywords

tls_time_tracker, time tracking, labor cost, pay week, project hours, employee timesheet, manufacturing time, GL structure, crane assembly, activity tracking, job tracker, total lifts, payroll week

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