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TimeLog

Issue: 2.4 (March/April 2004)
Author: Brian Jones
Article Description: No description available.
Article Length (in bytes): 3,470
Starting Page Number: 10
Article Number: 2407
Related Web Link(s):

http://shareware.mediaatelier.com

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Independent contractors and consultants can always use a good project time logging application. In fact, in most circumstances, these applications are such a necessity that most people will already have found a solution that they have grown used to and are satisfied with. Most of these applications are essentially the same and differ only in the quality of their implementation rather than in any significant features; however, TimeLog from Media Atelier has found a new niche that may make it attractive enough to migrate to.

The basic project tracking elements of TimeLog are all pretty standard and generally well implemented. The interface can be a bit cumbersome at times; hierarchical menus with little explicit organization can be confusing. For the most part, however, everything that should be present is present.

In addition to its complete feature set, TimeLog has a menu item that displays the name of the currently active timer and the length of the current session. There does not appear to be a way to customize this display, which is a bit of a problem given that the large size of the menu item can be problematic on small displays or displays with a large number of other menu items. Despite this minor drawback, the menu item solution is much less obtrusive than the more typical floating window solution, can be turned off if it proves to be problematic, and over all serves as an advantage for TimeLog over its competition.

The "killer app" feature of TimeLog, though, is its iCal integration. For those who use iCal in the same working environment in which they use time tracking software, TimeLog may be the best solution. In the preferences, the user selects any iCal calendars they are interested in tracking, and TimeLog automatically harvests the information from these calendars and adds them to its database just as if they had been actively timed by TimeLog itself. As a result, TimeLog leverages all of the conveniences built into iCal, such as synchronization through iSync and subscriptions, for its own purposes. These "borrowed" features are at the core of TimeLog's usefulness.

TimeLog is not yet a completely well-polished application; its interface is often overly vague, and its options for customization are underwhelming. However, for those who already use iCal in their working environment, TimeLog makes a great alternative. As a companion to iCal, TimeLog provides functionality that puts it in a niche all its own.

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