Version 3.0 of Visual Time Sheet ================================ New Help -------- This release has new Help based on Microsoft's Compiled HTML standard. We hope you will find it provides on-line help that is cleaner to look at and easier to use. Help is also supplemented with a 'Tips' form that you can choose to display when launching the application. NOTE: There are minimum standards for HTML Help. Systems require Internet Explorer 3.02 or higher and the Micosoft's HTML Help files. These should be present on Windows 98 SE and higher. Please contact us if you do not meet these requirements. Refreshed Interface ------------------- Visual Time Sheet's main form has undergone some changes to improve use of screen real estate. The visual menu has been moved to the top of the form and some of the icons have been changed to improve usability under the new arrangement. The main form is now re-sizeable (down to a minimum size) and Visual Time Sheet sets itself to the size you last used when the application is opened. The font-size for filters and labels on the search area has been reduced to provide more room for search results (these remain at a standard size). Billing Information ------------------- A significant new feature in this release is the ability to record and report on Billing Information along with time. Billing Information needs to be activated as an administrative setting on the Setup form - this allows you to retain a simpler interface if you don't need to record and manage the extended data right now. The new functionality provides for a default user's hourly rate and billing codes for hourly, fixed price, contract and free effort. The standard Visual Time Sheet report formats have been extended to provide Billing Reports. Billing Information is both backwards and forwards compatible (the new software will use existing data and new data is compatible with previous versions of the software). Search Filters -------------- Search filters have been extended to include all attributes (including the new billing information). Start Day of Week ----------------- You can now specify the start day of week for your calendar. The week arrangement you select will be used for date filters in searching and reporting, and for the Weekly Activity Report. The option to change the start day for the week is an Administrative setting on the Setup form. Reminders --------- To help you keep better track of time, Visual Time Sheet now has a reminder feature which causes the application to pop to the front of your desktop at a chosen interval (it can also play a sound). You can configure this option on the Setup form. Improved Interface for Client/Project and Category/Activity Maintenance ----------------------------------------------------------------------- The maintenance of Clients, Projects, Categories and Activities has been improved with forms that allow data to be created more efficiently, and an undo function. Improved Visibility of Obsoleted Data ------------------------------------- Behind the scenes, Visual Time Sheet now gives you improved reporting on Clients and Projects that have been renamed or deleted. Previously, when you changed the name of a Client or Project or deleted the item, it was not possible to report on the old value directly - you needed to select an "All" option to show this data. Now Visual Time Sheet scans for retired or modified data that is being used in time records and offers Client and Project names as options for reporting. Check out the Client and Project pull-down lists in the Time Report form. Other Improvements ------------------ By default, you can now only launch a single instance of Visual Time Sheet on your desktop. This avoids the potential for accidental loss of data which can occur when a user inadvertently has two copies of the software operating at the same time. For convenience, you can enter a registration code for Visual Time Sheet from the Setup form. New command line parameters allow multiple instances to be launched and the application to run minimzed after launch. A number of small defects have been repaired in this release.