GNOME Time Tracking Tool Manual
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# Customization

To change default settings, select the Preferences command in Settings menu. This launches the Preferences dialog, shown in . There are two tabs of preferences in the window.

Figure 2. Preferences Dialog

## The Toolbar Preferences Tab

This tab contains two sections of buttons: `Toolbar` and `Toolbar Segments`

- The `Toolbar` contains the following checkboxes:

  Show Toolbar Icons
  Show Toolbar Texts
  Show Tooltips

  They determine whether icons and their descriptions appear on the toolbar, and whether tooltips describing the button appear when the mouse pointer hovers over a toolbar item.

- The `Toolbar Segments` checkboxes determine which shortcut buttons appear on the toolbar:

  `Show 'New'`
  `Show 'Save', 'Reload'`
  `Show 'Cut', 'Copy', 'Paste'`
  `Show 'Properties'`
  `Show 'Timer'`
  `Show 'Preferences'`
  `Show 'Help'`
  `Show 'Quit'`

## Other Settings

There are three sections within the Misc tab.

`Display`

  The Display box contains three check-boxes:

  `Show Seconds`
  `Show Status Bar`
  `Show Table Header`

  They toggle whether seconds appear in the timer displays, and whether the status bar and table header appear in the Main Window
`Shell Commands`

  There are two shell commands executed by `GNOME Time Tracker`. One is executed when you switch between projects, and the other when you deselect a project or quit the application.

  - `Switch Project Command`: This shell command is executed every time you select a project which was previously unselected. If you use `%s` in this command, `GNOME Time Tracker` will replace that with the title of the selected project. I use the following entry to update my `.project` file: `echo '%s' >~/.project`

  - `No Project Command` This shell command is executed every time you deselect a project or exit `GNOME Time Tracker`. To complete the example above, I use this command: `rm -f ~/.project`

`Logfile Preferences`

  The Logfile Preferences area contains a Use Logfile Checkbox, which determines whether you use a logfile at all, and the following text entry boxes, governing its behavior:

  - `Filename` Determines the path and name of the log file. This should be the complete path and filename, without variables like $HOME or ~.

  - `Entry Start` This is the string which marks the start of a log entry. It can include the same variables the `Entry Stop` can.

  - `Entry Stop` This string marks the end of a log entry. Both this string and the `Entry Start` can contain the following variables:

    - `%t` — The project's title.

    - `%d` — The project's title.

    - `%t` — The project's description.

    - `%T` — The total time logged on the project, in the format Hours:Minutes:Seconds.

    - `%h` — The number of hours logged on the project today.

    - `%H` — The number of hours spent on the project today, in two digits.

    - `%m` — The number of minutes spent on the project today.

    - `%M` — The number of minutes spent on the project today (00-59).

    - `%s` — The number of seconds spent on the project today.

    - `%S` — The number of seconds spent on the project today (00-59).

  - `Timeout in secs` — This value represents the minimum time a project must be selected before it will be logged. This is useful if you don't want to log very short tasks, or if you click on the wrong project first. For example, suppose you wanted to start working on a letter to your friend Joe, and so you selected the project Letter to Joe), but that reminds you that you have to prepare a list of Christmas presents first (Joe has asked you to give him some good ideas). So, you switch to the project Xmas presents. You wouldn't want the project Letter to Joeto be in your logfile, because you didn't really start it yet. I would suggest you set this value at least to 10 seconds.

  | Note that a project will not get logged until you either quit `GNOME Time Tracker`, switch to another project, or de-selecet that project. Don't be confused when you look at your logfile and your current project still isn't listed, even if it has been running for two hours.

## OK, Apply and Close

If you are pleased by the changes you have made, click OK to activate the changes and have the dialog go away.

If you want to see what your changes will look like without closing the window, press Apply to activate the values while keeping the dialog open.

If you don't want to activate your changes, press Close. That will close the dialog, but will not save any of the changes you have made. This does not reverse any changes activated by the Apply command. Note that pressing Apply and then Close has the the same effect as pressing OK.

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Using GNOME Time Tracker |  | Additional GNOME Time Tracker Dialogs