Time records in smenso represent logged working time for users, typically booked against tasks and projects. They are the basis for workload analysis, utilization reporting and controlling.

A time record usually contains:

• the user who recorded the time
• the date
• either a duration or a start and end time
• the related task and project
• optional attributes like description, activity type, billability, or flavors (custom metadata)

Time records appear in timesheets, task views, project reports, and workload/capacity visualizations. They help answer questions like: Who worked on what, when, and for how long?

Duration vs Start/End Time

A time record can be described either by:

• a duration (e.g. 4 hours), or
• a start time and end time (e.g. 09:00–13:00)

If start and end time are provided, the system calculates the duration. If a duration is provided, start and end time are either optional or cleared.

This ensures a clear, unambiguous representation of the booked time.

Validation & Constraints

Time recording follows the same constraints as in the UI. Common rules include:

• Project and task state
  • Time cannot be recorded on archived or inactive projects.
  • Time cannot be recorded on project templates.
  • If a project or task has time recording blocked, new records are rejected.
• Date consistency
  • The booking date must be valid, and the duration or time range must be non-negative.
• Access & Permissions
  • Users can only record or edit time if their role and workspace permissions allow it.

Time Records & Flavors

Time records can carry flavors (custom fields) for additional categorization such as:

• cost centers
• activity types
• internal/external flags
• billing categories

These values can be used in reports, exports, and downstream integrations.

Time Records Across the APIs

JSON API

• Provides modern endpoints for time recording use cases
• Uses the same business rules as the UI

XML Integration API

• Supports creating and updating time records via XML requests
• Applies validation rules consistently across batch operations

Reporting API

• Provides read-only exports of booked time based on configured views
• Commonly used for analytics, controlling, and billing exports

Summary

Time records represent booked working time in smenso and are used for utilization and reporting. They can be recorded using duration or start/end times, are subject to project/task restrictions, and follow workspace permissions across all API types.