Software Secrets: The Help Files

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Hidden away in your TimePilot software is something that could well make your life easier: The software’s Help files.

The help files explain all the ins and outs of the software, but one of its special features is a list of definitions of words and phrases used in the software. What does “Snap-To” mean? How does “Rounding” work? And what in the world are "Buffer Zones"?

They’re all software features that can help your business. You can learn all about them in the “Resources” section of the help files. You won’t find them explained in the printed manual: The manual was designed to get the average user up and running quickly; the help files contain everything the manual does (in more detail) as well as explanations of the software’s advanced features, definitions and tips and tricks.

So how do you find all of these things?

Simple. Start TimePilot Central, then click the “Help” menu at the top of the screen. In the menu list that appears, click the “Help” item to open the help files.

Important: When you first open the help files, you may not see any links down the left side of the screen. At the bottom of the screen (or at the top in older versions of Internet Explorer) you’ll see a notice that your browser "restricted this web page from running scripts or ActiveX controls.” Click the “Allow Blocked Content” button to the right of the message and you’ll see the links appear.

Scroll to the bottom of the links and you’ll see a section called “Resources.” That’s where you’ll find the good stuff.

In general, each item starts by defining the term, then offers suggestions and examples on how to use it. Here’s a sample:

Buffer Zones

(excerpted from the TimePilot help files)

Buffer Zone setup screenWhat’s a Buffer Zone?

When you're ready to extract a pay period, you might find that you need to include clock-in transactions that occurred a little before the pay period started and clock-outs a little after it ended. You can do that if you have set your software to create "buffer zones"—extra time at the start and end of a pay period. These can be set by clicking the "Administrative" menu and choosing "Change Time Period Buffers." This situation typically occurs when a company has staff on the clock seven days a week and 24 hours a day.

In Buffer Zone

The concept of the "In Buffer Zone" can best be described with an example:

Your company's pay period starts Sunday at 8 a.m. and ends at 7:59 a.m. on a following Sunday. You have an employee who starts his workday at 8 a.m. Sunday and ends it at 5 p.m. Sunday. It's very likely in this scenario that the employee will clock in a few minutes early—say, at 7:55 a.m. That would cause that transaction to fall outside the pay period.

If you don't set an "In Buffer Zone," when you extract your pay period, the 5 p.m. clock-out transaction will be included, but because the clock-in transaction occurred a few minutes before the pay period started, it won't be extracted. This will result in a "missing" clock-in transaction and will force a supervisor to manually make a correction.

Setting the "In Buffer Zone" to 25 minutes will instruct the software to grab any clock-in transactions that occur in the 25 minutes before the pay period starts and add them to that extracted period. In this case, the 7:55 a.m. clock-in would be extracted, giving the TimePilot software an accurate set of clock-in and clock-out transactions. Note: The "In Buffer Zone" function does not affect clock-out transactions.

Out Buffer Zone

"Out Buffer Zone" is essentially the reverse of "In Buffer Zone." Here's an example: Your company's pay period starts at Sunday at 8 a.m. and ends at 7:59 a.m. on a following Sunday. You have an employee who starts his workday at 11 p.m. Saturday and ends it at 7:45 a.m. Sunday. It's very likely in this scenario that the employee will clock out a few minutes late—say, at 8:05 a.m. That would cause that transaction to fall outside the pay period.

If you don't set an "Out Buffer Zone," when you extract your pay period, the 11 p.m. clock-in transaction will be included, but because the clock-out transaction occurred a few minutes after the pay period ended, it won't be extracted. This will result in a "missing" clock-out transaction and will force a supervisor to manually make a correction.

Setting the "Out Buffer Zone" to 25 minutes will instruct the software to grab any clock-out transactions that occur in the 25 minutes after the pay period ends and add them to that extracted period. In this case, the 8:05 a.m. clock-out would be extracted, giving the TimePilot software an accurate set of clock-in and clock-out transactions. Note: The "Out Buffer Zone" function does not affect clock-out transactions.

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