What's new in TimePanic 5.X

This page contains a detailed list of changes in version 5.0 or newer, in reverse order.

What is new in TimePanic 5.3

TimePanic 5.3 makes the transition to 64-bit. A 32-bit edition continues to be available.

Major improvements

• TimePanic is now available in a 64-bit edition. The mixed usage of TimePanic 5.2, 5.3 32-bit and 5.3 64-bit within the same team is possible.
• Options are now searchable. Subdialogs are not taken into account though.

Minor improvements

• Two small improvements of the reminder feature (only available in the commercial versions):
  • The inactivity reminder dialog has a grace period of 2 seconds before it is shown. If the user is quick enough and starts using TimePanic within that grace period, the reminder dialog is now suppressed.
  • The inactivity reminder dialog inserts, upon request by the user, a new activity for the detected period of user inactivity. If this is the same activity as the last one in the day view, the new activity is now suppressed. Instead, the end time of the existing activity is prolonged.
• It is now possible to count the number of days marked with one of the two flags (customer request). This can either be done in the year view (select multiple days and open properties) or in a report (include the corresponding field in the statistics). One possible use case is to track and count the number of home office days.

Dropped features

• Windows XP and Windows Vista are no longer supported. TimePanic could still work on these systems, but there is no guarantee.

Bug fixes

• Fixed: Under special circumstances, after minimizing TimePanic to the notification area, the previously occupied screen space continued to block mouse clicks (customer request).
• Fixed: The auto-start option was not visible in the freeware edition of TimePanic.

Patch 1

Build 1160 fixes a bug.

• Copy & paste of reports fails in the 64-bit editions with the error "Attempted to access an unnamed file past its end" (customer request).

What is new in TimePanic 5.2

TimePanic 5.2 for Windows introduces support for fixed costs and makes time entry less restrictive.

Notes for users of version 4.6 or earlier

Chargeable upgrade: Please note that an upgrade license key is required when upgrading from version 4.6 or earlier. Upgrading from version 5.0 or 5.1 is free of charge.

Notes for users of version 5.1 or earlier

No forward compatibility: Please note that TimePanic 5.2 stores its data in a format that is incompatible with version 5.1 or earlier. Your data will be upgraded automatically when starting the new version. But you cannot go back. In other words, once you have started the new version, you cannot uninstall TimePanic and reinstall your previous version. Also, you cannot share your data with other users who continue to use a version of TimePanic earlier than version 5.2.

Deviating calculations: When using hourly rates, the cost calculations can lead to slightly different results than in previous releases for two reasons: An improved internal representation of decimal values and, in special cases, a changed order in which compensation of rounding errors is applied.

Major improvements

This release is all about further relaxing the constraints that apply when editing activities in the day view. This evolution started in the previous patch, which made it possible for the first time to directly edit the duration of an activity. The new release continues on that trajectory.

• A new untimed type of activity allows tracking fixed costs (customer request, only available in the commercial versions).
• Start time and end time are now optional. Activities may have just a duration without specifying the exact time (customer request).
• Durations can be negative and are not limited to 24 hours, which can be useful for compensating times (customer request)
• To simplify in-place editing of durations, a drop-down list is now available in the day view (customer request). This is a fixed list, but users comfortable with editing XML can adjust the list in the TipPreferences.xml file.
• Activities in the day view may appear in any order. The order can be changed with drag & drop.
• The activity list can be sorted permanently as you see fit by clicking on the column titles.
• New columns in the day view: Entry Type, Fixed Cost, Quantity. New columns in the report view: Entry Type, Cost / Unit, Quantity, Unit, No.

Minor improvements

• Selecting work types, projects, etc. as filter critieria in reports is now possible interactively when the report is generated (customer request, only available in the commercial versions).
• The currency format allows enabling the thousands separator (only available in the commercial versions).
• The demo data have been updated to represent a more recent year.

Bug fixes

• Fixed: It was possible to enter invalid project names by copy & paste that resulted in an unreadable TipConfiguration.xml file (customer request).
• Fixed: Under rare circumstances, the unsettling error message 'Failed to parse report descriptor file' appeared when starting TimePanic, a message that could be ignored (customer request).
• Fixed: It was impossible to clear the title in the Header & Footer dialog, the content '<Favorite Title>' kept reappearing after restart (customer request).
• Fixed: TimePanic freezes when enlarging a zero width side pane while a TimePanic 4.0 color theme is enabled (customer request).
• Fixed: Copying text from a report in print view did not work (customer request).
• Fixed: Resizing the main window with the mouse was difficult if one of the two TimePanic 5.0 color themes was active (customer request).
• Fixed: On high DPI screens, the bottom of the page was cut off during prining (customer request).
• Fixed: The Page Setup function for printing did not work reliably.
• Fixed: Scrollbar refresh issues in the day view and the report view.
• Fixed: Unwanted visual artifacts appear briefly when switching between day view, year view and report view.
• Fixed: Scroll speed with mouse wheel in side bar too slow.
• Fixed: Inactivity tracking is disturbed internally by irrelevant mouse messages (customer request).
• Fixed: Generating a report marks it as changed less frequently (customer request).
• Fixed: The statistical field 'Number of days worked' did not factor in public holidays worked.
• Fixed: Day flags changed in the report view were not updated in the year view.
• Fixed: Under special circumstances, an activity is not automatically reloaded after it has been changed by another instance of TimePanic.
• Fixed: In rare cases, saving changes in the year view failed with the message 'Error saving file. TimePanic cannot save the file TipCal.xml'.

Patch 1

Build 1126 fixes bugs.

• Fixed: The Comment tab in the day properties dialog in the year view fails to display an existing comment if another tab was displayed initially. Closing the properties with OK deletes the comment (customer request).
• Fixed: The picklist with predefined durations in the TipPreferences.xml file does not accept negative values (customer request).
• Fixed: The selected day can be hard to see in the year view (customer request).
• Fixed: Crash of the activity properties when day view contains no activities of entry type 'Time'.
• Fixed: The Initial Focus setting does not support the Time & Cost tab.
• Fixed: The All recorded days setting does not work for multi-user reports (custom request).

What is new in TimePanic 5.1

The user interface of TimePanic 5.1 for Windows is now compatible with high resolution displays.

Notes for users of version 4.6 or earlier

Chargeable upgrade: Please note that an upgrade license key is required when upgrading from version 4.6 or earlier. Upgrading from version 5.0 is free of charge.

No forward compatibility: Please note that TimePanic 5.0/5.1 stores its data in a format that is incompatible with version 4.6 or earlier. Your data will be upgraded automatically when starting the new version. But you cannot go back. In other words, once you have started the new version, you cannot uninstall TimePanic and reinstall your previous version. Also, you cannot share your data with other users who continue to use a version of TimePanic earlier than version 5.0.

Major improvements

• TimePanic is now compatible with higher DPI settings, greater than 100%. The DPI setting (dots per inch) is a display parameter you can change in the Windows Control Panel. In particular, TimePanic is now compatible with 4K monitors, for which the DPI setting is typically set to 200% for normal readability.
• TimePanic now includes large versions of all icons. This is how the icons are used at different DPI settings.
  • 100%: The old icons are used.
  • 200%: The new large icons are used. On a 4K monitor, these icons have the same size as on a regular monitor but look twice as sharp.
  • Other settings: The icons are scaled to match the required DPI setting. Scaled icons are less sharp than the original icons.

Patch 1

Build 1024 fixes a bug.

• Fixed: The in-place drop-down lists in the day view were not keyboard-usable anymore. This problem was introduced in version 5.1 (customer request).

Patch 2

Build 1031 fixes bugs.

• Fixed: The option Minimize application after saving did not allow to show it again, it stayed minimized (customer request).
• Fixed: Build 1809 of Windows 10 causes a previously dormant programming error in TimePanic to suddenly manifest itself: Under random circumstances, selected time entries in the TimePanic day view are either rejected with the error message 'Invalid DateTime', or they are unexpectedly rounded in some fashion (customer request).
• Fixed: Under certain circumstances, the calculations of the Days property tab in the year view were off by a factor of 100 (customer request). This could be reproduced as follows: In the year view, select all the days, go to the menu 'Edit / Properties of the Year', switch to the Colors tab, close the properties. Open them again and switch back to the Days tab. Check out for example the line 'Regular workings days'.
• Fixed: Reminders are now disabled when the screen is locked to avoid premature reminders (customer request).
• Minor improvement: The duration of an activity in the day view is no longer read-only, it can be changed directly (customer request).

What is new in TimePanic 5.0

TimePanic 5.0 for Windows introduces a new visual style.

Chargeable upgrade

Please note that an upgrade fee is required for the first time. Existing customers require an upgrade license key.

Note for users of previous TimePanic versions

Please note that the new TimePanic version stores its data in a format that is incompatible with previous TimePanic versions. In other words, once you have started the new version, you cannot uninstall TimePanic and reinstall a previous version. Also, you cannot share your data with other users who continue to use a version of TimePanic earlier than version 5.0.

Major improvements

• The TimePanic user interface now supports the two flat designs Light and Dark (only available in the commercial versions). The old themes are still available and can be activated in the Options.

Changed Features

• New style: The images of all work types, which are mainly used for favorite activities, have been modernized. Custom images now require a different file type. There is however an option to return to the previous style.
• Simplification: The work type is no longer mandatory in activities. The work type Open no longer exists in new installations.

Patch 1

Build 951 fixes several smaller bugs (not detailed), two major bugs and improves usability.

• Fixed: The week numbers shown in the calendar of the day view were incorrect in many countries (customer request).
• Simplification: The new setting Ignore current project makes it easier to control the current project feature (customer request).
• Usability: Where possible, drop-down lists now display the icons of the items they contain.
• Simplification : The tab allowing to create temporary reports without a name has been removed from the report wizard.
• Fixed: If you have not enabled auto-save, the save confirmation dialog loses unsaved data of the previous day when starting the computer from sleep or hibernate mode the next day (customer request).
• Minor improvement: 10 more icons have been added to the list of standard work type icons.

Patch 2

Build 964 fixes several smaller bugs (not detailed), a couple of major bugs and improves usability.

• Fixed: Weekend days whose planned working times were set to 0 hours could not be marked as annual leave days or sick leave days (customer request).
• Usability: The Data tab of the export wizard has been rewritten. In particular it now allows rearranging fields by drag & drop. Also, the export wizard can now be resized.
• Fixed: Creating a report filter for activities without a collaboration type was not possible (customer request).
• Fixed: The application crashes when editing an activity without work type and switching to the 'Unstructured Data' tab (customer request).
• Fixed: The application crashes when creating a new report while the favorites tab is hidden (customer request).
• Minor improvement: Again, 10 more icons have been added to the list of standard work type icons.

Patch 3

Build 1002 fixes several smaller bugs, improves usability and adds a number of minor new features.

• Usability: Context menus now look better when using the new flat designs Light and Dark.
• Fixed: In the activity properties dialog, selecting a work type was not possible using the button with the three dots (customer request).
• Fixed: The warning intended to prevent the user from inadvertently modifying a past of future day now appears less frequently and is better targeted (customer request).
• New Feature: The calendar in the day view now highlights special days such as leave days or weekends, leveraging the same color codes as the year view (customer request). This function can be disabled in the options.
• Usability: TimePanic now avoids a common problem related to the use of multiple monitors (customer request).
• Minor improvement: Again, 10 more icons have been added to the list of standard work type icons.
• New Feature: Automatic pause detection can now be used independently of reminders (only available in the commercial versions). Use case: If you inadvertently close a reminder window, you can always consult the list of detected pauses of the current day.
• Minor improvement: The new setting First week of the year allows to control how calendar weeks are calculated (customer request).

Patch 4

Build 1006 fixes bugs.

• Fixed: TimePanic crashes when started with a collapsed calendar in the day view (customer request). This bug was introduced in the previous patch.
• Fixed: The resume command does not work as intended when used on previous days (customer request). This bug, too, was introduced in the previous patch.
• Fixed: Under rare circumstances, TimePanic crashes sporadically when a report is generated. Under Windows 10, though, this type of crash may occur much more frequently (customer request). This bug crept in with version 4.5.