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Describes an implementation of saving TimeLogger events to a server and converting them for import into QuickBooks.

I've finished what I think to be a great way to integrate TimeLogger with QuickBooks 2007.

I've set up a webdav server on my web server to save and restore the TimeLogger backup.

On this same server, I've developed a set of PHP scripts that manipulate the data files accordingly.

The process goes like this.

1. Perform a backup of TimeLogger to the webdav/web server. That drops a file called TimeLogger_backup.sql on the server.
2. Run a script on the server that parses the data into a database in order to hold the existing data.
3. In QuickBooks go to the "Customer Center" and make any customers you want available in TimeLogger active and any that you don't inactive. Then go into each job for each customer and set it's Job Status to "In Progress". All jobs with other statuses will be ignored.
4. In QuickBooks go File->Utilities->Export->Timer Lists and save the file(QB_Lists.IIF) somewhere on your computer.
5. Use a form on the web server that uploads the file to the server.
6. Run another script that parses the QB_Lists.IIF file and puts the Clients and Jobs into a database on the server and overwrites the ones that you had in there before. This make sure the Clients/Jobs exactly match those in QuickBooks. This is important because any little difference will cause QuickBooks to create new Clients/Jobs when importing.
7. Run another script that rebuilds the TimeLogger_backup.sql file on the server but now with your Clients/Jobs from QuickBooks.
8. Now do a Restore in TimeLogger. TimeLogger now has your QuickBooks Clients/Jobs and your Categories are still in tact as well.
9. Go about entering time in TimeLogger.
10. When you're ready to send your times to QuickBooks do a Backup of TimeLogger.
11. Run a script to parse out the new time entries into the database.
12. Run another script to read the entries from the database and downloads an IIF file that can be imported into QuickBooks. Save this file on your computer.
13. In QuickBooks go to File->Utilities->Import->Timer Activities and specify the IIF that was downloaded. All the times will be sucked into QuickBooks.
14. Now you can create Invoices easily with all your times already there.

I know this sounds like a lot of steps, but once the QuickBooks Clients/Jobs are in TimeLogger, just getting the time events in is pretty easy. I could even combine a couple of the scripts to reduce the number of scripts you have to run.

If you think that you'd like to have a similar process for yourself. I'm considering offering this as a service to TimeLogger users. Please email me at andrew@lunde.com if you're interested.

Thanks again to the folks at Costmosoft for a great iPhone app!

-Andrew Lunde