Allow future registration

The Allow future registration constraint lets employees record check-in/out and time registrations ahead of time, up to a number of their working days. Without it, time can only be registered up to today.

When to use

Use this constraint when:

• Employees plan their week and want to register project time a few days in advance
• Employees going on a trip want to enter the next days’ check-in/out before they leave

Parameters

This constraint can only be added under Blocking constraints . It is checked when the employee saves, so there is no warning-only version.

How it works

The default: today only

Without this constraint, mTime refuses any check-in/out or time registration dated after today. Anything up to and including today is fine, including a time later today.

What this constraint opens

The constraint moves that limit forward, separately for check-in/out and for time registrations:

1. It counts the employee’s working days forward from today, using their work schedule. Weekends and days off in the schedule are not counted, but days in between are allowed.
2. A registration dated up to that last working day is accepted. A later one is refused.

For a check-in/out, the check-out date is what counts. A manually entered session from 22:00 tonight to 06:00 tomorrow is a future registration.

What the employee sees

A registration beyond the limit is refused when they save, with a message such as Time registrations cannot be recorded more than 3 working days ahead or, without the constraint, Check-in/out cannot be recorded in the future.

Always allowed

• Time off on the timesheet. Time off registered directly on the timesheet — a time off activity not linked to a time off policy — can always be recorded ahead, without this constraint.
• Deleting. Removing a registration dated in the future is never blocked.
• Test workspaces. The future limit does not apply in a test workspace, so a consultant can place data anywhere in a simulated year.

Related constraints

• Limit backdating — the counterpart for the past. The two work independently: this constraint never restricts the past, and Limit backdating never opens the future.
• Several policies. When more than one work time policy applies and each has this constraint, the shortest limit wins: a registration any of them refuses is refused.

Examples

Plan project time for the rest of the week

1. Open the work time policy
2. Under Blocking constraints , click Add Plugin and choose Allow future registration
3. Set Registration days ahead to 3
4. Leave Check-in/out days ahead at 0
5. Click Save

For an employee working Monday to Friday, on a Thursday the limit is three working days ahead: Friday, Monday and Tuesday. They can register time on any day up to Tuesday, the weekend included, but not on Wednesday. Check-in/out stays limited to today.

Troubleshooting