Installation
- In the Joomla administrator panel, go to System > Install > Extensions.
- Upload the Easy Time Manager package (ZIP file) and click Upload & Install.
- The installer automatically creates two user groups and configures default permissions (see Default Groups below).
Configuration
Open Components > Easy Time Manager > Options (or the gear icon in any admin view) to access the component settings. Settings are organized into the following tabs.
Report Form & Table
| Setting | Default | Description |
|---|---|---|
| Enable Ticket Numbers | Yes | Show the ticket/issue number field in work entry forms and reports |
| A ticket number is mandatory | No | Require employees to enter a ticket number on every work entry |
| Task description is mandatory | Yes | Require the "Performed Work" description field |
| Use list of tasks | No | When enabled, employees pick from predefined tasks (managed in admin) instead of typing free text. Also adds a "Tasks" item to the admin sidebar. |
| Bugtracker URL | (empty) | Base URL for your issue tracker. Ticket numbers in reports become clickable links using this URL pattern. |
Excel Export
| Setting | Default | Description |
|---|---|---|
| Replace line-breaks with a separator | Yes | Replace newlines in the "Performed Work" field when exporting to Excel |
| Line-breaks separator | Space | Character used to replace newlines (options: space, ., ,, ;, /, |) |
| Not billable hours Excel export | Export not billable hours | Controls how non-billable entries are handled during export. Options: always export, ask before exporting, or never export non-billable hours. |
Default Groups
| Setting | Description |
|---|---|
| Default employee group | The Joomla user group for regular employees |
| Default manager group | The Joomla user group for project managers |
On first install, the component creates two groups automatically:
- Employee — can create entries, edit own entries, and delete. Cannot view other users' reports or manage leaves.
- Project Manager — all Employee permissions plus: edit all entries, view assigned and all reports, and manage leaves.
Missing Reports Notifications
These settings control automated email reminders sent to employees who haven't logged enough hours.
| Setting | Default | Description |
|---|---|---|
| Enable notifications | No | Turn on the missing reports cron feature |
| Number of required hours | 0 | Minimum hours an employee must log per working day (1-12) |
| Notification days count | 5 | How many past working days to check for missing hours |
| Check today's hours | Yes | Include the current day when checking for missing reports |
| Weekends | (none selected) | Days of the week to skip when checking (multi-select: Monday through Sunday) |
| Cron URL | (auto-generated, read-only) | URL to call from an external cron scheduler |
| Cron path | (auto-generated, read-only) | CLI path for running the cron via command line |
API
| Setting | Default | Description |
|---|---|---|
| Enable API | No | Enable the REST API for external integrations |
| Reports check time | (unset) | Time of day when the plugin checks for missing reports |
Permissions & Roles
Permissions are configured per user group in the Permissions tab of the component options. Navigate to Options > Permissions, select a user group, and set each action to Allowed or Denied.
Standard Joomla Permissions
| Permission | Description |
|---|---|
| Configure ACL & Options | Full administrative access to the component settings and permissions |
| Access Administration Interface | Can access the admin panel views for this component |
| Create | Can create new work entries and leave requests |
| Delete | Can delete items |
| Edit | Can edit all items (any user's entries) |
| Edit Own | Can edit only items created by themselves |
Custom Permissions
| Permission | Description |
|---|---|
| Reports Management (Assigned Projects) | Can view reports and manage entries for projects the user is assigned to |
| Reports Management (All Projects) | Can view and manage reports across all projects. Enables the staff filter and employee dashboard tab. |
| Leaves Management | Can approve or decline leave requests and view all employees' leaves |
Default Permission Setup
After installation, the two auto-created groups have these permissions:
| Permission | Employee | Project Manager |
|---|---|---|
| Configure ACL & Options | Denied | Denied |
| Access Administration Interface | Denied | Denied |
| Create | Allowed | Allowed |
| Delete | Allowed | Allowed |
| Edit | Denied | Allowed |
| Edit Own | Allowed | Allowed |
| Reports Management (Assigned) | Denied | Allowed |
| Reports Management (All) | Denied | Allowed |
| Leaves Management | Denied | Allowed |
What Each Role Can Do
Employees can:
- Log work entries and edit/delete their own
- View their own reports and "My Time" dashboard tab
- Submit leave requests and view their own leave status
Project Managers can do everything employees can, plus:
- Edit and delete any user's work entries
- View all reports with staff/project filters
- See the Employees and Projects tabs on the dashboard
- Approve or reject leave requests with comments
- Mark entries as rejected or toggle billable status
Administrators (with Configure ACL & Options) can additionally:
- Access component settings
- Manage clients, projects, tasks, users, time types, and leave types from the admin panel
- Publish/unpublish items