The auto-locking feature will help you keep the reports accurate by preventing your team members from editing or adding any time logs once the period is locked. You can set this feature up in the Advanced section of the Account settings.
There are three ways to lock the date period from editing:
1. Daily: lock the period after X days have passed from it
When administrators want to lock editing as soon as possible, but still leave enough time for the team members to edit any incorrect inputs, this is the best option.
For example, if you choose to lock the period 'Daily: when older than 1 day', we will prevent adding or editing any time logs for a period that is more than 1 day away. So in this case, Dec 7 would still be available for editing on Dec 8, and Dec 6 would already be locked.
This will give team members enough time to edit/update their time logs, while administrators can always confidently create reports for any period that is older than 1 day.
2. Weekly: lock the previous week
If you generate the reports on a weekly basis, weekly auto-locks will be a better option for you. In this case, the system will lock the previous week on the selected day of the current week.
This means that if you select the option to lock time logs 'Weekly: on Tuesday', the previous week ( Monday to Sunday) will be locked every Tuesday.
Admins can then confidently generate a report for the previous week on Tuesday, knowing that any changes to the previous period are not possible anymore.
3. Monthly: lock the previous month every Xth day of the current month
If you generate the reports on a monthly basis, monthly auto-locks may be the best option. In this case, the system will lock the previous month on the selected day of the current month.
For example, having selected 'Monthly: on day 5', the system would lock the entire period of May on the 5th of June.
This means admins can confidently generate a report for the previous month on day 5 of the current month, knowing that any changes to the previous period can't be made.
Please note:
When you set up the locking, the system will lock every time log in the past (not only from the moment you set the locking).
When a date period is locked, Normal users and Managers can no longer add, edit, or delete logs in that period.
Administrators, however, can add, edit, or delete logs even in the locked period. Bulk editing is disabled for all.
The period always gets locked according to every team member's local time. Please keep this in mind if you have users working in different time zones.
Unlock the period for individual users
Go to the Approvals tab to unlock certain periods for individual users. Click on a user and go to the 'Locked logs' section:
In the 'Locked logs' section, you can edit the locked period and set a custom cutoff date for a user:
The set custom cutoff date for a user will remain applied until you set it back to the account settings.
You can reset the custom settings back to account settings in the individual user's 'Locked logs' section, or use the 'Reset locked period' button to reset the dates for all users that had a custom cutoff date applied:
You can also bulk select users and edit the locked period in bulk:
*** Please note that the time logs (not the period) are also locked for editing once they are approved or invoiced. If you need to unlock the approved time logs, you need to reject them. If you need to unlock the invoiced time logs, you need to delete the associated invoice.