Timesheet Tracker

A simple web application for tracking time spent on different tasks, built with Go backend, HTML/CSS/JavaScript frontend, and SQLite database.

Features

• ✅ Add time entries with task name, description, duration, and date
• ✅ View all time entries grouped by date
• ✅ Edit existing time entries
• ✅ Delete time entries
• ✅ Calculate total time spent per day
• ✅ Responsive web design
• ✅ SQLite database storage
• ✅ RESTful API

Project Structure

timesheet/
├── main.go              # Go server with API endpoints
├── go.mod              # Go module dependencies
├── static/             # Frontend assets
│   ├── index.html      # Main HTML page
│   ├── styles.css      # CSS styling
│   └── script.js       # JavaScript functionality
├── timesheet.db        # SQLite database (created automatically)
└── README.md           # This file

Prerequisites

• Go 1.21 or higher
• Git (for version control)

Installation and Setup

1. Navigate to the project directory:

   cd c:\Users\peter\git\timesheet

2. Initialize Go modules and download dependencies:

   go mod tidy

3. Run the application:

   go run main.go

   Or with custom parameters:

   go run main.go -port 8081 -db ./custom.db

4. Open your web browser and navigate to:

   http://localhost:8080
   

   (or the custom port you specified)

Command-Line Parameters

The application supports the following command-line parameters and environment variables:

Command-Line Flags:

• -port - Port to run the server on (default: "8080")
• -db - Path to the SQLite database file (default: "./timesheet.db")
• -help - Show usage information

Environment Variables:

• PORT - Port to run the server on (overridden by -port flag)
• DB_PATH - Path to the SQLite database file (overridden by -db flag)

Examples:

Using Command-Line Flags:

# Use default settings
go run main.go

# Use custom port
go run main.go -port 8081

# Use custom database file
go run main.go -db ./my-timesheet.db

# Use custom port and database
go run main.go -port 8081 -db ./my-timesheet.db

# Show help
go run main.go -help

Using Environment Variables:

# PowerShell syntax
$env:PORT="8081"; go run main.go
$env:DB_PATH="./my-timesheet.db"; go run main.go
$env:PORT="8081"; $env:DB_PATH="./my-timesheet.db"; go run main.go

# Command Prompt syntax
set PORT=8081 && go run main.go
set DB_PATH=./my-timesheet.db && go run main.go

Precedence: Command-line flags take priority over environment variables.

Built Executable Usage:

After building the application (go build .), you can use the same parameters:

# Default settings
.\timesheet.exe

# Custom port and database
.\timesheet.exe -port 8081 -db ./my-timesheet.db

API Endpoints

The application provides the following REST API endpoints:

• GET / - Serve the main HTML page
• GET /api/entries - Get all time entries
• POST /api/entries - Create a new time entry
• PUT /api/entries/{id} - Update an existing time entry
• DELETE /api/entries/{id} - Delete a time entry

API Request/Response Examples

Create a time entry (POST /api/entries):

{
  "task": "Development",
  "description": "Working on timesheet application",
  "duration": 120,
  "date": "2025-11-03"
}

Response:

{
  "id": 1,
  "task": "Development",
  "description": "Working on timesheet application",
  "start_time": "2025-11-03T14:00:00Z",
  "end_time": "2025-11-03T16:00:00Z",
  "duration": 120,
  "date": "2025-11-03"
}

Database Schema

The application uses SQLite with the following table structure:

CREATE TABLE time_entries (
    id INTEGER PRIMARY KEY AUTOINCREMENT,
    task TEXT NOT NULL,
    description TEXT,
    start_time DATETIME,
    end_time DATETIME,
    duration INTEGER NOT NULL,
    date TEXT NOT NULL,
    created_at DATETIME DEFAULT CURRENT_TIMESTAMP
);

Usage

1. Adding a Time Entry:

   • Fill in the task name (required)
   • Add an optional description
   • Enter the duration in minutes
   • Select the date
   • Click "Add Entry"

2. Viewing Entries:

   • All entries are displayed grouped by date
   • Total time for each day is shown
   • Current day's total is highlighted at the top

3. Editing Entries:

   • Click the "Edit" button on any entry
   • Modify the details in the modal dialog
   • Click "Update Entry" to save changes

4. Deleting Entries:

   • Click the "Delete" button on any entry
   • Confirm the deletion in the dialog

Development

To modify the application:

1. Backend changes: Edit main.go and restart the server
2. Frontend changes: Edit files in the static/ directory and refresh the browser
3. Database changes: The database is created automatically on first run

Development History

For a complete record of the project's development process, including all user requests and implementation decisions, see ai_chat.md.

Building for Production

The application can be built into a single, self-contained executable that includes all static files (HTML, CSS, JavaScript) embedded within the binary. This makes distribution extremely easy.

Build Single Executable

To build a standalone executable with all assets embedded:

go build -o timesheet.exe main.go

Then run:

./timesheet.exe

Or with custom parameters:

./timesheet.exe -port 8081 -db ./production.db

Cross-Platform Builds

Use the automated build script to create binaries for all platforms:

.\build-cross-platform.ps1

This script builds optimized binaries for:

• Windows (amd64) - timesheet-windows-amd64.exe
• Linux (amd64) - timesheet-linux-amd64
• Linux (arm64) - timesheet-linux-arm64 (Raspberry Pi, ARM servers)
• macOS (amd64) - timesheet-macos-amd64 (Intel Macs)
• macOS (arm64) - timesheet-macos-arm64 (Apple Silicon Macs)

All binaries are placed in the distribution/ folder and include size optimization (-ldflags "-s -w").

Distribution Benefits

• ✅ Single file distribution - No need to bundle static folder
• ✅ No external dependencies - All assets embedded in binary
• ✅ Cross-platform - Build for Windows, Linux, macOS
• ✅ Easy deployment - Just copy the executable
• ✅ No installation required - Run directly

The executable will create the SQLite database file (timesheet.db) in the same directory when first run.

How File Embedding Works

The application uses Go 1.16+ embed package to bundle all static files directly into the binary:

//go:embed static/*
var staticFiles embed.FS

This means:

• All files in the static/ directory are compiled into the executable
• No separate static/ folder needed for distribution
• Files are served from memory, improving performance
• Works across all platforms without path issues

Troubleshooting

1. Port already in use: The application runs on port 8080. Make sure no other application is using this port.

2. Database permissions: Ensure the application has write permissions in the directory to create timesheet.db.

3. Go dependencies: If you encounter module errors, run go mod tidy to resolve dependencies.

Future Enhancements

Potential improvements that could be added:

• User authentication and multiple users
• Time reporting and analytics
• Time goals and targets