Create Time Entry

Overview

Create a new time entry in your workspace using the Zapier integration API. This endpoint allows you to add time entries with comprehensive information including project associations, task assignments, and tag categorization.

This endpoint is designed for Zapier integrations but can be used with any application that needs to create time entries programmatically.

Authentication

All requests require a valid API key in the Authorization header:

Authorization: Bearer YOUR_API_KEY

curl -X POST 'https://app.timetracker.in/api/integrations/zapier/triggers/time-entries' \
  -H 'Content-Type: application/json' \
  -H 'Authorization: Bearer YOUR_API_KEY' \
  -d '{
    "date": "2024-01-15T10:00:00.000Z",
    "description": "Development work on new feature",
    "start_time": "2024-01-15T09:00:00.000Z",
    "end_time": "2024-01-15T17:00:00.000Z",
    "billable": true,
    "manually_entered": true,
    "workspace_id": "w1b2c3d4-e5f6-7890-abcd-ef0987654321",
    "team_member_id": "tm1a2b3c4-d5e6-7890-abcd-ef1234567890",
    "project_id": "p1a2b3c4-d5e6-7890-abcd-ef1234567890",
    "task_id": "t1a2b3c4-d5e6-7890-abcd-ef1234567890",
    "tag_ids": ["tag1a2b3c4-d5e6-7890-abcd-ef1234567890", "tag2b3c4d5-e6f7-8901-bcde-f23456789012"]
  }'

Request Body

workspace_id

string

required

The UUID of the workspace where the time entry will be created.Example: "w1b2c3d4-e5f6-7890-abcd-ef0987654321"

start_time

string

required

The start time of the time entry. Must be a valid ISO 8601 datetime string.Example: "2024-01-15T09:00:00.000Z"

end_time

string

required

The end time of the time entry. Must be a valid ISO 8601 datetime string and after the start time.Example: "2024-01-15T17:00:00.000Z"

billable

boolean

required

Whether this time entry is billable to the client.Example: true

date

string

The date when the time entry occurred. If not provided, defaults to the date from start_time.Example: "2024-01-15T10:00:00.000Z"

description

string

Description of the work performed during this time entry.Example: "Development work on new feature"

duration

number

Duration of the time entry in seconds. If not provided, calculated from start_time and end_time.Example: 28800

manually_entered

boolean

default:"true"

Whether this time entry was entered manually (true) or tracked automatically (false).Example: true

team_member_id

string

The UUID of the team member who performed the work. Must be a valid team member in the workspace.Example: "tm1a2b3c4-d5e6-7890-abcd-ef1234567890"

project_id

string

The UUID of the project associated with this time entry. Must be a valid project in the workspace.Example: "p1a2b3c4-d5e6-7890-abcd-ef1234567890"

task_id

string

The UUID of the task associated with this time entry. Must be a valid task in the specified project.Example: "t1a2b3c4-d5e6-7890-abcd-ef1234567890"

tag_ids

array

Array of tag UUIDs to associate with this time entry. All tags must exist in the workspace.Example: ["tag1a2b3c4-d5e6-7890-abcd-ef1234567890", "tag2b3c4d5-e6f7-8901-bcde-f23456789012"]

Response

Success Response

Returns the created time entry object with all associated data:

{
  "id": "te1a2b3c4-d5e6-7890-abcd-ef1234567890",
  "date": "2024-01-15T10:00:00.000Z",
  "description": "Development work on new feature",
  "start_time": "2024-01-15T09:00:00.000Z",
  "end_time": "2024-01-15T17:00:00.000Z",
  "duration": 28800,
  "duration_hours": 8,
  "billable": true,
  "manually_entered": true,
  "workspace_id": "w1b2c3d4-e5f6-7890-abcd-ef0987654321",
  "workspace_name": "Development Team",
  "team_member_id": "tm1a2b3c4-d5e6-7890-abcd-ef1234567890",
  "team_member_name": "John Doe",
  "team_member_email": "[email protected]",
  "team_member_role": "Developer",
  "project_id": "p1a2b3c4-d5e6-7890-abcd-ef1234567890",
  "project_name": "Mobile App Development",
  "project_status": "active",
  "client_id": "c1a2b3c4-d5e6-7890-abcd-ef1234567890",
  "client_name": "TechCorp Inc.",
  "task_id": "t1a2b3c4-d5e6-7890-abcd-ef1234567890",
  "task_name": "Implement user authentication",
  "task_status": "in-progress",
  "timesheet_id": null,
  "timesheet_status": null,
  "tags": [
    {
      "id": "tag1a2b3c4-d5e6-7890-abcd-ef1234567890",
      "name": "Development",
      "color": "#3B82F6"
    },
    {
      "id": "tag2b3c4d5-e6f7-8901-bcde-f23456789012",
      "name": "Frontend",
      "color": "#10B981"
    }
  ],
  "tag_count": 2,
  "created_at": "2024-01-15T09:00:00.000Z",
  "updated_at": "2024-01-15T17:00:00.000Z"
}

Response Fields

string

Unique time entry identifier (UUID format)

date

string

Date when the time entry occurred (ISO 8601 format)

description

string

Description of the work performed

start_time

string

Start time of the time entry (ISO 8601 format)

end_time

string

End time of the time entry (ISO 8601 format)

duration

integer

Duration of the time entry in seconds

duration_hours

number

Duration of the time entry in hours (calculated from seconds)

billable

boolean

Whether the time entry is billable

manually_entered

boolean

Whether the time entry was entered manually

workspace_id

string

Associated workspace identifier

workspace_name

string

Associated workspace name

team_member_id

string

Associated team member identifier

team_member_name

string

Associated team member name

team_member_email

string

Associated team member email

team_member_role

string

Associated team member role

project_id

string

Associated project identifier

project_name

string

Associated project name

project_status

string

Associated project status

client_id

string

Associated client identifier (if project has a client)

client_name

string

Associated client name (if project has a client)

task_id

string

Associated task identifier

task_name

string

Associated task name

task_status

string

Associated task status

timesheet_id

string

Associated timesheet identifier

timesheet_status

string

Associated timesheet status

Error Responses

400 Bad Request - Validation Error

{
  "error": "Invalid request body",
  "details": [
    {
      "field": "start_time",
      "message": "String must contain at least 1 character(s)"
    }
  ]
}

Cause: Required fields are missing or invalid
Solution: Check the request body and ensure all required fields are provided with valid values

400 Bad Request - Invalid Time Range

{
  "error": "End time must be after start time"
}

Cause: The end_time is before or equal to start_time
Solution: Ensure end_time is after start_time

400 Bad Request - Invalid Team Member

{
  "error": "Team member does not belong to the specified workspace"
}

Cause: The specified team_member_id doesn’t exist in the workspace
Solution: Verify the team member ID and ensure they belong to the workspace

400 Bad Request - Invalid Project

{
  "error": "Project does not belong to the specified workspace"
}

Cause: The specified project_id doesn’t exist in the workspace
Solution: Verify the project ID and ensure it belongs to the workspace

400 Bad Request - Invalid Task

{
  "error": "Task does not belong to the specified project"
}

Cause: The specified task_id doesn’t exist in the project
Solution: Verify the task ID and ensure it belongs to the specified project

400 Bad Request - Invalid Tags

{
  "error": "One or more tags do not belong to the specified workspace"
}

Cause: One or more tag IDs don’t exist in the workspace
Solution: Verify all tag IDs and ensure they belong to the workspace

401 Unauthorized

{
  "error": "Unauthorized"
}

Cause: Invalid or missing API key
Solution: Verify your API key is correct and properly formatted

500 Internal Server Error

{
  "error": "Internal server error"
}

Cause: Server-side error during time entry creation
Solution: Retry the request or contact support if the issue persists

Zapier Integration

Zapier Action Configuration

When using this endpoint in Zapier:

Workspace Selection: Use the dynamic dropdown to select the target workspace
Required Fields: workspace_id, start_time, end_time, and billable are required
Team Member Selection: Optionally select a team member from the dynamic dropdown
Project Association: Optionally select a project and task
Tag Assignment: Optionally select tags for categorization

Sample Zapier Usage

Trigger Setup

Set up a trigger (e.g., calendar event, form submission) that provides time entry information

Action Configuration

Configure the “Create Time Entry” action with:

Workspace: Select your target workspace
Start Time: Map from trigger data
End Time: Map from trigger data
Billable: Set billing status

Association Setup

Configure associations:

Team Member: Select from available team members
Project: Select from available projects
Task: Select from available tasks (if project selected)
Tags: Select relevant tags for categorization

Test & Activate

Test the Zap with sample data, then activate for live use

Use Cases

Calendar Integration

Meeting Time Tracking: Automatically create time entries when calendar events are created, ensuring all meetings and appointments are tracked for billing and reporting.

Project Management

Task Completion Tracking: Create time entries when tasks are completed in project management tools, maintaining accurate project time records.

Client Billing

Automated Billing: Create billable time entries based on client work activities, ensuring accurate client billing and invoicing.

Team Productivity

Activity Tracking: Create time entries for different types of work activities, providing insights into team productivity and time allocation.

Time Entry Best Practices

Time Format Guidelines

ISO 8601 Format: Always use ISO 8601 datetime format for consistency
Timezone Handling: Include timezone information in datetime strings
Duration Calculation: Let the system calculate duration from start/end times when possible

Description Standards

Clear Descriptions: Use descriptive text that explains what work was performed
Consistent Format: Follow consistent description patterns across your team
Context Information: Include relevant context about the work performed

Tagging Strategy

Work Type Tags: Use tags to categorize different types of work
Project Phase Tags: Tag entries by project phase or milestone
Client-Specific Tags: Use tags for client-specific work categorization

Important Notes

Time Validation: End time must be after start time. Invalid time ranges will result in a 400 error.

Duration Calculation: If duration is not provided, it’s automatically calculated from start_time and end_time. The calculation is in seconds.

Best Practices:

Always provide clear, descriptive text for time entries
Use consistent tagging strategies across your team
Validate time ranges before sending requests
Associate time entries with appropriate projects and tasks
Test with sample data before implementing in production
Handle error responses gracefully in your application
Consider timezone implications when working with distributed teams

Rate Limits

Rate Limit: 100 requests per minute per API key
Burst Limit: 10 requests per second
Daily Limit: 10,000 requests per day

Rate limits are applied per API key and workspace combination. Contact support if you need higher limits for your use case.

Health

Integrations

Create Time Entry

Overview

Authentication