Tip 22: How to allow employees to check in and out, and then automatically calculate their total work hours
Hi everyone,
Keeping accurate track of employee hours is crucial to smoothly running business. So this week, we wanted to go over how you can automate this whole process using Zoho Creator. With this tip, you'll learn how to set up a page that will make it easy for your employees to check in and out, and help you track their work hours on a daily basis.
To do this, let's create a sample application called Attendance App, and show you how you can use it to track the total work hours of each of your employees.
Application flow
- Employees can check in and out by simply clicking on a button
- Once the employee checks out, the total working hours will be calculated and updated in the admin report
- Managers and administrators can then monitor the total work hours of each employee on a daily basis
To do this, we need to create the following components:
- Attendance form used to record the check in and check out times
- Dashboard with check in and check out buttons, and two reports
- A way for users to be given access to the application
- A report for employees to view their check-in and check-out times
- A report where the admin can view the details of all employees
Step 1: Create the attendance form
First, we need to create the attendance form to record the times. This form can be hidden, as the check-ins and check-outs are automatically recorded by clicking on the buttons on the page.
Fields on the attendance form:
- Email (Email field)
- Check-in time (Date-Time field)
- Check-out time (Date-Time field)
- Total time (Single line field)
- Status (Drop down field)
Step 2: Create functions for the check in and check out buttons
Now, let's create the two functions we need to record the check-in and check-out times. All you need to do is go to Workflows, click New Functions, and add some code snippets.
Function 1: To record the check-in time
The Check In button on the page calls a function, which adds a record to the attendance form. Use the below code to create the checkintime function:
- void login.checkintime()
- {
- fet = Attendance_form[Check_in_time == today &&Email == zoho.loginuserid];
- // This condition is to prevent an employee from checking in multiple times on the same day.
- if(fet.count() == 0)
- {
- new = insert into Attendance_form
- [
- Added_User=zoho.loginuser
- Email=zoho.loginuserid
- Check_in_time=zoho.currenttime
- Status="Checked In"
- ];
- } .
- // This adds a record in the attendance form, which captures the logged-in employee's email and the current time, and sets the status as "Checked In".
- openUrl("https://app.zohocreator.com/ownername/attendance-app/report-embed/User_report?zc_SecHeader=false&Email=" + zoho.loginuserid,"iframe","zohoview");
- // OpenURL will help you refresh the user-based report (embedded in the page) to display only the login-based entries.
- }
Function 2: To record the check-out time
Now, let's create a function that helps us record the check-out time. The Check Out button captures the check-out time, fetches the record containing the check-in time of the corresponding user, and calculates the total working time, which is the difference between the check-out and check-in times in the hours:minutes format.
- void login.checkouttime()
- {
- fet = Attendance_form[Check_in_time == today && Check_out_time == null && Email == zoho.loginuserid];
- //This condition checks the record based on the logged-in user and today's date, which has the check-out time as null. It avoids multiple check-outs and ensures the record is added by the corresponding user.
- if(fet.ID > 0)
- {
- fet.Check_out_time=zoho.currenttime;
- mil_sec = (fet.Check_out_time - fet.Check_in_time);
- actual_minutes = mil_sec / (1000 * 60);
- //1000 -> mill sec to sec, 60 -> sec to min
- mins = actual_minutes.toLong() % 60;
- // % 60 -> Exclude Hours
- hours = (actual_minutes / 60).toLong();
- // 60 -> min to hour, % 24 (optional) -> Exclude Days
- time_string = hours + " : " + mins;
- fet.Total_time=time_string;
- fet.Status="Checked Out";
- }
- else
- {
- // This part handles cases where the user checks in for a night shift, and by the time they check out, the date will have changed. In this case, we use zoho.currentdate.subDay(1) to get the previous date's record. This will be executed only if there isn't any matching record for today's date.
- fet1 = Attendance_form[Check_in_time == zoho.currentdate.subDay(1) && Check_out_time == null && Email == zoho.loginuserid];
- if(fet1.ID > 0)
- {
- fet1.Check_out_time=zoho.currenttime;
- mil_sec = (fet1.Check_out_time - fet1.Check_in_time);
- actual_minutes = mil_sec / (1000 * 60);
- //1000 -> mill sec to sec, 60 -> sec to min
- mins = actual_minutes.toLong() % 60;
- // % 60 -> Exclude Hours
- hours = (actual_minutes / 60).toLong();
- // 60 -> min to hour, % 24 (optional) -> Exclude Days
- time_string = hours + " : " + mins;
- fet1.Total_time=time_string;
- fet1.Status="Checked Out";
- }
- }
- openUrl("https://app.zohocreator.com/<workspaceName>/attendance-app/report-embed/User_report?zc_SecHeader=false&Email=" + zoho.loginuserid,"iframe","zohoview");
- // And this code refreshes the user-based report on the page to display the filtered login-based record with the updated check-out time and the total time.
Step 3: Add the buttons to the dashboard and link them to the functions
Once you've created both functions, you need to create two buttons—Check In and Check Out—on your dashboard, and link the function to these buttons. When a user clicks on them the function is executed and the time is captured.
To do that follow these steps:
- Go to the page builder.
- Drag and drop a button onto the page builder, and you'll see a new window appear, where you can add other elements.
- Choose the Action type you want to perform—in this case, Execute function.
- Choose the function that needs to be executed (refer to the screenshot below).
- Create both buttons and repeat these steps.
Step 4: Add the reports to the dashboard
Admin dashboard:
To track employee working hours
This dashboard will help the admin keep track of employee work hours. Apart from the two buttons on the page, there are two reports, which are embedded using an HTML snippet.
- The list report will dynamically display records based on the logged-in user (for example: if Employee A is logged in, they can only view their own times).
- The Kanban report will list all the users who've checked in on that day, and it can only be viewed by the admins of the application.
Now let's embed these two reports on the dashboard. To do that, we need to drag and drop the HTML snippet onto the page builder and write the script below:
- <%
- {
- a = "https://app.zohocreator.com/ownername/attendance-app/report-embed/User_report?zc_SecHeader=false&Email=" + zoho.loginuserid;
- %>
- <iframe name='zohoview' height='400' width='100%' frameborder='0' scrolling='Auto' src='<%=a%>'></iframe>
- <%
- if(zoho.loginuserid == zoho.adminuserid)
- {
- %>
- <div elName='zc-component' viewLinkName='Admin' params='zc_Header=true'>
- Loading View...</div>
- <%
- }
- }
- %>
In the code above, we're embedding the user report using an iframe, so that the user report (iframe) is automatically refreshed after a user clicks on Check In or Check Out. We've also hidden the secondary header present on the user report by setting up zc_SecHeader=false to prevent users from manually adding or modifying the record from the report. The logged-in user filter can be directly applied on the report, or by using the parameter "Email=" + zoho.loginuserid" in the URL.
The admin report is added using a DIV tag, and is displayed only to the account's super admin using the if condition. if(zoho.loginuserid == zoho.adminuserid)
If required, we can add other non-admin emails using the criteria below to make the admin report available for those particular users:
The admin will also have the option to check out users, in case they forget at the end of their shift.
Admin report
The Kanban report is created using the status field, which is a dropdown field, and you can add the code in On Update of the Status Field.For example, when the admin drags the record from the Check in time column to the Check out time column, the user will be automatically checked out.
You need to choose Edited for Run when a record is while creating the workflow.
Below is the script you need to write in On Update of the Status Field, so that when the record is dragged and dropped to the Check out time column on the Kanban report, the check-out time will be captured.
- if(input.Status == "Checked Out" && input.Check_out_time == null)
- {
- input.Check_out_time = zoho.currenttime;
- mil_sec = (input.Check_out_time - input.Check_in_time);
- actual_minutes = mil_sec / (1000 * 60);
- //1000 -> mill sec to sec, 60 -> sec to min
- mins = actual_minutes.toLong() % 60;
- // % 60 -> Exclude Hours
- hours = (actual_minutes / 60).toLong();
- // 60 -> min to hour, % 24 (optional) -> Exclude Days
- time_string = hours + " : " + mins;
- input.Total_time = time_string;
- }
We've also added a filter to the admin report, that will allow the admin to view all the employees who checked in and out for the day. And, if required, you can edit it by week or month, depending on your requirements.
Note: We will soon roll out the hoursBetween function, which can be used to find the difference between the check in and check out times. This function will return the difference of hours between the given start and end date-time values.
We hope this tip was useful for you! If you have any questions, feel free to ask in the comments below, and we'll be happy to address them for you!
Access your files securely from anywhere
New to Zoho Recruit?
Zoho Developer Community
New to Zoho LandingPage?
Zoho LandingPage Resources
New to Zoho Survey?
New to Zoho CRM Plus?
Deliver unforgettable customer experiences
New to Zoho CRM Plus?
Deliver unforgettable customer experiences
New to Zoho Marketing Plus?
Everything you need to run your marketing
New to Zoho Marketing Plus?
Everything you need to run your marketing
New to Bigin?
Topic Participants
Sejal Dattani
Muhammad Umar Akram
Sejal Dattani
jsantander
akshay motihar
Sticky Posts
ANZ In-Person Zoho User Group Meetups: Focusing on Zoho Creator & Zoho Flow (September 2024)
Hello, Zoho Community! Calling all Zoho users in Australia! We're thrilled to announce the next series of Zoho User Group (ZUG) Meetups, continuing the success of our previous sessions. These meetups are a great opportunity to learn, network, and engage[SESSION ENDED] Ask the Experts #07| Live Q&A: Building workflows with Blueprint in Zoho Creator |
Hello, Post the release of Zoho Creator Blueprint last month, we're happy to tell you that we'll be launching a new 'Ask the Experts' session on 16th September (Thursday) this month focussing on creating blueprints in Zoho Creator. The session will beZoho Creator Community Webinars | October - November 2020 [Completed]
Hello everyone, I’m happy to announce that Zoho Creator is hosting a new Community Webinar Series starting this October. This series is a learning initiative aimed at our developer community, where every session will take spotlight use cases focused onCommunity Learning Webinar - Zoho Creator Blueprint & other release updates | July 29, 2021
Dear developers, This June, the Creator team unveiled a slew of updates including UI enhancements to the Detail View of reports, an new capabilities in Data Import and Connections, and most important of all, the release of Blueprint in Creator. CustomizeCommunity Learning Webinar: Delve deep into the core concepts of Zoho Creator | 17th June, 2021
Dear developers, Every customer has unique business needs and unique problems to solve. To be able to give solutions to these problems, to get over any stumbling blocks and to be able to build applications expeditiously that tailor to specific needs,
New to Zoho TeamInbox?
Zoho TeamInbox Resources
Zoho CRM Plus Resources
Zoho Books Resources
Zoho Subscriptions Resources
Zoho Projects Resources
Zoho Sprints Resources
Qntrl Resources
Zoho Creator Resources
Zoho CRM Resources
Design. Discuss. Deliver.
Zoho Show Resources
Get Started. Write Away!
Writer is a powerful online word processor, designed for collaborative work.
Zoho CRM コンテンツ
-
オンラインヘルプ
-
Webセミナー
-
機能活用動画
-
よくある質問
-
Ebook
-
-
Zoho Campaigns
- Zoho サービスのWebセミナー
その他のサービス コンテンツ
Nederlandse Hulpbronnen
ご検討中の方
Recent Topics
More Formula Functions
Hi, I would like for example to be able to have a Date Field and Formula Fields, and then in the Formula Fields I would like to grab just the Month of the above Date Field or the Week Number of the above Date Field. So more "Functions" than the currentFile upload size limits
I am designing a contact form in Zoho Creator with File upload facility. I am not sure where and how to set the following properties for the same: Allowed File Types Maximum Size of the Attachment Number of AttachmentsComposite Services and Account Tracking
I am looking to garner support/request the ability to make composite services. A quick search in the forums brings up multiple requests for this feature. I fail to see why an item is mandatory while services are optional. I also would like to see theAll operation codes getting Not applied in WO-TT22J1025WOR0471, SR-TT22J1025PRE0423,FOR VIN-W1K6G2AB2SL005130.
Dear Support Team, Please refer attached screenshot. All operation codes getting not applied in work order. Request you to please check and update ASAP.Exclude Segment from Campaign Recipients
I've created two Segments in order to separate Non-Marketing Contacts from Marketing Contacts. I'd like to send an Eblast to all Marketing contacts in my lists, but when I go to select Recipients, I have two options: 1. To Choose Lists to Send to; 2.Reschedule Multiple/Mass Calls at Once
When we go into a Call record, we have the option to "Reschedule Call." How can we select multiple Calls at once from the Activities tab and Reschedule them? The big use case for us: We have many leads that our reps are supposed to call on a daily basis.Option to Empty Entire Mailbox or Folder in Zoho Mail
Hello Zoho Mail Team, How are you? We would like to request an enhancement to Zoho Mail that would allow administrators and users to quickly clear out entire folders or mailboxes, including shared mailboxes. Current Limitation: At present, Zoho Mail onlyI want to Make the due date of the project appears automatically
hello everyone I want to know if the zoho projects app can add automatically the END DATE of the project I added the duration, start after dates of each tasks in the project template & the starting date of the project itself and the end date of it doesn'tDrag 'n' Drop Fields to a Sub-Form and "Move Field To" Option
Hi, I would like to be able to move fields from the Main Page to a Sub-Form or from a Sub-Form to either the Main Page or another Sub-Form. Today if you change the design you have to delete and recreate every field, not just move them. Would be nice toDeluge Tips & Tricks: Mastering dates and times
Hello everyone! We're bringing back our Deluge Tips & Tricks series, where we show you how to make the most of Deluge for achieving a wide range of use cases. Working with dates and times is a fundamental part of almost any business application. WhetherAdding a Button in a Form in Zoho Creator App
Hi I want to know how can I add a Button in Zoho Creator form. I have options that I select from a multiselect options and I want the button to add those selected options in a Subform. I do not want to add on a Page Builder I want it inside a specificInternal Exception for Creator function
I have been running a script successfully for several days using the scheduler in my application. Now today it suddenly creates and Internal Exception error. Nothing has changed about the script. The data is still retrievable from the web service it is using. Why would this suddenly be happening for no apparent reason? Also noticed that my usage logs are not up to date. Is something changing behind the scenes?How to Set Up a Custom Domain and Customize Homepage
Hello, I am experimenting with Zoho Creator to build applications for my own use case and have encountered a couple of issues: 1. Custom Domain Access: Is it possible to access my Zoho Creator application through a domain that I own? If so, how does theAnnouncing new features in Trident for Mac (1.26.0)
Hello everyone! Trident for macOS (v1.26.0) is here with new updates to securely manage your passwords, locally save your emails, and protect against emails with suspicious URLs. Let's take a quick look at them. Manage passwords with Zoho Vault eWidget.Default Value on a Number
Hi, I would be nice to also be able to set the Default Value for a Number Field, not just the Initial Value shown, so if not on the screen so not enetred it can have a value of 0 for example. Thanks DanHaving trouble fetching contents of Zoho Connect Feeds using the API, requesting alternative API documentation.
I'm trying to retrieve feed/post data from Zoho Connect using the API but facing challenges with the current documentation. What I've tried: OAuth authentication is working correctly (getting 200 OK responses) Tested multiple endpoints: /pulse/nativeapi/v2/feeds,Tip#45: Custom Tags and Cluster Tags
Tagging your work items helps categorize and label work items within your Zoho Sprints workspace. Now, this feature is expanded across multiple modules, along with the introduction of cluster tags that offer an advanced tagging mechanism. Manage TagsExtensions 101 webinar series: Build, integrate, and monetize with extensions
Attention developers! Are you ready to take your extension development skills to the next level? We're excited to bring back the Extensions 101 webinar series with an expanded lineup of Zoho products and an introduction to more platform features. Last[Free Webinar] User Management in Zoho Creator - Creator Tech Connect
Hello Everyone! We welcome you all to the upcoming free webinar on the Creator Tech Connect Series. The Creator Tech Connect series is a free monthly webinar that runs for around 45 minutes. It comprises technical sessions in which we delve deep intoA couple of minor enhancements to Workflows
Last updated on September 17, 2024: These enhancements were initially available for early access, and we've now enabled them for all users. We are elated to announce a couple of enhancements to custom functions in our Workflows! Say hello to: "Source"Business Continuity - Disaster Recovery
I know about the Zoho CRM backup .zip files, however, this doesn't include any of the infrastructure with like custom fields or custom modules. I am curious on what everyone has in place for a true backup or what your plan is if your Zoho instance wereNarrative 11: Are your customers happy?
Behind the scenes of a successful ticketing system: BTS Series Narrative 11: Are your customers happy? Happiness isn't just something you experience; it's something you remember. Hear your customers' voices by enabling customer happiness ratings in ZohoDon't understand INVALID_REQUEST_METHOD when I try to post up an attachment
When I make the POST request (using python requests.post() for files): https://www.zohoapis.com/crm/v8/Calls/***************01/Attachments I get this response: r:{ "code": "INVALID_REQUEST_METHOD", "details": {}, "message": "The http request method typeSignature field is showing black
Hello, When customer signed the service form, it is showing as below picture Phone model: iPhone 16 Pro We tried delete and install application, but it not solved. This has on phone of a few person. There is any advice to solve this?Zoho CRM Android app updates: record sharing, user image upload, Zoho Survey integration, and more
Hello everyone, We've made some important improvements to Zoho CRM's Android app, and we'd like to walk you through the latest updates. Here's what's new: Record sharing with org users User image upload Zoho Survey integration support Venue preferenceHow to Delete/hide Google adwords section from Layout?
Hi people, maybe someone can tell me how to remove or hide the Google adwords section from my layout? Im not using it and it takes too much space.WIDGET in related record list ZOHO CRM; how to get and put data to subform custom fields?
he need: Read and write two custom subform line-item fields on Quotes: Segment_wyceny (picklist/text) and W_pakiecie (number). Write works; read does not return these fields via SDK. Environment Zoho CRM Widget Zoho Embedded App SDK v1.2 Module: QuotesIntroducing Assemblies and Kits in Zoho Inventory
Hello customers, We’re excited to share a major revamp to Zoho Inventory that brings both clarity and flexibility to your inventory management experience! Presenting Assemblies and Kits We’re thrilled to introduce Assemblies and Kits, which replaces theWay to update CRM records in quik view
I have custom module in zoho crm and that module have 500 records. I want a quick way or UI so that user can easily update the record information in quick view without going to record detail view or edit view. I tried zoho sheet option but in zoho sheetWriter sing up problom
Zoho writer sing up prolom faceWhere to integrate Price Book and Product List Price
Hello, We sync zoho crm all modules with all data to zoho analytics. In zoho crm, we have "Price Books" and "Products" modules, where each product is assigned to a few price books with different list prices. From zoho crm, I am able to export a datasetForm / CRM Integration Not entering into workflow
I have a simple form setup with company name, first name, last name and lead source. Each of the fields are mapped to CRM Leads module. When the form is submitted, the lead is populated properly. I also have a workflow created that when the lead sourceAutomating CRM backup storage?
Hi there, We've recently set up automatic backups for our Zoho CRM account. We were hoping that the backup functionality would not require any manual work on our end, but it seems that we are always required to download the backups ourselves, store them,Zoho Slowness - Workarounds
Hi all, We've been having intermittent slowness and Zoho just asks for same stuff each time but never fix it. It usually just goes away on it's own after a couple weeks. Given that speed is a very important thing for companies to be able to keep up withDon't understand why Forms Mobile Scan and Fill not working
I have configure enabled mobile scan and fill, I have enabled QR and Bar code on two fields name and position, I have mapped seq 1 to Name and seq 2 to position, I have created a 2d QR code with the person names and position, seperated by a comma. WhenRecurring Supervisor Rule Reminders for Open/In-Progress Tickets
Hello Zoho Support Team, I would like to suggest a potential improvement regarding reminders for tickets and activities in Zoho Desk. Currently, it is possible to set reminders only once. In the Supervisor Rules section, it is possible to configure remindersTemplate usage
Hi, We are using some templates as a response to customer questions. Is it possible to analyze the usage of these templates? We want to know if the use of our templates has increased over timeTicket Status Colors
Can i change the colors of Ticket Status in the admin panel? Or even change the background of the entire cell of a Critical ticket? This way its easy for my agents to see a urgent ticket when it comes in. Right now everything is black text. Here RightSync Lookup Fields from Zoho CRM
HI Team, I have synced a lookup field from my CRM data to Campaigns. When I view the synced data the field appears to display a Zoho CRM record ID rather than the text value. Is it possible to get the sync to import the text value rather than the CRMNew From Address cannot verify
I have created a new From Address, which is the support@ address for my domain, that forwards to the default support mailbox. Presumably then, the verification email that is sent, should turn up as a ticket, but it does not. How can I verify my from address so that I can use my own domain?Next Page