Time Entry Templates allow you to create reusable templates for frequently logged activities, saving time and ensuring consistency in your time tracking.
Time Entry Templates help you:
- Save time: Start timers or create entries with pre-filled data
- Ensure consistency: Use the same project, task, and notes for recurring activities
- Track patterns: See which templates you use most often
- Reduce errors: Avoid manually entering the same information repeatedly
Each template can include:
- Name (required): A descriptive name for quick identification
- Description (optional): Additional details about when to use this template
- Project: Pre-select a project for this activity
- Task: Pre-select a specific task within the project
- Default Duration: Set a standard duration in hours (e.g., 1.0, 0.5)
- Default Notes: Pre-fill notes/description for the time entry
- Tags: Comma-separated tags for categorization
- Billable: Whether time entries from this template should be billable
Templates track:
- Usage Count: How many times the template has been used
- Last Used: When the template was last used
- Templates are automatically sorted by most recently used
- Navigate to Templates from the main navigation
- Click "New Template"
- Fill in the template details:
- Enter a descriptive name
- Select a project (and optionally a task)
- Set default duration if desired
- Add default notes and tags
- Click "Create Template"
There are three ways to use a template:
- Go to Templates
- Click "Use Template" on any template card
- You'll be redirected to create a time entry with pre-filled data
- On the dashboard, click "Start Timer"
- In the start timer modal, you'll see a list of your recent templates
- Click on any template to apply its data to the timer form
- Click "Start" to begin tracking time
Some templates (those with a project assigned) have a direct "Start Timer" button that:
- Immediately starts a timer with the template's data
- Increments the template's usage count
- Takes you back to the dashboard
- Navigate to Templates
- Click the edit icon (pencil) on the template card
- Update any fields as needed
- Click "Save Changes"
- Navigate to Templates
- Click the delete icon (trash) on the template card
- Confirm the deletion
Note: Deleting a template does not affect any time entries that were created using it.
Use clear, descriptive names:
- ✅ Good: "Daily Standup", "Client Meeting - ProjectX", "Code Review"
- ❌ Poor: "Meeting", "Work", "Task1"
Templates are ideal for:
- Recurring meetings: Daily standups, weekly syncs, client calls
- Regular activities: Code reviews, testing, documentation
- Standard tasks: Email correspondence, administrative work
- Frequent projects: Activities you do multiple times per week
- Keep your template list focused (5-10 most-used templates)
- Delete or update templates you no longer use
- Use consistent naming and tagging schemes
- Review and clean up templates quarterly
- Leave duration blank for activities with variable length (start/stop timer)
- Set a duration for activities with predictable length (meetings, standup)
- Common durations: 0.25 (15 min), 0.5 (30 min), 1.0 (1 hour)
GET /api/templatesReturns all templates for the current user.
Response:
{
"templates": [
{
"id": 1,
"name": "Daily Standup",
"project_id": 5,
"project_name": "Internal",
"task_id": 12,
"task_name": "Team Meetings",
"default_duration": 0.25,
"default_notes": "Discussed progress and blockers",
"tags": "meeting,standup",
"billable": false,
"usage_count": 45,
"last_used_at": "2024-01-15T09:00:00Z"
}
]
}GET /api/templates/{template_id}Returns a specific template by ID.
POST /api/templates/{template_id}/useRecords that the template was used (increments usage count and updates last_used_at).
- The dashboard shows only your 5 most recently used templates
- Visit the Templates page to see all your templates
- Use a template to move it to the top of the list
- Ensure the template has a project assigned
- Verify the project is active (not archived)
- Stop any active timers before starting a new one
- Check that you're using the correct method (template button, not manual form)
- Verify the template has the fields you expect filled in
- Try editing and re-saving the template
If you're upgrading to a version with time entry templates:
- Templates are stored in a new
time_entry_templatestable - No migration is needed - the feature is additive
- Templates are user-specific and don't affect existing time entries
- Time Tracking: Learn about manual time entries and timer
- Projects: Understanding projects and their settings
- Tasks: Using tasks within projects
- Reports: Analyzing your time data
Create templates from your most frequent activities by:
- Track your time for a week
- Review your time entries
- Create templates for activities that appear 3+ times
For complex workflows:
- Create separate templates for each phase
- Use consistent naming: "ProjectX - Phase 1", "ProjectX - Phase 2"
- This helps with reporting and analysis
When using templates on the dashboard:
- The templates list is keyboard accessible
- Use Tab to navigate, Enter to select
- This speeds up your workflow significantly
Q: Can I share templates with my team? A: Templates are currently user-specific. Each team member needs to create their own templates.
Q: Will deleting a template affect my past time entries? A: No, time entries are independent once created. Deleting a template doesn't affect any existing time entries.
Q: How many templates can I create? A: There's no hard limit, but we recommend keeping 10-20 active templates for ease of use.
Q: Can I import/export templates? A: Currently, templates are managed through the UI. API support allows for programmatic creation if needed.
Q: Do templates work with the mobile interface? A: Yes, templates are fully functional on mobile devices through the responsive web interface.
We'd love to hear how you're using time entry templates! If you have suggestions or encounter issues, please:
- Open an issue on GitHub
- Contact support
- Contribute improvements via pull request