Helpful Tips
February 2004
How do I make mass changes to my users and projects that currently exist in Timesheet?
It is easy to export data from Timesheet for editing (i.e., in an Excel spreadsheet). Once the changes have been made, the information can be imported back into Timesheet in order to make mass edits quick and efficient.
Start by going to the Report section in the main button bar menu. Next click on the link for System Reports. In system reports, you can run any type of report you wish on user or project fields and extra fields. When running a system report for export and re-import, choose the exported text format and select system headers. These settings will ensure that the resulting file is in the correct format for import back into Timesheet. After you run the report, you can edit the file in a program that handles text files (i.e., Excel with auto-fill).
Once you have made the changes to your file, you can import the updated information into Timesheet by using the standard import tools that are included. Click on the Import Data link under Advanced Settings on the main Admin page (you must be an Administrator to do this). On the left side of the page is a menu for importing user, projects, etc. Choose the item you are editing and follow the instructions on the page to import the updated data.
New Feature: How can I copy the dependencies I've set up for one project to another project?
In the recently released Timesheet version 5.5.2, you can copy the dependencies set up for one project to its child projects. The dependencies for the parent project can be copied to existing child projects, and they can also be copied automatically to child projects that are created in the future. You can enable these settings by clicking on the Dependencies icon next to the selected parent project. The setting at the top "Should new children inherit these settings?" will automatically copy the dependency values from the parent to any new child project created in the future if it is to yes. When creating or updating the dependency values for the selected parent project, you can click on the "Change Dependencies and Apply to Children" button at the bottom of the screen to copy the parent's dependencies to existing child projects.
