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FAQs
Where does WatchMe store information about the timers that I have created?
You can find more information on the various files used by WatchMe here.
What is the “Focus Light”?
The focus light provides a visual indicator of how “focused” you are while you work. As you stop a timer (in order to switch to something other task) the system records a “task switch”. The more task switches you have the less “focused” you are. On the options screen (available from the Timers menu or by hitting CTRL-O) you can turn the focus light on or off and also set the number of task switches per a set number of minutes you feel still keeps you “focused”. As long as you stay below this threshold, the light stays green; as soon as you go past this threshold, the light will switch to yellow and then eventually to red (least focused).
This option works best when the kind of work you do requires you to concentrate on one thing at a time with minimal distractions. By switching your timers whenever you are distracted, the light can quickly show you when you are losing your concentration or when you are firing on all cylinders.
How much does WatchMe cost?
WatchMe is “donationware” – so it is technically free to use, but if you find it useful i’d certainly appreciate a little token of your love. Visit the WatchMe donation page for more information.
I minimized the application and now it has disappeared. Where did it go?
WatchMe can minimize itself to either the task bar or the system tray – if you can’t find it when you minimize it, it’s most likely in the system tray.
If you would prefer it not to do this, check the “Minimize to Taskbar” option on the options page.
Can I have the timers count down instead of forward?
“Timers” as defined in WatchMe only count up – they are designed to record elapsed time. If you want to set a time and count down from it you can use a “countdown” instead (available under the “Countdowns” menu).
The countdown just runs to zero and stops. How can I have it trigger an alarm?
When you create a countdown, right click on the time display and select “Set Time”. From this screen you can specify the starting time for the countdown and also define the actions that should take place when time runs out (including playing a sound file (WAV), launching another application, etc).
What is an “Alert”?
An alert is simply a way to have a timer alert you after a certain amount of time has elapsed. You can set an alert by right clicking on the time display of a timer and click on “Add Alert”. After the specified time has elapsed you can have WatchMe warn you audibly, with a messge or even stop the timer.
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Right now there is no way to see cost and time together (other than flipping between formats). Also right now the export just uses the display format of the timer.
I will add both ideas to my list of enhancements and see about adding them in the next major release.
Glad to hear you are enjoying WatchMe.
Cheers!
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#3 written by Nicola 1 month ago
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#5 written by slomem 5 months ago
About 3 months ago the application stopped running and gave this error. “your config.xml file has been corrupted. delete the file and restart the program>” that was not verbatium but it is close it also gave the locationof the config.xml file. When I looked for the file the location did not exist. Now when I try to reload the software it tells me the same thing. What can I do?
Thanks
Slomem-
Do a file search for the WatchMeConfig.xml file on your machine. Once you find it delete it and restart the application. It will create a new config file (your old timers will be lost) and you should be good to go. If you are still having trouble finding the file – check out http://www.flamebrain.com/help/watchmes-files/. This page describes where the application looks for config files – you should be able to find it in one of these locations.
Make sure you are running the latest version of the application, as newer versions have a built in backup feature that helps to avoid these corruption problems (the corruptions usually happen if your machine crashes or is powered down when the file is being saved). I would also recommend setting the files in a location where they will be backed up (you can use the “Manage Data Files” option under the System menu for this.
Hope that helps.
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#7 written by Kirsty 1 year ago
I’ve been using this app for a while and find it really useful to track my time of all the various projects I work on. I then transfer the details onto my timesheet at the end of each month for submission to my manager. Today, however, the app simply will not launch, and I get an error message to say it has stopped working. I’ve also looked at the config xml file and it now appears to be empty!
Any ideas why this would be happening and any way that I can get back the data that has already been logged over the last week?
Thanks
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Not sure what happened. The app is designed to keep a backup of the config file that it then tries to use if the main file becomes corrupted. Can you look in the directory where your config file is stored (you can find this in the Help | About menu) and see if a log file exists? If it does, you can send it to support (at) flamebrain (dot) com and I can take a look at it.
If there is no log file, you may have an old version that wasn’t doing the backups. If that’s the case your only course of action is to delete the existing watchmeconfig.xml file and start again. You will lose all of your timers and you will have to re-create them.
I always recommend to users that they setup some sort of additional backup process for this file so of something does happen they can restore from backup. Also, make sure you are always running the latest version of the application.
Hope that helps.
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Some requests :
1) the alert sounds only once – I would like a recurring alert, eg sounding every ten minutes
2) I do not want the WatchMe window to pop up when the alert sounds but to stay unobtrusively in the notification area
3) the WatchMe window width: I would like to have the option of viewing it as as a very small window showing just the time, nothing elseThanks
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#12 written by Claudio 1 year ago
How can I download an older version? Love this timer but I just downloaded the latest version and noticed the timer runs far too slow on my system. I never paid attention to the accuracy of the timing on the prior version but always thought something was a little suspicious especially after the past month when it took me many hours less work to do a certain task that I know requires a certain amount of hours.
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#13 written by RP 1 year ago
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Excellent program! Works very well to keep up with IT tasks across multiple customers. I’ve been using it for a month or two now and one killer feature I’m looking for in a timer program is a way to import into our time/billing system. Your XML storage is perfect since we can parse it for import, but one addition that would make the import automatic (no cleanup afterwards) is if there were a timestamp for the last time the timer was stopped so I can import that as a date for the work that was done. (using the tabs as customers, so that works great in the xml).
Keep up the great work.
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Hi Mark
I am in the process of adding a more detailed logging feature into the application. It will record details on timer activity into a separate XML file, so you would be able to import it rather than the current configuration file. Look for that in the next major release – maybe by the end of the year.
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#17 written by georgge 1 year ago
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#19 written by Robert 1 year ago
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#21 written by Aldomeir 1 year ago
One of the time formats I would like to see is one that includes days…i.e. every 24 hours cycle back to 0 but add 1 to the left for days, i.e. dd:hh:mm:ss. I use one of the timers for system uptime. Yes, I know there is a command to get uptime directly from the system, but using your program is somewhat easier.
Great program…and Thanks!
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#23 written by Steve 1 year ago
Hi,
I just tried your product and was impressed!
My application is beyond your requirement of a work timer. What I would like to use it for is to time a game tournament. Picture a chess match with a chess clock but instead of chess the game is Puerto Rico or Formula D! Your product works well already. If you are thinking of ever branching out, some requirements that would make it work better for me are: stretchable window so players can see their time from 6′ away; a countdown (this you already rejected I know); a way to load the export file into a new tab; a way to clone the alert from one timer to another; and a way to set the defaults for a new alert settings (time amount and applicable options). Please keep up the great work!
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Hi, first, this is a great program and is exactly what I was looking for! Second, is there any way to display both the elapsed time AND the associated “cost” ($) at the same time or is my only option to toggle through with ctrl+F? And on the same note, is there any way to have the exported excel file show a column for the time AND a column for the cost? It seems I can only export one at a time.
Thanks!