Time Tracking

Time tracking is the core feature of the z8 Timer. One click to start, one click to stop.

The Clock Button

The large circular button in the center of the app handles all time tracking:

Not Clocked In

     ┌─────────────────┐
     │                 │
     │       ▶️         │  ← Green, play icon
     │                 │
     └─────────────────┘
       Ready to work

Color: Green gradient
Icon: Play (▶️)
Text below: "Ready to work"

Clocked In

     ┌─────────────────┐
     │                 │
     │    02:34:15     │  ← Red, shows elapsed time
     │                 │
     └─────────────────┘
       Currently Working

Color: Red gradient
Icon: Stop (⏹️) or elapsed time
Text below: "Currently Working"

Clocking In

Click the tray icon

Find the z8 Timer icon in your system tray and click it

Click the clock button

Press the large green button showing the play icon

Confirmation

Button turns red and starts showing elapsed time
Tray icon changes from gray to green
Toast notification: "Clocked in successfully"

Clocking Out

Click the tray icon

The icon should be green, indicating you're clocked in

Click the clock button

Press the red button showing your elapsed time

Confirmation

Button turns green and shows play icon
Tray icon changes from green to gray
Toast notification: "Clocked out successfully"

Clock Out with Break

When idle detection triggers, you can record a break period:

Idle detected

After 5 minutes of no activity, then resuming activity, an idle dialog appears

Choose "I was on break"

This records the idle period as a break

Automatic handling

Clocks you out at the moment you went idle
Immediately clocks you back in
Break period is recorded accurately

Learn more about idle detection →

Elapsed Time Display

While clocked in, the button shows a live timer:

Display	Meaning
`00:00:15`	15 seconds
`00:05:00`	5 minutes
`01:30:45`	1 hour, 30 minutes, 45 seconds
`08:00:00`	8 hours exactly

The timer:

Updates every second
Uses monospace font for stability
Calculates from your clock-in time, not a running counter

Accurate Time

The elapsed time is calculated from your actual clock-in timestamp, ensuring accuracy even if you close and reopen the app.

Status Indicator

The footer shows your current status:

Status	Indicator	Meaning
Not clocked in	○ Gray dot	Ready to start working
Clocked in	● Green dot	Currently tracking time
Syncing	◐ Animated	Communicating with server
Offline	◐ Yellow dot	Queued for sync

Keyboard Shortcuts

For power users:

Shortcut	Action
`Ctrl/Cmd + Shift + T`	Toggle clock in/out
`Ctrl/Cmd + Shift + D`	Open z8 dashboard in browser

Keyboard shortcuts work globally when the app is running, even if the window is closed.

API Integration

Time entries are synced to your z8 server:

Clock In

POST /api/time-entries
{
  "action": "clock_in",
  "timestamp": "2024-01-15T09:00:00Z"
}

Clock Out

POST /api/time-entries
{
  "action": "clock_out",
  "timestamp": "2024-01-15T17:30:00Z"
}

Offline Handling

If the API is unreachable:

Action is queued locally (SQLite)
UI updates optimistically
Background processor retries every 30 seconds
Syncs automatically when connection restored

Best Practices

Clock in when you start - Don't wait until after your first task
Clock out for long breaks - Lunch, appointments, etc.
Trust idle detection - It catches breaks you forget
Check the tray icon - Quick visual status check
Keep the app running - Minimize to tray, don't quit

Time Tracking

On this page