TimeCard For Outlook Updated

Today we have released an update to solve an issue in the kalmstrom.com Outlook add-on for time-reporting: the compatibility with the combination of Windows 8 and Office 2013. More enhancements of TimeCard is under development, but we have decided to publish this smaller update first.

Report time and expenses from the Outlook calendar
When you use TimeCard you don't need a separate tool for time reporting. Plan your time in the Outlook calendar as usual but also tag each appointment with one, two or three metadata, like Project, Customer or Company. You can also add your expenses in the appointment.

When it is time to report, click a button in the TimeCard toolbar in Outlook. A dialog opens where you can review your hours before you click another button to report them. You may also export the time report to an Excel datasheet from this dialog.

Workgroup and Single versions
TimeCard is useful for organizations with hundreds of employees as well as for people who only need to keep track of their own time. Therefore TimeCard has both a Workgroup version – with reporting to a central database and most of the configuration made for all users by the administrator – and a Single version with local reporting and configuration.

Windows 8 + Office 2013
The earlier version of TimeCard was compatible with Windows 8 and Office 2013 as long as your system had just one of them. Windows 7 + Office 2013 worked fine, just like Windows 8 + Office 2010, but when users installed both Windows 8 and Office 2013 they got problems with TimeCard.

Therefore we decided to make a smaller release to solve this issue and not wait until the development of version 5 is finished. Both the Single version and the Workgroup version updates to solve the Win8 + Office 2013 issue have been published today.

SharePoint option in V5
Today's release was just a first step. TimeCard is our main development project right now, when we are working on TimeCard V5.

The addition of SharePoint as an alternative to the current Access or SQL Server database is among the most important enhancements in version 5. If you use

TimeCard with the Office 365 Outlook and report to a SharePoint site you can reach your calendar and report from anywhere, as long as you are connected to the internet.

64-bit support for V5
To add support for the 64-bit version of Office is a complicated process that many application developers refrain from, but we have added this support to most of our products now. TimeCard still only supports the 32-bit version, though, but the next major update will be compatible with 64 bits too. For more info about our plans, please refer to the TimeCard Plans page.

I will of course come back with more info about TimeCard V5 as work proceeds. Until then, if want to use TimeCard with Windows 8 + Office 2013 (32-bit) you are welcome to download TimeCard Single or TimeCard Workgroup or  – if you are a Community Member or Support Customer  – to upgrade your current installation.

By Peter Kalmstrom
CEO and Systems Designer
kalmstrom.com Business Solutions