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irieislandgirl
Community Member

Missing/ Unrecorded Screenshots

What should I do about Missing/Unrecorded Screenshots? 

I read why this could happen and not sure how to handle it with the client. The client has that I can add manual time, but how do I keep it from happening again? I really don't like adding manual time. I have one row that has only two screenshots on it and I clearly was working. I have been reading a lot about the business so I guess my pc idles from not typing or something?  I have turned everything off so it doesn't go to sleep. Anything else I can do to prevent it?

 

13 REPLIES 13
tlbp
Community Member

The Time Tracker only records if you are actively using your keyboard or mouse. So if your work involves much time without physical activity, you should arrange to add manual hours. The downside of this is, of course, that you aren't covered by Upwork Hourly Payment Protection. 

ronlorraine
Community Member

I had this problem a couple of weeks ago. If you don't completely close down the tracker before you shut down your computer you may loose any information that was used in your last session. The tracker tells you this and in a normal window shutdown you will see that windows tries to shut down the tracker but can't. So if you do a forced shutdown your session will be lost.

It's not like that. I have been working all day. 

My experience with "failed to take screenshot" happened when I locked out of the computer (after changing the setting in the tracker to keep tracking after locked out).

 

Okay I'll add this for some sneering types in the forum: Locking or logging out of a current windows session is necessary to completely refresh Adobe After Effects, e.g if it's slowing down too much, experiencing glitches, or some background instances are not loaded properly (thus not possible to do multithreaded preview).

 

Could be that you must disable screensaver on your PC?

No. It's didsbled.


Ron M wrote:

I had this problem a couple of weeks ago. If you don't completely close down the tracker before you shut down your computer you may loose any information that was used in your last session. The tracker tells you this and in a normal window shutdown you will see that windows tries to shut down the tracker but can't. So if you do a forced shutdown your session will be lost.


No, not necessarily. In fact, that will (or should) happen rarely and only if you were working offline (the tracker could not upload screenshots, so stored them in the tracker-cache) for some reason. In that case, killing the tracker can also kill the cached screenshots.

 

Provided the tracker was working "normally" (with Internet access) - the screenshots are uploaded while you are working, and nothing happens if you kill the tracker at the end, because it is all already in your work diary.

 

petra_r
Community Member


Melinda M wrote:

I have one row that has only two screenshots on it and I clearly was working. I have been reading a lot about the business so I guess my pc idles from not typing or something?


When you say you were working, was there keyboard activity (typing) and / or mouse activity (clicking?)

 

Only segments with such activity count.


Petra R wrote:

Melinda M wrote:

I have one row that has only two screenshots on it and I clearly was working. I have been reading a lot about the business so I guess my pc idles from not typing or something?


When you say you were working, was there keyboard activity (typing) and / or mouse activity (clicking?)

 

Only segments with such activity count.


I once lost some segments while having a Skype call with a client. Now I make a point of keeping my mouse in my hand and clicking occasionally while talking. I think you only need one click in each 10 minute segment.

 

ETA. If you only click once per segment you'll end up with low activity levels, and several low activity segments in an hour means you lose payment protection. So clicking once per segment is little better than logging manual time. But clicking once per minute should give you a high activity level. I think you get one green bar out of 10 for each clock minute in which there's any activity at all.


Richard W wrote:


I once lost some segments while having a Skype call with a client. Now I make a point of keeping my mouse in my hand and clicking occasionally while talking. I think you only need one click in each 10 minute segment.

 

ETA. If you only click once per segment you'll end up with low activity levels, and several low activity segments in an hour means you lose payment protection. So clicking once per segment is little better than logging manual time. But clicking once per minute should give you a high activity level. I think you get one green bar out of 10 for each clock minute in which there's any activity at all.


I'm not sure that I agree with this advice - it sounds like you're telling someone how to cheat the system, even if you aren't cheating yourself. Anyway if you're just clicking your mouse but your screenshots aren't showing any progress in the work that you're doing, the client could still dispute this. Wouldn't it be better to just add manual time to cover your phone conversations? 

No. I'm reading information from a link to a website the client gave me to learn about the business. Lots of pages and info.


Melinda M wrote:
No. I'm reading information from a link to a website the client gave me to learn about the business. Lots of pages and info.

From my experience this still counts as activity levels in that you have to scroll or page through a document and that is hittin buttons.  I almost exclusively scroll with a mouse wheel for that purpose and Upwork tends to get that.

 

I think the bottom line to your question is there is nothing you can do about it but log manual time (if allowed).  If there is a dispute at some point you will lose it but with a good client on a good project I would think you would be fine.

feed_my_eyes
Community Member


Melinda M wrote:

I have been reading a lot about the business so I guess my pc idles from not typing or something?


Yes, if you're not typing or mouse clicking and your pc idles, then the tracker won't record anything - that's how the system is designed to work. So if you need "thinking time", or you're making notes on paper, or talking to your client on the phone or whatever, this will need to be added as manual time (I would explain to your client in advance and make sure that they understand why you need to do this). 

 

In the future, if you realize at the proposal stage that a project isn't well-suited to using the time tracker, then you could suggest that the client should post a fixed price project for you instead.

I scroll with the keyboard rather than the mouse (down key)

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