Time Tracker — AutoHotkey v2

A small, unobtrusive time tracker for Windows that keeps clean logs while you swap tasks, lock your screen, step away, or add manual entries later. Idle detection and quick-lock handling reduce popups, and all behavior can be tuned from an in-app settings dialog.

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Getting started

1. Install AutoHotkey v2.
2. Run timeTrack.ahk (double-click or add to Startup). The script will create its data files in the same folder as the script.
3. Use the hotkeys below to start/stop tasks, review summaries, or change settings. Tray tips will confirm actions.

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Hotkeys

Action	Hotkey
Open task picker	Ctrl + Alt + T
Stop current task	Ctrl + Alt + 0
Open control panel	Ctrl + Alt + P
Show weekly/today summary	Ctrl + Alt + S
Manage tasks (delete/archive)	Ctrl + Alt + D
Manage time entries (delete/archive)	Ctrl + Alt + E
Manually add a time entry	Ctrl + Alt + A
Open settings (idle/lock behavior)	Ctrl + Alt + C

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Everyday workflow

Starting and stopping work

• Press Ctrl+Alt+T to pick an existing task or type a new name. Switching tasks auto-stops the previous one.
• Press Ctrl+Alt+0 to stop the current task immediately.

Locking/unlocking and quick locks

• Quick locks shorter than your configured window (default 60s) automatically resume the last task without resetting the start time.
• Longer locks stop the task at the lock time and show a unified popup when you return so you can discard or assign the locked block, then choose what to work on next.

Idle detection

• If you are inactive longer than the configured idle threshold, the active task pauses automatically. On return you get a popup to discard or assign the idle block and decide what to do next.
• Adjust idle threshold, polling interval, and quick-lock window via Ctrl+Alt+C. Values are saved to time_tracker.ini and loaded on startup.

Manual and historical edits

• Use Ctrl+Alt+A to enter a manual block: pick or type a task, date, and start/end times. Entries that overlap existing time on the same day are rejected with a clear message, preventing double-logging.
• Manage tasks with Ctrl+Alt+D (delete/archive) and entries with Ctrl+Alt+E (delete/archive). Archived tasks are removed from dropdowns.

Summaries

• Press Ctrl+Alt+S for a popup showing the active task plus totals for today and the current week (since Monday), with quick bar visuals for scale.

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Configuration and data files

All files live next to timeTrack.ahk:

File	Purpose
time_tracker.ini	Saved settings for idle threshold (minutes), idle poll interval (ms), and quick-lock resume window (seconds).
time_log.csv	Main log: date,task,start,end,minutes (one entry per line; blank lines are removed automatically).
tasks.txt	Active task list shown in dropdowns.
task_archive.txt	Archived task names.
time_archive.csv	Archived time entries.

Log handling normalizes whitespace, so each entry stays on its own line without gaps, even after manual edits.