Contents ________ This readme file has the following sectiions: Compatibility with Previous Versions ------------------------------------ About Xtimelog 2.0 -------------------- Xtimelog Installation -------------------- Documentation ------------- Compatibility with Previous Versions ------------------------------------ Version 2.0 can read database files from previous versions of Xtimelog. program. However, the underlying representation of dates and times was changed by Microsoft between the version of the C runtime library used to create Xtimelog 2.0 and earlier the versions of Xtimelog. When Xtimelog 2.0 detects that it has been asked to access an earlier version of the Xtimelog database, it updates the date and time format and rewrites the database. If you should read that database again with the earlier version of Xtimelog, you will find that all work session punch in and punch out times have been decremented by about 70 years. So it might be well to make copies of your Xtimelog databases before they are accessed by Version 2.0, if you think you may want to access them again with an earlier version of Xtimelog. About Xtimelog 2.0 -------------------- Xtimelog Version 2.0 is a Windows 3.X application. You will need to be running Windows 3.0 or 3.1 to use Xtimelog. Xtimelog provides a way to create and maintain a database of your time usage on a number of projects. A Xtimelog database consists of a set of projects that you create and name. Each project will collect a set of work sessions as you use Xtimelog. A work session is created in a project when you "Punch In" on that project. The session is completed when you punch out. The database is kept on disk so no data is lost if you turn off the computer, exit Xtimelog or even exit Windows. The worst that can happen is that you remain "Punched In" until you run Xtimelog again and "Punch Out". Xtimelog provides several report formats that can either be sent to the printer, to a formated .txt, tab separated .txt files or directly to the Windows Clipboard for pasting into another document. You can conrol the time period used to prepare these reports. Xtimelog can also be a Windows Dynamic Data Exchange (DDE) server. This allows you to write spreadsheets that can extract the total hours worked on each project into a cell on the spreadsheet. (at this time Exatech has only verified that DDE works for Microsoft Excel. We would be interested to know if it works for other Windows spreadsheet programs). Xtimelog also allows you to edit your project histories in cases such as where you forget to "Punch Out". Several other features are provided and covered in the user's manual. Xtimelog Installation -------------------- The complete Xtimelog system consists this readme file, XTIMELOG.EXE XTIMELOG.HLP and manual.wri. In addition, you will find COMMDLG.DLL and DDEML.DLL on this diskette. These last two files are Microsoft dynamic link libraries that are distributed with MS Windows 3.1. If you are running MS Windows 3.1, you should delete the two DLL's provided here and save the disk space. But if you are still running Windows 3.0 you must keep them in order to run Xtimelog. Installation consists of copying these files to a directory on your hard disk. Then you have several options to run Xtimelog. 1. You can run Xtimelog from the Windows File Manager by selecting XTIMELOG.EXE and using the File Manager's "File" menu "Run" menu. 2. Or you can double click XTIMELOG.EXE directly in the File Manager Window. 3. A better way to run Xtimelog is to install it in your Startup Program Group. You can do this by dragging XTIMELOG.EXE from the File Manager and dropping it into your Startup Group in the Program Manager. Then Xtimelog will start up every time you start Windows. 4. Finally you can install Xtimelog the hard way by choosing the StartUp Program Group Icon in the Program Manager window. Then choose the "New..." item in the Program Manager's File menu. Then a dialog box will appear with two selection buttons. Make sure the one that is labeled "Program Item" is selected. Then press the OK button. Another dialog box will then appear prompting you for the Program Item Properties. Assuming you placed XTIMELOG.EXE and the other files in the directory, C:\Xtimelog the values you enter for these properties should be: Property Name Property value you enter Description Xtimelog Command Line c:\XTIMELOG\XTIMELOG.exe Working Directory c:\XTIMELOG When you have entered these property values, press OK. The Xtimelog Icon will then appear in the Startup Program Group. You can then run Xtimelog by double clicking this icon. Because Xtimelog is in your Startup Group, Xtimelog will now be started automatically whenever you start Windows. Documentation ------------- The file manual.wri contains the same information that is also provided through Xtimelog's Windows help screens. However, it is organized as a printable manual. To obtain a printed manual, use the "Write" application that is supplied with windows. "Write" is found in the "Accessories" program group if you have a standard Windows installation. Its Icon is a picture of the business end of a fountain pen. Double click this Icon. When the "Write" application appears on the screen, pull down the "File" menu and click the "Open..." menu item. A file dialog box will appear. Use it to tell "Write" where manual.wri is located. Alternatively, double clicking manual.wri in a Windows File Manager window will start up the Windows "Write" application and readin manual.wri automatically. When "Write" has read manual.wri, pull down the "File" menu and choose the "Print..." menu item.