Getting Started

When you first launch TrackRecord you will be asked for your Basecamp credentials. Rest assured that this information is only ever stored on your computer and that TrackRecord never deals with any of your personal information.

To get started just enter your Basecamp account URL (i.e: companyname.basecamphq.com) and your Basecamp Authentication Token (Auth Token) and click "Fetch my Basecamp data". Tip: It may take TrackRecord a couple of minutes to get all of your Basecamp project data. Why not configure your TrackRecord preferences while you wait.

Finding your Basecamp Auth Token

Your Basecamp-provided Authentication Token is a unique key that allows other apps (like TrackRecord) to access your account. You can find it by logging into your Basecamp account and clicking 'My Info' from the site navigation.

Creating Timers

TrackRecord let you track time against either projects or to-do items. To create a timer, simply double click the Project or To-do item you want to time against. Tip: There are a number of ways to create timers. Why not try dragging from the project list onto the timer list, or hit enter with any Project or To-do item selected? To start a timer simply select it from the timer list and press the Spacebar, or click the Play Button. You can stop a timer at any time by again hitting the Spacebar or clicking the Stop Button.

Editing Timers

TrackRecord makes editing your timers' descriptions, date and times simple. Just select the value you would like to change in the timer list and hit enter when you're done. Tip: You don't need to stop the timers to be able to edit them.

Reassigning timers

You can easily re-assign an existing timer by dragging it onto either a Project or To-do item in the project pane.

Posting Timers to Basecamp

Now that you have timed against a Project or To-do item you'll want to post your time to Basecamp. Select one or more timers from your timer list and hit the Post timer button. Tip: You can use the keyboard shortcut ⌘ + Enter to post any selected timer(s). Whilst your time is posting you will see a "Posting time to Basecamp" activity message in the bottom right of the app. When this disappears your timer will appear in the darker Posted Timers list. This list reflects the timers you have posted to Basecamp via TrackRecord.

Editing Posted Timers

Any times submitted to Basecamp via TrackRecord will appear in the Posted Timers section of the application. Just like the timer list mentioned above, you're free to edit any posted timer details you wish. Once you're finished with your amendments, click the Post log button to send your changes to Basecamp.

Editing a posted timer will change its details in Basecamp. This means you can edit and even delete posted time without ever having to open the Basecamp website!

Refreshing your Basecamp Cache

When you create new Projects or To-dos in Basecamp it is sometimes necessary to update TrackRecord's Basecamp cache. To refresh your Basecamp cache simply click the Refresh button found at the bottom of your Project pane.

Because refreshing your entire Basecamp cache can sometimes take a while, TrackRecord gives you the option to only refresh certain Projects or To-do lists by selecting them in the Project Pane before clicking the refresh button.

Setting Up Your Preferences

TrackRecord comes with a variety of preferences, allowing you to work the way you want to. Here's a brief rundown of just a few of the options TrackRecord has to offer:

• Show TrackRecord in menu bar

  Creates an easy-access system menu bar, allowing you to manage timers quickly and easily.

• Warn me about idle time after a period of...

  Working on a big project but get unexpectedly called away? TrackRecord can be configured to monitor system idle time, giving you the option to ignore time spent away from your computer.

• Hide timer badges in the Project pane

  Timer badges track projects and to-do items containing unposted time.

• Hide items marked as 'complete' in Basecamp

  If a to-do item is marked as completed in Basecamp, TrackRecord will remove it from the project pane. If you change the status of this to-do in Basecamp to active, you will need to refresh your cache for this project again to see the to-do.

• Set TrackRecord's default date format to...

  Choose whether you prefer to have dates displayed in MM/DD/YY or DD/MM/YY format.

• Set timer descriptions to the item they belong to

  By default, the description of the timer you are working on will be set to the name of the project or to-do that you are timing against. You can of course edit this if want.

• Edit a Timer's description immediately after its is created

  With this ticked, when you start a new timer, the description of it is ready to edit straight away.

• Remove timers after they have been posted to Basecamp

  Once you have posted off you timers, TrackRecord can automatically remove the timer from the All Timers pane.

• Set posted times to the current date and time

  This one catches some people out! If you leave this option un-ticked, any time you post today will be set as the date you started the timer in TrackRecord. So, if I start a timer on the 1st Jan, keep adding to it over a couple of weeks and then post it on the 14th Jan, the date the time is posted to in Basecamp will be the 1st Jan. Of course, you can tick the preference and your timer will be posted to today's date, no matter what date you created the timer.