This guide covers the frontend features available to employees and managers. Access the component from your Joomla site menu (the menu item your administrator has set up for Easy Time Manager).
Table of Contents
- Dashboard
- Work Log (Reporting)
- Creating & Editing Work Entries
- Time Tracker
- Leave Requests
- Exporting Reports
Dashboard
The dashboard gives a visual overview of time logged across employees, projects, and your own work. It is divided into tabs, and which tabs you see depends on your permissions.
Employees Tab
Visible to: users with "Reports Management (All Projects)" permission (typically Project Managers)
A table showing each employee's logged hours across time periods:
| Column | Description |
|---|---|
| Employee name | Click to jump to the work log filtered by this employee |
| Today | Hours logged today |
| Yesterday | Hours logged yesterday |
| This Week | Hours logged this week |
| Previous Week | Hours logged last week |
| This Month | Hours logged this month |
| Previous Month | Hours logged last month |
Visual indicators:
- A warning icon marks hours that have been rejected
- A ban icon marks non-billable hours
- Color-coded badges show the breakdown by time worked type
Projects Tab
Visible to: users with "Reports Management (Assigned Projects)" or "Reports Management (All Projects)"
Same layout as the Employees tab, but rows represent projects instead of people. Click a project name to view its filtered work log.
A chart below the table visualizes project hours over the last two months. Use the Select All / Unselect All buttons to toggle which projects appear on the chart.
My Time Tab
Visible to: all authenticated users
Shows your personal time statistics with a project-by-project breakdown and chart. Same period columns as above, but only your own data.
Work Log (Reporting)
The work log is the main reporting interface. It displays work entries in a filterable, paginated table alongside a calendar and a quick-entry form.
Calendar
The left column shows a monthly calendar. Click any date to:
- Filter the table to show entries for that date
- Pre-fill the date field in the entry form
Dates with logged entries are marked with dots. Use the arrow buttons to navigate between months.
Filters
Click Filters to expand the filter panel. Available filters:
| Filter | Description |
|---|---|
| Client | Filter by client — updates the project dropdown to show only that client's projects |
| Project | Filter by project |
| Staff | Filter by employee (only visible to managers with report management permissions) |
| Month / Date range | Select a predefined month or click Precise dates to pick a custom date range |
| Filter by keyword | Free text search across task names and work descriptions |
| Filter by ticket | Search by ticket/issue number |
Filters are applied via AJAX — the page does not reload. Your date range selection is remembered between sessions using browser cookies.
Data Table
The table shows work entries matching your current filters:
| Column | Description |
|---|---|
| Client | Client name |
| Project | Project name |
| Employee | Employee name (manager view only) |
| Date | Date of work |
| Task | Task name or title |
| Done | Work description |
| Tickets | Issue/ticket numbers (clickable links if a bugtracker URL is configured) |
| Hours | Time spent |
Click any column header to sort. Click the Table Settings button to show/hide columns — your visibility preferences are saved in cookies.
Totals
Below the table, summary rows display:
- Current page total — sum of hours on the current page
- Total (sum) — sum of all hours matching the filters (across all pages)
- Total Billable — billable hours only (if billable tracking is enabled)
Pagination
Choose how many rows to display: 5, 10, 15, 20, 25, 30, 50, 100, or All. Navigate between pages with the pagination controls.
Manager-Only Features
Users with report management permissions see additional capabilities:
- Staff filter to view any employee's entries
- Reject — click the reject icon on a row to mark an entry as rejected, with a comment
- Billable toggle — click the billable icon to mark an entry as non-billable (or reverse it)
Creating & Editing Work Entries
Quick Entry Form
On the work log page, the Report Form panel (click to expand/collapse) allows fast entry creation:
- Project (required) — select from your assigned projects. If the task list feature is enabled, selecting a project loads its available tasks.
- Task (required) — type a task name (free text) or select from the dropdown if predefined tasks are enabled. Autocomplete suggestions appear as you type.
- Date (required) — click to open the calendar picker, or click a date on the side calendar.
- Time (required) — enter hours in HH:MM format (e.g.,
2:30for two hours and thirty minutes). The field auto-formats as you type. - Time type — select the work category (e.g., Development, QA). Defaults to the default type.
- Done (configurable) — describe what you accomplished. May be required depending on component settings.
- Tickets (configurable) — enter ticket/issue numbers. Supports multiple values as tags. May be required depending on settings.
Click Submit to save. The table and calendar update immediately via AJAX. Click Reset to clear the form (with options to preserve the current project and task name).
Editing an Existing Entry
Click the Edit icon on any row in the work log table. The form is populated with the entry's data and switches to edit mode. Make your changes and click Submit to save.
Copying an Entry
Click the Copy icon on a row to pre-fill the form with that entry's data as a new entry. Adjust the date or other fields as needed and submit.
Deleting an Entry
Click the Delete icon on a row. A confirmation dialog appears: "These items will be permanently deleted and cannot be recovered. Are you sure?" Click confirm to delete.
Permissions
- Employees can create entries and edit or delete their own entries only
- Managers (with Edit permission) can edit any user's entries
- Only users with Delete permission can remove entries
Time Tracker
The time tracker lets you record work in real time using a stopwatch-style interface.
How to Use
- Select a project from the dropdown. Only your assigned projects are listed.
- If task lists are enabled, a task dropdown appears — select the task.
- Optionally enter a description in the "What are you working on?" field.
- Click Start to begin the timer. The elapsed time displays in HH:MM:SS format.
- When finished, click Done. The tracked time is saved as a work entry for today.
- Click Cancel to discard the tracked time without saving.
Requirements
- You must be logged in
- You must be assigned to at least one project (if not, you will see: "No projects assigned to you")
Leave Requests
Employees can submit leave requests, and managers can approve or decline them.
Submitting a Leave Request
- Open the Leave Form panel (click to expand).
- Start Date / End Date — use the date range picker to select the leave period.
- Working Days — enter the number of working days (decimals allowed for half-days).
- Leave Type — select from the configured types (e.g., Annual Leave, Sick Leave).
- Comments — optionally explain the reason for the leave (max 1000 characters).
- Click Submit to save. An email notification is sent to the manager.
Viewing Leave Status
The leave table shows all your requests (or all employees' requests if you are a manager).
Columns:
| Column | Description |
|---|---|
| Start Date | First day of leave |
| End Date | Last day of leave |
| Work Days | Number of working days |
| Leave Type | Category of leave |
| Employee | Name (manager view only) |
| User Comment | Your explanation |
| Status | Pending, Approved, or Rejected |
Status indicators are color-coded:
- Pending — awaiting manager decision
- Approved — leave has been approved
- Rejected — leave was declined
Filters
| Filter | Description |
|---|---|
| Staff | Filter by employee (managers only) |
| Month / Date range | Filter by time period |
| Hide previous years leaves | Checkbox to hide older leave records |
Editing and Deleting
- Click Edit on a leave request to modify it (own requests only, unless you have edit-all permission).
- Click Delete to remove a request (requires delete permission).
- Editing an already-reviewed leave resets its status to Pending.
Approval (Managers)
Managers with "Leaves Management" permission see Approve and Decline links on each pending request:
- Click Approve or Decline.
- A modal dialog appears where you can add a comment explaining the decision.
- Click Send to confirm. The employee receives an email with the decision and your comment.
Exporting Reports
Excel Export
Click the Export to Excel button on the work log page to download the current filtered report as an Excel file (.xlsx).
The exported file includes:
- A header row with the report title and date range
- Columns: Client, Project, Employee (if manager), Date, Task, Done, Tickets, Hours
- Automatic column widths
Billable hours handling (depends on component configuration):
- Export not billable hours — all entries are exported regardless of billable status
- Confirm before exporting — a modal asks whether to include non-billable hours
- Don't export not billable hours — non-billable entries are excluded automatically
Line-break handling: If configured, newlines in the "Done" field are replaced with the configured separator character (space, period, comma, etc.) for cleaner Excel output.
Click the Print button to open a printer-friendly version of the current filtered report. This opens in a new window optimized for browser printing with:
- Clean table layout
- Period and filter information in the header
- No navigation or interactive elements