Zentrale Zeit Erfassung - ZEFF
======================================================


Introduction
-------------------------------------------------------

zeff(ix) is a little tool for worktime accounting.


  zeff    - console-version, collector
  zeffix  - X11-version, collector
  zeffex  - converts a .csv file to M$ excel format
  zeffsum - summarizes multiple .csv files

For both versions perl is required, for the X11
version perl-tk is required too. You can grap it
from CPAN.




Installation
-------------------------------------------------------

Edit the Makefile and type 'make install' as root.
That's it.




Configuration
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The tools expecting its config file on one of the
following locations:

 /etc/zeff.config
 ~/.zeff/config

in this order.

This file contains the cost-center id's on which
you want/need to book.

Format:

 cost-center id:shortcut:description

The colon will be used as separator. The shortcut must
be a simple word of alphanumeric characters.

It must exist at least one entry with the shortcut
"default", which will be used upon program startup.



Usage
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Usage is quite simple. After program startup you have
to select a costcenter. By default 'default' will be
used. In the console version you have to enter the name
(shortcut) of the costcenter in question which can
be abbreviated if possible.

The counter runs as long as you have selected a certain
costcenter. Once you change to another costcenter or
'pause' or 'stop' (see below!) the time counted so far
for the last costcenter will be saved and the counter
will be resetted for the new costcenter.

The two special ZEFF-internal costcenters 'pause' and
'stop' can be used to stop accounting temporary (pause)
or to stop working on this day (stop). If one of these
special costcenters will be selected all counters for
all costcenters booked so far will be saved to disk.
If there are already entries for the current date in
the accounting file ZEFF will accumulate the old and
the new data.






Time Data
-------------------------------------------------------

ZEFF creates one accouning file per month, which is
in fact a comma separated file with the following format:


 DD.MM.YYYY;cost-center id;hh:mm:ss

The semi-colon will be used as separator.

You may convert the data to M$ excel format, see below.

The filename follows this naming scheme:

 zeff.MMYYYY.csv

All files will be stored in a directory .zeff within your
$HOME.

For each written .csv file a .csv~ file may exist. ZEFF
made a backup copy - just in case something weird happens,
which protects you from data loss.





Converting to M$ excel format
-------------------------------------------------------

Using the tool 'zeffex' you are able to convert the
.csv accounting files to M$ excel format. Usage is
quite simple:

 zeffex zeff.MMYYYY.csv [Output]

It creates an excel file of the following name:

 zeff.MMYYYY.xls.

The optional argument may be an alternate filename for
the excel file, which may also just be a directory. In
the latter case the filename will be created from the
input filename but written in the supplied directory.

The perl module Spreadsheet::WriteExcel is required for
'zeffex', which itself requires perl 5.005 or higher.




Author
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Thomas Linden <tom@daemon.de>


Copyright
-------------------------------------------------------

Copyright (c) 2002 by Thomas Linden.


License
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Artistic License:
http://www.opensource.org/licenses/artistic-license.html

