Do you bill clients for computer time and need a convenient way of tracking the amount of time you spend on each job or account? Do you need to account for the time you spend on your computer—maybe for tax purposes? Are you looking for a time tracking program that will allow you to perform work on any combination of applications and accumulate the time toward a single job or account? Have you been looking for a time tracking program that works with all of your applications? Have you been looking for a time tracking program that provides the kind of information that is really important for billing purposes, and nothing more? Do you work in an environment where you have to share a computer with several other people, and need to track the time each person uses the computer? If you answered “yes” to any of these questions, then these programs are for you.
LogOut and AutoLogOut are a pair of applications, designed and intended to be used together, for tracking usage time on a Macintosh computer. AutoLogOut is the background “master” program. LogOut is the foreground “slave” program. Working together, they provide a simple, straightforward, and reliable means for keeping track of computer usage time.
-------------HOW LOGOUT AND AUTOLOGOUT WORK----------------------
To track time, you merely “log” into the computer through the program LogOut. Once you are logged into the system, you are free to use any combination of programs etc. to accomplish your work. When you are finished working on a job, log out of the system by running LogOut. After logging out, you can either enter the information for the next job to be worked on or leave the computer for someone else to use.
LogOut simply accumulates time between successive “log ins” and stores the information in a data file for later retrieval. Time is accumulated regardless of what you are doing on the computer, including the use of any combination of applications and desk accessories, and even the Finder.
The system described above would work very well if humans had perfect memories. However, most of us are prone to forget to do things, like log out of the computer system. This is where AutoLogOut comes in. AutoLogOut runs in the background, monitoring user activity, similar to a screen saver. When no user activity (mouse movement, mouse clicks, keyboard presses, disk insertions, etc.) has occurred within a specified time, AutoLogOut launches LogOut for you. This automatically logs you out of the system and sets the system up for the next user or project. AutoLogOut also logs you out of the system whenever the computer is shutdown or restarted.
This is the first significant update to LogOut and AutoLogOut (from version 1.1 to version 1.5) since their initial release. I have received a number of letters back from users who have offered suggestions on how to improve the software. Many of these suggestions have been incorporated into this release. I want to say, “Thank you!” to all of the people who took time to write me.
Most of the changes have been made to LogOut. Changes made to AutoLogOut were merely to accommodate the changes made to LogOut and are invisible to the user. The following is a brief summary of the improvements made to LogOut:
1. A “Last Entry” button has been added to the Log In dialog box which, if chosen, will enter into the log in data fields the information from the previous log in. This is particularly handy when AutoLogOut has logged you out of the system, and you want to log back in using the same information as before.
2. A “Preferences” button has been added to the Log In dialog box which, if chosen, allows you to customize LogOut for your specific use. You can specify if data must be entered into either one or both of the two log in fields before a log in is accepted. You can disable the “Last Entry” button. You can change the labels used to identify the two log in fields. You can require that a password be entered before access to the Preferences dialog box is allowed.
--------------------UPDATING TO VERSION 1.5-------------------------
(If you are installing LogOut and AutoLogOut for the first time on your computer, you can skip this section.)
If you are updating to version 1.5 from a previous version, it is recommended that you move the file “Time Log,” found in the System Folder, out of the System Folder BEFORE YOU EXECUTE the new versions of LogOut and AutoLogOut on your computer. This will force LogOut to create a new “Time Log” file in the System Folder. The structure of this file has changed slightly from previous versions of LogOut. Specifically, in previous versions the two log in fields (“Your Name” and “Job Number”) were written to the Time Log file in reverse order from the order they appeared in the Log In dialog box. This has been changed so that the fields are written in the same order they appear in the Log In dialog box. (I apologize for any inconvenience this may create for you during updating, but the file structure change allows LogOut to be customized now.)
To install LogOut and AutoLogOut on a computer system, do the following:
1. Copy LogOut and AutoLogOut to your startup disk (hard disk) and place them together in the same folder. LogOut and AutoLogOut must be in the same folder to operate properly.
2. Make an alias of LogOut and AutoLogOut and place the aliases in the Startup Items folder inside the System Folder on the startup disk. This will launch AutoLogOut and LogOut automatically every time the computer is turned on or restarted. (Alternate installation: Rather than placing aliases of LogOut and AutoLogOut in the Startup Items folder, you could simply place both applications in the Startup Items folder.)
3. Make an alias of LogOut and place it in the “Apple Menu Items” folder inside the System Folder. Then LogOut will always be easily available to you under the Apple menu.
4. Optional: Make an alias of LogOut and place it on the “desktop,” located in a convenient place—just above the Trash Can for example. This will make LogOut available on the desktop in plain view.
5. Restart your Macintosh. AutoLogOut will startup and move itself into the background. LogOut will then startup and present the Log In dialog box, waiting for you to “log in.”
Assuming that LogOut and AutoLogOut have been installed as described above, you will be confronted with the Log In dialog box. Enter the appropriate data into the two log in fields and press the “Log In” button. (The log in fields are initially labeled “Your Name” and “Job Number.” However, these labels can be changed to anything else through the Preferences dialog box, which is discussed later.) After you press the “Log In” button, LogOut records the time of “log in” in a file called “Login Info” and then quits.
When finished using the computer for a specific work session, launch the LogOut application by selecting LogOut from the Apple menu or double-clicking the LogOut icon. LogOut will stop accumulating usage time, record the usage data in a file called “Time Log,” and then bring up the Log In dialog box for the next work session.
LogOut creates and maintains three files. They are:
1. “Time Log,” located in the System Folder of the startup disk. This is the file in which all computer usage is recorded. It is a standard “TEXT” file with tabs separating each field of information within a record. Each record is separated by a carriage return. The first record of the file is a header that describes each field in subsequent records.
The “Time Log” file can be easily imported into any text editing, word processing, or spreadsheet program, making it a relatively simple process to generate a report of computer usage. (I, personally, use a spreadsheet program to generate my reports. I can sort the file by project name, job number, date, or whatever and get a nice print out for filing.)
2. “LogOut Prefs,” located in the Preferences Folder in the System Folder of the startup disk. This file contains the preference settings for LogOut. You do not need to worry about this file. It does not contain any “user serviceable parts.” However, if you have specified a password to access the preferences for LogOut and you forgot your password, just throw this file in the Trash Can. LogOut will automatically create a new file with no password requirement.
3. “Login Info,” located in the Preferences Folder in the System Folder of the startup disk. This file contains the log in information for the current work session. The file is updated every time a new log in occurs. You do not have to worry about this file. It does not contain any “user serviceable parts.”
There are three other buttons, besides “Log In,” on the Log In dialog box that perform special functions. These are discussed below.
--“Last Entry” Button--
The “Last Entry” button will enter into the log in fields the same information that was used for the previous “log in.” This is particularly useful when AutoLogOut has logged you out of the system, and you want to log back in using the same information as the last work session. The keyboard equivalent “Command-L” can be used in place of pressing this button with the mouse.
--“Preferences...” Button--
The “Preferences...” button brings up the Preferences dialog box, allowing you to customize several of the features of LogOut. The items in the Preferences dialog box are:
1. “Require first field to be entered before ‘log in’ accepted” check box: If this box is checked, then data must be entered into the first log in field of the Log In dialog box before the “log in” is accepted.
2. “Require second field to be entered before ‘log in’ accepted” check box: If this box is checked, then data must be entered into the second log in field of the Log In dialog box before the “log in” is accepted.
3. “Disable ‘Last Entry’ button” check box: If this box is checked, then the “Last Entry” button on the Log In dialog box will be disabled. In other words, the button will be grayed out and the user will be unable to access it.
4. “Require password to access and change preferences” check box: If this box is checked, then a password must be entered to access and change the preferences of LogOut. This is useful if you want to prevent others from changing the settings you establish for LogOut.
5. “Label for first field” text edit box: You can change the label used to identify the first log in field by entering the new label here.
6. “Label for second field” text edit box: You can change the label used to identify the second field by entering the new label here.
--“About...” Button--
The “About...” button brings up the About dialog box for LogOut.
AutoLogOut normally runs in the background monitoring system activity and then automatically launches LogOut after a specified period of inactivity. AutoLogOut also writes the last “log in” session data to the “Time Log” file when the computer is shutdown or restarted.
LogOut can be used without AutoLogOut running in the background, but it is not recommended. AutoLogOut performs some important “house cleaning” chores for LogOut, the most important being correctly updating the “Time Log” file whenever a shutdown or restart occur. Also, as pointed out previously, AutoLogOut prevents you from inadvertently forgetting to “log out” at the end of a work session, by logging out for you after the computer has sat idle for a specified length of time.
AutoLogOut creates and maintains one file, called, “AutoLogOut Prefs,” located in the Preferences Folder in the System Folder of the startup disk. This file contains the preference settings for AutoLogOut. You do not need to worry about this file. It contains no “user serviceable parts.” However, if you have forgotten the password for quitting AutoLogOut, just throw this file in the Trash Can. AutoLogOut will automatically create a new file with no password requirement.
If AutoLogOut is brought to the foreground by selecting it from the application menu in the far right corner of the screen, the AutoLogOut menu bar becomes active. This menu is described below.
--File – Preferences...--
Selecting “Preferences...” from the “File” menu brings up the Preferences dialog box, allowing you to customize some of the features of AutoLogOut. The items in the Preferences dialog box are:
1. “Log user out after ___ minutes of inactivity”: You can specify the amount of inactive time, in minutes, before AutoLogOut will launch LogOut. As a special feature, if you enter “0” AutoLogOut will never launch LogOut.
2. “Never Log Out Corner”: Select a corner of the screen to place the cursor when you do not want AutoLogOut to launch LogOut. AutoLogOut will not launch LogOut whenever the cursor is in the specified corner, similar to the “never sleep corner” of many screen savers. (Be careful to not inadvertently leave your mouse cursor in the Never Log Out Corner. It will prevent AutoLogOut from automatically logging you out.)
3. “Require password to Quit...” check box: If this box is checked, AutoLogOut cannot be “quit” by the user without entering the correct password first. This is useful if you want to prevent users from quitting AutoLogOut, either accidently or purposely. (Even if a password is required from the user to quit AutoLogOut, the computer can be shutdown and restarted without a password.)
--File – Quit--
Selecting “Quit” from the “File” menu quits the AutoLogOut application. However, if “Require password to Quit...” is checked in the Preferences dialog box, you will be asked to enter the correct password before AutoLogOut actually quits.
--Apple – About AutoLogOut...--
Selecting “About AutoLogOut...” from the Apple menu brings up the About dialog box for AutoLogOut.
LogOut and AutoLogOut require System 7 or higher to run. LogOut and AutoLogOut are both “applications.” They do not patch System traps or do anything unusual to the computer’s operating system. As a result, they should be completely compatible with and friendly towards all other software you may use.
LogOut and AutoLogOut are shareware—not freeware. That means if you use these programs and find them of value, please register them by sending me $10.00. I have not plastered the software with “shareware threats,” or disabled any features, so please be a good sport and send me the registration fee, at the following address:
Jeff Miles
5604 Stanmore Way
Elk Grove, California 95758
Thank you for your support of the shareware system! Please write me if you have any comments or suggestions about the software. I would love to hear from you. Thanks again to those who have written me in the past!
P.S. I will send you a decent copy of the documentation if and when you register the software.
