jcergolj/simple

Simple - time tracking application built with Laravel, Hotwire, and Tailwind CSS.

dev-master 2025-10-17 11:39 UTC

Requires

• php: ^8.2
• blade-ui-kit/blade-heroicons: ^2.6
• hotwired-laravel/stimulus-laravel: ^1.2
• hotwired-laravel/turbo-laravel: ^2.3
• jcergolj/after-action-redirect-pagination-url-for-laravel: ^2.6
• jcergolj/in-app-notifications-for-laravel: ^1.0
• laravel/framework: ^12.0
• laravel/tinker: ^2.10.1
• tonysm/importmap-laravel: ^2.4
• tonysm/tailwindcss-laravel: ^2.2

Requires (Dev)

• fakerphp/faker: ^1.23
• hotwired-laravel/hotreload: ^0.0.8
• jcergolj/additional-test-assertions-for-laravel: ^2.2
• jcergolj/http-client-generator-for-laravel: dev-master
• jcergolj/laravel-form-request-assertions: ^1.5
• jcergolj/laravel-view-test-assertions: ^2.7
• jcergolj/rector-for-laravel: ^0.7.0
• larastan/larastan: ^3.0
• laravel/boost: ^1.0
• laravel/pail: ^1.2.2
• laravel/pint: ^1.18
• laravel/sail: ^1.41
• mockery/mockery: ^1.6
• nunomaduro/collision: ^8.6
• phpunit/phpunit: ^12.0
• soloterm/solo: ^0.5.0
• worksome/envy: ^1.1

MIT

• framework
• laravel
• hotwire

README

🆕 What I’m Working On

I started this project because I was frustrated with time trackers like Toggl — too many clicks, too many features, and far more complexity than I need. I wanted something simple, fast, and frictionless, built with Laravel and Hotwire.

Key ideas:

• Track time with minimal friction
• Timers remember your last client/project
• Keyboard shortcuts to start/stop quickly
• MIT-licensed, open-source, focused on doing one thing really well

You can try it now, but things are still rough. Waiting until next week gives you a more polished interface ready for everyday use. Feedback is very welcome — I’d love to see how it fits your workflow.

Status — Early development. This project is under active development. APIs, database schema, and UX may change and breaking changes are expected. Do not run this in production systems.

A minimal time-tracking app built with Laravel 12 and Hotwire. Track time across clients and projects — no bloat, just tracking.

✨ Features

⏰ Timer Management

• One-Click Timer: Start timing with a single click.
• Single Active Session: Only one timer runs at a time — prevents accidentally starting multiple timers.
• Page Refresh Continuation: Active timers persist through page refreshes (browser reload safe).
• Keyboard Shortcuts: Ctrl+Shift+S (start) and Ctrl+Shift+T (stop).

👥 Client & Project Management

• Auto-Preselection: The last-used client/project is preselected for quick reuse.
• Client Association: Link projects to clients for clearer organization.
• Hourly Rates: Set hourly rates at client or project level (currency support included).

📊 Dashboard & Analytics

• Weekly Summary: Overview of total hours and earnings for the week.
• Recent Activities: Quickly view your most recent time entries.
• Responsive Design: Layout adapts to desktop, tablet, and mobile.

📈 Reporting & Export

• Flexible Filtering: Filter entries by client, project, or date range.
• CSV Export: Export entries to CSV with totals for hours and earnings.
• Earnings Calculation: Earnings are calculated automatically from hourly rates.

🎨 Modern UI/UX

• Hotwire-Powered: Fast, server-rendered interactions with minimal JavaScript.
• DaisyUI Components: Clean, accessible UI components.
• Mobile-First: Designed for mobile-first use, adapts to larger screens.

⚙️ User Preferences

• Date Format Options: Choose between US (MM/DD/YYYY), UK (DD/MM/YYYY), or EU (DD.MM.YYYY) formats.
• Time Format Options: Select 12-hour (2:30 PM) or 24-hour (14:30) time display.
• Personalized Display: All dates and times throughout the app adapt to your preferences.
• Independent Settings: Date and time formats can be configured separately for maximum flexibility.

🛠️ Tech Stack

• Framework: Laravel 12 (tested on 12.30.1)
• PHP Version: 8.2+
• Database: SQLite (default)
• Frontend: Hotwire (Turbo + Stimulus)
• CSS Framework: Tailwind CSS + DaisyUI
• JavaScript: Vanilla JS with Stimulus controllers

Key Dependencies

• hotwired-laravel/turbo-laravel — Hotwire Turbo integration
• hotwired-laravel/stimulus-laravel — Stimulus JavaScript framework
• tonysm/tailwindcss-laravel — Tailwind CSS integration
• tonysm/importmap-laravel — Modern JavaScript without bundling
• blade-ui-kit/blade-heroicons — SVG icons

🚀 Installation

Requirements

• PHP 8.4 or higher

Quick Start (Automatic)

1. Clone the repository

   git clone <repository-url>
   cd simple-time-tracker

2. Run the installation script

   ./install.sh

3. Create your user account

   php artisan app:create-user

4. Start the development server

   php artisan serve

Manual Installation

If you prefer to install manually:

1. Install dependencies

   composer install --no-dev --optimize-autoloader

2. Environment setup

   cp .env.example .env
   php artisan key:generate

3. Database setup

   touch database/database.sqlite
   php artisan migrate

4. Setup frontend assets

   php artisan importmap:install
   php artisan importmap:optimize
   php artisan tailwindcss:download
   php artisan tailwindcss:install

5. Optimize application

   php artisan config:cache
   php artisan route:cache
   php artisan view:cache

6. Create user

   php artisan app:create-user

⚡ Quick Reference

Common Commands

# User Management
php artisan app:create-user                    # Create your user account
php artisan user:reset-password [e-mail] # Reset user password

# Development
php artisan serve                              # Start development server
php artisan migrate                            # Run database migrations
php artisan optimize:clear                     # Clear all caches

# User Preferences (Database Updates)
# Note: Preferences are typically managed through Settings → Preferences in the web UI
# But you can also update them directly in the database if needed:
php artisan tinker                             # Access database directly
# Example: User::first()->update(['date_format' => 'eu', 'time_format' => '24'])

# Analysis & Quality
composer analyse                               # Run all code quality checks
composer run pint                              # Format code
composer run test                              # Run tests

Troubleshooting

# Clear caches if things seem broken
php artisan config:clear
php artisan route:clear
php artisan view:clear
php artisan cache:clear

# Reset everything and optimize
php artisan optimize:clear
php artisan optimize

👤 User Management

This application is designed for single-user use. Registration is automatically disabled after the first user is created, making it perfect for personal time tracking.

Creating Your User Account

After installation, create your user account:

php artisan app:create-user

This interactive command will prompt you for:

• Name: Your display name
• Email: Your login email address
• Password: Secure password (minimum 8 characters)
• Hourly Rate: Your default hourly rate (optional)

Resetting User Password

If you forget your password or need to reset it, you can use the command line:

Interactive Password Reset

php artisan user:reset-password [e-mail]

This command will:

1. Verify the user exists
2. Prompt you to enter a new password (securely hidden)
3. Ask you to confirm the password
4. Validate the password meets requirements (minimum 8 characters)
5. Update the user's password

Non-Interactive Password Reset

For automated scripts or when you want to provide the password directly:

php artisan user:reset-password [e-mail] --password="your-new-password"

⚠️ Security Warning: When using the --password option, the password may be visible in your shell history. Use the interactive method for better security.

Examples

# Interactive (recommended)
php artisan user:reset-password [e-mail]

# Direct password (less secure)
php artisan user:reset-password [e-mail] --password="MyNewSecurePassword123"

# If user email has spaces or special characters, use quotes
php artisan user:reset-password "user with [e-mail]"

Troubleshooting

• "User not found": Double-check the email address is correct
• "Password validation failed": Ensure password is at least 8 characters
• "Passwords do not match": Make sure you type the same password twice in interactive mode

Single User Restriction

• Only one user is allowed per installation
• Registration routes are automatically disabled once a user exists
• The login form hides the "Create Account" link when a user exists
• Perfect for personal use or single-person businesses

Force Create Additional User

If you need to create another user for testing (not recommended for production):

php artisan app:create-user --force

📱 Usage

Starting a Timer

1. Navigate to the dashboard.
2. Select or search for a client.
3. Optionally select a project.
4. Click the green play button or use Ctrl+Shift+S.

Managing Time Entries

• View Recent Entries: At the bottom of the dashboard.
• Edit Entries: Click an entry to modify and save changes.
• Add Manual Entries: Use the Time Entries page to log entries manually.

Generating Reports

1. Go to the Reports section.
2. Filter by client, project, or date range.
3. View summaries or export to CSV.
4. CSV includes individual entries and a totals row.

Creating Clients & Projects

• Inline Creation: Start typing in search fields and create if no results are found.
• Dedicated Pages: Manage clients and projects in bulk.
• Rate Management: Set hourly rates at client or project level.

Customizing Preferences

Navigate to Settings → Preferences to personalize your experience:

Date Format Options

Choose how dates appear throughout the application:

• US Format: 12/25/2025 (MM/DD/YYYY)
• UK Format: 25/12/2025 (DD/MM/YYYY)
• EU Format: 25.12.2025 (DD.MM.YYYY)

Time Format Options

Select your preferred time display:

• 12-Hour Format: 2:30 PM (with AM/PM)
• 24-Hour Format: 14:30 (military time)

Examples of Format Combinations

Date Format	Time Format	Date Example	DateTime Example
US + 12-hour	12/25/2025	12/25/2025 2:30 PM
US + 24-hour	12/25/2025	12/25/2025 14:30
UK + 12-hour	25/12/2025	25/12/2025 2:30 PM
UK + 24-hour	25/12/2025	25/12/2025 14:30
EU + 12-hour	25.12.2025	25.12.2025 2:30 PM
EU + 24-hour	25.12.2025	25.12.2025 14:30

All dates and times in reports, time entries, and dashboards will automatically update to match your preferences.

💡 Tip: You can mix and match date and time formats independently. For example, use EU date format (25.12.2025) with 12-hour time (2:30 PM) if that's your preference!

🔧 Configuration

Environment Variables

Set options in .env:

# Database
DB_CONNECTION=sqlite
DB_DATABASE=/absolute/path/to/database.sqlite

# Application
APP_NAME="Simple Time Tracker"
APP_URL=http://localhost:8000

# Timezone
APP_TIMEZONE=UTC

⚠️ Adjust APP_TIMEZONE to your local timezone.

Customization

• Themes: Modify tailwind.config.js
• Components: Extend DaisyUI components in resources/css/app.css
• Stimulus Controllers: Add custom JavaScript in resources/js/controllers/

User Preferences

User preferences (date/time formats, hourly rates) are stored per-user in the database and can be configured through the web interface at Settings → Preferences.

Default Values

• Date Format: US format (MM/DD/YYYY)
• Time Format: 12-hour format (with AM/PM)
• Hourly Rate: Not set (optional)

Database Storage

Preferences are stored in the users table:

-- Date format: 'us', 'uk', or 'eu'
date_format VARCHAR DEFAULT 'us'

-- Time format: '12' or '24'  
time_format VARCHAR DEFAULT '12'

🧪 Analyse

Analyse the project, run Ladrastan, Rector, Pint, tests:

composer analyse

🔍 Code Quality

This project includes tools for consistent code quality:

• Laravel Pint: Code formatting (composer run pint)
• Larastan: Static analysis (composer run analyse)
• Rector: Automated refactoring (composer run rector)

📚 Architecture

Directory Structure

app/
├── Http/Controllers/
│   ├── Turbo/           # Hotwire-specific controllers
│   └── Api/             # API endpoints
├── Models/              # Eloquent models
└── Requests/            # Form request validation

resources/
├── js/
│   └── controllers/     # Stimulus controllers
├── turbo/               # Turbo-specific views
└── views/               # Standard Blade views

Key Design Patterns

• Hotwire-First: Minimal JavaScript, server-rendered HTML.
• Component Architecture: Reusable Blade components.
• Single Responsibility: Focused controllers and models.
• Progressive Enhancement: Works even without JavaScript.

Date/Time Format Implementation

The date and time formatting system uses:

• Enums: App\Enums\DateFormat and App\Enums\TimeFormat for type safety
• Blade Components: <x-user-date>, <x-user-time>, <x-user-datetime> for consistent display
• User Preferences: Stored in database and accessed via User->getPreferredDateFormat() / User->getPreferredTimeFormat()
• Automatic Updates: All views automatically respect user preferences without manual formatting

🤝 Contributing

1. Fork the repository.
2. Create a feature branch (git checkout -b feature/your-feature).
3. Commit your changes (git commit -m 'Add feature').
4. Push to the branch (git push origin feature/your-feature).
5. Open a Pull Request.

Please run tests and code quality checks before submitting.

📄 License

This project is open-sourced software licensed under the MIT license.

🆘 Support

For support, open an issue in the GitHub repository.

Common Issues

Forgot Password?
Use the command line to reset: php artisan user:reset-password [e-mail]

Can't Login?
Check if your user exists: php artisan tinker then App\Models\User::all()

Application Errors?
Clear caches: php artisan optimize:clear then php artisan optimize

Currently, I am looking for someone to help revamp the UI to make it truly simple and minimalistic. Contributions and suggestions for design improvements are very welcome.

💰 Paid Features

The core functionality of Simple Time Tracker remains fully free and open-source under the MIT license.

Some additional features or modules may be offered as paid extras in the future. These paid modules are optional and do not affect the usability of the free, core application.

Contributors’ work is fully credited, and monetization is intended to support ongoing development of the project, not restrict access to the free core functionality.